Unfortunate effects on rural public education in Ecuador

Unfortunate effects on rural public education in Ecuador Educator George Washington Carver once stated, Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom (State University 2002). Such key will never be held by the hand of Ecuadorians as the country of Ecuador struggles to provide a satisfactory education system to children in rural areas. The poor education system is a key contributor to Ecuadors state as a developing country. This limiting factor has created a vicious cycle of child laborers and inequality among children in rural and urban communities (Salazar and Glashinovich 1996). This paper will provide an in depth analysis of the education systems in Ecuador and the reform required to provide children with a better future. Ecuadors substandard education system is a consequence of the lack of government funding towards infrastructure and accessibility. With the lack of money towards education, problems such as inconsistent teaching, poor attendance, and inequalities between rural and urban scho 1ols arise. Attempted progress has been made by reformists such as President Rafael Correa who works with government funding to better school systems (Bellettini 2004). It is people like President Rafael Correa who are undoubtably the greatest source of hope to the education system of Ecuador. Last April, I travelled to Ecuador with Canada World Youth. The purpose of the trip was to form a partnership between the Canadian and Ecuadorian students. The trip provided me with a cross-cultural experience as I learnt the necessity of foreign for rural education. Our group of fourteen students raised $10,000 which was used to sponsor the education of 4 students in Ecuador including their high school fees. The failing education system instated in rural Ecuadorian communities is faced with numerous issues involving, inconsistent teaching, and poor attendance. These issues are presented due to the lack of government support and funding for education. The problems currently present in Ecuador make it difficult for Ecuadorians to become prosperous and contribute to society. Political instability within the countrys own borders have invited violent protests concerning the previous three democratically elected presidents (Lopez and Valdes 2000). Political issues as well as the economic crisis have proved to further the potential of restoring proper and effective education practices in rural Ecuador. Many social institutions demand governmental support, but it is the education system in Ecuador that is the most desperate. Researchers have highlighted that the education system has slowly been improving since the 1990s (Vos and Ponce 2004). Although, in comparison to previous decades, the educational development has decreased in effectiveness while educational inequalities has drastically grown between the urban and rural communities. The Ecuadorian government has set aside insufficient funds for their social programs as they solely contribute four percent of the countries Gross Domestic Product, compared to the average twelve percent that the general Latin American country invested (Ibid 2004). Not only has the Ecuadorian government neglected funds for the necessary social programs but they have also transferred their focus to social protection programs. This transfer of priorities has cut the funding for education programs by fifty percent (Cibilis, Giugale and Lopez-Calix 2003). The budget cut has affected all school systems across Ecuador, especially the ru 2ral communities. The limited support has caused a decrease in school infrastructure, teacher salary, and teacher training programs. The school systems are suffering and need more investment and greater reform strategies. The government must increase their investment to at least five percent of the countrys Gross Domestic Product in oder to be successful (Schiefelbein 1992). In 2007, President Correa was elected to office in Ecuador. He created a platform that believed in education excellence and education reform (Economist 2009). Since 2007, Correa has spent approximately $280 million on school infrastructure and maintenance (Ibid 2009). In addition the President has introduced logic tests which teachers must pass in order to educate the youth. These logic tests are designed to increase a teachers credibility and ability to instruct young students (Ibid 2009). Those who do not pass the logic tests are required to take a year long training course which will help to develop their teaching strategies and knowledge. The logic tests benefit the school systems as teachers become more prepared and have more effective teaching methods. These tests will be a mandatory measure for all teachers, and will soon increase the quality of Ecuadors public education system. The lack of government investment towards social programs, specifically education systems has greatly inf 3luenced accessibility, teaching methods, and school infrastructure. The rural communities are far more underprivileged then the urban public schools in Ecuador. In rural regions and in most parts of Latin America, teachers are likely to be under qualified and ineffective at instructing. Similarly to Ecuador, forty to fifty of Latin American teachers have no professional training or qualifications (Schiefelbein 1992). The lack of training and qualifications is a result of poor funding and investment by the government. Training programs and workshops are not available to all teachers especially those in the rural communities. In Latin America, people who graduate with higher levels of educations tend to move to the urbanized cities and obtain prosperous jobs (Schiefelbein 1995). Sadly, those who have poor levels of education, become teachers. Teachers with no training and limited knowledge dictate the quality of a school. Furthermore, the teaching population in Ecuador earn low salari es as the government does not believe that teachers merit higher salaries (Schiefelbein 1992). A typical public school instructor in rural Ecuador generally earns $350 per month (Torres 2005). Teachers make an insufficient salary because there is limited funding. Without funding and low salaries, most instructors at the public school level have two or more jobs to pay for their finances. Multiple jobs on the go, means that teachers sometimes neglect to show up to instruct. The Foundation for Sustainable Development claims that there is a high rate of absenteeism among teachers (sixteen percent)(FSD 2003). With teachers absent from classes sixteen percent of the time during the scholastic year, students are missing crucial learning opportunities. Most of the teachers absent for that time would be working at other jobs trying to gain a greater income. The quality of teaching in rural Ecuador and in the public system is very low as the teachers are under qualified and mostly disinteres ted in teaching. Although some teachers are effective, the vast majority of those effective teachers are accepted to teach at private schools. Private schools in Ecuador have the money unlike public schools to afford exemplarily teachers. Unfortunately for the public system, qualified teachers escape to the private schools wh 4ere their salaries are often five to ten times higher then the public system (Schiefelbein 1995)The typical school is unable to hire highly skilled teachers and will find it difficult to implement innovations to improve its educational quality (Schiefelbein 1992: 36). The methods of instruction are inadequate in countries like Ecuador. Unfortunately due to budget restraints, teachers do not have access to a curriculum to help improve their lesson plans. Without a common curriculum to be followed by all public schools, the learning becomes inconsistent and unequal between different schools and regions (Schiefelbein 1992). Simple skills that involve reading, writing, comprehension are difficult to achieve in rural Ecuador (Ibid 1992). Teachers do not posses the necessary credentials and materials to teach these children, as the government neglects them of the necessary resources. With limited funding invested in education, many consequences arise with improper teaching methods between schools in rural Ecuador. The greatest consequence of poor teaching is the rate of student repetition. In Latin America, only nineteen percent of nine year olds attend schools, but nearly fifty percent of the first grade students repeat as they are unable to fulfill the teachers requirements (Schiefelbein 1992). The country of Ecuador would drastically benefit if more money was invested into increasing the quality of teaching as it would decrease the rate of student repetition. Repeating a grade is not only staggering the students ability to learn and involve themselves in the work force but it also posses massive affects on the educational system financially. In rural Ecuador, repetition is two times higher then the countries average (Ibid 1992). If the ecuadorian g 5overnment were to invest more money in to developing an accessible curriculum for all teachers, repetition rates would decrease. The Ecuadorian public school system posses many problems for people in rural communities. The inconsistency in teaching methods are followed by widespread truancy as parents would rather send their child to work as opposed to enrolling them in a rural school. Limited access to schools and extra student costs for those in rural Ecuador are some of the major factors that affect enrollment rates and attendance. There are vast differences and inequities that are noticeable when comparing urban and rural education systems. Although public education is free for children ages five to fifteen years old, enrollment rates suffer drastically in rural communities. In urban developed areas, children have an average of twelve years of schooling while children from rural Ecuador only have an average of four years (Cibilis et al. 2003). Of those children who had four years of schooling, only nineteen percent of the total rural population is enrolled in school compared to eighty percent of the total urban population (Ibid 2003). Education inequities are also affecting those children who wish to attend higher education levels as only two percent of the poorest quantile attend higher education (Ibid 2003). The Ecuadorian government must learn how to disperse their funding equally among communities so that education practices and accessibility is the same for every child. One of the most common reasons for the lack of enrollment, is due to school accessibility. Although the Correo government is starting to invest more in school infrastructure and maintenance there are still minimal public schools available for children in rural areas(Economist 2009). Only 42% of children among those in the poorest quantile have access to preschool education (Cibilis et al. 2003: 271). There is noticeably more opportunity for preschool education in urban communities as they are given a higher priority over rural public education. Coincidently there are more children in rural Ecuador who need public education than urban areas. The inadequate financing and poor accessibility to public schools for those living in rural Ecuador posse major decisions on parents. They often have to decide whether or not to enroll their children due to financial limitations. Although Ecuador promises to serve the public with free education there are still extra costs that are not covered by the government. With restricted funds, families have difficulty paying for uniforms, school supplies, and transportation (Vos and Ponce 2004). The indirect costs linked to the lack of government investment are a considerable reduction in family income because the child is no longer working (Ibid 2004). Many families in rural Ecuador are faced with the difficult decision on whether to send their 6 child to school or have them work. With more government funding towards public education, parents would not have to pay extra costs for school. Therefore, parents would be more inclined to enroll their children to become educated. Although it is evident that the rural education system in Ecuador is desperate for money and seems somewhat helpless, there are reform practices taking place that are proven to be effective. Currently in Mexico, education reform is taking place that could be implemented in to Ecuadors education system. Education reform known as Telesecondary would be transferable and an effective means of reform in rural Ecuador. Telesecondary is a teaching strategy that delivers greater education through new technologies. It consists of using computers, internet and mass media (Cibilis et al. 2003). The students learning from this innovative teaching method distance themselves from the instructor. The main purpose of th 6 7is reform is to give all children the ability to learn at their own pace with a structured and reliable source of information (Cibilis et al. 2003). Another recommendation and applicable education reform strategy would be following the model of the Escuela Nueva. The Escuela Nueva project is currently being practiced in Mexico. Escuela Nueva is community based which focuses primarily on active participation, and cooperative learning (Schiefelbein 1992). The project helps children learn vital life skills by applying their knowledge learnt in class to the outside community. This model of education responds directly to the education challenges that are currently present in Ecuador. It helps to eliminate poor educational infrastructure, repetition rates, and under qualified teachers. The Escuela Nueva programs help schools to achieve a standardized curriculum, better teacher training and greater community involvement. Once part of the Northern Inca Empire, Ecuador has suffered a disruptive past. Such is exemplified as the country has faced poor governance and instability of constitutions as they have just recently imposed their twentieth constitution since 1830 ( State University 2002). However, the greatest problem to face the country is that of education. The poor education system is a key contributor to Ecuadors state as a developing country. Ecuadors substandard education system is a consequence of inconsistent teaching, poor attendance, and the nonobservance of minority groups. Progress has been attempted by reformist President Correa who has concentrated millions of dollars on bettering education in Ecuador. Undeniably, it is he w 8ho serves as the greatest source of hope to the education system of Ecuador. Although the President and his government have made much progress during his two-term reign, there are many steps to be taken to reach resolution, including the elimination of child labor. Subsequently such extensive education problems are followed by the constant battle with child labor in addition to poor economic practices. It is educational reform which will lead to the evolution of Ecuador as its citizens become literate and receive additional opportunities, such as jobs, thereby diminishing poverty (Bellettini 2004). Education may be the problem, but it is also the solution to increase Ecuadors progression to become a developed country.

Erp implementation at maruti suzuki ltd

Erp implementation at maruti suzuki ltd Maruti Suzuki ltd. was established in 1981 in India as and since its establishment Maruti Suzuki ltd has been leader of the Indian car market. It is a subsidiary of its parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. Maruti Suzuki Ltd is the largest selling passenger car company in India and controls more than 45% of the Indian car market. The company is headquartered in New Delhi. On 17th September, 2007 Maruti Udyog Ltd was renamed to Maruti Suzuki Ltd. It has two manufacturing plants in India; one is in Gurgaon and the other is in Manesar. Both units when combined can produce around 500000 units per annum. Till now the company has a portfolio of 15 passenger vehicle. It is listed on BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) as well as NSE (National Stock Exchange). What is ERP Every automobile company today has a very large amount of data to deal with. If the data is not integrated and is not available in consolidated form and at one place, it is very difficult for the users to access the data. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a basically a software tool for integrating the business as a whole with an aim of effective use of the management resources to improve the efficiency and working of the organization. It is a tool that integrates all the divisions and functions of the organizations into a single software program which runs on a single database and facilitates information sharing and communication among the various departments of the organizations. Need for ERP Every automobile company today has a very large amount of data to deal with. If the data is not integrated and is not available in consolidated form and at one place, it is very difficult for the users to access the data. In todays scenario, it is very important to share the data among the various divisions and departments of the organization in order to improve the efficiency and working. At every point or juncture, the information can be viewed and can be accessed. ERP is also used to integrate the value chain activities in the automobile industry. Enterprise Resource Planning also plays a major role in managing the inventory as it is one of the most important aspect in the automobile industry. Operational excellence is also achieved with the help of ERP. Thus, ERP has now become a necessity and need in the automobile industry and in companies like Maruti Suzuki ltd. Introduction Maruti Suzuki Ltd. uses Pre Implementation Before implementation of the ERP, the company used to depend upon its home grown, disparate systems to manage its business. But these systems were inefficient and were not able to communicate with each other and thus required a lot of manual work like entering data multiple times. And it was very difficult for the staff to generate the results and reports. There was a lack of control over processes. The company also added four new business sectors in 2002 which also required constant attention and human intervention and thus making it difficult to manage the system. Also, before implementing ERP company faced problems like poor information quality and huge turnaround time. There was no real time access to information which made it difficult for the company staff to access and obtains the latest, updated and correct information. Strategies for ERP implementation Maruti Suzukis Chief General Manager Rajesh Uppal said that the company was looking for an expandable and a flexible system that can be easily managed. Thus this will lower down the complexity of the system (IT environment) and also would reduce the dependence on some people to handle and manage the system. By implementing ERP there will be a single standardized Oracle platform and thus will also help the proper scaling of the system. The company adopted a phased migration strategy from its old legacy systems to the Oracle E Business Suite. Post Implementation There was a smooth transition from the old legacy systems to the newly adopted Oracle E Business Suite. The company selected Oracle Consulting to determine the companys requirements, to design the system, to develop the project plan, to deploy the software, to manage the parties involved and finally to provide the three months post implementation support to the company. The training programs were also designed for the employees. Under the training programs the user manuals were provided. There was also Train the Trainer program and Train the super users program under the Training programs. Financial Insight The company observed that with using the old multiple systems, there was lack of control over the data and information quality and processes. It was difficult to manage finances and the divisions lagged behind each other. But with the implementation of the E Business Suite, Maruti Suzuki was able to standardize on a single financial management platform. Standardization helped the company to keep and maintain tight control over the Accounts payable, accounts receivable and comprehensive general ledger. Also the efficiency improved and there was less confusion with the introduction of the standardized data formats and processes. Rajesh Uppal (Chief Manager IT) said that the completed the year end close on time without any hitch. Hyperion The company has been using Hyperion software for the last two years. It has been used to analyze the budgets across Marutis nine subsidiaries. It also helped the company to conduct financial reporting in compliance with the GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) in India. The system is integrated with the Oracle Financial and is now being used by 10 (approximately) budgeting staff in the companys finance department. It has helped the company to improve their forecasts and also enabled Maruti to quickly respond to the changes in the market conditions thus enhancing their competitiveness. Hyperion can be easily integrated with the Oracle Financials Module. Procurement Oracle Purchasing was implemented by Maruti to handle the procurement of the services, goods and indirect consumables. Before implementing this Purchasing system, the companys subsidiaries either depended on spreadsheets or used the elementary or fundamental system to handle the process thus leading to rise in costs and excess of inventory. The major changes this system brought in the company was the cost reduction and better inventory management. It also helped to reduce the number of vendors thus reducing the costs. An automated workflow sends purchase orders along the chain and keeps the staff aware of the procurement activity. It has provided working staff the capability to track the process from order to payment. HR Workforce Management Maruti was quick enough to discover that the systems they were using were not able to manage the employees. Thus it felt the need of a single integrated system that could easily help them to manage the human resources. After the implementation of the Oracle Human Resouces module, Maruti observed that it had a better control over the functions such as leave and compensation management, payroll, recruitment and training and staff development. As the information is stored in a single database, the system enabled the staff to access the entire history and the details of the employees. Oracle self Service HR was also implemented which freed the HR staff from elementary duties (like changing details and addresses of employees). Thus, it helped Maruti to hire good quality people. Future Plans After the success of the HR, Procurement and Financials modules, the company can implement the Oracle Advanced Supply Chain Module and Oracle Enterprise Asset Management. The company can integrate more of its processes with ERP systems. This would help the company to access the real time information across all the different departments and divisions of the company.

Elie Wiesel Essay -- essays research papers fc

Elie Wiesel The book Night opens in the town of Signet where Elie Wiesel, the author , was born . He lived his child hood in the Signet, Transylvania . He had three sisters Hilda, Bea, and Tzipora. His father was an honored member of the Jewish community. He was a cultured man concerned about his community yet, he was not an emotional man. His parents were owners of a shop and his two oldest sisters worked for his parents. Elie was a school boy and interested in studying the Zohar â€Å"the cabbalistic books, the secrets of Jewish mysticism†(Wiesel 3). His teacher was a foreigner, Moshe the Beadle, a â€Å"poor barefoot of Signet†(Wiesel 3). He was Elie's teacher until he was forced to leave Signet by the Hungarians because he was a foreign Jew. After several months Elie saw Moshe the Beadle once again. Moshe the Beadle told his story about his journey that the Jews were forced to get out and dig grave which would become final resting places for prisoners who were killed. Luckily, Moshe the Beadle was able to escape. He pretended that he was dead in order to escape being killed. Not only did Moshe tell his story to Elie, he wanted to warn the Jews of Signet of what could happen to them. However, they only thought it was a vivid imagination speaking from his lips. No one wanted to believe his story and people lived life as usual. It was not until German troops would enter Hungarian territory that life would change for the Jews of Signet. At first the German soldiers did not seem like a threat. During the week of Passover things seemed to be going well. People were celebrating yet, it was not a complete celebration. On the seventh day of the Passover Jewish leaders of the community were arrested. After that rules were set by the Germans. Jews were confined to their homes for three days and they could no longer keep valuables such as gold, jewelry and other objects. The Germans took it all. Elie's father managed to bury the family's savings in the cellar. After the three days Jews had to wear a yellow star. After this more rules were set. Jews could not go to restaurants, travel on railways, go to synagogues, or go out after six o'clock. As if the rules and restrictions were not enough. Soon Jews would be placed in Ghettos. There were two gettos set up in Signet. These ghettos were fenced in with barbed wire and the windows of the houses facing the street were boarded... ...last moments of his life. On January 28, 1945 Elie went to sleep and his father was still alive. When he woke up the next day his father was gone(Wiesel 106). On April 11,1945 Elie was free. The Americans moved in on Buchenwald and took over the camp. The first thing the free men wanted was food. They could not think of revenge or their families â€Å"Nothing but bread†(Wiesel 109). Elie was sick from food poisoning after the liberation, he almost died. However, when he was finally able to get up and look in the mirror after so many years he did not even recognize himself. All he could see was a â€Å"corpse† staring back at him. Elie Wiesel now lives in the United Stated under the name of Andrew Mellon. He is the Professor of Humanities at Boston University. He is also Chairman of the Holocaust Memorial Council. This organization is a nonpolitical organization that was formed to educate people of the crimes put forth on the Jewish people during the Holocaust (Chaimberlin 14). Works Cited Chamberlin, Brewster, and Marcia Feldman eds. The Liberation of the Nazi Concentration Camps 1945. Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C, 1987. Wiesel, Elie. Night . Bantam Books: New York, 1989 .

Essay --

1. Describe how your company will address the five product levels: core benefit, basic product, expected product, augmented product, and potential product. Core Benefit – Every consumer while purchasing a deodorant has an inner urge to feel inflated with the smell of deodorant. The most fundamental benefit or service the customer is buying is towards meeting the urge of every activity. As a company, we would like to meet the customer needs like good fragrance, better price etc. Basic Product – At this stage, it is the basis product which would try to satisfy the inner needs of the consumer. On this stage the product only contains values those are totally necessary for it to function. Hence while manufacturing and selling product, it would be ensured that the product deserve the value for which it is purchased. Expected Product – A set of attributes and conditions buyers normally expects when they purchase the product. Hence starring from manufacturing till selling the deodorant, it would be ensured that, we have met the customer needs from the product. Further, we should try to manufacture different variety of deodorants with many specifications to meet the customers’ expectations in this section. Augmented Product- As per this level, it exceeds customer’s expectations. The new competition is not on what firms manufacture in the factory but between, what they add to their factory output in the form of packaging, services, advertising , customer advice, financing, delivery arrangements, warehousing, and other things that people value. Hence we would prefer to understand the products of competitors and try to bring the different features in the product which will allure the customer. Each augmentation adds costs and slowly becom... ... utilization of the product. Consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious, so it is essential to display the contents of the product especially in the case of food products as most people prefer to avoid high calorie products. Injurious products such as a cigarettes and other related items should carry a statutory warning. Governments issue regulations about labeling from time to time. The government encourages the manufacture of products that are ecofriendly. One such step in this direction is to provide a labeling with the name â€Å"ECOMARK† for those products that meet certain criteria. Such criteria could lead to effective reduction in the harm caused to the environment, when such products are disposed of. In United States, government issues â€Å"ECOMARK†, when the products meet the set of standards along with the requirements of the American Standard Institute.

Domestic Violence in the Lgbt Community

Domestic Violence is fundamentally different in LGBT relationships for numerous reasons. There are many causal and contributory factors that make domestic violence in the LGBT community uniquely different than male-to-female or female-to-male battering. To understand these differences one must recognize domestic violence beyond the stereotypical heterosexual manifestation. According to A Professional Guide to Understanding Gay and Lesbian Domestic Violence, same-sex battering mirrors heterosexual battering, but same-sex victims have fewer resources and are less protected.Seven states define domestic violence in a way that excludes same-gender victims. Making matters worse is the fact that in some states sodomy is still considered a crime which forces a victim to confess to a crime in order to prove a domestic relationship. Many women’s shelters refuse services or safety to same-sex victims. Since same-sex marriage is not legal, many families are not considered â€Å"real fami lies† in the eyes of the law, making it more difficult for these victims to get help. Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons LGBT domestic violence is so different is found in the unique communities of LGBT people.LGBT communities â€Å"provide social forums, rites of passage, rituals for celebration, and bodies of art and literature that combat isolation and allow us to explore our full potentials (Bartlet, 1993). † Because many LGBT people feel shunned and excluded from the American ideal, they have forged their own communities as refuge from the inequalities and persecution of mainstream America. The tools a batterer uses to maintain control, like power and control, cut across all lines of gender identity and sexual orientation, but a batterer’s behavior is always peppered with community influences.Batterers play on their victim’s vulnerabilities and community values to maintain control. The volumes of hate, hostility, and condemnation directed at L GBT people from mainstream America encourage self-loathing and internalized homophobia. It covertly forces isolation and creates a false sense of safety from within the community. And LGBT batterers manipulate those difficult realities to employ highly effective weapons against their partners. So community is a strong contributing factor to domestic violence in the LGBT community.The Frustration-Aggression theory of domestic violence adds another distinction to LGBT domestic violence. In essence, this theory opines that human beings can become violent when their goals are blocked. For gay male and female abusers, this theory is painfully true. Throughout childhood, before sexuality begins to develop, gay youngsters, like everyone else, think about and plan their future selves. They negotiate a life path within the frames of family, community, society, and the culture in which they live.In early adolescence, when sexuality comes to the fore and one’s homosexuality is questione d, those dreams of family and community begin to feel too exclusionary. This can be a time of tremendous stress; the sense of being inherently different and â€Å"bad† can be overwhelming. All the evils about homosexuals one has likely heard in the media and around the family can be internalized, and begin a pattern of self-hate and destruction. All adolescents ask the question, â€Å"Who am I? †, but for the adolescent homosexual it becomes increasingly more difficult to recognize that one is not necessarily growing up to be the person he originally imagined.And the person he is becoming is reduced to villainy by mainstream America. He begins to realize that many of his life goals are blocked, like marriage and basic human rights. Without a strong support system to negotiate and redefine his identity, this can be a traumatic and damaging experience. But family support is often lacking and positive gay role models are scarce. Coming out in adolescence is often a terrif yingly alone experience that can damage the soul and lead to frustration and anxiety that will carry on into future relationships.Coming to terms with second-class citizenship in the families, communities, and society in which he has imagined himself so abundantly different can result in frustration and feed the self-hate that has already started seeping in. And anger develops when certain fundamental goals are blocked. With such rite-of-passage circumstances as these, it is no wonder that domestic violence happens in 39% of gay male relationships (Merrill, pg. 44). A psychological aspect that contributes to the escalation of Domestic Violence in the LGBT community can be associated with the term heterosexism.Many use the term heterosexism to describe an individual who strongly believes in heterosexual relationships. Heterosexual relationships are described as being attracted to the opposite sex and being in intimate contact with only the opposite sex. Heterosexism is used in correl ation to negative attitudes, bias, and discrimination of those who favor same sex relationships. The reason why this term is becoming associated with same-sex relationships that involve domestic violence is due to the use of power and control related to the term heterosexism.The power and control that ensues from heterosexism being used could be easily be described as â€Å"outing the victim in the abusive relationship. † One gathers an idea of the victim’s â€Å"out† status within the individual’s work, friends, and family relationships. Inquiring if the victim has told those he or she cares for about his or her sexual preference usually does this. Knowing this information is beneficial to the abuser because it will allow the abuser to control what the victim will say to the police, or anyone, about any abuse that would exist in the relationship.The contradiction of this term would exist within the abusers identity. The abuser would use the victimâ€℠¢s fear of exposure against that individual as if it would be a bad thing to come out to those who care for and love the victim. The abuser will use ideology related to bigotry slanders, faith, natural law, or popular beliefs as a weapon to keep this victim in the cycle of abuse. Same-sex female domestic violence is an unspoken problem in the lesbian, bisexual, transgender population.Facts about lesbian domestic violence, myths within the population and services are all misconceived reasons why female domestic violence is such a big issue. There is not a lot of data on female same-sex domestic violence. Therefore, most information is taken from heterosexual domestic violence cases and small population samples from the lesbian community such as women’s festivals and lesbian cruises. Within the lesbian, bisexual, transgender community domestic violence is taboo. A fact from the Lesbian Partner Violence Fact Sheet is 17 – 45 % of lesbians have reported being involved in a t least one case of abuse (Rose, 2000).Lesbian victims of abuse are fearful of speaking out for reasons of being judged and pushed out by the lesbian community as a whole. The lesbian, bisexual, transgender communities within a certain area can be small. Unpleasant public allegations ostracize the person and take away community support. Lesbians have few choices of where and how to get help and support, yet the numbers of lesbians affected by domestic violence is about the same as the number of female victims in heterosexual couples (Pattavina, 2007).Types of abuse in female same-sex domestic violence is similar to heterosexual couples, such as hitting, pushing, slapping, disrupting sleep, having sex when one doesn’t want to, and not talking to one another. Behaviors in female same sex domestic violence also include â€Å"jealousy, controlling, becoming involved too quickly, unrealistic expectations, blaming others for their feelings, and hypersensitivity† (rainbowdome sticviolence. itgo. com).A difference is that in a small-knit community, fear of losing support from family and friends isolates and potentially prevents the victim from getting help or even reporting the abuse (Hassaouneh, 2008). But the fear of being â€Å"outted† if that partner is recognized in public, at work, or by the family as being a lesbian is a homophobic fear that hampers the victim in leaving or getting support (Hassouneh, 2008). There is also the isolation within minority groups of lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders.Lesbians often have less support in terms of cultural, ethnic, and religious background to turn to in time of difficulty, like domestic violence (Pattavina et al. , 2007). Especially in cultures where women are not as valued as much as men, it can lead to feelings of discrimination within one’s own community. There is a myth among the lesbian community that a utopia exists. The myth about â€Å"lesbian utopia† is that women are sensi tive, nurturing, caring, and get along better because of those reasons. Lesbian utopia is just that, a myth. Women do hit, hurt, and violate other women.Another myth about female intimate partner couples is that there is a more masculine â€Å"butch† woman and a more feminine woman in the relationship. That is not always the case. Yet another myth is that the â€Å"butch† or masculine women is the batterer. Again that is not always the case. A big myth is that female same-sex violence is not as dangerous or serious as heterosexual or gay male couple’s domestic violence (Hassouneh 2008). Violence is violence regardless of who perpetrates it. Female intimate partner abuse is under-reported (McClennen and Gunther, 1999).Many lesbians are afraid of losing the only support system they have (Miller et al, 2000). It may be that the perpetrator is their only support system and there is no knowledge of whom or where to turn for help. Then there is the lesbian who does re port and she, the victim, ends up getting arrested (Hassouneh, 2008). The misinformation among law enforcement about how to identify the victim in same-sex domestic violence cases is not always cut and dry (Miller et al. , 2000). There are perpetrators that act as victims.The larger of the two women may get arrested even if she is not the masculine one in appearance. Or the more masculine-appearing woman does get arrested although she may be the victim. There are not always services for women who are lesbian, bisexual, or transgender in the community (Hassouneh, 2008). Either, shelters don’t accept women from the lesbian, bisexual, transgender community or there is no legal standing within the state to substantiate a crime. Many states do not recognize same-sex relationships therefore there are no laws in regards to protection.Many victims in female intimate partner relationships may have experienced violence from a heterosexual relationship in the past. Also â€Å"lesbian i ndividuals are more likely to experience domestic abuse at the hands of their partners than to be exposed to antigay violence perpetrated by strangers† (Pattavina et al. , 2007). A study done by Blaise Fortunata and Carolynn Kohn (2003) of 82 participants, 25 being batterers and 57 non-batterers, states batterers were more likely to have been victims of sexual and/or physical abuse in their childhoods. Also, there was a higher use of drugs and alcohol among batterers.The study suggested some personality traits a batterer would have, such as â€Å"antisocial, aggressive, borderline, paranoid and delusional† (Fortunata and Kohn, 2003). These traits would be seen as lacking in the areas of â€Å"poor boundaries, impulse control, problem solving, affect regulation, along with fear of abandonment, jealousy, low self esteem and an inflated sense of entitlement† (Fortunata and Kohn, 2003). Although Harvey Wallace, the author of the class textbook, would say that there a re not any specific characteristics that would describe an abuser. Wallace then goes n to cite factors by other researchers that backup what was depicted in the Fortunata and Kohn study. Factors or characteristics such as the abuser having â€Å"abuse in the family of origin, low self-esteem, male superiority, authoritarian personality and copes by minimizing the abuse† are Wallace’s (2008) examples. The first step in getting treatment as a victim is to accept that the victim is a victim. Reaching out for help, looking up shelter phone numbers and calling them, or getting a plan together for when the victim needs to get out are some good first steps (rainbowdomesticviolence. itgo. com).Educate the victim in how to create a safety plan by putting personal items such as birth certificate, credit cards, and medications all together so one can leave quickly (rainbowdomesticviolence. itgo. com). Have clothes and hygiene products available in the car or at a friend’s house. Give the victim time to regroup. Her life has been turned upside-down, and the healing process will take a while. When examining homosexual relationships, meaning male-to-male relationships, we see that studies as a whole indicate they have higher rates of promiscuity and violent behavior than heterosexual couples.We must rely on studies for more accurate rates of domestic violence in homosexual couples because much of the abuse is under-reported. Under reporting is due to largely the same reasons we have discussed about why lesbian victims fear asking for help from law enforcement, friends, or family. The American Journal of Public Health has published a detailed study of domestic violence victimization in the homosexual community. It focused on four geological areas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. The study resulted in 2,881 complete interviews (Merrill, pg. 23).In these interviews the men answered highly personal questions under strict confidentiality. This was a large groundbreaking study that has been the cornerstone of homosexual domestic violence research. It was revealed that 39% of those studied reported being battered by their spouse at least once in the last five years. This figure was much higher than heterosexual women victimizations at 11. 6% (Merrill, pg. 44). Men infected with the AIDS virus were more at risk for psychological and physical abuse than their HIV negative peers, and were more likely to be victimized in a sexual manner (Merrill, pg. 1). Solid research like this helps to open our eyes to a real problem with homosexual domestic violence, and it needs to be addressed. We need to de-sensitize law enforcement officials and set up more support for homosexual victims and therapy for perpetrators. There is a direct link between high rates of promiscuity and partner violence because cheating is common. Having multiple partners outside of the relationship can dilute the quality of the relationship; furthermore, it blurs boundary lines. Promiscuity commonly leads to jealousy, which in turn leads to emotional and physical abuse (Cruz, pg. 60). The sexual relationships of gay males are plagued with domestic violence, just as lesbian and heterosexual relationships are. There are many similarities and differences when considering the factors that go into domestic violence when looking at gay males versus lesbians and heterosexuals †¦ lets take a look at a few of them. As discussed before, lesbians have a fear of being â€Å"outted† when others are alerted to the abuse happening in their relationships. Gay males who have not fully come out of the closet have this same fear, which may cause them to not report abuse by their spouses.However, HIV rates run much higher in the gay male population than in the lesbian population, and perpetrators have been known to blackmail their victims with the threat of revealing their HIV- positive status (Cruz pg. 164). In terms of law enforcement and ho w it often handles cases of LGBT domestic violence, they stereotypically see the bigger or more masculine partner as the perpetrator, which often times sends the victim to jail. Police are primarily responsible for enforcing domestic violence laws. Legal agencies, in general, are conservative, and many don’t try to conceal their homophobia.This trait begins with the police, and goes up through criminal justice system. The DA’s, judges, and probation officers have their own social biases, which often do not support gay and lesbian victims. This is especially problematic for criminal prosecutors who enforce victim protection orders. The patriarchal nature of our society makes it difficult for law enforcement to enforce domestic violence laws. This heterosexual bias also reflects the resistance of the prosecution and judicial systems to prosecute same-sex offenders. The vagueness of the mandate to law enforcement personnel allows a great deal of discretion on he part of t he individual officer in the disposition of a domestic violence investigation. â€Å"The lack of systematic training on this issue for police officers heightens the idiosyncratic enforcement of laws. The unpredictable nature of the police response represents a significant deterrent to reporting domestic violence among gay/lesbian/bisexual families. This occurs despite the fact that as a matter of policy, preferred arrest policies do exist in many states and localities. These policies suggest that the preferred response to a report of battering is to make the arrest. There are many resources designed to support the LGBT community. Yet, in researching policies of domestic violence issues, one will find one story after another about the fear surrounding reporting these instances to authorities. It appears that these networks provide the majority of support for many issues, and that those in the LGBT community cannot and perhaps, should not report instances of domestic violence to the police. In conclusion, it is important to remember both the similarities and the differences between heterosexual and LGBT domestic violence.Despite the fact that the same dynamics of power and control are evident in both forms, the sexual orientation of the partners, the effects of the battery, and certainly, whether there are ample helping resources should the victim decide to reach out have everything to do with how the perpetrator chooses to maintain that control. It is essential that we recognize domestic violence in all our communities. And it is essential that we build community-specific strategies to end domestic violence in all its forms.

Purpose and History Essay

The Code of Ur-Nammu assumed an understanding that the law descended from the gods, and the king or ruler was the administrator of the law on the part of the people. Under this code, severe penalties were considered to be unnecessary for the majority of crimes. Since people believed to know how they should behave towards each other, monetary fines served as a reminder of how to behave (Mark, 2014). The structure of the Code of Hammurabi is very particular, with each offense having a distinct discipline. The punishments tended to be extremely critical compared to today’s modern day standards, many of the offenses resulted in death, disfigurement, or the use of what we know today as â€Å"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth† (Lex Talionis â€Å"Law of Retaliation†) philosophy. The Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest examples of law where the assumption of innocence has been incorporated, and the accused and accuser have the opportunity to produce and present evidence on their behalf. However, no provisions were made for extenuating circumstances to be presented in order to alter any prescribed punishment. History of prison development During the early colonial years, prisons had not yet been developed as a form of punishment for crimes. The colonists did however use jails, copying the English system of gallows, in order to hold defendants who were awaiting trial or for those already convicted and were awaiting their corporal or capital punishment. These jails had deplorable conditions. Poor men, women, and children were all housed together, with very little food or sanitary conditions. Offenders who could afford it paid a fee in order to avoid jail; this early bail system enabled the rich to pay a fee in order to be released. The conditions in both the English and colonial jails during the 1600s and 1700s were so deplorable that few doubted the need for reform (Richard P. Seiter, 2011). Comparison of the Pennsylvania and Auburn system The Pennsylvania system was known as the â€Å"separate and silent† system, with silence enforced and inmates not allowed to see or talk with each other. Through this approach, it was believed that offenders would not be morally contaminated and be trained in crime by other prisoners. There were several problems with the Pennsylvania system. First, it was almost impossible to keep prisoners from seeing and communicating with each other. Second, it was very expensive to operate, as a requirement to keep prisoners separated this increased the number of staff members needed. Third, there was very limited productivity by inmates, as a requirement to work alone in their cells did not allow for as much production of goods for resale as was desired. Fourth, opponents of the operation of the Pennsylvania prisons suggested that the solitude imposed on prisoners made many of them mentally ill. Finally, the planned operation was modified almost immediately. Two prisoners were placed in a cell together so one could learn a trade from the other and increase the production of goods. The warden of the Eastern Penitentiary, Samuel Wood, used prisoners as servants in his home and allowed them to communicate. The Pennsylvania system seemed doomed from its beginning and forced prison operators in other states to search for new approaches to overcome the problems. Although there was great interest in the Pennsylvania system, only two states (New Jersey and Rhode Island) adopted its â€Å"separate and silent† system. However, both soon abandoned the Pennsylvania system in favor of the improved system that was created in Auburn, New York (Richard P. Seiter, 2011). The Auburn system became known as the â€Å"congregate and silent† system as officials continued to reduce the spread of criminal ideas by inmates through silence and strict discipline. Barnes and Teeters describe the enforcement of the system through lockstep marching with eyes downcast, hard work and activity while outside cells, and prohibitions of inmates even being face to face. After the operation of Auburn was copied at Sing Sing prison in New York, as well as at prisons in other states, the Auburn system was recognized as better than the Pennsylvania system. The prisons were cheaper to build and operate, the congregate style allowed production of goods and more income for the state, and fewer prisoners developed mental health problems. Other prisons being built across the country adopted the Auburn system. The operation of prisons for sentenced  offenders received international attention, and many countries sent representatives to examine the operation of both the Pennsylvania-style and Auburn-style prisons. Although the Pennsylvania style of prisons was seldom favored in the United States, most international visitors found advantages in both, and many preferred the Pennsylvania system because of its effort to avoid contamination among prisoners. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the Auburn style of silence, hard work, separation at night, congregation during the day to maximize production of goods, and strict control was the method used for most American prisons (Richard P. Seiter, 2011). Impact and involvement of prison labor over time Throughout US history, there have been many laws both morally and ethically concerning prison labor. The Hawes-Cooper Act and the Ashurst-Sumner Act made interstate trading of prison-made goods illegal. During the 1970’s, many of laws regarding prison labor were amended. The Justice System Improvement Act of 1979 allowed for the privatization of prisons and the transport of their goods across state lines. Once this change in the law took place, the prison industry profits sky rocketed from $392 million to $1.31 billion. Prison industry partnerships benefit both businesses and inmates. Businesses are provided with a stable, motivated work force, with reduced overhead, an alternative to overseas operations, and a â€Å"made in the USA† label. Inmates are provided with income to offset the cost of their incarceration, allows for compensation to victims and provides the inmates family with support. Inmates have the ability to learn a trade and gain valuable work experience (â€Å"U.S. Prison Labor At Home and Abroad†, 2003). References Mark, J. J. (2014). Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu.com/Ur-Nammu/ Richard P. Seiter. (2011). Corrections an introduction. Retrieved from Richard P. Seiter, CJA234 – Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Admin/Human Services website. U.S. Prison Labor at Home and Abroad. (2003). Retrieved from http://www1.american.edu/TED/jail.htm

An Essay on Tahitians and Europeans in the Voyage of Bougainville

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