Showing posts with label Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy. Show all posts

4/16/16

Dr. Christopher Whelan, Oxford University: United Nations - Mission Impossible?"

Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy in association with the International Law Society was very pleased to sponsor recently an excellent presentation by esteemed professor Dr. Christopher Whelan, Oxford University, entitled "United Nations - Mission Impossible?"


2/9/16

Journal of Global Justice & Public Policy Global Initiative Focus Nation: Turkmenistan

The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Global Initiative publishes bi-monthly reports targeting countries experiencing human rights violations. Each report briefly discusses that country’s history and population, and proffers specific prayer requests.
Demographics

  • Ethnic Groups: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6%.
  • Languages: Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%.
  • Religions: Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%.
  • Population: 5,231,422.
  • Capital: Ashgabat. 

History

By the end of the 19th Century, the Russian Empire taken control of the region now encompassing Turkmenistan. However, the administration provoked revolts by the Turkmens. 

The Red Army took the capital in 1919, and in 1925 it formally became part of the USSR. Turkmenistan passed a referendum for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. 

Justice Issues

  • Turkmenistan is a signatory of various international human rights treaties, but has one of the worst records when it comes to fundamental civil and political freedoms.
  • Freedom House rated Turkmenistan as one of the 12 least free countries in the world, tying for the worst overall score of any nation.
  • The electoral system remains very corrupt and media access is tightly controlled by the government.
  • Religious liberty is also very limited as religious groups must register with the government to exist or act in accordance with the law. 
Prayer Requests (prayercast.com/turkmenistan.html)
  • Pray for new Bibles for house churches whose literature has been confiscated and destroyed.
  • Pray for open doors for humanitarian organizations to meet practical as well as spiritual needs.
  • Pray for governing authorities to abandon the strict policies controlling religious activity.



12/7/15

Journal of Global Justice & Public Policy Global Initiative Focus Nation: Peru

The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Global Initiative publishes bi-monthly reports targeting countries experiencing human rights violations. Each report briefly discusses that country’s history and population, and proffers specific prayer requests.
Demographics

  • Population – 29,849,303
  • Capital – Lima
  • Ethnic Groups – Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
  • Religions – Roman Catholic (81%), Seventh-Day Adventist (1%), Other Christian (1%), Unspecified (16%).
  • Languages – Spanish (official) 84.1%, Quechua (official) 13%, Aymara (official) 1.7%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes a large number of minor Amazonian languages) 0.7%, other 0.2%

Brief History & Justice Issues

  • Peru is heavily influenced by its past: the Incan Empire and Spanish colonization.
  • Peru boasts a thriving church of four million evangelicals, but is also the world’s second largest producer of cocaine. 
  • “War and poverty have multiplied the number of street children, who are often abused and exploited for labor,” and young girls are sexually trafficked resulting high rates of teen pregnancies and subsequent abortions. 
  • Peru has been trying to recover from a long-standing civil war between 1980 and 2000 with nearly 70,000 killed or gone missing.
  • The prospect for economic development is great, but political corruption, a flawed tax structure, military spending, and enormous economic disparity keep the nation from progress. 

Prayer Requests

  • Pray that Peru will continue to heal from decades of conflict and oppression. Pray also that God will give Peru good leaders who will lead wisely without bribery or abusing the people they serve.

11/25/15

Journal of Global Justice & Public Policy Global Initiative Focus Nation: France

The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Global Initiative publishes bi-monthly reports targeting countries experiencing human rights violations. Each report briefly discusses that country’s history and population, and proffers specific prayer requests.

 Demographics


  • Population: 66,553,766.
  • Ethnic Groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities.
  • Languages: French; rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish).
  • Religion: Christian (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic) 63-66%, Muslim 7-9%, Jewish .5-.75%, Buddhist .5-.75%, other .5-1.0%, none 23-28%.

November 2015 Attack


On November 13, 2015, Paris was attacked by members of an Islamic State group, which killed 129 people. The victims were mostly French; however, more than twenty foreigners were from the UK, Belgium, Germany, Algeria, and Latin America. Seven attackers died in the course of the attacks, and one suspect is on the run. The attackers appear to have worked in three coordinated teams using the same type of assault rifles and wearing the same type of suicide vests in different locations, including the Stade de France, the Bataclan concert hall, restaurants, and bars. Although some public and cultural venues in Paris reopened after the attacks, the city mourns for the lives of victims.


Prayer Request from Sophie Tatot, Regent University School of Law LL.M., French citizen and Paris native


“I am far away from my country…I am far away from my French friends. But I can pray for them who are suffering at this moment.

I invite you all to pray for the persons, French and others, who died in Paris because of the terrorist attacks, those who were wounded and their families.

I invite you all to pray for all the people who were the victims of terrorism recently in Lebanon and Turkey.

I invite you all to pray for the Christians all over the world being the victims of religious extremism.
God blesses France, America and their allies.”

10/21/15

Journal of Global Justice & Public Policy Global Initiative Focus Nation: Syria

The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Global Initiative publishes bi-monthly reports targeting countries experiencing human rights violations.  Each report briefly discusses that country’s history and population, and proffers specific prayer requests.

QUICK FACTS
Capital City: Damascus
Government: Republic
Population: 20,178,485
Major People Groups: 92% Arab, 7% Kurd, 1% Armenian
Religion: 90% Muslim, 5% Christian, 2% Non
Language: Arabic/Kurdish
GDP Per Capita: $4,100
Literacy Rate: 79.6%
UNREACHED: 42.4%

HISTORY
Nestled between Turkey and Lebanon, modern-day Syria boasts a population of over 22 million people, 90% of which are Arabs. Syria's location on the fertile Mediterranean coast makes agriculture and tourism a critical part of its struggling
economy. Numerous coups and political instability have been the norm and led the heavy-handed Hafez Al-Assad to come to power in 1970. Conflicts have arisen more recently as part of the Arab Spring, a sign of social turmoil in the Arab World.  Protesters are calling for greater political freedom and the resignation of Hafez's son, Bashar, who rules with the same force as his father. The government has responded with great military force, which has served only to increase demonstrations across the country. Upwards of 7,000 people have been killed in these conflicts.  The political unrest has slowed economic growth because of international sanctions, and domestic consumption and production have declined as people flee the country. (http://prayercast.com/syria.html)

JUSTICE ISSUES
During the almost half decade of brutal civil strife, justice and accountability have been severely neglected. An impressive array of commissions, human rights groups, and private organizations have done a remarkable job gathering evidence that might, one day, be used to bring perpetrators of mass atrocities in Syria to account. But the sad truth is there has been no real prospect for criminal accountability in the country. As useful as they may one day prove to be, the investigations that have taken place to date have occurred in the shadows of the war and have often been conducted by individuals taking massive personal risks.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Pray for a swift end to the horrific civil war with people of peace rising to leadership.
• Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to the millions of Muslims displaced by the war.
• Pray for the Church to be protected and expanded amid hostility.

9/29/15

Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Announces Staff Editors for 2015-2016

The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy is proud to announce our staff editors for 2015-2016.  The following students have been selected to serve as staff editors:

Julianna Battenfield            
Sarah Breyer                      
Molly Bricker                
Jennifer Gebler                  
Codie Hogbin                    
Natasha Johnson              
Brittany Jones                    
So Heon Park
Venecia Patterson
Jessica Rigsbee
Jessica Samms
Sophie Tatot
Will Thetford
Lucille Wall


These individuals have shown superior scholarship, work ethic, and a strong commitment to the mission of Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy.  The staff editors of Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy are multiethnic, multilingual, and international.  Many have served around the world in the interest of religious freedom, justice, and peace. Our editorial board is excited to work with these tremendous students.

9/24/15

Journal of Global Justice & Public Policy Global Initiative Focus Nation: South Sudan

The Journalof Global Justice and Public Policy is pleased to announce a new program:
Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Global Initiative (JGJPP-GI).

JGJPP-GI will publish bi-monthly reports targeting countries experiencing human rights violations.  Each report briefly will discuss that country’s history and population, and proffer specific prayer requests.

The first report targeted South Sudan:

Demographics
Ethnic groups: Dinka 35.8%, Nuer 15.6%, Shilluk, Azande, Bari, Kakwa, Kuku, Murle, Mandari, Didinga, Ndogo, Bviri, Lndi, Anuak, Bongo, Lango, Dungotona, Acholi

Languages: English (official), Arabic
Religion: Animist, Christian
Population: 12,042,910

History
South Sudan has emerged out of long history of violence and conflict. In the 1800s Egypt attempted to colonize Sudan and Islamic Mahdist revolutionaries attempted to take control of the region, however British forces won control of the region and Sudan was administered by a joint British-Egyptian rule.

Christian missionaries were very active in Sudan and a great percentage of the population was converted to Christianity, predominantly in the south.

Justice Issues
South Sudan has experienced civil war since December 2013 between the two major tribes in the area, and there have been massacres on both sides.  Thousands have been killed, often because of their political positions or their ethnicity.

More than a quarter of children under the age of five are underweight.

Only 27% of the total population is literate.

Pray for South Sudan
As a new peace agreement has just been reached this week, please pray for genuine reconciliation as the nation moves forward.

Pray for economic stability and recovery.

Christians have played a key role in the process of healing the nation, so pray that they would continue to help bring continued reconciliation and peace.

6/1/15

Regent University School of Law’s Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Publishes Issue 2

Thanks to Christopher Troye, Editor-in-Chief, for an update on Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy’s most recent issue:

The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy (JGJPP) is Regent University School of Law’s premier academic journal presenting original legal research related to the integration of faith and international human rights. JGJPP features articles, notes, case comments, and book reviews submitted by prominent authors, practitioners, and students.  JGJPP actively solicits manuscripts that address international law, global justice, the rule of law, public policy (foreign and domestic), international relations and diplomacy, comparative law, and decisions adopted by the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the International Criminal Court.  JGJPP is committed to publishing interdisciplinary scholarship critically analyzing the significant social challenges and the persistent legal issues affecting the marginalized, disenfranchised, indigent, and abused, and works in association with the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law.  JGJPP is led by a team of select law student editors, publishes biannually, and regularly organizes and sponsors conferences, symposia, ethnic enrichment experiences, and student events/activities.

JGJPP’s second issue includes articles examining the infanticide practices of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the European Court of Human Rights rejection of child return orders in Latvia, the stigma of human trafficking and how victims can avoid wrongful convictions, a new Kazakhstani law on religious activities and associations, and approaches to countering childhood bullying in the United States.  JGJPP’s second issue also includes three diverse student notes; topics discussed are ending female genital mutilation in Indonesia, the constitutionality of women serving in combat positions in the military, and intellectual property rights for local and transnational architectural works.

Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy welcomes submissions, and is available for subscription.

3/25/15

The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy Publishes First Edition

Thanks to Aaron Lindquist, Editor-in-Chief of the Regent Journal of Global Justice & Public Policy, for an update on the first edition of the journal:
The Journal of GlobalJustice and Public Policy has released its very first issue. The Journal was established in 2014, as the result of the merger between the Regent Journal of International Law and the Regent Journal of Law and Public Policy. The Journal serves to fill the void in the global justice field by publishing articles, notes, comments, and book reviews by practitioners, professors, and students from a Christian perspective.
The Journal’s first issue is an eclectic mix of articles, student notes, and symposium transcripts. Regent University School of Law Dean Jeffrey Brauch introduces the Journal and talks about its importance, its unique mission, and the aspirations for the Journal. The articles address the effect of asylum’s nexus clause on individuals seeking asylum in the United States on persecution grounds and the politicization of Cameroon’s judicial system. The student notes address the effects sex-selective abortion in India has on girls and the need for self-regulation within the Indian medical profession; and why governments across the globe do not need to promulgate further regulations to effectively regulate Bitcoin. The symposium transcripts contain remarks from the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law’s ® 3rd Annual Symposium on Advancing the Rule of Law in East Africa. The transcripts address overcoming barriers in advancing the rule of law and lessons learned from African law and culture.
As the Editor-in-Chief of a new journal, it is exciting to see the hard work everyone has put into getting the Journal off the ground come to fruition in the form of our first publication. It has been a challenging, and sometimes frustrating, task to move a brand new journal in the right direction. However, the hard work of my excellent staff has made that possible. I am excited at the thought of future issues contributing to the global justice field by speaking “up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Proverbs 31:8. By addressing topics from a Christian worldview, the Journal adds a unique perspective to the world of legal academic scholarship regarding global justice. 
The Journal is affiliated with the Center for Global Justice. It is exciting to work with such a similarly minded organization. The Journal co-sponsored the Center’s 4th Annual Symposium on Human Rights and the Sexualization of Culture on February 21, 2015. Additionally, the Journal will be publishing transcripts of the Center’s symposia going forward. The Center has also provided material for the Journal’s blog and will be a consistent contributor to the Journal’s print publication and online presence. The opportunity to draw on the strengths of each organization ensures that both will better accomplish their missions and objectives. I look forward to seeing how this affiliation allows each organization to do great things in the Global Justice field!

 Click here to learn more about the Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy