History of Public Health Systems Essay

Public Health is about helping everyone to stay healthy rather than focusing specifically on the individual, with the aim to promote health, protecting individuals from threats to their health and preventing ill-health. Public health policies have made a significant impact in increasing a person’s overall life expectancy and improving health. (Public Health) Public Health Strategies: Public health strategies are devised in order to prevent the spread of diseases, prolong life and promote health. This can be done through the use of monitoring, identifying, developing programmes etc. Monitoring the health status of the community – Is a key aspect of health strategies that are in place within the UK. This health strategy helps to monitor any changes that occur in the health of the population, along with alerting individuals to any potential problems. Health throughout the UK is monitored by quality of life, infant mortality rates and life expectancy (Baker L, 2008, BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, page 2) The monitoring of health throughout the country allows for advanced planning of local services within the community that may be at risk of certain health problems. The monitoring of health at a local level allows for information to be recorded before being compared to the health of other communities across the country. Local information on health is an important aspect as it is collected on a geographical basis throughout the UK, for example vaccination rates, hospital admissions etc. This is one way on health can be monitored, as in the cases of other communities they may have higher incidence rates of certain diseases whereas others may have low incidences of diseases. Communities that have a higher rate of disease are monitored further and health promotion campaigns will be developed before being put into effect in order to reduce the risk of disease spreading within the community. The health status of a community can vary throughout the nation and depend on a variety of factors, of which can include: Age Gender Socio-economic conditions Genetics Environmental factors Through the use of monitoring health changes any problems that may arise in the future within communities can be identified in advance in order for it to be prevented. For example the rise of sexually transmitted diseases within local communities would monitored in order to predict any potential problems that may occur in the future and stop them from taking place. Identifying the health needs of the population – The health of the nation is measured by using mortality and morbidity rates of which have indicated how people are now living longer than that of their predecessors. Identifying the health needs of the population is another important aspect of public health strategies within the UK; this takes place when trends and patterns in local communities across the nation are established. By identifying the health needs of individuals located in a particular community means that the need for services can therefore be identified. Patterns can be detected throughout the country through the use of national statistics. National statistics are used in order to determine how health can be improved and how areas of concern can be highlighted, along with the effects of ill health may be reduced and prevented. Patterns of illness and disease can possibly be the result of certain factors, of which include; genetics, environment, lifestyle, education etc. However some parts of the country may be more susceptible to certain illnesses and diseases than others due to the patterns that are outlined by the National Statistics and social trends information. Developing programmes to reduce risk and screen for early disease – ‘Screening is the process of identifying apparently healthy people who may be at increased risk of a disease or condition. They can then be offered information, further tests and appropriate treatment to reduce their risk and/or any complications arising from the disease or  condition.’ As defined by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). Health programmes are developed based on the information gathered by epidemiologists. ‘An epidemiologist is a person who studies patterns of diseases or health risks in population groups, societies, and cultures.’ The Department of Health produces a green paper that proposes what the targets of health should be; and is based on these decisions as to how the government implement the findings. From this a white paper is produced, of which goes into detail as to how and what course of action is taken. An example of recent white papers can include ‘Our Healthy Nation’ and ‘Our Healthier Nation ‘ (1999). The aim of the white paper is to inform and protect members of the public by influencing social changes in regards to the health of the nation. (L, 2008, BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, page 4). Examples of current public health programmes include: Five a day campaign, MMR immunisation programme and the Local NHS Smoking Service. Controlling communicable disease – Controlling communicable diseases is an important aspect of public health strategies in the UK, of which ‘involves planning to include screening and early detection, isolation and treatment, containment, prevention and cure eradication where possible’. (Baker L, 2008, BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, page 7) The early detection of a disease can prove useful, as it can provide insight on the cause and the spread of the disease along with being able to highlight any potential risks that the disease may cause to an individual or group of people; especially in vulnerable people such as young children, and the elderly. Young children and the elderly are more susceptible to disease due to their immune system being much weaker than the average individual; therefore it is important in the early detection of an infection in order to stop this from occurring. Isolating individuals with communicable diseases enables to remain controlled, in order to reduce and prevent the risk of spreading the disease. A resident residing in a care home that was diagnosed with tuberculosis for example, would be moved to a room on their own, in order to ensure that the disease is not then passed to another service user within  the home is one example. Containing a disease can occur at a national and local level; this can occur once the source of the infection has been identified and plan has been developed and put in place in order to reduce the risk of the disease reoccurring. The measures that are taken in which to contain the disease can vary from short, medium, to long term measures. (Baker L, 2008, BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, page 7) Short term measures – limited visiting, unnecessary travel, treatment and isolation Medium/long term measures – immunisation programme, appropriate medical treatment, educating individuals about the risks, eradicating incidence of disease where it proves possible to do so Eradicating disease is now becoming possible due to advances in research and technology. Advances in technology means that more is known about the causes of illness and disease along with how the disease is spread. This advance has been made possible through the use of early detection and surveillance, monitoring, screening, treatment and immunisation programmes, health education and promotion. (Baker L, 2008, BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, page 8) Promote the health of the population – Health promoters are tasked with the promoting the health of the population on a local and national scale. Health promoters are based in a variety of settings, such as, GP surgeries, drop-in centres, radio, magazines and schools. They are prioritised on local need and the availability of funding for the necessary resources. These priorities can be identified through the number of reported illnesses and diseases through local statistics. Any illnesses or diseases taken from the statistics prove to be either life threatening or cause an individual to spend a substantial amount of time in hospital would then be given top priority in the promoting of health. Individuals who may be overweight can potentially be at risk of coronary heart disease later on in life. The health promoter would thereby ensure that diets and exercise are promoted through the use of proper channel on both a local and national level. Planning and evaluating the national provision of health and social care – The National provision of Health and Social care within the UK is planned and evaluated by the National Health Service and Social Services. This is based on the information provided by health and social care professionals on a local, regional and national scale across the UK. ‘The government have produced guidelines and information to state how they will tackle the problems controlling and preventing infectious disease spread.’ (Baker L, 2008, BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, page 8) The strategies outlined in the guidelines by the government are a series of proposed actions in order to create a system in which to prevent, investigate and control the threat of infectious diseases and to address health protection on a wider scale. M1 – Describe the origins of public health policy in the UK from the 19th century to the present day. In this essay I will compare two different health measures in the 19th century and how they have made an impact on society today. I am also going to compare and explain the living conditions of towns and cities in the 19th, 20th and 21st century. Public health has developed considerably over the years and the changes that have occurred overtime reflect on the health concerns of the nation during each time period. These changes are what have produced the Public Health system that is currently in place today. Over the year’s vast amounts of medical knowledge of today’s health professionals have increased in response as to how diseases are spread, along with the advances in medicine that have aided in helping to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases. During the 19th century the living conditions were exceedingly poor and there were various health issues of which include overcrowding in housing and overcrowding in general, thereby resulting in the spread of disease. The Poor Law Act (1834) was established in 1834. The Poor Law was designed in order to reduce the cost of looking after the poor and impose a system which  would be the same all across the country. The industrial revolution led to the development of towns and cities across the UK. The population of the nation had increased rapidly once the Poor Law Act was implemented. The country’s poverty relief system had not been amended since 1601, before finally coming into play as a result of Edwin Chadwick, John Snow. The Public Health Act was first implemented in 1848 in order to ensure that sanitary conditions were provided for in populated areas across the UK. In response to the Public Health Act 1848 The General Board of Health was developed so as to ensure that all public health policies that were administered were carried out as effectively as possible. Edwin Chadwick was the first commissioner of the board. The implementation of the act allowed for authorities working with civil engineers and medics to improve sanitation. (Baker L, 2008, BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, page 14) Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890) was accredited for his work on the reformation of the Poor Law. Edwin Chadwick was appointed by the government to carry out investigations and research into current sanitation. Chadwick wrote a report outlining his findings known as ‘The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population’ published in 1842. In his report Chadwick argued that disease had a direct link to living conditions. After the report was produced new measures were taken in order to help promote the safe disposal of human waste and rubbish. Chadwick believed that poor sanitary conditions caused disease. John Snow (1813-1858) was a British physician commended for his work in relation to the cholera outbreak in 1854. Snow was an anaesthetist and epidemiologist interested in the practices of cleanliness and hygiene put in place to help prevent disease. Snow formed the link between the cholera outbreak to the contaminated water residing in the water pump in Broad Street. In 1854, Snow identified that a water pump in Broad Street located near one of the cess pits was what was contaminating the water; thereby linking the Broad Street pump as the outbreak site of the disease. Higher mortality rates were linked to the Broad Street pump. ‘He had the handle of  the pump removed, and cases of cholera immediately began to diminish.’ Throughout the 20th century more Acts and Reforms were put in place in order to reduce the risk of spreading infection that led to illness and disease among the UK population. This included; Beveridge Report (1942), NHS (1946), Black Report (1980), Acheson Report (1998), Our Health Nation (1997), Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (1999). William Beveridge (1879-1963) produced ‘The Beveridge Report’ in 1942, which went on to become the basis of a series of reforms after the Second World War, by looking into way on reducing inequalities in the health care provision. This report has been used as the foundation for most social legislation. The Beveridge Report was a major influence in the introduction of The Welfare State along with The National Health Service founded in 1949. The Beveridge report focused on sanitation and ways to improve and change the educational standards of areas which were highly affected by poverty. The report suggested that the working class gave a share of their wages in order to aid those who did not work, those of which who were either sick, unemployed, retired or widowed were then given these contributions. The government tasked Beveridge with the developing a report that was based on the ways that Britain should be rebuilt once the Second World War ended. The report was published in 1942 and provided recommendations to the government in order to find ways of tackling the five ‘Giant Evils’ known as ‘Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness.’ Edwin Chadwick 1842, William Beveridge 1942 and the White Paper Report: making healthier choices easier attempted to improve overall public health. Whereas Chadwick focused on poverty, Beveridge focused on sanitation and the White Paper was specific to health. Beveridge and the White Paper Report: making healthier choices easier focused on poverty and how it affected a person’s overall health. Whereas in the Beveridge report he chose to write about The Welfare State, whilst the White Paper talked about reducing inequalities to health. John Snow and the White Paper Report both used statistics in order to provide evidence in order to give insight into the condition of public health and what need attention before giving suggestions on how to improve it. Works Cited Public Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/topics/public-health. Wright, J., Williams, R., & Wilkinson, J. (1998, April 28 ). BMJ Health needs assessment. British Medical Journal, 1310-1313. Anon, (2014). [online] Available at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/lesson08.htm) [Accessed 3 Oct. 2014]. Bbc.co.uk, (2014). BBC – History – Historic Figures: John Snow (1813 – 1858). [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/snow_john.shtml [Accessed 3 Oct. 2014]. Bbc.co.uk, (2014). BBC – History – William Beveridge. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/beveridge_william.shtml [Accessed 3 Oct. 2014]. Spartacus Educational, (2014). Edwin Chadwick. [online] Available at: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PHchadwick.htm [Accessed 3 Oct. 2014]. wiseGEEK, (2014). What is an Epidemiologist? (with pictures). [online] Available at: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-epidemiologist.htm [Accessed 4 Oct. 2014].

Educational Theatre Essay

We have been trying to put these issues into different types of drama and trying to put across all the different sides to these issues. For example rape: Is one rapist, worse than another? In this essay I am going to be explaining what we did to put these issues across in a form of drama, what complications we came across, what my part in each drama was and what went well and what went wrong. My group set about the task of putting Surrogacy across by trying to look at every aspect of it. Our aims were to show how many different people come into it and how it affects each individual involved. For instance, I played the part of the surrogate mothers employer. Before the surrogate mother had decided that she would carry the baby, she came to me as her employer to explain the situation. What was going through my mind was things such as: How much time off work she would take, how much it would cost the company etc. So I was reluctant to let her carry this baby but was persuaded in the end. We also looked at other aspects that would affect the Surrogate Mother. These included: How her social life would be affected, how her friendship with the person she was carrying the baby for would develop, her family and how she would be affected financially. One problem with the surrogate mother in our play had been that she didn’t have the backing of her parents. I also played the role of her father and insisted that I wouldn’t speak to my daughter again. This was because I was playing the role of someone with very old-fashioned values and thought that what my daughter was doing was disgusting and not very ethical. This put a massive amount of strain on the surrogate mother. She basically had to pick between her friends and family. In the end she chose her friend though because she knew how much she wanted a baby and how much it would mean to her. So our group basically tried to show all the different sides there are to surrogacy, its not just about someone carrying a baby for someone, it’s about a lot more than that. What I think went well was how flexible the people in our group were. We all played 3 or 4 different characters during the play and we all managed with this really well. I played a counsellor, the surrogate mums father and her boss. Another thing I think we did well was our setting out of the stage. Between each scene the stage had to be rearranged quite a lot and the members of our group did this quickly and efficiently. The things we did badly I thought was the acting of emotions. Most people of the age of the members in our group have had little or no experience with an issue such as surrogacy. Therefore they did really well to act as they did but I still don’t think we done it quite as good as we could have. My conclusion is that educational theatre is the most gripping type of theatre. And to do it well you need actors and good stage directions. If I were to work on this project again I would make sure that a lot more research had been done into the issues we had to deal with in these plays. I think this would make the acting a lot more realistic and give the actor/actress a bit more of an idea of the role they are playing.

Best Value Procurement Bids in Council Services

Best Value Procurement Bids in Council Services Empirical Work This paper is an empirical study on the strategic significance that Best Value (BV) Procurement adds to Birmingham City Council. The aim of the proposed research is to quantify the strategic link between the BV and the contemporary strategic Procurement. Then to create a model which will evaluate the contribution of the strategy when applied to Birmingham City Council. Best Value was introduced into the public sector in 1998, announced through the government’s white paper â€Å"Modern Local Government in Touch with the People†. This paper introduced extensive reform of local government, including the new initiative of BV. Within this BV is the e-Government, Community Planning, Strategic Partnerships and new political management structures (White Paper 1998). The theory of Best Value was aimed at improving local government services; this was introduced in the Local Government Act 1999. BV replaced the old system of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT), and required local authorities to review over a period of five years, the method in which they conduct all their functions. This would take the form of consultation with the local community to deliver the most effective, economic and efficient services (Local Government Act 1999). The Governments intention to reform local government continued and in 2001 they published a further white paper entitled â€Å"Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services†. Addressed within this paper were issues that included strong community leadership, continuous improvement, comprehensive performance assessment, financial freedom and modernisation of finance systems (White Paper 2001). The report in 2001 Delivering Better Services for Citizens, a review of local government procurement in England was published as a consultation paper. The report included the following recommendation; there should be clear political responsibility for procurement, with elected members taking a strategic role in securing outcomes. Best Value is about breaking down the boundaries between the public and private sectors in local service delivery. (The Byatt Report 2001) This research paper is based on the government white papers and reports which initially defined BV in procurement and established Strategic Management tools used to identify strategic choice within local authorities. The conceptual analysis is based on identifying the congruence of strategic links between the BV definition and chosen Strategic Management tools. The focus of the paper is Birmingham City Council’s BV practices, and this will be measured against the resulting model. The output of this research is to measure the strategic worth of Best Value and the strategic worth of Birmingham City Council’s delivery of Best Value. The paper will evaluate the relative merits of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.    Methodology The rationale of this chapter is to compare and discuss the researc h methods that could be used for this empirical research paper. When researching any paper there are numerous methods for collecting data, they do not always produce workable data that is easy to analysis. Therefore it is vital to review and plan the methods that will be employed. Before beginning any of the research a time scale will be composed, this will plan and set targets for the research. This plan is flexible, to allow for any considerable changes to the project due to unexpected research findings. Theoretically, the proposal should draw attention to any difficulties with the research question and the access to the data.

The piano Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The piano - Research Paper Example This followed the invention of other stringed as well as keyboard instruments leading to the development of the piano as it is today. Between 1790 and 1800, there were major improvements in piano technology and sound due to industrial revolution as suggested by Siepmann, (10). These improvements included the new and high quality steel referred to as the piano wire and also the ability to cast iron frames in a precise manner. There was also the increase of the tonal range of the piano from the initial five octaves to the seven and as it is found in the modern piano. The modern piano has 88 keys with the hammer mechanism which is used to bring out the sound of the strings and then the keys activate the sounding. The strings are held in a cast iron frame which is heavy enough and then they are passed over a kind of bridge to where the strings are tuned. The most crucial element in the sounding of the piano is the soundboard which is made of spruce. Due to the rise of pitch standard in t he modern piano there are few pianos which are left in the market today. In playing the piano, the greater the velocity of a pressed key, the greater the force of hitting the strings with the hammer hence a louder note is produced. The Impact of the Piano in Other Countries The piano has played a major part in the music industry in the many countries. For instance it importantly used in the western jazz, television, classical music and film production. These applications are also done in other parts of the world. Many countries have produced great pianists and composers. This is because the keyboard of the piano gives an easy way of handling complex as well as harmonic interplay, hence a good tool for composition of music. The piano has led to the establishment of piano manufacturing companies such as Yamaha which are situated in different countries thus creating employment. For instance the victory enterprise in Japan is the mostly known leading exporter of the used pianos in the w orld. The music industries in many countries has also grown and developed due to the use of the piano as a composer machine. The piano drama film was produced in New Zealand as it was acted by a pianist. Individuals from different countries have developed their career in music with the inspiration of the piano. The Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM), a music institute in China has a piano department which is a nation al centre facilitating the teaching, performance as well as research. Hundreds of pianists have been trained who are now teaching in other music schools, research institutes in china and have even won international prizes music competition. With the efforts of Chinese pianists combined with that of the foreign pianists from Russia the CCOM has been able to establish a system of piano teaching embracing the Chinese as well as the western philosophies. The piano industry in Japan has tremendously grown due to the world wide demand for the instrument. Thus companies such as Yamaha and Kawai from Japan are major piano producing companies in the world. Piano manufacturing companies have also been established in Korea for instance the Alex Steinbach pianos which is produced by Samick Musical Instruments Company. This has led to the increased involvement in music and piano training schools in Korea. With the increased development of the piano, German entered the field of

Impact of Apple iPhone, iPod & Laptops on the US GDP and stock Price Essay

Impact of Apple iPhone, iPod & Laptops on the US GDP and stock Price - Essay Example Moreover, the company is in charge for the manufacturing of iTunes Media Browser, iLife and iWork creativity and production suites (Apple Computer Inc. Web). The company is the third largest mobile phone maker in the world after Samsung and Nokia. The company has also been named to be the most admired company in the United States in 2008 and the most admired company in the world from 2008 to 2012. Apple Inc. is the largest openly traded company in the world by market capitalization. The company has an estimated value of $626 billion listed in the New York Stock Exchange. This means that market capitalization of the company is larger than that of its competitors, Google and Microsoft put together. The company’s worldwide annual revenue amounted to $65 billion in 2010, which have grown to $156 billion in 2012 (Foremski 1). When it was first launched, the iPhone was comprehensively respected that it was dubbed the "Jesus Phone.† However, five years later, its impact is so h uge that its latest recapitulation possibly will accomplish the astounding achievement of redeeming the US economy. The tremendous growth of its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad products have brought about the large growth of the company. These products introduced innovations in mobile phones, portable music players, and personal computers respectively. ... According to economist Michael Feroli of J.P. Morgan consultants, the total sale of iPhone 5 may boost the growth of the economy of the US, gross domestic product, by between a quarter and half a percentage point in the last quarter of 2012. This represents a 0.33% of the entire US economy. Economist Michael Feroli of J.P. Morgan consultants notes that if the company sells more than 8 million units of the iPhone 5 at a cost of $600 in three months, the total growth of gross domestic product per a unit of phone will be $400. However, $200 dollars of the total amount is taken towards import costs. This figure will translate to $3.2 billion in the last quarter of the year and a total of $12.8 billion for the entire year (Kehoe 2). Being the most admired and accomplished phone maker in the world, iPhone creates a huge demand from it admirers for its products. The huge demand for its products in turn exceeds the supply that the company can supply to its consumers at a time. This effect cr eates more speculation of improved performance in the company’s shares. The US economy is mostly dependent on the way in which the consumers spend. The company has created employment opportunities for more than 500,000 people in the country. This figure includes 47,000 of employees who work at apple and 200, 000 people who rely on the apple economy. The sale of apple’s products has the ability to increase share prices, customer expenditure, and the supply chain that involves component makers. The expected release of apples product creates a market surge, which has a huge effect on both domestic and foreign market. The market surge in turn shifts the stock prices upwards. For instance, the release of the iPhone 5 caused the stock price of Apple company

'Intellectual Property rights have, throughout history, increased in Essay

'Intellectual Property rights have, throughout history, increased in scope and shifted towards greater protection for their owners'. Critically assess the main - Essay Example l property is very wide and includes literary and artistic works, films, computer programs, inventions, designs and marks used by traders for their goods or services.’1 The law makes sure that the owners of Intellectual Property creations are protected. However, the law in regards to IP rights is never stable since IP rights are many different types of rights developed at its own pace at a national and international level. IP rights are protected at a national level, but at the end of the 19th century International Intellectual Property started to develop at a more international level. Copyright means the right to make copies2. A work will not be protected unless it is original3, fixated.4 Copyright has developed extensively from the time before the printing machine to the modern luxuries of the modern world. The first copyright case dated back to 567 AD. The case of Finnian v Columba where Columba made a copy of his teachers Psalter. Following this the Statutes of the University of Paris in 1223 legalized the duplication of texts for the use within the university.5 Following this the first printer was developed, creating the first ‘bestseller’.6 The printing press brought on a period of piracy and chaos. The factor that brought everything to a comprehensive balance was when the statute of Anne was passed in 1709. If the author was alive when their right expired after 14 years, another 14 years was granted. A dispute arose on whether or not the author had a perpetual common law right to print or publish his work by assigning a perpetual publisher to do so. This dispute was settled in Donaldson v Beckett.7 The author died and his copyright was sold by his executors to Beckett. Who in return sued Donaldson for infringement of copyright. It was stated in this case that ‘the author did have a common law rights that were potentially perpetual (that is, the right of first printing and publishing), but once the work was published, this common law right

601.2.08 human learning and development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

601.2.08 human learning and development - Essay Example Each student is given a reading assignment with the information they need and an outline organizer to help them record the most important information. On this sheet there will be a place to note the definitions relevant to their section. They are to define the term using context clues in the reading. This step is vital to the success of the final group project. Slavin suggests that students be randomly assigned to their topic (1994) but students must be given reading that is on their level in order to succeed. I feel this step is a great place to differentiate instruction. For example, the student with the lowest reading ability in each Jigsaw group could be assigned to study animals. The reading and outline for these students can be differentiated according to their readiness to learn. This type of differentiation has been shown to improve student understanding of material (Tomlinson, 1999). Once students have become experts through their independent study of the assigned topic, they are ready to meet in the expert group. In the expert group, students share their information with one another. This serves two purposes. First, the students can check to be sure the information they have recorded is accurate. Second, the students can practice how they will present their information to the other students in their Jigsaw group. This step is important because it results in uniform and accurate information being shared in each Jigsaw group. After this step, the original Jigsaw groups are gathered again. One by one, the students share their information with each other. The two students listening take notes using an organizer that helps them listen and record the spoken information. Specifically, the organizer helps the students look for ways the information being presented can be integrated into their own information. This will help the students prepare to

To what extent can working conditions affect well-being in the Essay

To what extent can working conditions affect well-being in the workplace - Essay Example decades.The paper will be discussing the extent to which the working conditions in the organizations of today’s world are affecting the well being of the employees with detailed discussion from different perspectives. The working environment in an organization is the product of the behaviors, interactions and synthesis among the employees working in that organization. In this respect the concept of organizational behavior can be said to be occupying an important place. Deflecting its path away from the conventional disciplines in academics, the dimension of organizational behavior (OB) uses various attributes from different fields and applies them in the changing of different priorities of the organizations. OB is a field that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and the structure possess on the behavior within the organizations. This dedicated towards the purpose of applying such knowledge towards the improvement of the effectiveness of an organization. OB also directs towards understanding the behavior of the people, the process of management, the organizational context, organizational process as well as the execution of work as well as interaction with the external environment. OB also centers on the process of what people do in an organization and how that behavior affects the performance of the organization and also deals with the study and understanding of the individual’s behavior which leads to the enhancement in the predictability. The behavior of the people, process of management and that of the organizational contexts are based on the elements of environmental influence, the process of organization and the correction of work which leads to the improved performance within the organization and also to increase its effectiveness. At the initiation phase, the practices of the organizational behavior included psychological application to the workplaces followed by rigorous research concerning various problems evolving in the workplace. It

Math and children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Math and children - Essay Example Symbols such as circles, squares, triangles are good for patterning. This learning activity is best suited for grade four levels. This symbol patterning intends to expose children to sequences. This concept will use an analogy of a picnic table as an introduction to the sequence. Students get insight as they use T-charts to the idea of pattern rules. Once the student is able to solve the problem, they continually develop cognitive ability to understand mathematical concepts that are more abstract. In this activity student will understand relationship between numbers, figures, tables, and diagrams as mathematics models. This will work only if the student has experience in extending simple number pattern at a lower grade (Ministry of Education, 2008). For instance, patterning can be used to expose children in elementary level to Pascal triangle. Student investigates the pattern of rectangular number and sums of the triangle. This activity may involve delivery of small toys to a prizewinner at a fun fair in several days. In day one chipmunk will be delivered, day two the same with two blue jays. In day, three repeat of previous with additional three puppies. This may continue for ten days and the Pascal concept will be easily understood (Ministry of Education, 2008). In conclusion, patterning plays a great role in student perception towards numbers. It depends on the skills of the particular pattern introduced at a lower grade. Therefore, it is an interdependent process. Use of pattern in elementary mathematics is a progressive process. A pattern in a higher grade depends on what pattern was introduced at a lower grade level. Ministry of Education. (2008). Patterning and Algebra, Grades 4 to 6. Retrieved from

Thinking Fast and Slow Essay Example for Free

Thinking Fast and Slow Essay 1. One of the book’s more stunning examples of the priming effect takes place in an office kitchen. Employees would typically make themselves coffee or tea and in return would drop a small fee into an â€Å"honesty† box. Researchers designed an experiment that involved alternating weeks where either a picture of a flowerpot or a picture of a set of eyes was in the room. Donations were checked after ten weeks and researchers found that significantly more money was contributed on weeks in which the eyes were in the room. Given this, and other examples of priming, do you find it feasible for organizations to devise methods that attempt to prime their employees to perform or react in a desirable manner? 2. One of the errors of System 1 is known as the framing effect. This refers to the ability of the way in which a problem is presented to influence an individual’s solution to it. Kahneman’s example in the book involves doctors at Harvard Medical School. In seeking their opinion a question is framed using either survival rate or mortality rate, with relative figures being the same. Despite this, 84% of the participants selected surgery that referred to a patient’s survival rate. Knowing the effects of framing a question either too broadly, too narrowly, or incorrectly all together, what are measures that organizations can take to ensure that their employees understand how to properly frame problems in such a way that the companies’ primary objectives are being targeted? 3. The book advocates that in our search for a causal link between occurrences in our lives we often dismiss the legitimacy of luck’s involvement in our success. To demonstrate this point, Kahneman points out that the gap in corporate profitability and stock returns between high performance firms and less successful firms dissipates to nearly nothing over time. In fact, over a 20 year period the returns of companies that originally had the worst ratings went on to earn much higher returns than their counterparts, which he refers to regression to the mean. Given that we may not necessarily be as talented as we perceive ourselves to be, what are steps that organizations can take to ensure that top brass is better able to understand what may actually be creating the company’s success?

Language, Paralanguage and Non-Verbal Communication

Language, Paralanguage and Non-Verbal Communication The Importance of Language, Paralanguage and Non-Verbal Communication in Various forms of Communication – A Practical Study Toby Williamson Access to Psychology Abstract This study examines the role of non-verbal communication, language and paralanguage in conveying information. To this end, the study examines how people use these three forms of communication in the context of sharing ideas, expressing joy and happiness as well as persuasion. The study involves a field work that studied dialogues between 10 pairs of persons. The findings identify that people generally utilize a combination of the three forms of communication, namely non-verbal communication, language and paralanguage in conversations where they need to express their emotions. This includes sharing joy as well as persuasion. However, in cases where persons must express facts and ideas in a factual form, communication can be done through the use of language only and in this case, non-verbal communication and paralanguage might not be very essential in conveying meaning and ideas. Introduction Non-verbal communication (NVC) involves direct communication not exclusively relying on written or spoken words (Berry, 2010; Rimondini, 2012). Non-Verbal Communication (NVC) is a situation where the expression of the inner emotions of people are presented through the use of bodily descriptions and trends that shows the way people feel at a give point in time (Littlejohn Foss, 2010; Wood, 2009). Paralanguage on the other hand involves non-verbal voice qualities, voice modifiers and independent utterances that are produced by various parts of the body to convey various understandable messages (Poyatos, 2012; Wilson, 2011). Therefore, paralanguage involves the modification of voices as a means of presenting various forms of messages to other people. Language is the use of words in a given dialect to transmit information and present data and information to different people in order to convey meaning(Phifer, 2007). Language refers to conventional dialog and speech that is carried out to present information from one person to another in mutually intelligible dialect(Perkins, 2010). These three different approaches to communication are used by communicators to complement each other in order to provide meaningful communication(Zimmerman Uecke, 2012). This is because communication involves the presentation of various ideas and concepts in order to convey meaning. Hence, there is the need for these different approaches to be put together in order to gain the best forms of meaning. Aim The aim of this research is to examine how these different elements and aspects of communication work together to attain good and proper results in communication. In order to attain this end, the following objectives will be reviewed: 1. A critical analysis of the different approaches to communication and how they work together; 2. An identification of circumstances where one might be used solely without the use of other forms of communication; 3. An evaluation of the options and processes that might come together to define good communication Hypotheses A hypothesis is a tentative statement that is made by a researcher at the beginning of the research and it is tested for its truthfulness and falsity throughout the research(Kothari, 2009). This research hypothesizes that the best means and the best form of communication occurs when you combine the three elements of communication: NVC, paralanguage and language. The alternative hypothesis is that each of the three elements of communication is best used alone in most circumstances. Methodology In the study, there is the need to examine and review the way people use the three components of communication: Non-verbal communication Paralanguage Language In order to do this study, a practical fieldwork is employed to analyze and review how people mix these three tools of communication in sharing ideas and information. First of all, there is the need to identify how these three elements of communication work in relation to: 1. Sharing Ideas 2. Expressing Joy/Happiness 3. Suggesting a better view In order to study this, a fieldwork is conducted and a collection of data, analysis of data and drawing conclusion is conducted. Data is collected through the conducting of a dialogue amongst ten pairs of people. In each of the situations, the participants are asked to present information under one of the three themes and from there the importance and significance of the three elements of communication are identified and discussed. Secondly, the dialogues are documented in the form of classification of the various headings and the various pointers in the NVC. The details of the documentation for the collection of information for this study are presented in Appendix 1 below. The findings are to be classified according to the number of times and the respondents chose an option. These options are summed up and they are analyzed and reviewed in order to lay the foundation for critical reviews and analysis. In the analysis the frequency of occurrence or choice of each option is discussed and this adds up in order to provide an overall view of whether a given element of communication is viewed as important or not. This is all critiqued and analyzed in order to draw conclusions on whether the hypothesis is valid or not. Results The field work was conducted over a three-day period. Twenty participants were involved in the process and they were asked to have a dialogue with each other in order to test the three approaches to communication and information sharing. Each of the respondents were monitored by the facilitator to pose as s/he was communicating with another person. And in the process, they went through all the three forms of communication and exchange of information. Afterwards they were asked to identify whether they considered each of the three approaches to communication as important, quite important or very important in each case. The findings were tallied and they were put together to justify and discuss each of the three approaches. This includes the compilation of each of the responses. They are presented in the treatment of results section below. The table below shows how the different respondents presented their views on how communication can be conducted with the different tools and the different elements of communication. This is graded and presented on the scale of very important (A), quite important (B) and not important (C). Treatment of Results The different elements and different aspects of communication are presented in this study and the way this information is presented by the various respondents in the research. These respondents indicated the relative strength and the relative importance of the different approaches to language sharing and information sharing and this shows some degree of variation from the various classifications and the different methods of sharing information and ideas. Sharing Ideas In sharing ideas, it is identified that most people saw non-verbal communication to be unimportant. This showed that over three quarters showed that you could share ideas without having to resort to non-verbal communication. The vast majority of respondents indicated that ideas could be shared without the use of paralanguage and the changing of tones amongst other things. However, it was decided unanimously that the use of language is vital and important in sharing ideas and there could practically be no sharing of ideas if language was absent. Expression of Joy or Happiness Although the vast majority of respondents indicated that sharing expressing joy can be done without the use of non-verbal communication, most of the respondents indicated that laughter is a universal sign of expressing joy and language and the way you speak in such a situation is one in which your happiness reflects in your actions and the tone used by speakers. Hence, although most participants in the experiment wrote that language is the most important tool for expressing joy, happiness and emotions, most respondents conceded that the three elements, non-verbal communication and paralanguage and language all work together to convey emotions and express joy and happiness because that is the natural component and the natural attitude that people express these feelings. However, in the collection of the data, the vast majority of respondents identified that communication in expressing emotions was almost done with language. This is apparent in the fact that about 65% of the respondents stated that non-verbal communication is not important in expressing joy and happiness and 55% of the respondents identified that paralanguage was not important. However, 70% stated that language is important in expressing happiness and joy and another 15% found it to be somewhat important (say 85% of the respondents at this point). This shows that language is still important and vital in helping respondents to express their joy and Suggesting a Better View This section was quite complicated. This is because the respondents were split in discussing whether non-verbal communication was important or not. They showed that almost 50% of the respondents said that non-verbal communication was not important. However, 35% said it is quite important and 20% said it was very important. Although over 50% state that paralanguage is not important in suggesting a better view, 70% stated that language is very important in suggesting a better or improved view. Discussions From the study, it is identified that the respondents showed that language is important and vital in almost all the scenarios and situations at hand. This is because language is the main measure or means through which communication and the exchange of information is done in most situations and contexts. In sharing ideas, it seems to be pervasive that the use of language is universal and pervasive. This is because language is vital and important in sharing such views and in getting people to understand a person’s thoughts and ideas. In this context, the use of non-verbal communication and paralanguage tools are not very important because the individual sharing the ideas is able to express everything in succinct terms and the listener can deduce the idea through language without much modification or additions. However, in expressing joy and happiness, most respondents indicated that language is vital. However, language is not the only means through which these emotions can be expressed. This is because expressing joy and happiness come with a high degree of emotions that can be expressed through bodily actions (non-verbal communication) and intonation (paralanguage) as a means of making the emotions and sentiments more felt by the listener. Hence, it is conclusive that non-verbal communication and paralanguage are important in expressing emotions and feelings in circumstances where a person needs to do so. Finally, suggesting a better view on a matter is a matter that is persuasive in nature. And it is identified that most respondents identify that language is important. However, they concede that some degree of non-verbal communication as well as paralanguage. This shows that in persuasive discussions, there is the need for some degree of communication tools to be employed other than the use of language. Conclusion The research indicates that communication involves a degree of utilization of different approaches and methods of sharing information. This means that in most forms of communication, language, non-verbal communication and paralanguage are used together in order to express views and ideas. The fieldwork does not justify the null hypothesis per se. This is because in some forms of communication, it is identified that language can be used without much reliance on non-verbal communication and paralanguage. This particularly happens in factual contexts where there is the need for people to communicate ideas. However, in other forms of communication like the expression of happiness and persuasion, the hypothesis is honored and justified because they all work well in order to provide a reasonable communication of the sentiments of the speaker to the listener. The alternative hypothesis states that each of the three elements of communication can best be utilized independently. This only stands in the case of factual communication or the sharing of ideas where language is an important and vital method of communication and can stand alone. However, the alternative hypothesis is refuted when it comes to persuasion and the expression fo joy and happiness. Bibliography Berry, D. (2010). Health Communication: Theory and Practice. London: McGrawHill. Kothari, C. R. (2009). Research Methodology. Delhi: New Age Publishing. Littlejohn, S. W., Foss, K. A. (2010). Theories of Human Communication . Mason, OH: Cengage. Perkins, P. S. (2010). The Art and Science of Communication. London: Wiley. Phifer, E. (2007). Boosting the Minds Eye: Visualizing for Social and Emotional Intelligence. New York: Universal Publishing. Poyatos, F. (2012). Textual Translation and Live Translation. New York: John Benjamins Publishing. Rimondini, M. (2012). Communication in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. London: Springer. Wilson, E. O. (2011). Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. Boston, MA: Yale University Press. Wood, J. (2009). Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters. Mason, OH: Cengage. Zimmerman, C., Uecke, R. A. (2012). Asserting Yourself At Work. New York: AMACOM. Appendix 1 Dear Respondent, As part of the study on the importance of non-verbal communication, paralanguage and language in communication, this research will seek to involve you in an experiment. In this experiment, you will need a communication partner and you will have to conduct a two-way dialogue. The first should be about sharing ideas, the second should be about expressing joy or happiness and the third will involve suggesting a better view in a debate. The findings must be classified under headings A, B or C and this must be mutually agreed. The end is to examine the importance o these three elements of communication in sharing information. A – Very Important B – Quite Important C – Not Important

Superheros and Engendering Differences :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being able to fly, to defeat all the villains of the world, and having supernatural power are just some of the supernatural characteristics of a superhero. However, these characteristics are the personification of what society would indicate to be the perfect man; or, depending on what superhero, a woman. I grew up admiring and idolizing Superman. From wearing his underwear to owning every one of his videos, I yearned to become Superman. This, however, was obviously impossible. Superman can fly, create a laser beam from his eyes, and he can lift the heaviest of objects. Thus, not being a totally clueless kid, it was the ideals of being a man, that superman possessed, that I tried to copy: having incredible strength, being flagrantly courageous, and being heroic. This, through my admiration of Superman, is what I thought a man should be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some would say that aggressive male behavior is innate; however, it also has to do with the glamorously powerful superheroes that act as role models to males as they are growing up. Superman?s incredible strength has led him to victory over even the biggest and strongest of enemies. Watching him, I thought I could prove my strength by defeating other kids. This did not mean that I went and tried to beat everyone up. Instead, I tried to be better than others at everything. I would try to hang on the monkey bars the longest, be the person who got picked first for any sport, and wrestle anyone to submission. Although my behavior sometimes got to aggressive, and got me in trouble, it always seemed to make me feel like more of a man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Superhero?s also possessed that perfect body that went along with being powerful. They would have perfect biceps, gigantic pecks, and six-pack abs. Although body image is more of an issue with teenagers and adult, this does have an effect on kids. The role models, that kids are introduced to, almost always have a perfect body. Superman, undoubtedly, had a perfect male body: lots of muscle and no fat. In fact, I cannot remember a superhero, male or female, that did not have a perfect body when I was a kid. It is from these images that teach kids, from the beginning, that being fat and weak is ugly. This translated into the ?ugly? kids being made fun of. I, too, fell into the trap of mocking others, who were not perfect, when I was a kid.

Dune-lots Of Errors :: essays research papers

Dune by Frank Herbert is one of the greatest Science Fiction novels of all time. The story is about Paul Atreids as he tries to take back his planet (Arrakis, a.k.a Dune a pure desert world. It is also the only place where spice can be found. Spice is a drug that gives people the ability to see the future, health and long life, (hence the saying, Health and long life are the gifts of the spice, Dune the Sci –Fi mini-series)) from the Harrkonnens the Atreids mortal enemy. The book is based in the year 10,946 B.J (Bielgium Jihad) in the Imperium of man under the rule of Shaddam the IV. The main characters are The Baron and Paul Atreids. Paul Atreids is the son of Duke Leto Atreids and the lady Jessica. He is Muad’Dib the Fremen messiah (The Fremen are the natives of Dune and the greatest fighters in the known universe.). The Baron is the ruler of Giedi prime. He is sadistic and he hates the Atreids because an Atreids had the ruler of House Harrkonnen banished for cowardi ce.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book starts off with House Atreids moving to Arrakis. Paul father, Leto sends off men to recruit the Fremen to his cause because he believes the Harrkonnens will attack Arrakis (for now on I will call it by it’s Fremen name Dune). The Harrkonnens make an attempt on Paul’s life and a traitor shuts down the Atreids palace’s shield.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soon Harrkonnen troops and Sardaukar (The emperor’s shock troops) attack dune. Without the Fremen’s aid the Harrkonnens capture dune and kill Leto and send Paul and his mother out into the deep desert to die. After the assault the Sadaukar leave. The Harrkonnens believing Paul dead begin to solidify their hold on Dune.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After killing their captors Paul and Jessica escape. As they run, a worm (A giant worm, Usually about a kilometer long and about thirty feet wide with sharp teeth) tries to eat the pair but they escape into a cave. Later Duncan Idaho, a loyal Lieutenant, picks them up and brings them to a hidden Fremen base. There Sardaukar attacks them again and Duncan dies buying time for Paul and Jessica to get away.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later they are found by a group of Fremen who think Paul is the Muad’Dib (their messiah). After Paul kills a non-believer the Fremen begin to worship Paul.

Snuff Films Essays -- essays research papers

Also known as "white heat" films and "the real thing," the snuff film myth lives on like Bigfoot, despite the fact that no law enforcement agency in America has publicly admitted to ever locating one. Alan Sears, former executive director of the Attorney General's commission on pornography during 1985-86, agrees with the more than two dozen law enforcement agencies I interviewed. "Our experience was that we could not find any such thing as a commercially produced snuff film," says Sears. "Our commission was all-inclusive and exhaustive. If snuff films were available, we'd have found them." This sentiment is echoed by Ken Lanning, a cult expert at the FBI training academy at Quantico, Virginia. "I've not found one single documented case of a snuff film anywhere in the world. I've been searching for 20 years, talked to hundreds of people. There's plenty of once-removed sightings, but I've never found a credible personality who personally saw one." Yet the rumour of snuff persists. The scenarios are invariably the same - a remote jungle village in South America, a deserted beach in Thailand, the landscaped garden of a German industrialist, a lonely Everglades swamp. The victims are usually women, often performing a sexual act, their deaths sensational and unexpected. One of the most resilient snuff rumours concerns convicted "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz, who allegedly filmed the murders of some of his victims. Maury Terry, author of "The Ultimate Evil," a book about Berkowitz and cult killings across America, tells me, "Its believed Berkowitz filmed his murders to circulate within the Church of Satan. On the night of the Stacy Moskowitz killing, there was a VW van parked across the street from the murder site under a bright sodium street lamp. "Witnesses have confirmed this, although the van never appeared in the police report. Berkowitz or an accomplice filmed Moskowitz's murder, using the street lamp to light the subject as she sat in her car across the street." The 20-year-old Moskowitz was killed in 1977 in Brooklyn. Terry says the film was apparently made for Roy Radin, the Long Island impresario and "wannabe Cotton Club financier." "Radin was known for his huge porno collection and wanted to add a snuff film to it. I've heard there are ten... ...hit†¦ we ran out of film." Another voice whispers, "Did you get it all?" "Yeah, we got it all." "Let's get out of here." The sound of breathing ends. The reason why the film was a scam? 1. Who would promote a film that showed the actual murder of one of its crew? 2. How can a single camera show several POV shots but not lose the continuity of the action? 3. How can police and the Manhattan district attorney interview a woman who has been murdered on screen? Robert M. Morgenthau, the district attorney for Manhattan, announced in a news conference that he had determined the on-screen murder of a woman as being a hoax. "It is nothing more than trick photography," he said, adding, "the actress is alive and well." Prompted by continued complaints and petitions, Morganthau's findings were the conclusion of a month long investigation, in which the 'murder victim' had herself been located and interviewed by police. Shackelton, too, had been traced via the Monarch Releasing Corporation and admitted, after threats of 'considerable forfeiture', that it was not a real woman who was murdered. It appears that controversy sells tickets.

Obeying a Lawful Order

Army value â€Å"DUTY† In this essay you will learn about one of the most important Army value â€Å"Duty†. In this essay i will be talking about a few diffrent topics that correnspond with the Army value â€Å"Duty†. In this essy you read 3 diffrent stories about how soldiers did there duty and then i will give you 3 stories on how not doing your duty as soldier affects the team. You will also read about leadership duty and how it can either help the lower enlisted or break the lower enlisted. So be prepeared to get some knowledge dropped on and also to learn how you as a leader should think about how it affects joe. Story 1: this story is about a young soldier who was some what squared away. He has been in the army for almost 2 years. During this time in the army he has been smoked, negitived couseled, and even a article 15. So this soldier has been slammed but he didnt get discouraged he kept his head up rolled with the punches and realized he dont have to stay in the army. So where does this story fit in? I know you are asking yourself this question as you read this essay well im about to explian it to you. Okay now back to the story, the soldier was three months away from his ets date and he was happy, excited, shit he even stop showing up for pt, and he had some celebration marry Jane. So this soldier was content on getting out because he felt that the army was not him and it was best to part there ways. So he's a week out and september 11 happens so he runs to the rention officer and reinlist because he knows that it was war time and it wasnt about just hime and his feeling about the army. His counrty was attacked and he took and oath to protect it so he put his personal feeling aside yeah he could have easly hit the yellow brick road, and chucked up the duces as he skipped his happy ass down the road. But he did beleave strongly about the army values and he had to preform his duty as soldier and an american. So this story 1 hold all questions comments and concerns untill i finish. Story 2: This story is about a medal of honor winner. The winner iof this award was in special forces his son is a good friend of sargent o'b. This guy was bad ass he was awared 8 purple hearts two bronze stars with valor and the two bronze stars was orginally metal of honor nominations but was down graded because the mission they accured on was top secert and couldnt be exposed. So the day he recieved his metal of honor he was on a mission and they were pinned down and he recieved the message over the radio that he one the medal of honor some say who ever gave him that message should be shot because he was in a damn fire fight butafter recieving the message he was wounded and that is how he recieved his 8th purple heart. The story of how he recieved his perstigeous award goes like this. Col howard johnson was on a mission his whole team was wounded or dead he was also wounded by a grenade which blew his intestants out he packed his intestants back in his stomach and was holding it in with his left hand, as he was doing this he started to carry out his wounded battle buddies so they can get medivaced he got all of them to the LZ before the birds got there help load them and was the last damn soldier to get on the bird now that takes major guts and all the army values and more. Story 3: â€Å"This story about a soldier who was not honorably discharged from the army. with a little bit of research shows that he was a failure who could not hack the military even in a real echelon slot, and he was booted from the Army for smoking pot after unsuccessfully attempting to get an early discharge. So he didn’t honorably do his duty and earn our respect like his unwashed peers would claim. And his Other Than Honorable Discharge is probably why he’s claiming to be homeless (while jetting to Washington DC from his home in Alaska) instead of using the GI benefits that every honorably discharged vet is entitled to and finding a job or going to school. This soldier is now homeless and is seeking help. â€Å"-(resource new paper article) I know personally that we make mistakes. Even though we make mistakes that does not give society the right to peg us as useless, dirtbags, and all other word they use for so called bad soldiers. t takes alot of guts to join the army durning the time of war and sometimes you make mistakes no matter how big the mistake is we are still human and we make human errors. I belieave in god and i know for a fact that we are not perfect and god forgives us for not being perfect. So take a second and think before you label a soldier a dirtbag and try to help that soldier get over the fence, we are all brothers in arms and we have to take care o f each other. Story 4: This is a story about a soldier who did not for fill his duty in the Army.

My Immortal Soul Essay

Plato has roused many readers with the work of a great philosopher by the name of Socrates. Through Plato, Socrates lived on generations after his time. A topic of Socrates that many will continue to discuss is the idea of â€Å"an immortal soul†. Although there are various works and dialogues about this topic it is found to be best explained in The Phaedo. It is fair to say that the mind may wonder when one dies what exactly happens to the beloved soul, the giver of life often thought of as the very essence of life does it live on beyond the body, or does it die with it? Does the soul have knowledge of the past if it really does live on? In Plato’s The Phaedo, Plato recounts Socrates final days before he is put to death. Socrates has been imprisoned and sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and not following the rights of Athenian religion.[1] Socrates death brings him and his fellow philosophers Cebes, Simmions, Phaedo, and Plato into a perplex dialogue about this notion of an afterlife and what does one have to look forward to after death. Death is defined as the separation of the body from the soul. In The Phaedo death has two notions a common one which is the basic idea that the soul dies and the physical, idea that the soul separates from the body after death. â€Å"The soul is most like that which is divine, immortal intelligible, uniform, indissoluble, and ever self-consistent and invariable, whereas body is most like that which human, mortal is, multiform, unintelligible, dissoluble, and never self-consistent.† (Phaedo)[2] According to Socrates, knowledge is not something one came to understand but it was actually imprinted on the soul. Knowledge to Socrates was an unchanging eternal truth, something that could not be acquired through experience and time. Socrates friends believe that after death the soul disperses into the air like a breath. On the contrary Socrates believes that the soul is in fact immortal and if one wants to become free of pain they way to do so is to exempt themselves from the physical pleasures of the world. In this dialogue Socrates and the philosophers explore several arguments for this idea of an immortal soul. These arguments were to illustrate and verify that death is not the dying of body and soul collectively, but when the body dies the soul continues to live on. Socrates offers readers four main arguments: The Cyclical Argument, which is the idea that forms are fixed and external. The soul is the sole purpose of life in this argument, and therefore cannot die and it is also to be seen as virtually never-ending. Next is The Theory of Recollection, which insists that at birth everyone has knowledge that the soul experienced in another life. Meaning that the soul would have had to be existent before birth to bear this said knowledge. The Form of Life Argument confers that the soul bears a resemblance to that which is imperceptible and godly because it is abstract. The body bears a resemblance to the perceptible and the corporeal because it is objective. The Affinity Argument maybe the simplest of all. It reiterates Socrates thoughts of the body and soul, in saying that when the body dies and decomposes our soul will continue to exist in another world.[3] Since the soul is immortal it has been recycled many times, and has also experienced everything there is to experience, for Socrates and Plato this idea of recollection is much deeper than remembering something once forgotten. Socrates views knowledge as something that cannot be learned but the soul recalls it as it is being recycled. Grasping the understanding that things come to be beings by being composed of something pre-existing and when ceased these parts will continue to exist. Focusing on The Theory of Recollection, this is the claim that knowledge is innate, and cannot be learned. â€Å"What you said about the soul. They think that after it has left the body it no longer exists anywhere, but that it is destroyed and dissolved on the day the man dies.†(Cebes)[4] Socrates’ point for this argument is that our soul with holds this knowledge and we are born with it. Although we do not remember things before we are born it is said that certain experiences can nevertheless re awaken certain aspects of that memory. For example in The Meno, Socrates raises a mathematical problem to Meno’s slave boy, who does not have any prior training in mathematics. The boy thinks he knows the answer but Socrates makes him see that his initial hypothesis of the answer is wrong. By purely asking questions, Socrates gets the slave boy to state the right answer. Socrates insists that he has not told the boy the answer, but through questioning the slave boy, Socrates aided him to recollect the slave boy’s own knowledge of mathematics.[5] Furthermore Socrates also makes another example of recollection by stating if one were to come in contact with a picture or an item of a beloved then it would be simple to recall said person to the mind. This is the idea of how recollection works. If we examine this example and change certain aspects of it, it does not become very clear either. If a picture of a beloved one was shown to a stranger it is safe to say that the stranger would not be able to recall any thoughts, memories or details of the person in the photograph because they do not have any prior knowledge of said person. In order for the stranger to do so they would have had to been in acquaintance with that person in the photograph at one time or another. This act of resemblance is easier for someone who already knows the person. Plato also uses an example of a vehicle stating that before a vehicle is mobile there were parts that were made to turn it into a vehicle such as the engine, steering wheel, and etcetera. He continues to make the point that even after the vehicle breaks down that these pieces will still remain to create the next vehicle. According to Plato ordinary objects participate in this recollection of platonic forms themselves; these things remind of us platonic forms because the soul once encountered it. He persists that the soul must have ex isted because of this. All of which are ways to reiterate that this idea that knowledge is imprinted on the soul may have validity to it. In essence there was time where only the soul existed and it soon found a home in a body of another, making it now a mortal being(birth). Reincarnation is not only a rebirth of the soul but the neutralization of the knowledge one attained before birth as well. Then there is a period where our a priori knowledge seems to disappear only to reappear when it is recalled. It is claimed that we lose our knowledge at birth; then by the use of our senses in connection with particular objects we recover the knowledge we had before. However, this relationship between the perception of sensible objects and our capacity of finding knowledge can produce a series of confusions concerning whether it is possible to recall all prior knowledge. The problem in this argument and certain aspects of this notion of an immortal soul is that even if it were proven that we were made up something before birth, and something will remain after death, it is not for certain that it is the soul. Through scientific study it is understood that the body is also made of atoms it is also known that atoms existed before the body and will continue long after the body. The atoms that make up the body will in fact be recycled as well just as Socrates has the concept that the soul lives on. Plato and Socrates were correct on the idea that certain parts were in pre-existence does come to make one existent and will exist after death. Although even with this idea one cannot be certain that the soul is one of the parts of the body that is solely immortal. There is not adequate information given by Plato or Socrates to make this argument suffice. We must raise an inquiry of why is that in order to think of perfection we must have already had to have seen it? Aside from philosophical views, in everyday life we encounter imperfections and it is safe to say that the mind is capable of wondering what something of beauty, perfection, or a perfect circle appears to be. The mind is also able to think about these ideas even if the soul has never encountered it. If these arguments prove anything it proves that The Theory of Recollection and The Cyclical Argument both attest that the soul existed before but the arguments do not prove that the soul will continue to exist after this life. Works Cited 1. Cahn, M Steven. Classics of Western Philosophy. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc 2006 2. Morgan, K, 2000, Myth and Philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Plato, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3. Partenie, Catalin, â€Å"Plato’s Myths†, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . (April 11th2010) ———————– [1] Cahn- Plato’s, The Phaedo [2] Quote from the philosopher Phaedo [3] Socrates theories discussed by Plato [4] Phaedo 70a [5] Plato’s The Meno

Effects of Armed Conflicts on Women

Armed conflict has always been an inherent characteristic of the world we live in. The causes of conflict can be multifarious ranging from attempts to gain economic, political or territorial advantage to social factors such as religion and ethnicity. Armed conflicts can also be varied in nature with inter, intra and even non state combatants fighting against each other. The complexity and scale of armed conflicts have increased to a great extent with the emergence of non-state terrorist and mercenary groups that lacks the distinctiveness of traditional state armies fighting against each other. The consequences have been devastating for an increasing number of the population of the world who are affected by such armed conflicts. These include not only the combatants but also civilians who get caught up in the fighting in one way or the other. In fact civilian casualties have been on the rise and climbing â€Å"dramatically from 5 per cent at the turn of the century, to 15 per cent during World War I, to 65 per cent by the end of World War II, to more than 75 per cent in the wars of the 1990s. † (UN Report, 2001) A very stereotypical view regarding armed conflicts is that it is the men who fight the battles while the women support them by taking care of the home front. Men are perceived as the fighters who suffer causalities while women have to play out the traditional roles of wives, mothers and care givers and are therefore comparatively unaffected by war. Byrne (1996) however holds that even though it is largely men who directly fight and die in battles, it is women who constitute an overwhelming majority of the civilian casualties of war. Byrne goes on to add that the concept of women staying safely at home while the men fight the war at the front, and the differentiation between ‘conflict’ and ‘safe’ zones in armed conflict are essentially myths that do not take stock of the practical situation. Moreover, the fact that a growing number of women are also participating in armed conflicts around the world as active combatants and not merely as passive support providers adds a new dimension to the effects of armed conflicts on women. The Independent Experts’ Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and the role of Women in Peace-Building (2001) commissioned by the United Nations Development Funds for Women chose ‘During Armed Conflict Women’s Bodies Become a Battleground’ as the title of the introductory chapter of its report. This exemplifies the extent of violence against women as a result of armed conflicts. Civilians have become the primary targets in new terror tactics that have evolved in armed conflicts. But it is women who suffer most. Men and boys as well as women and girls are the victims of this targeting, but women, much more than men, suffer gender-based violence. Their bodies become a battleground over which opposing forces struggle. † (Rehn & Sirleaf, 2001) The United Nations defines violence against women as â€Å"any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, inc luding threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private. † (Machel, 2000) It is a matter of grave concern that women are actually subjected to every conceivable act of violence and more, that can fall under the purview of the definition. Not only do women face generic violence such as torture, killing, imprisonment and forced labour under conditions of war, but they also suffer gender-specific violence that strike at the very core of their existence. They are abducted and raped, used as sexual slaves, forced to cook, clean, carry water and loads and do other domestic chores; and even used as human shields or put to risky undertakings such clearing minefields. There are numerous examples. Rehn & Sirleaf (2001) reports that â€Å"94% per cent of displaced households surveyed in Sierra Leone had experienced sexual assaults, including rape, torture and sexual slavery†¦ at least 250,000 – perhaps as many as 500,000 – women were raped during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. † This however is only the tip of the iceberg. The sufferings of women in armed conflicts never seem to end. They are forced by the circumstances to sell sex to survive, they are taken advantage of sexually even by people who are supposed to help them, and finally, they have to face censure at the hands of those very near and dear ones for whom they make all the sacrifices. Such is their plight. The Reason Why The roots of the violence that women suffer during the course of armed conflicts are however opined to lie elsewhere. Violence is said to be perpetuated on women not solely because of the conditions of war but because of a direct relation with violence in the life of women even during peace time (Rehn & Sirleaf 2001). The relationship between the genders is determined by the extent of access to or distribution of power. Men are in more control of resources and power than women. Since women do not have control over power and resources they as a gender are usually not the cause behind wars. In spite of that they suffer because of their inherent power and control position vis-a-vis men. Again, the greater emphasis by nations on increasing their military strength results in a deterioration of the rights of women exacerbating the inequalities in gender relations. In a display of unadulterated hypocrisy however, many armed conflicts are justified on the grounds of restoring or maintaining gender equality. This was clearly the case in the American invasion of Afghanistan ion 2001 when liberation of women from the fanatical regime of the Talibans was cited as a reason even though there was hardly any concern for the plight of the same women during the five years prior to the invasion even when local and international NGOs constantly strived to draw attention to their sufferings (Jack, 2003). It is very true that â€Å"although entire communities suffer the consequences of armed conflict and terrorism, women and girls are particularly affected because of their status in society and their sex. † (Beijing Declaration, 1996). The effect of war on women depends to a great extent on their gendered role that defines their constraints and opportunities in society. Women become more vulnerable war atrocities when they are perceived as symbolic bearers of the pride and honour of a community. In such cases women are specifically targeted as a way of denting the very essence of he rival community. In regions where women are deemed to represent the cultural and ethnic identity of communities as the producer of future generations, any assault on their honour becomes an assault on the morale and honour of the entire community. Under such circumstances public rape and torture of women is considered to have serious demoralizing effects on enemy communities. The victors or occupation forces resort to sexual exploitation of women because of such underlying war strategies coupled with inherent sexual urges. Yet the same symbolic role of women can be a cause of threat or attack even from their own community for not conforming to the role in some way or the other in adverse conditions, such as not wearing a veil or venturing into forbidden areas as has been the case in the Islamic world. Armed conflict is therefore like a double edged sword for women. Societal norms also force women to bear atrocities. The comments of a doctor working with Save the Children Fund, in an ICRC/TVE film (2000) illustrate the point: In certain villages bordering conflict young girls have admitted that armed men come in at night – these girls are used as sex workers – they are not allowed to protest – they are not allowed to lock their doors and the whole community tolerates this because these armed men protect the community – so it is a trade off. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  When sexual violence is used as a means of warfare or when women are pressurized to bear children as a means of supply of future soldiers, women become a very vulnerable gender to the violence of armed conflict. In conflict zones such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, sexual violence was used as a means of ‘ethnic cleansing’. The Serbian police and paramilitary forces used rape to punish women belonging to the Kosovo Liberation Army (Human Rights Watch, 2000). Different Wars, Different Stages, Different Roles The different kinds of armed warfare, their different stages and the different roles that women play in these conflicts all have different effects on women. Modern armed conflicts are fought between adversaries that are very different from the conventional state armies. Terrorist groups and non-state players give armed conflicts a new dimension in the modern world. The problem with such combatants is that they do not adhere to international laws governing warfare and have no scruples in indulging in violence and atrocities that would fall in the category of war crimes. The Geneva Conventions and its protocols find no takers in them. They are not regulated by any authority and are guided either by their own perverted consciences or by fanatical ideologies. As a result women become more susceptible all kinds of violence from such elements in armed conflict. Armed conflicts usually pass through different stages viz. the pre-conflict stage or run up to the conflict, the conflict itself, the stage of conflict resolution or the peace process and the post conflict stage of reconstruction and reintegration. Each of these stages hold different horrors for women depending on the different roles that women play in such conflicts. Women act as agents of change when they participate in the prevention, resolution or management of armed conflicts. Their participation is very important because without them the views, needs and interests of half of the population go unrepresented. Conversely, women also act as agents of change when they indirectly support the men to take up arms for any cause which they may believe in. In the case of Rwanda, women were found to have been accomplices to and participants in gross acts of genocide (Lindsey, 2001). This indirect participation of women takes on added significance in their role as the primary influence on children. Women as mothers can influence children in many ways and mould them to serve as soldiers in armed conflicts. The simple act of women telling stories centered on sensitive issues of ethnic or clan conflicts could sensitize the children. Encouraging future generations to fight, may be considered as subtle participation of women in the armed conflicts as agents of change. Acting as agents of change is fraught with dangers because women often have to consciously take sides in their efforts to better the situation or to protect themselves and their families. They put themselves at risk in doing so. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) women of the South Kivu region were buried alive by people of their own villages because they were said to be witches. It was however found that they suffered their fate because the villagers suspected them of providing food and medicines to armed groups which the villagers did not support (Rehn & Sirleaf 2001). Women participate as active combatants in armed conflicts. â€Å"†¦the number of women who participate in fighting forces is increasing in nearly all conflicts. Women have constituted significant proportions of combatants and combat support operations in conflicts in Eritrea, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, and Rwanda † (USAID, 2007). As active combatants women face the same ravages of war as fighting men do. However, in many cases, women are abducted and forced to participate as combatants. The Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone made it a practice to raid villages and abduct children of both sexes to force them to join in the fighting. The abducted children were often raped, starved and drugged and then forced to kill. It has been the same in Uganda, Mozambique, Liberia and other war torn places. Women also get involved in the fighting as ‘followers’ of fighters. In such a role the woman does not carry arms but provide full and active support to the fighters. She acts as cook, domestic servant, sexual partner, guard or porter or all of these together. She may even be used as human shield in the fighting. It is not very difficult to imagine the trauma that she goes through in such roles. Women become victims and spoils of war. It is a very common practice of conquering forces to claim women of the defeated party as spoils of war. In an occupied land, women are also forced to curry sexual favors to the victorious forces for the sake of their own survival and the survival of their families. The fate of women is closely linked to the fate of their men. When men leave their homes to fight or die in the fighting, the women often becomes the primary bread winner of the family and has to take on additional role and responsibilities. This puts the woman in an entirely new social position, one that could even turn out to be advantageous but is more often than not a position that entails untold hardships on her. Left to fend alone for her family and herself, a woman could be driven to any extent and exploited easily under such circumstances. A woman usually finds herself in such a role in the post conflict stage of reconstruction and reintegration. Scars that do not heal Armed conflicts affect women physically, psychologically, economically, socially and even spiritually. They are more susceptible to violence than men because they are women. â€Å"Women are victims of unbelievably horrific atrocities and injustices in conflict situations; this is indisputable. As refugees, internally displaced persons, combatants, heads of household and community leaders, as activists and peace-builders, women and men experience conflict differently. Women rarely have the same resources, political rights, authority or control over their environment and needs that men do. In addition, their caretaking responsibilities limit their mobility and ability to protect themselves. † (Rehn & Sirleaf 2001). Gender Based Violence (GBV) can take many forms. Sexual violence in the form of rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, trafficking, genital mutilation and soliciting of sexual favors, as horrifying as they are, is only one aspect of the affect of war on women. Steep increase in domestic violence due to armed conflicts; the travails of displacement, forced or otherwise; the resultant adverse affects on health and increased exposure to infections and life-threatening diseases such as AIDS/HIV; the burden of additional social and economic responsibilities; and the lingering psychological, physical and social effects even after the end of hostilities are the multidimensional impacts of armed conflicts that are not quite as obvious, but devastating enough to merit closer scrutiny to understand their mechanism of operation. Sexual Violence and Physical Torture The continent of Africa is rife with armed conflicts. Many factors such as bad governance, illiteracy, deplorable economic conditions, political unrest and breakdown of social structures have contributed in fomenting armed struggles on unprecedented scales. Africa is a classic example of a society where the status of women as a subordinate and deprived class has added to their miseries during time so war. The majority of women in Africa is uneducated and live in abject isolation cut off even from all that is happening around them in politics and power play. They are therefore caught completely unawares when armed conflicts erupt. The subordination of women in Africa is accentuated in conflict situations. They are not only used as sexual objects who are to be humiliated and demeaned, but are also tortured and mutilated to deter them from carrying out stereotyped roles that are perceived to go against the interests of the perpetrators. During the documentation that has been carried out in Uganda, Liberia and Sierra Leone, women have testified that rebels cut off their lips, ears and nose giving various reasons for such acts (Ochieng, 2004). The same study also documents an instance in which a father was shot dead by enemy combatants when he refuse do have sexual intercourse with his daughter. The intention in this case was to inflict severe psychological torture on both the father and the daughter as incest is considered a blasphemy in Africa as in the rest of the world at large, and would leave permanent scars on the psyche of individuals and the society. Even when women participate as combatants on their own will, they are expected to submit to the sexual exploitations of their superiors. A United Nations document on the situation in Columbia states that â€Å"the situation of women and girls making part of illegal armed groups continues concerning the Council. Women and girl-combatants were objects of sexual abuse by their superiors in the hierarchy. † (Franco et. al. 2006). Abduction of women during armed conflicts is a practice that has its roots in deep in history. A well-known example is the large group of women who were labeled the ‘comfort women’ in the Far East during the Second World War. Things have not changed much. Only the scale, range and scope have. The sexual violence is not restricted to a particular stage of armed conflict but is widely prevalent in all the stages. If it is exploitation by the same side during the initial stage, the victorious lay their own claim on the womenfolk of the vanquished during the stage of active combat; this is followed by sexual exploitation of displaced women who go from place to place as refugees and are hounded sexually by a host of anti-social elements as well as those who are meant to protect and shelter them. This extends into the peace process and the reconstruction and reintegration stage when women ravaged and left helpless by the experience of war easily succumb to the lure of currying favors in exchange of sex. â€Å"Women are physically and economically forced or left with little choice but to become sex workers or to exchange sex for food, shelter, safe passage or other needs; their bodies become part of a barter system, a form of exchange that buys the necessities of life. † (Rehn & Sirleaf 2001). There have been reports of the situation being attenuated by the arrival of peacekeeping forces when personnel from these forces also indulge in sexually exploiting women in return for food, security, shelter, employment and other favors. The independent study commissioned by the United Nations Development Fund for Women were told by members of the local community in the Kisangani and Goma regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo that peace keepers having sex with local girls and that condoms were lying visibly scattered just outside the UN compounds. It was however the desperate women who took the initiative for such sexual liaisons. Trafficking is another adverse affect that is closely associated with armed conflict. Countries with armed conflict are ideal breeding grounds for trafficking because breakdown in law and order and reduced border controls and policing. Criminal networks of arms and drug dealers that operate in war torn countries easily double up as traffickers in women. The women are taken out to work in illegal factories, as slaves or as prostitutes in brothels in red light areas. Rise in armed conflicts have triggered a simultaneous rise in trafficking throughout the world. Trafficking worldwide grew almost 50 per cent from 1995 to 2000 (Financial Times, March 19, 2001), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that as many as 2 million women are trafficked across borders annually. A survey conducted in Cambodia in 1995 revealed that about 31 per cent of the prostitutes in Phnom Penh and 11 other provinces were between the ages of 12 and 17, and had been trafficked out of the conflict-stricken countryside (Human Rights Task Force on Cambodia, 1996). Trafficking in women has assumed alarming proportions in Columbia due to the civil war which has dragged on for decades in the country. It is estimated that around 50,000 women are trafficked out of Columbia every year. Bosnia and Herzegovina in south-east Europe also experience very high trafficking in women due to the same basic reason. Traffickers lure women out of these areas on the pretext of giving them jobs. They are then forced into sexual slavery. The traffickers take away the travel documents of the women so that they are not able to escape. Once they are in the trap it is very difficult for these women to return home to their societies even if they are rescued. Though many family in the war torn countries are desperate enough not to question where the money their daughters send home comes from, they will also not accept the women back if they come to know that they had been working as prostitutes or sex slaves. As a result, the girls go through multiple traumas: first they are separated from home, thereafter they are sexually exploited and brutalized and finally they face rejection from their own families. Trafficking is a vicious trap that leads the women who fall prey to it to ultimate destruction unless there is institutional intervention. Since armed conflict and trafficking go hand in hand, women in trouble-torn regions are always vulnerable to trafficking. Forced Displacement Forced Displacement is actually not an inevitable outcome of all armed conflicts, but it is frequently adopted as a strategy of war to destabilize enemy families and communities, to uproot the enemy so that it is scattered and weakened. Forced displacement is however a â€Å"the clearest violation of human, economic, political and social rights and of the failure to comply with international humanitarian laws† (Moser & Clark, 2001). Though displacement during armed conflict is viewed as a temporary process, examples in countries such as Sudan, Sri Lanka and Somalia show that it could extend into a prolonged affair, with succeeding generations having to stay away from the place of origin. Displacements can have multiple effects on women. For women displacement implies increased difficulties in managing household responsibilities as access to resources is cut off or becomes unavailable. Displacement has also been found to lead to a reversal in roles with women assuming the position of the head of the household. This is very evident in Sudan. Ethnic groups such as the Dinka, Nuer and Nuba have been displaced from their place of origin and face severe marginalization. The women of these communities take on added responsibilities of the missing men. Much of this added responsibility is transferred to younger members of the family, especially young girls. Young girls have to not only do domestic chores, but also look after the children, sick and the elderly. They lose out on valuable study and play time which affects their futures negatively. All displaced people face social exclusion, so do women. Staying in an alien environment without the usual support and protection from the male members of the family can be a very terrifying and psychologically scarring experience. In strife-torn Columbia, displacement has become a perennial problem. An estimated 40 million people have been forced to flee from their homes and seek sanctuary elsewhere. A whooping 80% of these displaced people are women and children (Security Council Report, 1999). This brings into sharp focus the high impact of displacement particularly on women. â€Å"The circumstances are unique in each country, but the stories are similar. In places such as Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Chechnya, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), East Timor, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia and in the occupied Palestinian territories – whose people constitute the longest-standing and largest refugee population – women have been forced from their homes and exposed to indiscriminate violence while searching for a safe haven. † (Rehn & Sirleaf 2001). Displaced people face violence and hardship as they search for a safe haven. Women are especially vulnerable in such a situation. While on the run, and even after they have found refuge, women have to suffer the humiliation of rape and other forms of physical violence. In their constant struggle to provide for their families and themselves, they are forced to sell their bodies in exchange of provisions and favours. Again, displacement can be of two types: the refugee who has left the country of origin and crossed international borders, and the Internally Displaced Person or the IDP who has been forced to leave the place of original residence and has moved to a different part or region within the country. While international laws do provide some amount of protection and security to the refugee, such laws are not applicable in case of the IDP. The IDP therefore faces a plight worse than the refugee and is practically left all alone in the fight for survival. Even in the case of the refugee, a lot depends on the willingness of those in power in the host country to allow international agencies to aid or help the refugees. In many cases, armed opposition groups may refuse to provide access to international agencies fearing that their own human rights violations will be exposed. Forced displacement however has some positive effects too for women. When the displaced women takes over the reins of the household, many of the traditional shackles lose their hold on them and they find new avenues for self development and progress. They gain a sense of liberty that they did not have in their conventional male-dominated societies. Displacement also becomes a boon for women when they find refuse in well-established and properly run care centers which provide them adequate training and education to enable them to stand on their own feet. When this happens, the suppressed woman can break free and find her own moorings. Domestic Violence during Conflict That domestic violence increases proportionately with increase in armed conflict is a fact that had not been known until very recently. Conflict attenuates domestic violence in two ways: by breaking down communities and the natural regulatory functions of communities, and by escalating violence in the context of masculine and militarized conflict situations. Conflict leads to imbalances in power relations which in turn escalates domestic violence. Many things contribute to the increase in domestic violence – the availability of weapons, the violence male family members have experienced or meted out, the lack of jobs, shelter, and basic services (Lindsey, 2002). In a conflict situation, men get used to violence either by suffering violence or meting violence to others. This sort of acclimatizes them and makes them more prone to the use of violence. The experience of war changes some man from within so that they do not hesitate to apply violence in the domestic context. Combatants who return home after spending long years in fighting have been found to find it difficult to adjust to peace time. There have been instances when men returning form war have killed their own wives. Studies in Cambodia in the mid-1990s indicated that many women – as many as 75 per cent in one study – were victims of domestic violence, often at the hands of men who have kept the small arms and light weapons they used during the war (Lutz & Elliston, 2002). In the Middle East too, there have been reports of men returning from fighting and using the same tactics of torture used in war on their wives in glaring cases of domestic violence. Israel responded to the second Intifada by imposing restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. This led to unemployment, frustration and overcrowded living conditions. The release has been noticed in the form of increased domestic violence within families, crimes against women within the family. Women were being raped and tortured by the frustrated men. The problem in the case of domestic violence is that there are very few laws to protect women from domestic. Even where such laws have been framed, they are not imposed, especially during periods of conflict. The United Nations itself has only recently woken up to the situation. War and Women’s health War has a profound negative effect on health. The direct impact is the casualties of war. Men and women die in large number in any armed conflict. In the event of continued armed struggles medical systems and facilities tend to break down. The expert’s independent report by Rehn & Sirleaf (2001) had this to report of the casualties of war: â€Å"In 2000 alone, conflict is estimated to have directly resulted in 310,000 deaths, with more than half taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. If the commonly held ratio is accurate – nine indirect deaths for every direct death caused by conflict – then approximately 2. 8 million people died in 2000 of some conflict-related cause. Arguably the figure is much higher. When the direct fatalities are estimated by age and sex, children and adolescents account for a significant proportion of the deaths. The highest mortality rates are among men aged 15 to 44, but a quarter of direct mortality is among women. The greatest number of deaths of women is among those aged 15 to 29; some 25,000 women in this age group died directly of conflict in 2000. The International Rescue Committee has estimated that between August 1998 and April 2001, there were 2. 5 million excess deaths (i. e. , above the number normally expected) in the five eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where armed groups have been fighting each other as well as attacking civilians. Only 350,000 of these deaths were directly caused by violence; the majority stemmed from disease and malnutrition. One in eight households had experienced at least one violent death; 40 per cent of these deaths were of women and children. There were more deaths than births in many of the areas studied and, in one area, 75 per cent of the children died before they reached the age of two. † The report speaks volume about the direct casualties that women suffer in armed conflicts. The indirect effects of armed conflicts on the health of women are perhaps more horrendous. The large scale rape and other sexual atrocities on women leaves them exposed to all forms of sexual diseases and infections including AIDS and HIV. Many women who manage to overcome the other travails of war have to finally accept defeat when they learn that they have contacted AIDS at the end of it. There have been instances, especially in the Rwandan armed conflicts when one ethnic community has deliberately tried to infect another ethnic community with AIDS. Epidemics break out in refugee camps claiming thousands of lives. Since the refugee camps house a larger number of women, they are affected the most. Women who have been raped or tortured suffer from mental problems. Unwanted pregnancies and adolescence pregnancies pose considerable threats to the health of women. In places such as Bosnia, Kosovar and Sierra Leone, women faced terrible dilemmas. Would they abort their unwanted babies or would they keep them? A majority of these women chose abortion because they feared rejection if they dared to keep the babies. In Sierra Lone, the matter becomes more complicated because abortions are declared illegal and it costs a lot of hard-earned money to have an abortion. All these have to be seen in the context of the conflict scenario when medical and health systems break down and there are acute shortages of medicines and trained medical personnel. Many women die at child birth due to lack of adequate care. Many babies die at birth leaving their mothers heartbroken. Provisions for Protection The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its protocols remain the best applicable laws for the protection of women. The customary of international humanitarian laws can also be applied for the protection of women in conditions of armed conflicts. In 1993 and 1994 the Security Council established two ad hoc international criminal tribunals; the first to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the former Yugoslavia, and the second to prosecute similar violations as well as genocide in Rwanda. The statute of the International Criminal Code was adopted in July 1998. All laws include many common clauses that can be effectively used for the protection of women in armed conflicts. These include the clause of non discrimination by which the same protection is to be given both to men and women. The law lays down that both men and women are to be â€Å"treated humanely (†¦) without adverse distinction founded on sex †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Moreover specific protection for women are accorded by Article 14 of the Third Geneva Convention which makes it mandatory that â€Å"women †¦ be treated with all the regard due to their sex. † Considerations for the privacy of women are also taken into account by the laws, so are provisions for expectant mothers. The Human Rights and the Refugee Laws too cover other aspects of protection for women in situations of armed conflict. The crux of the matter however is that the laws are as good as the intentions of those who are responsible for implementing them. The international community has to join hands in taking up the cudgel for women caught up in horrifying situations such as armed conflicts, and they have to take enough women with them to provide the healing touch as representatives of those who have suffered the insufferable. Throughout the ages, women have shown remarkable resilience to the vagaries of armed conflict. It is one war they have to win at any cost.