Daniel Perrey, Thomas Thompson, Karl Peat, Jessica O’Connell, Hannah Smith, Izzy Dix and Gemma Dimmick.
These are just some of the names of Britain’s children and teenagers who have been driven over the edge by bullying, in the last few months. All took their lives, according to their loved ones, as a result of persistent bullying.
Last week was anti-bullying week, though you’d be forgiven for not knowing. The dearth of media coverage is symptomatic of the extent to which we’ve come to accept this vile contagion as “normal”. Or, in the case of the BBC which, according to the National Union of Journalists, is subject to 140 live bullying investigations, it would be like asking Jimmy Carr to be the spokesperson for “Anti-Tax Avoidance” day.
Ten years ago, I was brought in to roll out a national dignity at work programme for Royal Mail. An investigation confirmed that one of the organisation’s employees, Jermaine Lee, was driven to suicide as a result of relentless racist bullying. His suicide note left no doubt as to the abuse he had endured, even after reporting his ordeal to management, who were accused in the report as being complicit.
As I travelled up & down the country, instructing senior managers in how to embed ethical values and behaviours, I made a point of using Jermaine’s name constantly. Bullying is personal & yet the perpetrators do it by dehumanising their “victims”. They zone in on something about a person that’s different. It can be skin colour, sex, sexuality, age or disability, or it could be an accent, personal style, background or visual appearance. Whatever it is, that person is labelled as “other”, seen as a threat to “us” & therefore, fair game.
Bullying can only happen in cultures that enable it. Often the hallmark of insecure, incompetent leadership. Strong, competent leaders inspire, engage & challenge. Unfortunately, there’s not much of that about. If there was, the global economy wouldn’t be in tatters.
I’ve seen good people make bad decisions as a result of bullying. People keeping their heads down, hoping to hold onto their jobs. In times of recession bullying (along with alcoholism, domestic violence, depression and suicide) increases significantly. This climate of fear (for jobs, family, security) is serially exploited by unscrupulous employers and indeed government.
How else can human beings cut off the gas supply of a family resulting in a baby being hospitalised for lung disease?, how else could Job Centre Plus staff trick claimants (as reported in The Guardian) into being sanctioned (which means losing benefits for 6 months)? How else could a human being evict vulnerable people for not being able to afford the bedroom tax (a government policy which has resulted in at least one reported suicide)? How else could human beings in the ConDem government remain silent when cases of severe malnutrition, resulting in hospitalisation, have doubled on their watch?
Let’s not kid ourselves. Whether it’s someone being sidelined, ganged up on or ridiculed in the work environment, or knowing that vulnerable people in your community are being bullied into fuel poverty, eviction or hospitalised because of hunger & malnutrition. If we stand by & do nothing, we too are complicit.
If it’s in the workplace, speak up on behalf of colleagues being bullied. If its people in your community, or another vulnerable group in society, make a stand, mobilise, take action. As human beings and citizens, we have a responsibility to stand up to the bullies, whether they reside in Westminster, the City or in our own communities.
If anyone reading this is a victim of bullying or knows of anyone that is & needs advice, please do get in touch.
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Whether it’s Typhoon Haiyan, Rana Plaza or Rwanda, Why Are Some Victims Deemed More Worthy Than Others?
An edited version of this posting was published in todays Independent.
The Daily Mail headline a couple of days ago read: "Two Americans among 1700 killed in Philippines Typhoon". An estimated two thousand Filipinos have perished but it’s the loss of two Western lives that may trigger the deployment of expensive DNA technology to the region.
Forensic identification is required to identify those bodies that have been destroyed beyond recognition by any other means.
A recent study by Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh highlights the human rights incongruity in access to vital DNA technology. Researchers exposed an unofficial, unspoken, global hierarchy, wherein some human remains are deemed more worthy than others when it comes to investing in DNA identification.
The technology was deployed, for example, in Bosnia and in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, but not in Rwanda or Haiti. The authors highlight the fact that, in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, DNA technology was employed to identify victims in Thailand. The area with the highest proportion of Western tourists. Non Western victims in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and other areas were not, it seems, deemed worthy of such investment.
The CMU study calls for international structures to be put in place to promote more equal access to forensic identification, ensure their fair and efficient use, and provide uniform protections to participants following large-scale conflict and disaster.
In April the collapse of the Rana Plaza Factory in Bangladesh made international headlines. More than 1,130 workers, mainly women, were killed as a result, some would argue, of corporate manslaughter.
Despite allegations of overcrowding and human rights abuses, the owners of Rana Plaza are unlikely to pay the price. Killing one person in Bangladesh is punishable by hanging. Incarcerating poor workers in a dilapidated building which collapses and causes hundreds of needless deaths however, can be done with impunity.
A few weeks ago Primark announced that it had authorized a second wave of payments to victims and their families. The first installment came to the princely sum of £130 per victim. Those who received the paltry compensation said it ran out within weeks, others say they have received nothing. Matalan, Benetton and Bonmarche were also reportedly operating sweat shops out of Rana Plaza. Apparently these companies have not offered any compensation.
It seems the life of a sweat shop worker is worth even less than the cheap garments over which they tediously toil.
According to Action Aid, six months on, 94% of Rana Plaza victims are still awaiting compensation, 92% of survivors have not gone back to work, with 63% of those reporting physical injuries including amputations, paralysis and severe pain.
Exacerbating the families’ battle for justice is the lack of bodies, which if presented, would trigger their compensation. Although the technology has been made available to identify Rana Plaza victims, problems with incompatible software have plagued the process.
Apart from the obvious emotional implications of this in relation to the grieving process, there are also legal, social and economical ramifications. Death benefits are being withheld on the grounds that the government has not been able to formally identify all the victims.
For the victims of conflict and disaster, the nightmare doesn’t end when the world’s media averts its gaze. For the survivors and the destitute, despairing families of the deceased, the cost of being a third class global citizen is never ending. Human rights are for all, not just those who can afford to buy them.
* The excellent CMU paper cited above was published in "Science Magazine" & was written by Alex London, Lisa Parker & Jay Aronson. A big thanks to CMU's Shilo Rea for making me aware of it.
The Daily Mail headline a couple of days ago read: "Two Americans among 1700 killed in Philippines Typhoon". An estimated two thousand Filipinos have perished but it’s the loss of two Western lives that may trigger the deployment of expensive DNA technology to the region.
Forensic identification is required to identify those bodies that have been destroyed beyond recognition by any other means.
A recent study by Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh highlights the human rights incongruity in access to vital DNA technology. Researchers exposed an unofficial, unspoken, global hierarchy, wherein some human remains are deemed more worthy than others when it comes to investing in DNA identification.
The technology was deployed, for example, in Bosnia and in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, but not in Rwanda or Haiti. The authors highlight the fact that, in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, DNA technology was employed to identify victims in Thailand. The area with the highest proportion of Western tourists. Non Western victims in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and other areas were not, it seems, deemed worthy of such investment.
The CMU study calls for international structures to be put in place to promote more equal access to forensic identification, ensure their fair and efficient use, and provide uniform protections to participants following large-scale conflict and disaster.
In April the collapse of the Rana Plaza Factory in Bangladesh made international headlines. More than 1,130 workers, mainly women, were killed as a result, some would argue, of corporate manslaughter.
Despite allegations of overcrowding and human rights abuses, the owners of Rana Plaza are unlikely to pay the price. Killing one person in Bangladesh is punishable by hanging. Incarcerating poor workers in a dilapidated building which collapses and causes hundreds of needless deaths however, can be done with impunity.
A few weeks ago Primark announced that it had authorized a second wave of payments to victims and their families. The first installment came to the princely sum of £130 per victim. Those who received the paltry compensation said it ran out within weeks, others say they have received nothing. Matalan, Benetton and Bonmarche were also reportedly operating sweat shops out of Rana Plaza. Apparently these companies have not offered any compensation.
It seems the life of a sweat shop worker is worth even less than the cheap garments over which they tediously toil.
According to Action Aid, six months on, 94% of Rana Plaza victims are still awaiting compensation, 92% of survivors have not gone back to work, with 63% of those reporting physical injuries including amputations, paralysis and severe pain.
Exacerbating the families’ battle for justice is the lack of bodies, which if presented, would trigger their compensation. Although the technology has been made available to identify Rana Plaza victims, problems with incompatible software have plagued the process.
Apart from the obvious emotional implications of this in relation to the grieving process, there are also legal, social and economical ramifications. Death benefits are being withheld on the grounds that the government has not been able to formally identify all the victims.
For the victims of conflict and disaster, the nightmare doesn’t end when the world’s media averts its gaze. For the survivors and the destitute, despairing families of the deceased, the cost of being a third class global citizen is never ending. Human rights are for all, not just those who can afford to buy them.
* The excellent CMU paper cited above was published in "Science Magazine" & was written by Alex London, Lisa Parker & Jay Aronson. A big thanks to CMU's Shilo Rea for making me aware of it.
Friday, 8 November 2013
Britain's Approach to FGM Doesn't Cut it.
This was published in today's Independent.
If a parent cut off their 6 year old daughter’s arm they’d be arrested for child abuse. “Cultural” reasons would not constitute a defence. Yet, girls are having their vaginas mutilated everyday in this country, with impunity.
Anyone (with or without a vagina), watching Channel 4’s documentary about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), will have squirmed in their seats on Wednesday night. That’s the point. Change doesn’t happen in comfort zones. The programme followed the inspired campaign of the Daughters of Eve, many of whom are survivors of FGM.
There were moments of hilarity (the resplendent vagina booth in central London), hope (young British Somali men once defending the “tradition”, denouncing it as barbaric) and, despair. Women recounting graphic details of the cutting process, as well as the emotional and physical scars that are indelible.
It’s estimated that more than 20,000 girls in the UK are at risk of FGM. Despite being classed as a serious criminal offence in the UK since 1985, there have been no prosecutions. This highlights a marked disparity with France where there have been 100. A recent NSPCC survey also revealed that 1 in 6 teachers weren’t aware that FGM is illegal and didn’t consider it to be child abuse.
Nimko Ali, one of the co-founders of Daughters of Eve told me she is bent on changing these statistics. When she was 7 years old she was taken overseas during school holidays to be cut. When she returned she confided in her teacher, who ignored her cry for help.
The FGM campaign is calling for a joined up political approach. They want the police, social workers, teachers and medical practitioners to have mandatory FGM awareness training. For example, in France, hospitals routinely check children admitted from “high risk communities” for FGM and a reporting system is in place. This makes it easier to record and prosecute FGM, which is the ultimate deterrent.
Since making the programme, Nimko has met with Jeremy Hunt. It seems he has committed to putting similar procedures in place here in the UK. Theresa May has made analogous noises at the home office. The pugnacious Michael (the child hater) Gove, however, refuses to make FGM mandatory in child protection. There’s a surprise.
FGM is gender-based violence. It perpetuates inequities between men and women and compromises the health and dignity of its victims. It is also child abuse and illegal. Prosecutions are unlikely to happen without multi agency training. That requires government investment and commitment. Anything less just won’t cut it.
If a parent cut off their 6 year old daughter’s arm they’d be arrested for child abuse. “Cultural” reasons would not constitute a defence. Yet, girls are having their vaginas mutilated everyday in this country, with impunity.
Anyone (with or without a vagina), watching Channel 4’s documentary about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), will have squirmed in their seats on Wednesday night. That’s the point. Change doesn’t happen in comfort zones. The programme followed the inspired campaign of the Daughters of Eve, many of whom are survivors of FGM.
There were moments of hilarity (the resplendent vagina booth in central London), hope (young British Somali men once defending the “tradition”, denouncing it as barbaric) and, despair. Women recounting graphic details of the cutting process, as well as the emotional and physical scars that are indelible.
It’s estimated that more than 20,000 girls in the UK are at risk of FGM. Despite being classed as a serious criminal offence in the UK since 1985, there have been no prosecutions. This highlights a marked disparity with France where there have been 100. A recent NSPCC survey also revealed that 1 in 6 teachers weren’t aware that FGM is illegal and didn’t consider it to be child abuse.
Nimko Ali, one of the co-founders of Daughters of Eve told me she is bent on changing these statistics. When she was 7 years old she was taken overseas during school holidays to be cut. When she returned she confided in her teacher, who ignored her cry for help.
The FGM campaign is calling for a joined up political approach. They want the police, social workers, teachers and medical practitioners to have mandatory FGM awareness training. For example, in France, hospitals routinely check children admitted from “high risk communities” for FGM and a reporting system is in place. This makes it easier to record and prosecute FGM, which is the ultimate deterrent.
Since making the programme, Nimko has met with Jeremy Hunt. It seems he has committed to putting similar procedures in place here in the UK. Theresa May has made analogous noises at the home office. The pugnacious Michael (the child hater) Gove, however, refuses to make FGM mandatory in child protection. There’s a surprise.
FGM is gender-based violence. It perpetuates inequities between men and women and compromises the health and dignity of its victims. It is also child abuse and illegal. Prosecutions are unlikely to happen without multi agency training. That requires government investment and commitment. Anything less just won’t cut it.
Sunday, 3 November 2013
The Feminist Times Launch Party!
These are exciting times. When Charlotte Raven launched The Feminist Times just weeks ago, she asked the question “Where are all the interesting women”? Three dimensional women whose appetite for political rigour & gender scrutiny isn’t sated by Vanity Fair.
At the launch of The Feminist Times membership party last night, I had the pleasure of tracking down a number of interesting women, as well as men, who were keen to declare their feminist credentials. Being in north London you’d expect a broad constituency in terms of diversity. Feminists came from far & wide, of all ages & classes, to have three dimensional conversations. Some were funny, some were intellectuals, some were inspiring.
Amongst the many interesting people I met last night (hovering around the "bar" in Charlotte's kitchen), the young women from The Daughters of Eve deserve a special mention. They’ve made an incredibly powerful documentary about female genital mutilation (FGM). It’s to be aired on Channel 4 on Wed night at 10.45 pm. They set out to challenge our stereotypes about what’s culturally acceptable & are filmed putting our ministers on the spot. It’s disheartening to hear that, despite the evidence to suggest FGM is rampant in this country, Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Education) refuses to include it as a mandatory part of safeguarding in schools training.
I wish Charlotte & all the team at The Feminist Times every success.
At the launch of The Feminist Times membership party last night, I had the pleasure of tracking down a number of interesting women, as well as men, who were keen to declare their feminist credentials. Being in north London you’d expect a broad constituency in terms of diversity. Feminists came from far & wide, of all ages & classes, to have three dimensional conversations. Some were funny, some were intellectuals, some were inspiring.
Amongst the many interesting people I met last night (hovering around the "bar" in Charlotte's kitchen), the young women from The Daughters of Eve deserve a special mention. They’ve made an incredibly powerful documentary about female genital mutilation (FGM). It’s to be aired on Channel 4 on Wed night at 10.45 pm. They set out to challenge our stereotypes about what’s culturally acceptable & are filmed putting our ministers on the spot. It’s disheartening to hear that, despite the evidence to suggest FGM is rampant in this country, Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Education) refuses to include it as a mandatory part of safeguarding in schools training.
I wish Charlotte & all the team at The Feminist Times every success.
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