PISA 2018 Results - Part II

               This post is a summary of two books, the first with the title of,"PISA Results 2018 III at https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/2592c974-en.pdf?expires=1577623582&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=B1382958325D85A6177C52AB9DBD38and the second with the title of, "Balancing School Choice and  Equity: An International Perspective Based on PISA," both published in November 2019 at  https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/2592c974-en.pdf?expires=1577623582&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=B1382958325D85A6177C52AB9DBD38E5

              PISA is a triennial survey of 15-year-old students around the world that assesses the extent to which they have acquired key knowledge and skills essential for full participation in social and

economic life. PISA  is used as a assessment tool in many regions around the world. It was implemented in 32 regions in the first assessment in 2000 and in 2018, 79 countries and municipalities participated in PISA. The PISA 2018 results are released in six volumes: Volume 1: What Students Know and can do. Volume II: Where All Students Can Succeed. Volume III: What School Life Means for Students' Lives. Volume IV: Are Students Smart about Money? Volume V: Effective Policies, Successful Schools. On average across OECD countries, the most common disciplinary problems in lessons were that students do not listen to what the teacher says and that there is noise and disorder. There are wide variations across regions in the disciplinary climate. Albania, China, Belarus, Japan, Korea and Vietnam show the most positive disciplinary climate, while Argentina, Brazil, France, Greece, and Spain show the least positive climate. For instance, in Japan only 3% of students reported that there is noise in every lesson, compared to 23% in France. Difference across schools are also large. According to studemts' reports, in a majority of countries the disciplinary climate was more positive in socio-economically advantaged than in disadvantaged schools, while in only 5 countries: China, Moldova, Morocco, Panama and Peru, the disciplinary climate was better in disadvantaged schools. On average across countries, the disciplinary climate was better in private schools than in public schools, while the opposite is true only in Japan  and Taiwan. Moreover, the disciplinary climate was similar in rural and urban schools across countries. However, the disciplinary climate in rural schools was more positive than in city schools in Belarus, Jordan, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine. Girls reported a better disciplinary climate in lessons than boys did, on average across countries. Only in Denmark and Finland did boys reported a better disciplinary climate than girls. PISA 2009 and PISA 2018 asked students the same question about the disciplinary climate. A comparison of both cycles reveals that the disciplinary climate generally improved during this period. This improvement in disciplinary climate was remarkable in Albania, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Korea, Moldova, Norway, Serbia and UAE.

                    Over the past decades, school-choice programmes have expanded in scope and size in most of the countries with available data. These opportunities take diverse forms and vary widely in scope across countries. Schools-assignment mechanisms, through which students are allocated to schools based on their expressed preferences and not only on geographic considerations, have been introduced in different places. In addition, private schools are a common alternative to public schools. Usually, parents must pay fees or schools charges for enrolling their children in private schools, but several schools-choice programmes try to reduce the cost of private schooling for families. The most popular of these are educational voucher programmes, whereby parents are given a tuition certificate by their government that can be used to pay tuition at any 'approved" schools. The tuition may be distributed to families or directly to schools. In many countries, private schools are primarily funded by the government, sometimes to the same extent as public schools. This is the case in several European countries, including Belgium, France and the Netherlands. In the 1990s, several countries, namely Colombia, New Zealand, Sweden and the U.S. promoted school choice either through school-voucher systems or by establishing charter schools (publicly funded schools that operate independently of the state-run system) similar reforms were adopted recently in the U.K. Families are left with a wide range of options. Schools choice is based on various ideas. The introduction of "market based" policies is based on the idea, that competition between schools will foster innovation and improve school efficiency. The fact that parents may select their child's school puts pressure on schools to improve the education they provide in order to attract and retain students.

PISA 2018 Results

    This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in 2019  https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/5f07c754-en.pdf?expires=1576970589&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=35845E011A63E8FC16D5A49F66FAED1

               Among its many findings, our PISA 2018 assessment shows that 15-year-old students in the four municipalities of China that participated in the study - Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, outperformed by a large margin their peers from all of the other 78 participating education systems. True, these four municipalities in eastern China are far from representing China as a whole, but the size of each of them compares to that of a typical OECD country, and their combined population amount to over 180 million. What makes their achievement even more remarkable is that the level of income of these four Chinese region is well below the OECD average. In this context, and given the fact that expenditure per primary and secondary student rose by more 15% across OECD countries over the past decades, it is disappointing that most OECD countries saw virtually no improvements in the performance of their students since PISA in 2000. In fact, only seven of the 79 education systems analysed saw significant improvements in the performance of their students, and only one of these, Portugal, is a member of the OECD. All countries have excellent students, but too few countries have enabled all of their students to excel and fulfill their potential to do so. Achieving greater equity in education is not only a social justice imperative, it is also a way to use resources more effectively, increase the supply of skills that fuel economic growth, and promote social cohesion. For those with the right knowledge and skills, digitalisation and globalisation have been liberating and exciting; for those who are insufficiently prepared, these trends can mean vulnerable and insecure work. Seven countries saw improvements of their students throughout their participation in PISA: Albania, Colombia, Macao, Moldova, Peru, Portugal and Qatar. Twenty countries performed above the OECD average in all three domains (reading, math, science): China and singapore were the highest-performing education systems in all three subjects. In reading, Estonia, Canada, Finland and Ireland were the highest-performing countries. In science, the highest-performing countries were Japan and Estonia. In math, were Japan, Korea and Estonia. China, Singapore, Estonia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Japan and Korea scored above the average in all three subjects. While differences in average performance across countries are large, the gap that separates the highest-performing and lowest-performing students within any country is even larger. The largest differences between top-performing and low-achieving students were found in Israel, Lebanon, Malta, UAE, meaning that learning outcomes in these countries are highly unequal. The smallest differences between high- and low-achieving students were, typically found amongst countries with the lowest scores. In Morocco and the Philippines, even the highest-performing students scored only around the average. The goal of PISA is to provide useful information to educators and policy makers concerning the strengths and weaknesses of their country's education systems, the progress over time, and opportunities for improvement. changes in technology and society will continue to influence the demand for skills and the context in which adults and youth people will use their competence in literacy and numeracy. In Brazil, mean performance in math improved over the 2003-2018 period, but most of that improvement was in the early cycles.  After 2009, in math, as in reading and science, mean performance appeared to fluctuate around a flat trend. Mean performance in reading, math and science in the U.S. remained about the same in every PISA assessment, with no significant improvement or decline. However, the gap between the lowest- and highest-achieving students narrowed. Mean performance in reading and science in the U.K. remained stable since 2006, Mean performance in math was mostly flat but with a significant 9 score point improvement between 2015 and 2018, and for the first time, the U.K. performed above the OECD average in math. After a decline until 2012, mean reading, math and science performance in Sweden recovered in 2018, returning to a level similar to that observed in the early PISA. Spain's data met PISA 2018 technical standards. However, mean math performance remained stable throughout the country's participation in PISA. Mean performance in science declined between 2015 and 2018.

Human Rights Day - 2019

                Last Tuesday, 10th of December, all over the world the importance of human rights was remembered. This post is a summary of three articles, the first was published at  https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day. The second was published at   https://www.state.gov/international-human-rights-day-2/. The third was published at   https://en.unesco.org/events/human-rights-day-0. The fourth was punlished at   https://www.eset.com/blog/consumer/human-rights-day-2019-the-power-of-the-internet-3/

             Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December, the day the U.N. General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR); a milestone document proclaiming the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being regardless of race, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, nation or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world. 2019 Theme is: Youth Standing Up for Human Rights. After a year marked by the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which culminated on 20th November, 2019, our plan is to capitalise on the current momentum and spotlight the leadership role of youth in collective movements as a source of inspiration for a better future. Under our universal call to action "Stand Up for Human Rights," we aim to celebrate the potential of youth as constructive agents of change, amplify their voice, and engage a broad range of global audiences in the promotion and protection of rights. The campaign, led by the Office of the High Commissioner foe Human Rights, is designed to encourage, galvanise, and showcase how youth all over the world stand up for rights and against racism, hate speech, bullying, discrimination, and climate change, to name a few. Youth participation is essential to achieve sustainable development for all. Participation in public life is a fundamental principle of human rights. Young people are seeking to participate in all decisions that have an impact upon their wellbeing. Youth can play a crucial role in positive change. Young people have been at the forefront of grassroots mobilizations for positive change and bring fresh ideas and solutions for a better world.  Young people often encounter difficulties in accessing and emjoying their rights because of their age. Upholding their rights and empowering them to better know and claim them will generate benefits globally. 

                   In 1948, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to identify common rights and freedoms for all people in all nations. Eleanor Roosevelt, chaired the U.N. human rights commission that drafted this document. She needed only to look at our own American traditions as inspirations for naming these inalienable rights. Thanks to the UDHR, more persons around the world enjoy these rights and freedoms than was the case before the Declaration's adoption. Indeed, it is widely recognized that a government's moral authority is derived in large measure by its willingness to protect the rights and freedoms enumerated in the UDHR. The chinese government continues to repress members of religious and ethnic minority groups. The regimes in Iran, Syria, and Venezuela commit gross human rights violations every day that shock the conscience. In order for countries such as China, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela to regain moral authority in the eyes of freedom-loving nations, they must rededicate themselves to protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. Today, we celebrate the rights outlined in the UDHR, and recommit ourselves to protecting and promoting these essential freedoms. The U.S. will always remain a staunch supporter of those who strive for their unalienable rights and human dignity.

                  Every year, human rights day provides an opportunity for all to renew with the spirit of humanity's long struggle for rights and dignity and to mobilise against old and new challenges, in the shape of poverty and inequality, violence, exclusion and discrimination. 

                 This Tuesday, 10 December, is Human Rights Day, marking the day on which the UDHR was adopted by the U.N. in 1948. This year, the Theme is 'Youth Standing Up for Human Rights' which celebrates the potential of youth as constructive agents of change and aims to showcase how youth across the globe are standing up for human rights. While the fight for human rights is still as important as ever, the world around us has changed a lot since 1948, due in large part to technology. The advancement of technology has fundamentally changed the way we live: From health to education and leisure to work, digital technology and the internet are at the core of our lives. The internet also plays a vital role in standing up for human rights, and is perhaps most pertinent to youth, many of whom have been interacting with internet their entire lives. From Greta Thunberg's Fridays for Future movement, to the #MeToo movement, on to exposing many instances of states sponsored violence, the internet has been vital to empowering those whose rights have been infringed upon. In fact, not only is the internet a central tool in standing up for human rights, many consider access to the internet to be a human rights in itself. Although not formally declared by the U.N. yet, several countries across the world have implemented laws or policies that require internet access to be available to all. As our lives becomes increasingly digitized, it is not simply access to the internet that could be deemed a human right. While the internet can be used as a tool for upholding human rights, it is unfortunately not always used as a tool for good. From threats to national infrastructure to violations of privacy, ensuring that individuals are safe online is just as vital as being able to access the internet. This Human Rights Day, not only should we celebrate the power of youth in standing up for human rights, but we should also encourage them to pave the way for a safe and more just internet for all.

Handbook on Civil Society Documentation of Human Rights Violations - Part II

                  This post is the summary of the same book from last week. Book with the title above published https://www.vu.nl/nl/Images/PILPG_Handbook_on_Civil_Society_Documentation_of_Serious_Human_Rights_Violations_Sept_2016_tcm289-785328.pdf

                  This chapter presents important guidelines on how collect information on human rights violations and importantly, what not to do. Perpetrators of human rights violations do not always leave paper trails evidencing their actions but when they do, this can be used to seek redress for their crimes through a variety of means. For example, they can support the claims made in reports or other publications to raise public awareness. The information can also be used to assess whether national authorities are fulfilling their obligations to respect human rights and to prevent and investigate alleged abuses.  And they could be presented to criminal investigators as potential evidence to be used in court. Whatever the purpose of the documentation effort, the primary goal is to create an: accurate, reliable, and precise record of events. If not properly collected, the gathered documentation is unlikely to be used in pursuit of legal redress. Judicial mechanisms determine the weight of documents presented in court based on their probative value. In order for a document to be of probative value and to prove something about a case, it must not have been manipulated or tampered with in any way. There are two ways in which unofficial investigators can become the custodian of documentary information: by collecting the document themselves, becoming its first custodian; or by receiving the document from another person. Documents will be of little value to official criminal investigators if a court can not determine the source and context of the document. Prior to collecting any documents from their original location, unofficial investigators are advised to take pictures of the document in its original location. To prevent loss of information, unofficial investigators are encouraged to make copies of documentary information as soon as possible. Preparations must be made prior to engaging in make copies to ensure the safety of the evidences. Cloud services can be hacked into. Digital information on human rights violations can take many forms. such as : photography, video, email, audio and/or video testimony, sms communication, posts on social media, etc. Harm done to an individual may well be mental rather than or in addition to physical injuries. Psychological evaluations can provide important information/evidence of the harm done and the violations that have occurred. Certain symptoms may help direct professionals to uncover what has happened and what psychological injury the individual involved may be suffering from. Moreover, information on psychological injury is important to refer the appropriate support to victims. It is crucial to be aware of the vulnerability of the individual involved. Observations may include a discussion of symptoms, including sleep disturbances, behavior changes and mood. Through interacting with the victim it is also possible to establish a degree of objectivity by taking notice of how the victim's demeanor changes when discussing particular topics. In the interaction with a victim, as an interviewee, it is important to adopt a sensitive and empathetic attitude as this may offer the individual some relief and helps build rapport. Ideally, this attitude will communicate to the victim that his/her complaints and suffering are recognized. The collection and management of information on human rights violations may present security risks to unofficial investigators and their contacts. International personal deployed as official investigators should in principle fall under the protection of multilateral agreements with the host state. However, specific circumstances can prevent such agreements to be in use. It is these types of situations in which members of local civil society organizations actors engage in documentation as unofficial investigators. The principle of sources is essential in respecting the do no harm principle. As a basic rule, witnesses and victims should not find themselves in danger because of documentation activities. An informant should fully understand these risks and indicate their acceptance of them. Confidentiality is the main way to ensure the security of informants and an essential precaution to prevent risk to those that engage with unofficial investigators. It also renders victims and witnesses and other relevant sources more willing to cooperate. A breach of confidentiality can put everyone involved at risk and undermines the trust between informants, witnesses and victims. When a court, tribunal or commission requests information for their proceedings, this may require a reconsideration of confidentiality. Such institutions are supposed to operate with the best interest of the victim and witness in mind and they should implement measures to protect them. Unofficial investigators generally have the possibility to negotiate and implement confidentiality measures, such as anonymity. Despite these measures to minimize security risks, it is important to be aware that there are still many risks involved. Victims, witnesses and other informants may experience verbal threats, intimidation, harassment, assault, or property damage, if not worse. It is important to provide support and security to these individuals. The police can implement a security program. However, when the police are implicated in the violations, other security protection should be put in place. Unofficial investigators may contribute to this by considering undertaking the following security measures: Arrange a temporary change of residence. Provide emergency contacts. Change the victims's telephone number. Install security devices in the individual's home (such as alarms and fencing). Provide electronic warning devices and mobiles phones with emergency numbers. Use discrete and safe premises to interview and brief witnesses. The level and extent to which such measures can be put in place depends on the resources and expertise available. Reach out to bigger and more resourced organizations and their networks before interacting with an informant in order to discuss the safest option or the most practicable confidentiality procedure that is available. In addition to the safety of those involved, security in handling information is important because of the potential evidentiary value of the information itself. The information security measures discussed so far are important for heeping the information secure, but also protect everyone involved. Security risks can originate from many different persons or organizations. Security risks may include (attempted) murder, beatings, police harassment, arbitrary detention, bombings, intimidation, etc. However, consider also that statistically speaking road traffic accidents and unexploded mines remain the greatest security risks for most field missions. Most civil society organizations operating in dangerous areas have security procedures in place that are developed by security professionals. Make yourself familiar with these procedures. When possible, also study any contingency plan in detail. Know that vulnerability increases when traveling in zones with poor communication networks or where conflict and violence is ongoing. Always be alert and regularly conduct risk assessment. Do not put yourself in compromising situations.

Handbook on Civil Society Documentation of Human Rights Violations

               This post is a summary of the book with the title above, published in 2016 at   https://www.vu.nl/nl/Images/PILPG_Handbook_on_Civil_Society_Documentation_of_Serious_Human_Rights_Violations_Sept_2016_tcm289-785328.pdf

               Increasingly, civil society engage in documentation and investigation processes, seeking to collect evidence against those responsible for serious human rights violations. The purpose of this handbook is to provide guidelines and best practices for the collection and management of information on serious huamn rights violations for those that are not trained in such documentation. These enable unofficial investigators to do no harm, identify security risks, preserve crime scenes, prevent the loss of evidence, and manage the information in manner that preserves confidentiality, security and probative value, with an eye to possible use in later redress processes. Realizing the importance of evidence to buttress claims of human rights violations, and that in many situations such information is lost by the lack of investigations, a growing number of actors from civil society have started to engage with or conduct documentation and investigation processes of serious human rights violations. It was in the late 1980 and early 1990s that reports and materials collected by human rights groups began making tangible contributions to the project of international justice. The rapid increase and spread of mobile technology, and the consequent era of citizen journalism that followed, has increased the number individuals engaging with the documentation of human rights violations. The difusion of mobile technology has flooded the media with an exponentially growing amount of footage, allowing for a quasi-live coverage of real events. For example, there are groups organizing themselves to collect information in order to show leaders' connection to human rights violations and the increasing number of victims who come forward to share the stories of the harms they suffered. This handbook is meant to guide those who encounter information (or themselves witness) serious human rights violations when no official and investigative authority is available. Talking of "investigation by civil society actors" can both be misleading and controversial. While only professionally trained experts acting in their official capacity can carry out "formal investigations" for the purpose of criminal accountability. The way in which the term civil society "investigations" is used in this Handbook equates with the term "documentation." This includes documenting crimes scenes, victims' stories and other relevant materials. The choice of the word "unofficial investigators" is also deliberate. The major challenge was to find a term that was both comprehensive and also specific. This handbook should be seen as neither encouraging nor advocating for humanitarian actors' involvement with mechanisms of redress. However, should they want to engage with documenting the occurrences, they are advised to follow the ethical principles and practical guidelines in this Handbook. The Handbook often uses the word "information" about serious human rights violations rather than "evidence" in the spirit of managing expectations. This distinction between information and evidence, however, does not imply that lesser standards apply with regard to its relevance, credibility, reliability, and accuracy. The most important principle when collecting information or evidence is to do no harm to any of the information encoutered, whether it be physical, testimonial, or forensic, and keeping in mind the imperative to always perform a balancing act between the need to preserve information/evidence and the risks of tampering with or deteriorating that same evidence through improper actions. Collecting and documenting information on human rights violations should always be done to serve the best interests of those affected by the violations. This means engaging individuals for the purpose of documenting information of human rights violations in a way that maximizes access to justice for victims, and minimizes as much as possible any negative impact the documentation process may have on them. Unofficial investigators should endeavor to identify options for referring victims and witnesses for assistance and support, and put in place procedures for this referral process. This process includes assessing what services may be needed, including health, phychological, legal and economic assistance. If formal services are not available or accessible, unofficial investigators should always consider what informal systems are in place that can be of support to the victims or witness. A victim or witness may need immediate assistance, or may find the process of disclosing information difficult, traumatic and/or dangerous. It is important to recognize the risks to and prevent re-traumatization.  The effects of trauma can influence a victims's behavior during an interview. Signs of trauma are: Depression, Linear memory loss, concentration problems, emotional reactivity, symptoms of acute stress.  To avoid unintended disclosure, interviewers and subsequent handlers of victims and witness accounts should securely store any information separate from the witness account itself. Risks for victims and witnesses associated with the documentation of human rights violation include: Retaliation, intimidation or threats by alleged perpetrators, and their supporters against victims or witnesses and their families. Coercive pressure to force victims or witnesses to reconcile with perpetrators. Re-traumatization. Loss of livelihood. Arrest, for example where certain acts are criminalized. Unofficial investigators should ask themselves: Will the documentation occur in an area of ongoing fighting, where offenders may still be in the area? May victims and witnesses be at risk of intimidation, further attacks or displacement? If so, what strategies can be put in place to overcome these obstacles? Has the information originated from a victim or witness that is at risk of exposure if that information is traced back to them? If so, what mechanisms can be employed to protect the victim, witness or source from risk? Will going to particular location/crime scenes place the individuals that provided information on those locations in danger? If so, are there ways (such as via an intermediary) to gather information about these locations? Assessing risks to unofficial investigators. Are armed groups, terrorists or criminal networks operating in the area or at the location itself?  Governmental authorities may be the perpetrators of human rights violations. Moreover, they may facilitate or foster an environment in which such abuses occur. Therefore, there may be times when governmental authorities will be subject of investigation. Unofficial investigators should be aware that authorities might pose a danger for those engaged in investigating human rights violations and any people they interact or come into contact with. Are you or your supporters at risk of being targeted specifically? Is there a risk that you or your supporters may be subjected to threats from perpetrators? Consider what procedures can be put in place to prevent or lessen the risks identified: Have you researched the context (politics, history, conflict, and government)? Do you have a security and evacuation plan? Do you have a communication plan? Can you speak the language or do you have an interpreter? Have you the numbers of an emergency contact if you find yourself in danger? Be mindful that keeping emergency contact with you might expose both you and your contact to danger in the case of a search. Will you be adequately equipped to deal with any eventualities? For example, will you have sufficient money, supplies, and communication devices? Do you have a plan, policy and referral options in place regarding emergency assistance or transportation of any victims, witnesses, or other individuals you find in locations that are in need of such? Unofficial investigators exposed to traumatic situations or dealing with traumatized persons should be encouraged to take extended leave to recover, to talk about the stress they are under, and to seek psychological counseling when necessary. Assessing risks to the security of the information: Data protection is important for the safety of victims, witnesses and any individuals involved in the investigation. Do you have a plan to safely collect and store information? How will you keep information safe and confidential? Do not destroy documents unless a tangible risk of real danger exists, as these might become useful in subsequent criminal proceedings as appropiate. Storing documents in an environment where the document will be safe may help to prevent the information from deteriorating further. The information collector should take pictures or make copies of the document by other means. Appropriate measures include storing data in a secure location; using secure computers and defining and recording who has access to what type of data. Personal security measures are important not only for the collection of information but also the holding of important information on human rights violations may pose serious threats to you. It is important to realize that perpretrators of human rights violations have an interest in destroying evidences, and may well consider violent means to do so. Several preventive measures can be taken in order to reduce or mitigate security risks: Regularly conduct risk assessments. Build and use all channels that can alert you to security threats, including those of other organizations. If you are a foreigner, identify where your country's embassy is located, get in touch with them to know of your presence in the country. Establish and maintain, when possible, a good relationship with local, state, and/or federal law enforcement as well as political officials. Work with people that can be trusted. Be fit, alert, and stay sober. When possible, travel with at least one companion, and avoid secluded places. If in danger, seek refuge at a police station, embassy or other safe location. Do not share any information if the trustworthiness of local authorities and police can not be determined. Protect yourself and your information. And always make sure to inform someone on your whereabouts. 

Latin America: Surveillance and Human Rights in the Digital Age

               Violation of privacy is a very serious human rights violation. We can not tolerate this abuse. Record any evidence of privacy violation and help to do justice.  This post is a summary of two articles. The first with the title above was published at  https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2015/04/09/latin-america-surveillance-and-human-rights-in-the-digital-age/. The second was published at https://botpopuli.net/south-americas-and-the-surveillance-society

                In July 2014, the Uruguayan government secretly purchased the license for a piece of software to monitor citizen communications, "The Guardian" (as the Brazilian tool is known) is now being fully deployed with no clear guidelines. Civil society organisations fiercely opposed this development and are now starting a legal procedure to access information about the purchase.  This is just one of many examples of surveillance technology being used in Latin America: Latin America democracies might be becoming increasingly established, but the intelligence and security agencies have not adjusted to a new democratic era. Regulation of these agencies is still problematic and poorly discussed. Furthermore, governments are discussing cyber-security issues in international forums with little consideration of human rights issues. The secrecy and lack of regulation around surveillance technology poses a key question: how should we address the protection of human rights in an age of technological disruption in Latin America? When it comes to surveillance, Latin America governments have different capacities and not all fully respect the rule of law. Yet a clear trends are emerging: there is a small group of civil society advocates aware of these issues, technology used for surveillance is increasing and there is a new global scenario in place. Civil society groups have documented worrying practices by governments in the region. In Colombia, security forces spied on activists, journalists and members of the parliament using traditional and new technologies. In Argentina, a new bio-metric system has created the potential to gather key data about the Argentinean population that can be accessed by security forces without clear restraints. In Mexico, a new telecommunication law allows access to personal data (including mobile phone geo-location data in real time) to security agencies without a warrant. In Brazil, "Guardian" is being used to monitor protests. In Paraguay, civil society advocates successfully opposed a new telecommunication law that would allow government to store significant data on users. The list keeps getting longer. Surveillance tech also include drones, CCTV, facial recognition software, body scanners, and identification registry systems. Despite these practices, several Latin Americam governments, led by Brazil, promoted a joint declaration about the right to privacy in the digital age. In doing so, the regoin is not "walking the talk" that it promotes in global forums. A human rights framework needs to be developed and shared among stakeholders to answer crucial questions about the governance of surveillance technologies in Latin American democracies. In a post-Snowden world, the surveillance debate is linked with other Internet-associated issues such as net neutrality, copyright reform, and freedom of expression. There are at least three areas where Latin America needs a new and improved approach, advocating human rights-based policies: a) Governance of surveillance technologies:  In particular, transparency about technology purchases, operations protocols, reach and usage should be clearly established. Judiciary and human rights groups should ensure adequate oversight. This demands capacity building in civil society and accountable institutions, public leaders and security forces. b) Re-assessing normative frameworks for freedom of association, communication and speech in the digital age: Laws such as Marco Civil in Brazil offer an example of how national telecommunication infrastructures can play a role in securing certain guarantees in the digital age. All regulation should target criminal activity without targeting lawful exercise of freedom of speech online. c) Strengthening privacy and data protection. Not all Latin American countries have strong data protection and privacy law. In light of recent developments in terms of the role the private sector is playing in surveillance and other areas such as health-care, new regulation is needed. Citizens should know who has data about them, who is using it, and for what purpose.Timing is crucial here. If no action is taken, Latin American countries might well engage in building their surveillance apparatus unchecked. On the other hand, if appropriate action is taken, Latin America might well develop a progressive path. The path ahead can still be shaped to guarantee human rights in the digital age.

                    We live in times when algorithms facilitate electoral fraud, track people's moviment and can analyze micro-expressions to anticipate criminal behavior. This article examines the introdution of transnational technologies in the South American context, and how they are raising human rights and privacy concerns. In 2019, the Argentine computing specialist, Ariel Garbarz, shared with the puplic prosecutor's office of Argentine his concern about the possibility of electoral fraud in the upcoming Argentinian elections. Garbarz also denounced the infalibility of Election-360, an election management software, acquired from the transnational company Smartmatic. Election-360 has been in the news for fraud in several countries. Built on proprietary software with codes that are closed, it is not amenable to audit by computer inspectors assigned to monitor elections. There are many doubts generated by Smartmatic's eletronic voting system regarding the violation of secrecy and possible rigging of results. Surveillance cameras are increasingly in use by security forces in various countries, including South America. But the images captured from these surveillance cameras are analyzed by tech companies working on A.I. applications. While official narratives assert that the use of these applications is restricted to crime detection, it is not a transparent process, and can easily impinge on citizens rights. Both Chile and Argentina are advancing the implementation of A.I. facial recognition systems, supposedly to detect people who are on wanted lists. But this technology has the potential to jeopardize the privacy of millions of innocent citizens. Previously, Argentina had also announced the purchase of aerostatic surveillance ballons with cameras capable of recording a 360 degrees view, equipped with day and night vision, to identify and track targets for kilometers. As with Election 360, these surveillance processes are not open to public scrutiny. As governments increasingly adopt such surveillance tools, many questions arise. How are the images recorded in public or private spaces treated? Who utilizes these images? what are the custody and guardianship processes in place, and for how long is the data stored? The truth is that no protocol has been studied, and no debate about the protection of personal data has explicity addressed issues around the lack of transparency and accountability that accompany these processes. The analysis of images from CCTV cameras is only one of the many A.I. applications at play in the name of public safety. The US Department of Justice has funded a program at Cardiff University to develop a software for the analysis of social networks to detect where incidents of crime may occur. Fake news has spread rapidly through the internet, and particularly through social networks. To curb the spread of misinformation, large tech corporations such as Google anf Facebook, are seeking to impose their own standards of censorship. By using its algorithms to conceal certain media outlets, or censor, or certain photograps and videos, Google is able to manipulate its search engine results, essentially appropriating the internet and its information avenues. The lack of transparency, regulatory mechanisms and citizen and state oversight, makes it impossible for the public to assess the success of these methods, and hold these companies accountable. The data collected, supposedly in the service of security and the detection of crimes lead to the definitive loss of an individual privacy, as well as a threat to democratic processes.

270th Birthday of Goethe

             A little more than two months ago, precisely on 28th August, the German writer Goethe would complete 270 years-old, so this post is a tribute to him. His writings advanced the world towards the right direction of science, culture, education, and ethics. He was against hipocrisy, war, unaccountability and solipsism.This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at       https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe.  The second was published at  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/01/design-for-living-books-adam-kirsch

              Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist, considered the greatest German literary figure of the modern era. He could be said to stand in the same relation to the culture of the era that began with the Enlightenment and continues to the present day as William Shakespeare does to the culture of the Renaissance and Dante to the culture of the High Middle Ages. His Faust though eminently stageworthy when suitably edited, is also Europe's greatest long poem since John Milton's Paradise Lost. Goethe was the eldest of seven children, though only one other survived into adulthood, his sister Cornelia. The years from 1788 to 1794 were lonely years to Goethe, his only close friend was the duke. Personal loyalty to the duke partly explains Goethe's hostility from the start to the French Revolution. Goethe's distance from the Revolution can be overstated. He disliked the militarism and centralism of modern, would-be states like Prussia or, later, Napoleon's France. He felt at home in Germany's multiplicity of states small enough for rulers and ruled to have a sense of personal obligation to each other. The year 1829 brought celebration throughout Germany of Goethe's 80th birthday. It also brought the first performance in Weimar of part one of Faust. In 1830, came the unexpected news that his son had died in Rome. Goethe fell seriously ill immediately but recovery. He still had work to do, and only in August 1831, he sealed the manuscript of part two of Faust.                                                                                                                                                                                                            To get a sense of how Johann Wolfgang von Goethe dominates German literature, we would have to imagine a Shakespeare known to the last inch, a Shakespeare squared or cubed. Goethe's significance is only roughly indicated by the sheer scope of his collected works, which run to a hundred and forty-three volumes. Here is a writer who produced not only some of his language's greatest plays but hundreds of major poems of all kinds. Now consider that he also wrote three of the most influential novels in European literature, and a series of classic memoirs documenting his childhood and his travels, and essays on scientific subjects ranging from the theory of colors to the morphology of plants. Then, there are several volumes of his recorded table talk, more than twenty thousand extant letters, and the reminiscences of the many visitors who met him throughout his sixty-year career as one of Europe's most famous men. Goethe accomplished all this while simultameously working as a senior civil servant in the duchy of Weimar, where he was responsible for everything from mining operations to casting actors in the court theatre. Germans began debating the significance of the Goethe phenomenon while he was still in his twenties, and they have never stopped. His lifetime, spanning some of the most monumental disruptions in modern history, is referred to as a single whole, the Goethezeit, or Age of Goethe. Worshipped as the greatest genius in German history and as an examplary poet and human being, he has also been criticized for his political conservatism and quietism, Goethe is strangely neglected in the English-speaking world. Goethe's poems, unfortunately, seldom come across vividly in translation. This is partly because Goethe so often cloaks his sophistication in deceptively simple language. One of his earliest great poems, is written in the style of a folk song and almost entirely in words of one or two syllables. Victorian intellectuals revered Goethe as the venerable Sage of Weimar. Thomas Carlyle implored the reading public to "close thy Byron, open thy Goethe." Matthew Arnold saw Goethe as a kind of healer and liberator, calling him the "physician of the Iron Age," who read each wound, each weakness of the suffering human race." For these writers, Goethe seemed to possess something the modern world lacked: wisdom, the ability to understand life and how it should be lived. Though he  studied law, at his father's insistence, and even practiced briefly, the occupation was never more than a cover for what really interested him, which was writing and falling in love. It was one of these early infatuations that plunged Goethe into the despair that would become the subject of his first success, "The Sorrow of Young Werther."  This short novel tells the story of an unhappy love affair. Through letters written by Werther toa friend, we learn about his hopeless love. After Charlotte get married, Werther feels that he has nothing to live for, and decides to commit suicide. At least some of Goethe's readers took him to be endorsing and glamorizing Werther's suicide. One young woman, named Chirstel von Lassberg, drowned herself in the river Ilm with a copy of the novel in her pocket. Goethe must have felt much as one might imagine J.D.Salinger felt about Mark Chapman's copy of "The Catcher in the Rye," guilty, but also horrified at being so misread. Yet, far from ennobling its hero, "Werther" is actually a warning against what Goethe sees as a consuming spiritual disease. What kills Werther is not disappointed love but toxic self-centeredness, subjectivity run wild. The fatal complication of his illness is pride. So far, Werther strongly resembles Hamlet, who calls Denmark and the whole world a prison. After ten years of office work, Goethe abruptly threw aside his work and left Weimar. Goethe's time in Italy marked a watershed in his life. He was thirty-seven. As a worshipper of the classical world, Goethe found Rome to be a revelation and a rebirth. Liberated from his more onerous court duties, Goethe was free to take up projects that he had first begun to think about years, even decades, earlier: the gestation period for the verse drama "Faust"  spanned more than thirty years. Goethe's persistence also testifies to the continuity of his interests during his entire life. The meaning of education, the difficulty of embracing life, the danger and redemptive possibilities of love. The concept of 'Bildung', a word that means education but also implies a cultivation of the self and of maturity, was central to Goethe's thought, and he, in turn, made it central to German culture. For Thomas Mann, Goethe was above all an educator, Mann wrote that a "vocation towards educating others does not spring from inner harmony, but rather from inner uncertainties, disharmony, difficulty, and from the difficulty of knowing one's own self." Goethe's most celebrated and canonical work, "Faust"  is defined by his refusal to be satisfied with anything life has to offer. As in the traditional folktale, Goethe's Faust sells his soul to the Devil. This is central issue of Goethe's life and work: on what terms is life worth living? For Faust, as forWerther before him, ordinary existence is flavorless and intolerable; like an alcoholic, he demands ever-stronger draughts of emotional intoxication. Above all, he demands the intoxication of love, and he finds it with Gretchen, an innocent young girl, whom he seduces and abandons. Not until the end of the play, when Faust returns to find Gretchen in prison for infanticide, and on the edge of madness, he realizes how selfish his quest for experiences have been. A heavenly voice announces that Gretchen will be saved, Goethe, no moralist when it comes to sex, can forgive her for being carried away by passion. But there is no salvation for Faust, whose crime is the one transgression that Goethe can never forgive, solipsism, the refusal to acknowledge the full reality of other people.

Protection and Redress for Victims of Human Rights Violations

                   This post is a summary of the chapter 15 with the incomplete title above, of the book with the title of, "Human Rights in the Administration of Justice: A Manual on Human Rights for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers." Published at  https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/training9chapter15en.pdf

                    It is important to bear in mind throughout this chapter that to some extent victims of crime and human rights violations have many interests and needs in common, such as a possible need for medical attention, including help for emotional problems, compensation for financial loss and various forms of special protection and assistance. International rules governing the legal duties of States to provide effective protection and redress to victims of human rights violations. In this regard, clear rules exist in international human rights law, which have been further clarified in the law of the international monitoring bodies. States' legal duty to ensure the effective protection of human rights and their specific duties to prevent violations, to provide effective domestic remedies for alleged violations of a person's human rights, and to investigate, prosecute and punish such violations and provide redress to the victim concerned. According to paragraph 18 of the U.N.D., "Victims' means persons who, individually or collectively, have suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or substantial impairment of their fundamental rights, through acts or omissions that do not yet constitute violations of laws but of internationallly recognized norms relating to human rights." A much simpler definition of victim of human rights violations is: "A victim is a person whose nationally or internationally recognized human rights have been violated as a consequence of governmental acts or omissions." A particularly serious aspect of abuse of power such as human rights violations is that they are committed by, or at least with the knowledge of, persons that are expected to protect the individuals and their rights. In others words, the sense of trust that should have existed has been seriously betrayed. As a general rule it must be emphasized that, notwithstanding the fact that the legal obligation to respect and to ensure human rights are not included expressis verbis in the treaty concerned, states in any event have a legal duty to perform their treaty obligations. By failing, for instance, to prevent or to investigate alleged human rights violations and, where need to be, to follow up the investigations with a prosecution, a state undermines its treaty obligations and hence also incurs internationally for being in breach of the law. The legal duty to provide domestic remedies for alleged victims is inherent in the general duty to provide effective human rights protection. Practice has consistently shown that, unless an individual has an effective right to have recourse to independent and impartial courts and authorities for the purpose of remedying a violation, the true enjoyment of human rights will remain illusory. From the point of view of states, the domestic remedies has the advantage of allowing them to remedy a wrong, thus avoiding international responsibility and a possible rebuke from an international monitoring body. The clear terms of this provision that the remedies available must be effective and that their enforcement must be ensured by the competent authorities. The remedies may be, for instance, judicial or administrative, although athe drafters of the Covenant had a preference for judicial remedies. Although remedies must be available for all alleged violation of the rights guaranteed by the Covenant, the need fo0r available, independent and impartial remedies is particularly urgent for people deprived of their liberty. The right to a domestic remdy is, of course, also guaranteed by the regional human rights treaties. The absence of an effective remedy to violation of the rights recognized by the convention is itself a violation in which the remedy is lacking. A remedy which provides illusory because of the general conditions prevailing, or even in the particular circunstance of a given case, can not be considered effective. As previously noted, the duty to investigate, prosecute and punish human rights violations is also inherent in states' responsibility to ensure effective human rights protection and it is a duty that has been consistently emphasized by the international monitoring bodies. In certain circumstances, it may be difficult to investigate acts that violate an individual's rights. The duty to investigate must be undertake in a serious manner and not as a mere formality preordained to be ineffective. An investigation must have an objective and be assumed by the state as its own legal duty, not as a step that depends upon the initiative of the victim or his family or upon their offer of proof, without an effective search for the truth by the government. Article 14 of the Convention specifies that states have a duty to ensure that victims obtain redress and that they have an enforceable right to fair and adequate compensation, including the means for a full rehabilitation as possible. In many cases, there may be a need, in addition to financial compensation, for rehabilitative measures of both a physical and psychological nature. The Committee also recommended that measures should be taken to regulate and institutionalize the right of victims of torture to fair and adequate compensation payable by the state. Impunity for human rights violations is one of the most serious threats to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms of the individual, and constitutes a violation of a state's legal duty to ensure the effective protection of these rights and freedoms. Non-prosecution of criminal acts have a devastating impact on the victims as well as on society as a whole. A culture of impunity also widens a gap between those close to the power and others, who are vulnerable to human rights abuses. The international monitoring bodies have consistently denounced impunity for human rights violations. As noted above very complex issues of guilt, admission of guilt, chastisement, reparation, rehabilitation and reconciliation arises in such situations. It may, however, be said that amnesties and pardons can not in any circunstances be granted for violations of the right to life and the right to liberty. The principle of justice for everyone demands that victims' rights and suffering be recognized and remedied and that the states act effectively to prevent similar acts from occurring in the future. A society is unlikely to be able to heal its wounds and raise itself from the ruins of opression in a constructive way unless these minimum legal requirements that derive from human dignity are effectively met. In others words, although, some form of reconciliation will ultimately have to be reached through negociations between the parties concerned, a lasting reconciliation must, out of respect for the victims, be based on elementary justice.

60th Anniversary of Fulbright Commission in Brazil

               Two years ago the American organization Fulbright completed 60 years in Brazil, so this post is a tribute to this organization that enables thousands of people to study abroad every year. In Brazil together with CAPES made it possible to this blogger to study in the U.S. twice, in January/February of 2018 and July/August 2019. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulbright_Program.  The second was published at https://br.usembassy.gov/fulbright-commission-celebrates-60-years-in-brazil/.  The third was published at https://fulbright.org.br/comissao/

                    The Fulbright Program is one of several U.S. Cultural Exchange Programs whose goals is to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between  the people of the U.S. and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. It is one of the most prestigious and competitive fellowship programs in the world. Via the program, competitively-selected American citizens including students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists may receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research, teach, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the U.S. The program was founded by Senator J.William Fulbright in 1946 and is considered to be one of the most widely recognized and prestigious schorlarships in the world. The program provides 8,000 grants annually. The fulbright program is administered by cooperating organizations such as the Institute of International Education and operates in over 160 countries. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State sponsors the Fulbright Program and receives funding from U.S. Congress. Additional direct and in-kind support comes from partner governments, foundations, and host institutions both in and outside the U.S. In 49 countries, a bi-national Fulbright Commission administers and oversees the Fulbright Program.  More than 370,000 people have participated in the program since it began, 59 Fulbright alumni have won Nobel prizes, 82 have won Pulitzer Prizes, 10 have been elected to U.S. Congress. The Senator J.William Fulbright said, "the program aims to bring more knowledge, more reason, and more compassion into world affairs and thereby increase the chance that nationswill at last to live in peace and friendship." In 1945, Senator J. William Fulbright proposed a bill to use the proceeds from selling surplus U.S. government war property to fund international exchange between the U.S. and other countries. It was through the belief that this program would be an essential vehicle to promote peace and mutual understanding between individuals, institutions and future leaders wherever they may be. In 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the bill into law, and Congress created the Fulbright Program in what became the largest education exchange program in history.. Bi-national Fulbright commission and foundations, most of which are funded jointly by the U.S. and partner governments develop priorities for the program. 

                     In 2017, the Fulbright Commission celebrated 60 years in brazil. Since 1957, Fulbright has offered schorlarships to graduate students, fellows and researchers who want to make a difference in their communities. During the past six decades, Fulbright has sent over 3,500 Brazilians to the U.S. and brought over 2,900 Americans on exchange programs to Brazil. The Director of the Fulbright Commission Board, Abigail Dressel, said, "we are honored to have been part of these Brazilian fulbrighters's stories, from this incredible country, and to have contributed to cultural and educational growth through exchanges between Brazil and the U.S. It gives us great pride to see that, through Fulbright, Brazilians and Americans have been able to share their knowledge and achieve common goals."

               The Senator J.W. Fulbright said, "the essence of intercultural education is the acquisition of empathy. The ability to see the world as others see it, and to allow for the possibility that others may see something we have failed to see, or may see it more accurately." In brazil, the Fulbright Program was created in 1957, an international organization linked to the governments of Brazil and the U.S., called the Fulbright Commission. The Fulbright awards have led more than 3,500 Brazilians to study in the U.S. and brought nearly 3,000 Americans to Brazil. The Fulbright offers scholarships for graduate students, teachers and researchers who want to make a difference in their communities. With the Fulbright prestige and international recognition, to be a Fulbrighter represents to become a member of a network of alumni that includes Nobel laureates. The Fulbright Program seatches candidates connected to the world always willing to multiply and share the knowledge gained in their experiences to promote education. science and culture.

              

International Day of Democracy - 2019

                         Last monday, September 15th all the world celebrated the day of democracy. Since the beginning of civilization, the good leaders and the people are trying to improve this system. The huge manifestations in Brazil in 2013 and 2016, recent surveys and the renovation of 60% of the congress last year proved that the Brazilians are disappointed with politics as usual and have a wish for more participation, inclusion and renovation. Including a poll of the Senado showing that the more wished idea from the political reform, would be referendums and plebiscites used frequently. As you can see in a post published at this blog in November 2013 in this link  http://thepeopleteacher.blogspot.com/2013/11/political-reform.html.  An effective democracy is so important that through history so many have fought and died for it, so many have been suffering to reinforce its values and principles, and so many have dedicated their little spare time trying to educate the people about the importance of a functional democracy. The first step to a real democracy is respect for human rights and the constitution. All political system needs improvement, inclusion and renewal because if not it makes too many citizens apathetic or alienates them, losing legitimacy and enthusiasm as a result. The internet offers a chance for new forms of participation, transparency, civic awareness and activism. The politics can be better than actually it is, and this is precisely what the Brazilians want. This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at   https://www.un.org/en/events/democracyday/. The second was published at   https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-of-democracy/. The third was published at   https://www.ifes.org/news/marking-international-day-democracy-2019

                2019 Theme is PARTICIPATION. This year's International Day of Democracy is an opportunity to recall that democracy is about people. Democracy is built on inclusion, equal treatment and participation. And it is a fundamental building block for peace, sustainable development and human rights. Democracy provides the natural environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. True democracy is a two-way street. built on a constant dialogue between civil society and the political class. This dialogue must have real influence on political decisions. This is why political participation. civil space and social dialogue make up the very foundations of good governance. It is even more true with the impact of globalization and technological progress. And yet today, civic space is shrinking worldwide at an alarming rate. Civil society activists are finding it increasingly difficult to operate. Human rights defenders are under attack. women remain vastly under-represented. Journalists face interference, and in some cases violence. This International Day of Democracy, is an opportunity to urge all governments to respect their citizens's right to active, substantive and meaningful participation in democracy.  The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development addresses democracy recognizing the indivisible links between peaceful societies and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions.
             As free people, we sometimes take this for granted. Yet, when it is absent; we thirst only for this one thing that can fill us up and make us whole. It is democracy and every Septermber 15, we celebrate International Day of Democracy. The United Nations created the day to celebrate the system of values democracy promotes, giving citizens the power to make decisions regaeding all aspects of their lives. From democracy's birth in ancient Greece thousands of years ago through trial and error up to today, most of the world's nations choose democracy over all other forms of government. Every year. the U.N. holds official global events that spread awareness about democracy in actions. Past themes have included encouraging young people to take part in democratic movements. Learn more about this year's theme and see what you can do to take part. . From the ancient times of the Greeks and Romans, the Dark Ages and the Enlightenment, all the way to our modern world; the spread of democracy has had its ups and downs. Read a good historical novel or choose a documentary that will help you understand democracy and why it's so important today. Democracy is both a goal and a process which hinges upon your involvement. Thanks to digital advancements, it's now easier than ever to contact representatives, cast votes and make a difference in  government. Democracy is powerful because it gives a voice to a nation's citiens, enabling them to make changes as they see fit. One of the results of this form of government is that democratic changes creates space for new theories to emerge, leading to a world of innovation and improvement. A cornerstone of democratic societies is that they have the power to make change, when necessary. In principle, if things are going well, citizens have the power to maintain the status quo. But if things do not work out, it's up to the people to throw out the old and bring the new.
                   Since 2007 when the U.N. designated September 15th as the International Day of Democracy, organizations, governments and NGOs have joined to commemorate the importance of promoting and upholding principles of democracy. On this day, we lift our voices with others like-minded supporters of human freedom and dignity to raise awareness about the power that citizens have to determine by whom, and how, they rae governed. To appreciate the relevance of democracy we need look no further than to Hong Kong and Moscow, or to Caracas, where calls for greater representation and genuine self-determination underscore that democracy is not an end, but rather a means to achieving human dignity and development. The rising tide of threats to democracy in recent years also means that the Day of Democracy is an opportunity to reflect on how we can do better to ensure that the freely expressed will of the people is the basis of responsive governance and respect for human rights. As well remind us that all governments are obliged to respect their citizenss right to participation in political affairs. The theme for this year's is participation. We know that democracy flourishes only when all groups of society are represented and able to freely participate. Together with our civil society and national partners, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) works to empower citizens to find their voices and fully participate in all aspects of democratic society.

200th Birthday of Walt Whitman

               Three months ago, the American writer Walt Whitman would complete 200 years-old. So this post is a tribute to him. He defended democracy, freedom and justice in his poems. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at https://www.biography.com/writer/walt-whitman. The second was published at https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/walt-whitman-more-important-now-than-ever-228072/. The third was published at  https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/acac/c3c8dbdd912c36a63b0eb21af31786433f71.pdf

               Poet and journalist Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills, New York. Considered one of America's most influential poets, Whitman aimed to transcend traditional epics and normal aesthetic form to mirror the potential freedoms to be found in America. In 1855 he published the collection Leaves of Grass, the book is now a landmark in American literature. Whitman died in 1892 in New Jersey. Called the "Bard of Democracy" he was the second of Louisa Van Velsor's and Walter Whitman's eight children, he grew up in a family of modest means. Whitman's own love for America democracy can be at least partially attribute to his upbringing and his parents, who showed their admiration for their country by naming Walt's brothers after their favorite heroes. The names included George Washington Whitman and Thomas Jefferson Whitman. At the age of three, his family moved to Brooklyn, NY. At 11, Walt Whitman was taken out of school by his father to help out with household income. He started to work as an office boy and eventually found employment in the printing industry. In 1838 he started a weekly called the Long Islander. In 1846 he become editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. In 1855, he finally found the style and voice he would been searching for and self-published a slim collection of 12 unnamed poems with a preface titled Leaves of Grass. It marked a radical departure from established poetic norms. Tradition was discarded in favor of a voice that came at the reader directly, in the first person, in lines that did not rely on rigid meter and instead exhibited an openness. In 1862, he traveled to search for his brother George, who fought for the Union and was being treated for a wound. Whitman moved to Washington D.C. and worked part-time as a volunteer nurse. In the mid-1860s, Whitman had found steady work in Washington as a clerk. He continued to pursue literary projects, and in 1870 he published two new collections, Democratic Vistas and Passage to India, along with a fifth edition of Leaves of Grass. In 1873, he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. He traveled to New Jersey, to see his ailing mother, who died just three days after his arrival. Frail himself, Whitman relocated to Camden to live with his brother George and sister-in-law Lou. In 1892, he passed away in Camden. Right up until the end, he'd continued to work with Leaves of Grass, which during his lifetime had gone through many editions and expanded to some 300 poems. He wa buried in a large mausoleum he had built in Camden cemetary.

                Walt Whitman is one of the most  influential voices in America and world literature. Roy Carver Professor of English at the University of Iowa, has devoted his professional life to understand Whitman's work. He is the author of 10 books. He also coedits the Walt Whitman Archive a resource for scholars and students around the world. Whitman always addressed his poems to readers in the future, arguing and questioning him about the diverse and democratic American future he promised.  American poets have viewed Whitman's radical poetics as essentially intertwined with the national character, a kind of distinct and distinctive American voice. This Whitmanian voice is heard throughout the broader culture as well-in films including Now, Voyager; Dead Poets Society; Sophie's Choice; Bull Durham; and many more. Whitman was an autodidact, he was done with his formal schooling by the time he was 12, and he learned by reading books he took out of lending libraries and by visiting museums. He learned typesetting as a teenager and published his first newpaper articles in his mid-teens. He reshaped his journalistic voice and oratorical voice into a new kind of poetry that has traits of both journalism-an attentiveness to detail, an obsession with observation of the world and oratory-long lines that have the cadence of a speech. His poetry is about a celebration of the individual and at the same time, the celebration of the "en-masse," the diversity of a nation that manages to stay unified while "containing multitudes." Nowhere is this fluctuation between self and cosmos, individual and nation, better seen than in his longest poem, Song of Myself.  When Whitman first began making notes towards the poem Song of Myself,  he jotted down "I'm the poet of slaves and the masters of slaves." he was trying to assume a voice that was capacious enough to speak for the entire range of people in the nation. If he could imagine such a unifying voice, he believed, he could help Americans begin to speak the language of democracy. Because people would begin to understand that everyone is potentially everyone else, that the key to American identity is a vast empathy with all the others in the nation. In Song of Myself,  Whitman says, "I contain multitudes," and this voice that is vast enough and indiscriminate enough to find within itself all the possibilities of identity would become the great democratic voice, a voice for all citizens to aspire to. Today, the nation is so divided in political and social ways that it has become impossible to imagine a single unifying voice. So Whitman seems more important now than ever. 

               This essay argues for Whitman's significance to contemporary democratic theory, neither as a theorist of moral or aesthetic individualism nor as a theorist of communitarian nationalism, but as a theorist of the democratic sublime. Whitman's account of "aesthetic democracy" emphasizes the effective and autopoetic dimensions of political life. For Whitman, popular attachment to democracy requires an aesthetic component, and he aimed to enact the required reconfiguration of popular sensibility through a poetic depiction of the people as themselves a sublimely poetic. He found the resources for political regeneration in the poetics of everyday citizenship, in the democratic potentials of ordinary life. Matthieson called Whitman "the central figure of our literature affirming the democratic faith". Whitman envisioned a democratic culture capable of sustaining and enabling a robust and stylized "aesthetic individuality." Whitman's attempts to overcome political and written mediation in his poetry also illuminate the peculiar way that he involkes democracy in his writing. Instead of arguing for the legitimacy of democracy in the American setting, the goal of Whitman's work was to provoke and disseminate a democratic sensibility that shaped the experiences of individuals below the cognitive level of conviction. For Whitman language itself - "greater than buildings or ships or religious or paintings or music - was a crucial marker of the autopoetic power of the common poeple. Whitman understands language as an incarnation of man's unconscious passionate creative energy. For him language is creative desire, this desire is, moreover, democratic born of a kind of sublime democratic spontaneity. Language is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes, of generations of humanity, and has bases broad and low, and its final decisions are made by the masses. Whitman imagined his poetry to operate in a remarkable analogous way,  an analogy that may be based in his own familiarity with German Idealism.  Whitman translates quotidian democratic practices into poetry, offers a poetic transcription of the polyvocality of the vox populi, thereby offering the body politic an aesthetically transformed depiction of itself as sublime potentiality. Whitman's poetry urges citizens to take pleasure in the sublimity of their quotidian democratic life, to appreciate their unfinished state and formative power, rather than feeling paralyzing gaggery and guilt. 

Day of Fighting Injustice - 2019

                Last Friday, 23rd of August was celebrated in Brazil, the day of fighting injustice. We all must defend justice, because when there is some injustice happening for so many years, a dangerous precedent can happen, destroying democracy, undermining rule of law and the fundamental feeling of justice of the people. So, the public trust in our institutions is severely harmed. Consequently, the people start asking if they are worth so many taxes and credibility. Besides, when there is not justice, the abuses tend to grow and spreading and affecting many more people. So if you have witnessed any violation of human rights, record it and help fight injustice. You can send the images to the victims and help them to do justice. You should help to do justice, because if not you can be the next victim.  I have been fighting for justice, democracy and human rights for so many years and intend keep this work for more years ahead. I'll never give up to make Brazil a better country, more democratic, fairer, and where human rights are truly respected.  This post is a summary of two articles.  The first was published at https://www.girlscouts.org/en/raising-girls/leadership/civic-action/how-to-fight-injustice.html. The second was published at   https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/01/amnesty-goals-2016-2019/

                         A lot of us were raised in what some might call the school of hard knocks. When we complained that a situation was not fair, parents, teachers, or other adults would all-too-often shrug their shoulders and tell us that life was not fair. that we should just accept things the way they were, even when we had an inkling there was potential for change.  What is the problem with that? Well, for starters, everything. While it is true that lots of things in life are not fair, we can, and actually have a responsibility to, work toward making things better, more equitable, and just. Telling kids they are powerless in the face of injustice is not just disempowering, it is ultimately not true. Every person, regardless of their age, has the ability to stand up for what is right and help the world become a more equal and fair place. Complaining that something is not right without also having a suggestion for how it could be made better is not actually helpful. So when your kids has identified something that is unfair, ask them what a more fair solution would look like and how it would work. Next, you can help them identify the person or people who have control over changing the situation. It is important to push the people in power to make important changes, but sometimes it is helpful to take matters into your own hands, If the city council is not willing to spend the money to fix up a rundown park, talk to local shops to see if they will donate supplies and then gather volunteers to clean up the place and plant new gardens. The bottom line is that whenever any of us see something that is unfair, it simply means we have work to do to make things right. Help your daughter or son understand their agency. Saying life is not fair will not fix a thing.                                                                                                                                                                                         Taking injustice personally. The world is changing and we are changing with it. With a stronger global presence, we need support more people to know, claim and enjoy their human rights. We will apply more pressure nationally abd internationally. Our legitimacy will grow as we buikd a truly global movement, defending human rights for all. These are challenging times for justice and human rights. And while more people are striving to get their voices heard, states are responding by cracking down on human rights, often in the name of protecting public order or ending terrorism. These goals outline how we will shift the way that human rights are fought for and achieveed, engaging where we can and confronting where we must. To achieve lasting progress worldwide, we will ensure we always:  1) Analyse why human rights abuses happen, guided by the people whose rights are violated. 2) Identify the most effective ways to create change. 3) Confront and expose states, corporations and institutions that violate rights. 4) Act quickly and effectively to support people facing injustice. 5) Innovate to achieve the most powerful impact. 6) Work with partners who share our determination. 7) Support people to claim the human rights that we all share. 1) RECLAIMING FREEDOM - We must turn the tide in favor of fairness and justice. To do this, we need to help communities to access the information and tools they need to claim their human rights, and to build societies that truly respect them. We need to create a world where people defending human rights are safe and supported. We need to do this by: Highlighting and reducing attacks on huma rights defenders. Supporting laws and policies that allow civil society to thrive. People know their rights and are empowered to claim them. We need to do this by: Pushing for government action that ensures human rights education. Empowering people to defend human rights. People can claim their rights to speak out, organize and challenge injustice. We need to do this by: Pushing for effective legal protections for whistleblowers. Ensuring surveillance measures meet human rights standards. 2) ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY - Justice systems too often fail to deliver accountability. So holding governments to account is critical, and persuading emerging powers to consistently support human rights has never been more important. The challenges remain significant. Regional mechanisms are overstretched. The International  Criminal Court faces difficulties. But we need to continue to demand accountability focusing on change, at a national level while working internationally. We'll work to create a world where: Regional and global human rights mechanisms are reinforced. Human rights governance and accountability are strengthened at a national level. 

Trends Shaping Education 2019

                      This post is a summary of the book with the title above, published at https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/trends-shaping-education-2019_trends_edu-2019-en#page3

                    Trends Shaping Education 2019 is designed to support long-term strategic thinking in education. Using trends to think about the future requires robust sources of data. Did you ever wonder whether education has a role to play in preparing our societies for an age of artificial intelligence? Connecting education to mega-trends is not straightforward. The future is inherently unpredictable. Long-term strategic thinking in education thus needs to consider both the set of trends and the possible ways they might evolve in the future. Globalisation facilitates the emergence of transnational networks and trade. Human mobility across borders has increased with more affordable transport and communications. The economic growth resulted in an expansion of the global middle class. Yet globalisation also brings new challenges. Education has an important role to play in equipping students with the skills needed to succeed in the global future. A well-functioning democracy relies on the civic knowledge and skills of its citizens, as well as their engagement in public matters. There is an important role for education to play in improving civic participation and fostering democratic citizenship. However, difficult questions remain. Key questions for the future include how we strike a fair balance between all parties, and what this means for fostering social cohesion and trust. Examining the future of education in the context of mega-trends has two main goals. First, it is necessary to better prepare education for the transformation underway in economic, social, and technological spheres. Second, it is key to better understand how education can influence these trends. Education has the potential to influence the life outcomes of the disadvantage. It is a powerful tool to reduce inequality. It can help combat the increasing polarization of our societies, and empower people and communities to take charge of their own civic processes and democratic institutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI), the revolution of intelligent machines able to perform human-like cognitive tasks is expected to become especially important in health care (cancer detection), transport (driverless cars), and the environment (smart energy consumption). Education can ensure that students have the competence needed to compete in an innovative world. With the rise of AI, big data and sophisticated search algorithms, do learners need to learn facts anymore? What consequences would there be if they would not? Increasing competition in global research fuels the push for countries to constantly innovate to maintain their competitive position. does education foster and value the creativity necessary to be innovative? It has never been as easy to access information, express one's opinion and reach out to fellow citizens as it is in today's digital world. The digital world has expanded opportunities for citizens to use their voice, but this is not guarantee that they can access reliable information or have the willingness to listen to and compromise with others. What kind of civic virtues do modern democracies require? How can citizens sort fact from fiction? how can education systems better support students develop civic knowledge and skills a democracy requires? We depend on the uninterrupted functioning of ICT systems for virtually all aspects of our daily lives. Physical goods, services, and much of our infrastrucuture are all now coordinated and delivered through computer systems. Knowledge and skills in cyber security is valuable asset. Job security is an important element of economic and financial security. Globalisation has resulted in many jobs moving to different parts of the world; with automation performing tasks previously carried out by human employees, and deindustrialisation has led to more jobs becoming part of the `knowledge economy` instead of manual labour. Another trend is the rise of a `gig economy`, where work might no longer be tied to a steady job but instead coordinated through some kind of digital freelance platform. The Internet is used today in many different aspects of our daily lives, from shopping and connecting with friends and family to managing household and informing our health decisions. Digital engagement is growing across all age groups, reducing concerns about older populations being excluded due to lower participation rates. How can education support older adults in accessing the benefits of digitalisation? Our fast-changing societies are creating entirely new categories of work, such as social media managing and augmented reality architecture; at the same time, other jobs become obsolete through automation. The role of education in developing the skills needed for the future of work is indispensable. Many common activities that once required physical contact or social interaction are now carried out online, such as talking to family and friends or consulting a doctor. Whether it is a job, a room for the night, or the love of your life, online activity often translates into offline outcomes. This challenges the education system, which must take advantage of the tools and strengths of new technologies while simultaneously addressing concerns about potential misuse, such as cyberbullying, and loss of privacy. How can education support all students develop the digital skills needed to create and produce content, which can help their self-expression, learning and well-being? As more humans fill the planet, the more impact we have on the environment. We can moderate or even reverse some of the negative effects, as shown by successful campaigns to ban chemicals responsible for the hole in the ozone layer. many people are making purchasing choices that help to mitigate the environmental impact. Education can foster the knowledge awareness needed to make sustainable choices; and empower individuals to identify and take actions in cases of degradation.

Privacy and Human Rights

              This post is a summary of the article with the incomplete title above published in 2005 at  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242448871_Privacy_human_rights-an_international_survey_of_privacy_laws_and_developments/link/5a58d99e45851545026fc712/dow

                Privacy is a fundamental human rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in many other international and regional treaties. Privacy underpins human dignity and other values such as freedom of speech. It has become one of the most important human rights issues of the modern age. Nearly every country in the world recognizes a right of privacy in their constitution. At a minimum, these provisions include rights of inviolability of the home and secrecy of communications. Most recently written constitutions such as South Africa's and Hungary's include specific right to access and control one's personal information. In many of the countries where privacy is not explicitly recognized in the constitution, such as the United States, Ireland and India, the courts have found that right in other provisions. In the early 1970s, countries began adopting broad laws intended to protect individual privacy. Throughout the world, their is a general movement towards adopting comprehensive privacy laws that set a framework for protection. Most of these laws are based on the models introduced by the OECD and the Council of Europe. The increasing sophistication of information technology with its capacity to collect, analize and disseminate information on individuals introduced a sense of urgency to the demand for privacy legislation. Furthermore, new developments in medical research and care, telecommunication and financial dramatically increased the level of information generated by each individual. According to opinion polls, concern over privacy violations is now greater than at any time in history. Uniformly, populations throughout the world express fears about encroachment on privacy, prompting an unprecedented number of nation to pass laws protecting the privacy of their citizens. It is now common wisdom that the power, capacity and speed of information technology is accelerating rapidly. The extent of privacy invasion, or certainly the potential to invade privacy, increases correspondingly. Beyond these obvious aspects of capacity and cost, there are a number of important trends that contribute to privacy invasion. 1) Globalization - removes geographical limitations to the flow of data. The development of the Internet is the best known example of a global technology. 2) Convergence- is leading to the elimination of technological barriers between systems 3) Multi-Media- fuses many forms of transmission and expression of data and images. The macro-trend outlined above had particular effect on surveillance. The transfer of surveillance tech from developed to developing nations is now a lucrative sideline for the arms industry. According to a 1997 report, "Assessing the Technologies of Political Control," commissioned by the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee, much of this technology is used to track the activities of human rights activists, journalists, student leaders and political opponents. the report concludes that such technologies can exert a powerful `chilling effect` on those who might wish to take a dissenting view. In the absence of meaningful legal protections, such tech is inimical to democratic reform. Privacy has roots deep in history. The Bible has numerous references to privacy.  There was also substantive protection of privacy in early Hebrew culture, classical Greece and ancient China. Privacy protection is frequently seen as a way of drawing the line at how far society can intrude into a person's affairs. The Preamble to the Australian Privacy Charter provides, "a free and democratic society requires respect for the autonomy of individuals, and limits on the power of both state and private organizations to intrude on that autonomy." It also states, "Privacy is a key value which underpins human dignity..." Privacy can be defined as a fundamental human right. The law of privacy can be traced as far as 1361, when the English Justices of the Peace Act provided for the arrest of peeping toms and eavesdroppers. In 1792, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen declared that private property is inviolable and sacred. France prohibited the publication of private facts and set stiff fines for violators in 1858. Interest in the right of privacy increased in the 1970s with the advent of IT. The surveillance potential of computer systems prompted demands for specific rules governing the collection and handling of personal information. There are three major reasons for the movement towards comprehensive privacy and data protection laws. Many countries are adopting these laws for one or more of the following reasons: 1) To remedy past injustices - many countries, especially in Central Europe and South America, are adopting laws to remedy privacy violations that occurred under previous authoritarian regimes.  2) To promote electronic commerce - many countries are developing laws to promote electronic commerce. These countries recognize consumers are uneasy with their personal information being sent worldwide.  In the past three years, The European Union enacted two directives providing citizens with a wider range of protections over abuses of their data. Several principles of data protection are strengthened under the Directives. the key concept in the European model is "enforceability" The E.U. is concerned that data subjects have rights that are enshrined in explicit rules, and they can go to a person that can act on their behalf.