The Key Differences Between The “Law On The Books And “Law

Samantha Nutt, a medical doctor and co-founder of War Child, narrates her sixteen years of experience traveling in conflict zones struggling to help the most vulnerable targets, women and children. Her book “Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid” strings that bind Western nations to war torn countries and simultaneously critiques the serve of militarism and misguided aid efforts, which she believes to exacerbate their mission in bringing relief from poverty and conflict. The author analyzes from her multiple trips to war zone nations of Congo, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan.

Since 2003, the black African farmers of western Sudan's Darfur region have been victims of genocide. The genociders are Sudan's Arab-dominated government and nomadic Arab militia groups known as the Janjaweed. Darfur’s residents have suffered from discrimination, lack of resources, education, health services, etc. There is a large gap between the resources that the government has invested in Darfur and those invested in riverine Sudan. A fact that clearly illustrates the lack of safety towards the Muslims in the Darfur region is, “Thousands of villages were destroyed, pillaged, burned to the ground, and residents dislocated and killed amongst the violence. Only the villages of African tribes were bombed and attacked; nearby Arab villages were left unharmed, “ (Combat Genocide 1). This quote emphasizes the fact that because of the violence occurring, residents are getting killed or being force to be “dislocated.” In 2009 the United Nations estimated that there were 2.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur and approximately 270,000 refugees in eastern Chad (Combat Genocide 1). The battles between the rebel groups and the Janjaweed spread into Chad, which led to tensions between Chad and Sudan. Chad had huge problems with dealing with the huge number of refugees (Combat Genocide 1). In the refugee camps, the Janjaweed captured, attacked and raped women when they go outside refugee camps to collect firewood. Many refugees who fled their homes continued to flee from repeat attacks by the Janjaweed throughout Darfur. The genocide of the Darfur people have clearly taken a toll on the persecuted people, creating a life of violence for

Marshall, (2000, p14), observed that protracted conflict ravages society and its supportive systems. In modern warfare, civilians are caught in the cross fire and invariably suffer the majority of war’s effects, mainly because in civil warfare situations, the entire society is the arena of armed conflict, and distinctions between combatant and non combatant are difficult to tell. And, in modern technological warfare, the societal infrastructure is itself a target. Refugees and internally displaced persons are a common result of violent and protracted conflict. Sorensen, (1998), observed that, it is, important to recognise that modern warfare often targets civilians and the institutions and structures that support them in their daily lives.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr (1963:5) states, “the law embodies the story of a nation development through many centuries. The law reflects the intellectual, social, economic, and political climate of its time.” According to the book Law and Society, written by Steven Vago. The law is all walks of life it governs and exists in our every action. Laws protect the spouse, children, private and public property, political, legal system, businesses and social institution. The law originates to protect citizens from injustice events and punish individuals who committed unlawful acts. Sociology and law are concerned with norms rules that prescribe the appropriate behavior for people in a given situation. (Vago, 2011, pg. 3). The law is to embody rules of

The spirit of the law versus the letter of the law refers to considering the intent of the law versus the literal interpretation using the language of the law. Throughout history, African Americans have been affected by both the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. Nonetheless, African American citizen’s lives have been most influenced by the spirit of the law.

Another result of the war in the Middle East has been the lack of basic supplies and services for many citizens. Many refugees live in “makeshift dwellings” (“Afghanistan: Bleak Living”) and whole regions have been turned into slums. Many living in the slums are in need of food, clean water and warm clothing. In 2006, it was reported that “millions of Iraqis had little or no access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare” (BBC News). The BBC also reports that some families spend up to a third of their monthly wage of $150 USD just on clean drinking water. Not only is it shocking that the average monthly wage in Iraq is similar to the allowance of some American teens, it’s terrible that families need to pay such ridiculous amounts of money for a basic necessity that many people take for granted. Aside from food and water, it is also difficult for civilians to access other basic services like medical care and education. A UN spokesman commented on this matter saying “‘access to basic services, such as health and education’” was negatively affected by the ongoing war (“Why is it Getting Worse?”). This is particularly troublesome when UN forces carry out military operations because during the operations the number of civilian casualties is significantly higher, and injured civilians more often than not can’t afford medical attention. It’s also depressing to see that the next generation of

Laws provide a moral and ethical foothold for those who are fighting to protect those they care for. Careless alteration of these laws by the well-meaning, but ill-informed, or by those trying to further their own agendas can do more harm to society than the original

In the destructive wake of WWII, it was general consensus that a world peace organization be formed. That organization came in the form of the United Nations, an institution once notorious for its peacekeeping abilities. From corner to corner of the globe, peacekeeping troops were deployed in attempt to relieve conflict in disputed regions. These troops once served as a beacon of hope for impoverished families in times of war, but, as time progressed, the quality of peacekeeping operations have degraded, and such, civilians became more wary of their presence. What UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon now calls “a cancer in our system” has been highly disputed. With the future of both civilians and entire countries at stake, it’s important to ask “What can be done to improve the U.N. peacekeeping force?”

Justice professionals have unbelievable amounts of power they can inforce by either the letter of law or the spirit of the law. The letter of the law is when justice professionals strictly inforce the law by how it is written and do not take discretion into consideration. The spirit of the law is when they look at the situation and use an approach of discretion judging by the extent of the circumstance. A person who decides the amount of discretion they are going to use depends wholly on the deviant’s mentality and intent. For example a man named, Lewis Kearney was charged for being caught shoplifting from a grocery store. He lives on an annual income of $7000 dollars and suffered from sexual assault as a teenager. His childhood led him

During one April, not so long ago, the world sat back and watched as a turbulent political situation in central Africa turned into something the world will never be able to forget. 800,000 people murdered in just 100 days, 800,000 people needlessly slaughtered at the hands of extremists, 800,000 men, women, and children gone because of a more serious problem rooted in social prejudice and inequality, 800,000 killed in a genocide that the world could do nothing about until it was too late. Almost 50 years after the world pledged to never let

First, many citizens are fleeing their countries because of war, poverty, and violence. In Syria, more than 4.7 Million people have fled from the country and there are more than 13.5 million people still living there that are in need of assistance. In countries like Malawi, Burundi, Liberia, Madagascar, and other countries, people have to leave because they don’t have enough money to provide for their family. The most violent city in the world is located in Honduras. In 2013, the

The world is experiencing it’s “worst refugee crisis since World War II” (The Worst Crisis You’ve Never Heard Of). Refugees, along with having to leave their possessions and family behind in their usually war-torn or violent country, face many additional issues that are cause for the concern. Despite the United Nations’ best efforts, refugee camps are not equipped with the sufficient amount of food, medical care, and shelter for the thousands of people that pour into them everyday. With that in mind, many refugees are undernourished, sick, and generally hopeless. The continuing refugee crisis has also posed a unique issue for countries all around the world: not only does it bring about humanitarian concerns in individuals, but the ever-increasing flow of refugees cannot be kept up with and has the potential to harm other country’s economy and population. Similar refugee crises due to conflicts in countries like Palestine, Germany, Vietnam, Sudan, Afghanistan, Rwanda, and Myanmar have been handled, but recent displacements are even more difficult for countries to deal with. However, countries that accept refugees serve as examples for the best possible solution to the crisis: aiding refugees, not fearing them.

Those unprotected from such hatred, absent of guidance and wisdom, fall prey to an ever expanding grip of evil. There are approximately half a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon alone, and two thirds of them are women and children. “Rape as a weapon of war has been used extensively in the Syrian Crisis” . Overcrowded , and unsanitary living conditions, in conjunction with the lack of proper police protection in migratory areas, has left the Syrian Women and children even further at risk. (Bindel 13-14). “If responsible

During the five years of this conflict, Syria’s civil war had resulted in an estimated 200,000 Syrian casualties. Approximately 11 million other people were forced to flee their homes as violence and chaos engulfed their communities. Along the way both Syria’s government and various rebel forces have been accused of war crimes. These include kidnapping, rape, torture and murder. [1]. At least 28,277 civilians have died in shootings and mass killings [5]. In one case documented by the United Nations, more than 100 people, including at least 49 children, were killed in Homs on May 25, 2012 [5]. Most were shot at close range. At least 18,866 civilians were killed in Syrian

This has led to the emergence of a new breed of oppressors typified by corrupt government officials and emergency agency workers who have become the alpha lords, diverting and siphoning aid meant for displaced persons. The ‘middle class’ in this alternative and unequal social system are the privileged displaced persons who connive with the government workers in their nefarious activities and as a reward get minor crumbs from the alpha lords. At the bottom of the cadre is of course the displaced persons, who, with all the international laws and conventions that serves to protect them, still have to venture out and fend for themselves. The displaced people are also disgruntled and displeased at the way they are treated and helplessness is palpable. Hypothetically, this helplessness can translate into unfettered grievances that need to be expressed, and the government might just find itself confronted with another uprising fueled by state failure and justified by lack of access to basic amenities, just as it was for the Boko Haram