Week 2 : 10th June 2015
Investigate and collect data and understand the type of current issue assigned to you. You will then design a city for that particular environment and type of location therefore you need to understand the situation of your site. Look into documents, article, guideline and issues regarding planning a better future city.
Investigate and collect data and understand the type of current issue assigned to you. You will then design a city for that particular environment and type of location therefore you need to understand the situation of your site. Look into documents, article, guideline and issues regarding planning a better future city.
Current Issue
-Migrant and Refugee
Definition of migrants
Migrants are basically people who move from one place to another, especially to find work. They would either move within the country or leave the country to seek a better life. Besides finding better job opportunities, there are other reasons. For example, maybe one would migrate to places to avoid their economic situations for a short period of time. Others would migrate to their in-law's home to build a family there after getting married. There is no saying that migrants cannot go back to their former country or place. Therefore, migrants can always go back and visit their family or after they solve the problems.
Definition of refugee
Definition of refugee
The term refugee is familiar to most people. Common notions of refugees include people fleeing for their lives to escape a natural disaster or war zone. Past examples of mass refugee flows include the Balkans war, the Rwandan genocide and World War II. The concept of seeking refuge has been present in our cultures and societies for a long time.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries. They have many daily requirements such as food, clothing, shelter, employment, English language training, and orientation to a new community and culture.
Refugees are different from migrants.
There are public debates that states the distinction between refugees and other people on the move. We need to know that refugees have a distinct legal status. Refugees are forced to leave their country because their lives are in danger. On the other hand, migrants and other groups who are on the move often make a conscious decision for economic and other reasons. Refugees don't have this choice.
Refugees are forced to leave and need international protection. This is why one hundred and forty seven countries across the world have signed the Geneva Convention and granted refugees a unique legal status.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries. They have many daily requirements such as food, clothing, shelter, employment, English language training, and orientation to a new community and culture.
Refugees are different from migrants.
There are public debates that states the distinction between refugees and other people on the move. We need to know that refugees have a distinct legal status. Refugees are forced to leave their country because their lives are in danger. On the other hand, migrants and other groups who are on the move often make a conscious decision for economic and other reasons. Refugees don't have this choice.
Refugees are forced to leave and need international protection. This is why one hundred and forty seven countries across the world have signed the Geneva Convention and granted refugees a unique legal status.
Short articles about refugees
Helping Refugees, Chicago Tribune
May 08, 2012
"I had the privilege of observing a first-grade English-as-a-second-language class in a northeast Chicago public elementary school on Monday. I watched an enthusiastic, skilled teacher guide a class of diverse young students through basic classroom activities. The eager smiles on the young faces belie the fact that many are refugees from war-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East. Later I watched two students review phonics with a staff member from the Chicago Public Schools Refugee Tutor Center.
I can't help but be proud that we as a city and as a nation are helping these children become Americans. And I will remember what I saw the next time I'm tempted to complain about taxes. Yes we taxpayers should fight waste and fraud -- and fat-cat pensions that legislators vote for themselves. But we should never forget that without our taxes, these young people would be doomed. And we would lose their value as productive citizens in the future."
MY OPINION
I feel that refugees have the rights to be educated. We should help in any way possible for these unfortunated children. I cannot imagine if I was them. If paying tax meaning we can make someone's day better, why don't we. After all, helping people is a good thing and it should be a habit for all people.
Refugees flee Libya amid bloodshed
March 01, 2011, By Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times
"Reporting from Tripoli, Libya — Moammar Kadafi's loyalists appeared to have strengthened their grip on the Libyan capital, while chaos roiled much of the country and spilled over its borders in a wave of frightened refugees.
The unrest in Libya has left hundreds dead and nearly frozen the country's oil-based economy. The United Nations reported Monday that more than 100,000 refugees, many of them laborers from nearby countries, have fled to Tunisia and Egypt over the last week to escape destitution and an outbreak of violence that has drawn international condemnation.
European countries, which have invested heavily in Libya in recent years, were dramatically scaling back their ties. The European Union imposed a weapons embargo and banned 26 people, including Kadafi, from entering.
U.S. officials said they had frozen more than $30 billion in Libyan assets, the largest such action carried out by the U.S. government. A U.S. warship carrying 1,000 Marines was being sent to the Mediterranean Sea, but Pentagon officials said they would go ashore in Libya only as part of a humanitarian mission. ......
MY OPINION
I think that the European countries shouldn't be so selfish. They should have tried to help all the refugees that didn't have any where to go to by letting them to enter the country. Couldn't we turn a blind eye and help the refugees if it means less people will die from such a situation?
Indonesia: Children Seeking Refuge Find Abuse, Neglect
Detained, Beaten in Squalid Facilities, or Left to Fend for Themselves
JUNE 24, 2013
(Jakarta) – Indonesia detains and neglects migrant and asylum-seeking children, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Each year, hundreds are detained in sordid conditions, without access to lawyers, and sometimes beaten. Others are left to fend for themselves, without any assistance with food or shelter.
The 86-page report, “Barely Surviving: Detention, Abuse, Neglect of Migrant Children in Indonesia,” details Indonesia’s poor treatment of migrant and asylum-seeking children. They arrive in Indonesia after fleeing persecution, violence, and poverty in Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, and elsewhere. Indonesia detains hundreds of migrant and asylum-seeking children each year without giving them a way to challenge their detention. Indonesian law permits up to 10 years of immigration detention.
“Migrant and asylum-seeking children risk life and limb to flee their countries and reach Indonesia,” said Alice Farmer, children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Yet the port in the storm Indonesia offers is squalid detention facilities, where children waste months or years without education or hope for the future.”
Unaccompanied migrant children – who travel without parents or other adults to protect them – fall into a legal void. With no government agency responsible for their guardianship, no one responds to their needs. Some children languish in detention, while others are left on the streets, without the legal or material assistance to which they are entitled by law.
MY OPINION
Do we really need to be this low to abuse refugees who are merely children? Where is the humanity of these people who find satisfactory in abusing. These children should have the rights to speak up and stand up towards abusing. Nobody should treat these refugees like they were nothing. Refugees are human too, they are just unfortunate to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Helping Refugees, Chicago Tribune
May 08, 2012
"I had the privilege of observing a first-grade English-as-a-second-language class in a northeast Chicago public elementary school on Monday. I watched an enthusiastic, skilled teacher guide a class of diverse young students through basic classroom activities. The eager smiles on the young faces belie the fact that many are refugees from war-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East. Later I watched two students review phonics with a staff member from the Chicago Public Schools Refugee Tutor Center.
I can't help but be proud that we as a city and as a nation are helping these children become Americans. And I will remember what I saw the next time I'm tempted to complain about taxes. Yes we taxpayers should fight waste and fraud -- and fat-cat pensions that legislators vote for themselves. But we should never forget that without our taxes, these young people would be doomed. And we would lose their value as productive citizens in the future."
MY OPINION
I feel that refugees have the rights to be educated. We should help in any way possible for these unfortunated children. I cannot imagine if I was them. If paying tax meaning we can make someone's day better, why don't we. After all, helping people is a good thing and it should be a habit for all people.
Refugees flee Libya amid bloodshed
March 01, 2011, By Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times
"Reporting from Tripoli, Libya — Moammar Kadafi's loyalists appeared to have strengthened their grip on the Libyan capital, while chaos roiled much of the country and spilled over its borders in a wave of frightened refugees.
The unrest in Libya has left hundreds dead and nearly frozen the country's oil-based economy. The United Nations reported Monday that more than 100,000 refugees, many of them laborers from nearby countries, have fled to Tunisia and Egypt over the last week to escape destitution and an outbreak of violence that has drawn international condemnation.
European countries, which have invested heavily in Libya in recent years, were dramatically scaling back their ties. The European Union imposed a weapons embargo and banned 26 people, including Kadafi, from entering.
U.S. officials said they had frozen more than $30 billion in Libyan assets, the largest such action carried out by the U.S. government. A U.S. warship carrying 1,000 Marines was being sent to the Mediterranean Sea, but Pentagon officials said they would go ashore in Libya only as part of a humanitarian mission. ......
MY OPINION
I think that the European countries shouldn't be so selfish. They should have tried to help all the refugees that didn't have any where to go to by letting them to enter the country. Couldn't we turn a blind eye and help the refugees if it means less people will die from such a situation?
Indonesia: Children Seeking Refuge Find Abuse, Neglect
Detained, Beaten in Squalid Facilities, or Left to Fend for Themselves
JUNE 24, 2013
(Jakarta) – Indonesia detains and neglects migrant and asylum-seeking children, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Each year, hundreds are detained in sordid conditions, without access to lawyers, and sometimes beaten. Others are left to fend for themselves, without any assistance with food or shelter.
The 86-page report, “Barely Surviving: Detention, Abuse, Neglect of Migrant Children in Indonesia,” details Indonesia’s poor treatment of migrant and asylum-seeking children. They arrive in Indonesia after fleeing persecution, violence, and poverty in Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, and elsewhere. Indonesia detains hundreds of migrant and asylum-seeking children each year without giving them a way to challenge their detention. Indonesian law permits up to 10 years of immigration detention.
“Migrant and asylum-seeking children risk life and limb to flee their countries and reach Indonesia,” said Alice Farmer, children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Yet the port in the storm Indonesia offers is squalid detention facilities, where children waste months or years without education or hope for the future.”
Unaccompanied migrant children – who travel without parents or other adults to protect them – fall into a legal void. With no government agency responsible for their guardianship, no one responds to their needs. Some children languish in detention, while others are left on the streets, without the legal or material assistance to which they are entitled by law.
MY OPINION
Do we really need to be this low to abuse refugees who are merely children? Where is the humanity of these people who find satisfactory in abusing. These children should have the rights to speak up and stand up towards abusing. Nobody should treat these refugees like they were nothing. Refugees are human too, they are just unfortunate to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
WHAT I WANT TO CHANGE AND IMPROVE IN MY FUTURE CITY
- Ofcourse, there is no way to bend people from migrating away. However, there may be ways to prevent people from migrating. Local authorities could probably provide more scholarships to our people to study whether in our country or overseas and provide a job for them within the country after getting the degree. This not only encourages people to not migrate, but also help to build intelligence in our people and thus, improving the standard of our people. Besides, we can help our people to solve their financial problem. In turn, they can help by working for us.
2. The government must have more enforcement on the laws and rules and regulations of migration and illegal migration.
- With it, the issue of overpopulation will be stable and people from other places wouldn't easily migrate to our country.
3. We should actually help the refugees.
- We can help build up places and have some areas just for them to stay and give them the daily necessities like food, clothing, shelter and education. We will try to show them our culture. We can try to include them in our society. We can't be selfish. Seeing how unfortunate they are we should help them.
4. We should raise awareness about these issues.
- We shouldn't be ignorant towards these issues. We must show the people that it is important by putting up posters and banners about the issues involve in the world.
5. We can encourage people to donate.
- Donating doesn't necessarily means donating money. We can donate anything that is still usable. For example, if we have an extra pair of shoes we don't need, why not just donate them to the refugees. They need them.
REFLECTION
It is very important for us to take the migrants and refugee issue seriously while building a new city. There are plenty of reason for the issues. However, the reason doesn't matter. We just need to take it into consideration and try to solve the problem. If things get out of control, we may not have a solution for it. Therefore, why not start now! Let's make the world a better place.