A Christian response to human trafficking
This is something I wrote last year, reflecting on the issue of human trafficking . It was published recently in Canvas magazine, page 8 which you can check out at this link: http://www.tscf.org.nz/publications/issue_63_autumn_2012 I have also uploaded it here – Christianity in the Public Square -in case you can’t access the website. The pages 6-7 … Read more
Trafficking in China
Two months ago, I gave a presentation on human trafficking in South East Asia. This was the first time I had presented on the issue in China, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. The audience was largely young professionals- some expats, some local Chinese- with some university students as well. Everything went well … Read more
Malaysia’s Obedient Wives Club
You may already have read or heard about the Obedient Wives Club, but if not, it is worth watching this video. While the salacious aspects of their claims may have caught headlines, I am more concerned about the Club’s view of a marriage relationship. What most concerns me is the club’s emphasis on: 1. the … Read more
What can businesses do to combat slavery- the Mekong Club
In this interview with CNN, Matt Friedman provides an overview of how businesses can make a difference in the fight against human trafficking. He notes that business people will have technological know how and ideas that can provide a real difference. He uses the example of the iPhone app which helps police communicate with trafficked … Read more
What can I do to make a difference to combat slavery?
There are many interesting initiatives combating human trafficking and slavery around the world. Today I spoke to a group of young professionals on Human Trafficking around the world and had a discussion specifically on human trafficking in China. It was really great to engage on how we can all make a difference. In my view, … Read more
Elaine on human trafficking
Here is a rough video I’ve made on the issue of human trafficking. As I upload the video, this comes with news of two successful trafficking prosecutions in Scotland (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15150364). If you would like to read more on the state of trafficking globally, the Trafficking in Persons 2011 report is a good place to … Read more
The Justice Conference Feb 2012
“Justice is a garment, a billion threads, interwoven, interlocked, knit together with strength and integrity. Pull one thread from the fabric and the garment begins to fray. Pull ten million threads and justice unravels into injustice. The work of justice is to mend the holes injustice inflicts upon the garment. It is a brave, challenging, … Read more
Hip hop and counter-trafficking
Don’t know how you can make a difference to stop human trafficking? Jason Chu is an example of starting where you are at and using what skills you have to make a difference. Jason is fundraising money to support the Red Thread Movement and its work against trafficking…and he’s using hip hop to do so! … Read more
Youth identity in UN and World Bank policies
Here is the latest article from one of my pieces of research over the last year. It examines how youth are often portrayed as trouble makers or victims. In conflict situations it gets a bit more complicated, with many development agencies preferring images of children dying in order to secure more donations, or at the … Read more
Modern day slavery and its forgotten victims
When I think of slavery, for some reason I think about William Wilberforce, the American Civil War and Rosa Parks. And then the assumption that follows is that slavery is now well and truly abolished. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be more wrong. Human trafficking is an approximately USD 60 billion dollar (in profits) industry, with an … Read more
How long will the Thai middle class support Ying luck’s populist policies?
Sorry, I don’t know the answer. But something that continually amazes me is how people outside Thailand seem fixated on the fact that Thailand has a female Prime Minister. I didnt even think about it and was surprised when someone asked me what I thought about her. To be honest, I havent thought much about … Read more
A floating village on Tonle Sap lake, Cambodia
On 11 August 2011, a group of Rotary Peace Fellows from Chulalongkorn University visited Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia. Our purpose was to learn more about the post-conflict reconstruction issues in Cambodia. A big issue for Cambodia is that the fisheries industry is one of the biggest in the domestic economy and thus our visit … Read more
The killing fields of Cambodia- short video
This a rough video of my visit to the Choeung Ek killing fields. 17 Rotary World Peace Fellows, as part of their 3 month fellowship with the Peace Centre at Chulalongkorn University, visited Cambodia this August 2011 to learn more about the post-conflict reconstruction work taking place there. As part of our field trip, we … Read more
Reflecting on the Cambodian psyche
Cambodia is a fascinating but broken country. At its peak, Angkor was a thriving city with a million inhabitants and 300 temples just within its 400km2 area, with the reach of the Khmer empire extending to Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. The Khmer empire was undoubtedly a powerful nation. The walls of Bayon temple … Read more
