Feminism and the women in black movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Feminism and the women in black movement - Essay Example To fortify cohesion among women who have been alienated by guns and borders is a strong political aim and they intensely declare, "We are the group of women who stand in silence and black every week to express our disapproval against war. We have decided to see what is the women's side of this war. Women wear black in our countries to show the grief for death of the loved ones. We wear black for the death of all the victims of war. We wear black because the people have been thrown out of their homes, because women have been raped, because cities and villages have been burned and destroyed" (Women In Black, 1992, p. 50). Brief History & Description In contrast to most feminist groups, WIB clusters do not have decision-making bodies, elected officers or branches. One year after the start of the Palestinian Intifada, WIB was instigated by Israeli women going up against the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1988. Expanding rapidly during the Gulf War and Yugoslav wars in the 1990s, there are probably 300 WIB clusters in possibly 30 countries all over the world. A salient feature of these groups is the practice of holding vigils which entail the women to wear black and stand at regular times and intervals in public places (Cockburn, 2005). Though WIB was in the beginning committed to obtaining peace in the Middle East, other groups almost immediately remonstrated against tyranny in the Balkans and India. For these activists, their status as women provided them extraordinary power and influence when it comes to insisting for peace. At present, the Women in Black in Israel persist on their peaceful and diplomatic resistance to the occupation in partnership with the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace. These groups have been protesting against the shutting down of several Palestinian cities, contending that the barricades preclude students from attending school and pregnant women from getting into healthcare centers and or having access to healthcare services. The group likewise calls for the full participation of women in peace negotiations (Foreign Policy, 2001, p.43). During their very first public statement in Belgrade, the activists characterized themselves as an anti-nationalist, anti-militarist, feminist, pacifist group who opposes the diminution of women to the role of just mothers. "The work of women in peace groups is presupposed, it is invisible, trying, women's work; it's a part of 'our' role; to care for others, to comfort, aid, tend wounds, and feed. The painful realization that the peace movement would to some extent also follow a patriarchal model caused a serious dilemma for feminist-pacifists. We wanted our presence to be VISIBLE, not to be seen as something 'natural,' as part of a woman's role. We wanted it to be clearly understood that what we were doing was our political choice, a radical criticism of the patriarchal, militarist regime and a non-violent act of resistance to policies that destroy cities, kill people, and annihilate human relations" (Women In Black 1993, 23a). In 1997, the WIB backed up and participated in the grassroots democracy movement in Serbia. The scenario looked more hopeful for the very first time in several years. However, Slobodan Miloevic was not about to be outmaneuvered of power by democracy. He rejected to acknowledge the outcomes of the election and later on seized power again. When

BHE 314 Mod 5 CBT Environmental Health and Safety Essay

BHE 314 Mod 5 CBT Environmental Health and Safety - Essay Example t is observed that nightclubs are major source of exposure of high-intensity sound, which results in a number of health risks and illnesses, such as high blood pressure, stress, headache, anxiety, ulcers, and coronary diseases. (Koren, 2003) A number of physicians have associated heart diseases with regular and frequent exposure to sound waves of high decibels. According to a number of environmental protection organizations, migraine headaches and high blood pressure are common consequences of noise exposure from nightclubs. In this regard, government should take effective steps to prevent the health hazards associated with community exposure to noise produced by nightclubs. It is observed that unfamiliarity with law is one of the major factors that encourage nightclub owners to keep the noise high in their clubs, as the residents do not complain noise-related problems. In specific, awareness programs related to noise exposure from nightclubs and other sources should be organized by the government to ensure public and environment safety. According to a survey, more than hundred decibels of sound level were noted in most of the nightclubs, which is much higher than the standard levels. (Koren, 2003) In this regard, nightclubs should be instructed to keep the noise levels according to the allowed ones, and such nightclubs should be constructed away from the residential regions. It is hoped that the paper will be beneficial for better understanding of health hazards associated with noise exposure from nigh tclubs. Now the paper will briefly discuss health hazards associated with presence of radon gas in homes. According to a number of health organizations, radon is a tasteless, invisible, and odorless radioactive gas that is one of the major causes of cancer. It is observed that such gas is present in a number of homes that results in health risks to the family. In this regard, effective steps should be taken to prevent emergence of radon gas in homes through proper