How Will Haiti Reckon With The Duvalier Years?
Instead of a trial, we’ll have a funeral. What will it look like? Who will speak, and what will they say? In a tweet, Haiti’s President, Michel Martelly, made clear the tone he would seek to set: “Despite our quarrels and differences, let us salute the departure of an authentic son of Haiti.” But how we remember Duvalier is much more than a matter of “quarrels and differences”; it is a question of how, decades on, we should remember and confront a haunting and traumatic history of political repression.
+ Evo Morales Coasts in Bolivia Polls, Despite Some Unexpected Critics
Bolivia is among the fastest-growing economies in Latin America and is enjoying relative prosperity. Morales has proved adept at balancing the demands of the many constituencies that his Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party unites, and he is poised for another election victory partly predicated on increased support in former opposition strongholds. But not everyone is pleased with his government. There are the anticipated long-term dissenters, including parts of the urban middle and upper classes, but there are also less expected voices, including some indigenous organizations, environmentalists and political progressives.
+ Dispatches From the Field: Return Migration in Mexico
In Mexico City, a very different dynamic is emerging. Walk into the offices of Teletech, one of the growing number of firms in the capital involved in business process outsourcing (BPO), and you will see rows of young people seated at computer workstations dressed in chic capitalino clothes or baggy California hip-hop gear. They handle tech support and social media for a variety of retail and telecommunications clients. About 40 percent of the office’s employees are returned migrants who previously worked in the United States.
+ Behind the Numbers: Marginalization and Insecurity In Central America
Social inclusion creates social bonds and attitudes conducive to security. In contrast, an environment of insecurity curtails freedoms and choices, and undermines the opportunities and possibilities central to the notion of social inclusion.
In the case of Central America, mutually reinforcing phenomena come together in a turbulent mix.
+ El Salvador Tries To Reign In Crime With Community Policing
The State Department helped the Santa Ana police make a number of reforms, including implementing new data collection strategies, creating programs to keep kids out of crime and introducing community policing techniques.
“Knowing your community, knowing who is there, who is coming, who is going, who is involved in criminal activity,” Rose said. “What changes are going on. What the concerns are of the community. And by doing that [the police] are able to win the trust of the community and they are able to collect that useful data.”
+ Gangs Can’t Stop Colombia’s Butterflies From Rescuing Women In Need
In 2010, they started a group they call “Red Mariposas de Alas Nuevas Construyendo Futuro” — “Butterflies with New Wings Building a Future.” Their goal is to support women who are victims of abuse, educating them about their rights and helping them report sexual crimes to the police.
Now they have been recognized for their activism. In Geneva last week, the Nansen Refugee Award — honoring humanitarian efforts for refugees and displaced people — was presented to the Butterflies. “These women are doing extraordinary work in the most challenging of contexts,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres. “Their bravery goes beyond words.”
+ 43 Students Mysteriously Disappear in Mexico, Prompting Mass Protests
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Mexico on Wednesday, in response to the disappearance — and possible murder of — 43 student teachers from Iguala. Marches were held in 19 of 32 Mexican states, as citizens demanded justice for the missing persons.
+ Nicaragua’s Canal Will Wreak Havoc on Forests and Displace People, NGO Warns
But Danish NGO Forests of the World has accused the Nicaraguan government and HKND of failing to involve indigenous people in the planning process, saying the canal will wreak havoc on forests and force people to move.