NEW TACTICS IN LIBERIA
This February, New Tactics is in Liberia, conducting a six day training workshop with CVT-Liberia and LINLEA, the Liberia National Law Enforcement Association. Bringing together civil society organizations and human rights activists from all over the continent, the workshop will focus not only on developing new tactics, but also on sharing innovative means of disseminating tactical information.
Recognizing the importance of bringing advances in information and communications technology (ICT) to human rights workers in the developing world, New Tactics has integrated technology into the workshop itself. This gives participants the chance to combine hands-on technology training with tactical thinking, drawing on key New Tactics exercises like tactical mapping to support their efforts.
Although the workshop is focused on connecting and supporting torture treatment facilities in West Africa, particularly in Liberia and Sierra Leone, a one day mini-conference open to the public is will over 100 activists and community leaders together to talk about human rights issues in Liberia today. Over the following four days, 40 participants will work together to develop several action plans in order to address the issues that they identified in the mini-conference, all the while utilizing ICT.
The work that participants do, however, will not be confined to a workshop setting. The Liberia training is an integral part of a wider effort to work with torture treatment programs from a number of African countries in order to promote new tactics for rebuilding civil society in post-conflict countries. The tactics developed as part of this training will not only inspire the people attending the conference, but also new tactical notebooks, website materials, and other resources.
[Read the full keynote address given by Liberian Minister of Labor Samuel Kofi Woods]
[More – New Tactics from workshop participants]
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RESOURCES: Tactical Notebooks - Law Enforcement
Issues of policing, accountability and community relations are prominent themes in the human rights discourse. In a new notebook from Austria, we examine an exciting new training method promoting cross-cultural understanding and community dialogue. In light of the ongoing tactical workshop in Liberia, held in conjunction with an association of civil service organizations coordinated by the Liberia National Law Enforcement Association, we also return to Cecil Griffith’s notebook on professionalism in the Liberian police force.
NEW: Tandem©: Cross-Cultural Exchange Between Police and Migrants
By Maria Hirtenlehner, International Centre for Cultures and Languages (ICCL)
The international Centre for Cultures and Languages (ICCL) in Vienna adapted the "TANDEM©" program– originally created for language learning– to human rights education with police and migrant populations in a unique and profound way called "intercultural-TANDEM©."
The result has been "Tandem© Learning", a cultural contact program that improves intercultural understanding. The intercultural-Tandem© program involves a series of interactions between 20 to 25 high level police officers and an equal number of migrants from other countries. The interactions occur mainly in structured group settings and in one-on-one Tandem© pair relationships. To date, over 150 high level police officers and about the same number of migrants have participated in this life changing intercultural experience.
Promoting human rights professionalism in the Liberian police force
By Cecil Griffiths, Liberia National Law Enforcement Association (LINLEA), Liberia
In this notebook, we learn about the efforts, ability, and commitment of law enforcement personnel–one of the most difficult groups to reach regarding human rights–to address and confront human rights issues and violations from their own perspective and within their own ranks. The Liberian National Law Enforcement Association (LINLEA) was established by law enforcement personnel themselves to address issues of poor leadership, blind loyalty, and lack of professional training, each of which have contributed to a poor quality of services and a high incidence of human rights abuses. LINLEA has worked to promote professionalism as a way to enhance human rights standards and reduce incidences of abuse. This tactic provides insights into how the law enforcement profession itself can understand the connection between professionalism and human rights–exposing abuses when they occur–to send signals to government and civil society that action can and must be taken to address abuses.
See also: Police Training: Opening the door for professional and community-oriented policing
By Dr. Arie Bloed, Forum Asia Foundation / AIHR, Thailand
IN THE NEWSROOM: Grants, Courses, Papers, and Conference
Full details and other announcements at Newsroom
Oxfam International Youth Partnerships -Application Deadline: January 31, 2007
Oxfam International Youth Partnerships is a global network of young people working with their communities to create positive, equitable and sustainable change. If you are working with your community to create a positive future then you can apply to be a part of the Oxfam International Youth Partnerships. Who is OIYP looking for? - Young people aged between 18 and 25 at October 1, 2007 who can speak English or Spanish; - Young people who care about what is happening in their community; - Young people who are committed to working with others to overcome social, political and economic injustice; - Young people who want to learn from other young people working with their communities all around the world. Applications close on 31 January 2007. For further information and to download an application form, please visit http://www.iyp.oxfam.org
Human Rights Litigation: Online Course - Application Deadline: extended to 1 February 2007
Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) is offering an on-line course "Human Rights Litigation" from 14 February - 7 May 2007. This distance learning course provides participants with knowledge of the concept, types, venues and strategies of human rights litigation. It focuses on strategic litigation and legal aid both internationally and domestically, and explores a variety of strategies, issue or group oriented litigation, and community based services, legal clinics, NGO or law firm resourced actions and others. To learn more about the course and to download an application, please visit www.hrea.org/courses/13E.html
IIE Scholar Rescue Fund Fellowships - Application Deadline: April 1, 2007
The Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund provides fellowships for scholars whose lives and work are threatened in their home countries. These fellowships permit scholars to find temporary refuge at universities and colleges anywhere in the world, enabling them to pursue their academic work and to continue to share their knowledge with students, colleagues, and the community at large. When conditions improve, these scholars will return home to help rebuild universities and societies ravaged by fear, conflict and repression. For more information, see http://www.iie.org/SRF
Call for papers: Global theme issues on Poverty and Human Development - Application Deadline: 1 April 2007
World Health Organisation (WHO) Bulletin joins 120 science journals around the world in inviting submissions on the topic of Poverty and Human Development, to be published in a Global Theme Issue in October 2007, organised by the Council of Science Editors. This international collaboration is designed to raise awareness of, and stimulate research on, poverty and human development. For more information on Global theme issue, please see www.councilscienceeditors.org/globalthemeissue.cfm
7th World Young Reader Conference - 25 - 28 March 2007, Washington, USA
The 7th World Young Reader Conference will explore the full range of new strategies and tactics newspapers need to adopt in order to successfully connect with a generation increasingly accustomed to satisfying their news and information needs on their own terms and through increasingly non-traditional means and methods. For more information, see www.wan-press.org/washington
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