Rebecca Sargent's Page

One of the biggest tasks after a natural disaster strikes involves the rebuilding of homes and lives for those who have been left with nothing. Problem is; most of the rebuilding efforts of this sort happen
in places where natural disaster is ripe to strike again someday. If
rebuilding is done in traditional ways, disaster is surely to strike
again, and more lives will be destroyed. Without proper rebuilding, the
potential for violence in the region grows, as people are forced into
alternativ

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Many of the peace strategies used in current conflict zones focus on reducing the direct violence or the structural violence within the government systems while neglecting to truly address the cultural
violence that lingers within the society. Cultural violence, a term
made famous by peace scholar Johan Galtung, is described as “any aspect of a culture that can be used to legitimize violence in its direct or structural form”,

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I have heard so many rumors and comments as of late regarding the allegations of Canadian forces handing over Afghan detainees to possible torture and I wanted to address some of the major misconceptions out there.

For clarity sake, these issues need to be more fully addressed. Firstly, I completely disagree with some of the statements I have heard that essentially say that to discuss or call for inquiry on the torture issue is tantamount to not supporting our troops. This couldn't be further f… Continue

Let's look for a moment at the value of humanity against the value of corporations.

One human, a living breathing organism, is entitled to certain rights under our legal system, usually pertaining to their right to live a happy and healthy existence free from the imposition or coercion of other human beings. Yet corporations routinely infringe upon these rights and are still permitted, if not encouraged to operate.

One corporation, a manufactured entity that creates products or services in exc… Continue

So anyone who reads this blog probably knows by now that I write a lot about conflict resources. I have been scanning the mining news and other humanitarian sites for many years now, and the more I read and follow, the angrier I become.

I am angry because the abuses are so vast and I am disgusted because we as Canadians are so intricately involved in violence around the world and seem to not know about it, or worse, not care. We focus instead on providing relief from the problems we are helping… Continue