Hello, this week we talk about Taliban in Afghanistan, Haiti’s natural distaster and the prexisting crisis and Empathy’s role in reducing crime.
Taliban seized Kabul
On 15 August 2021, the political climate changed in a matter of hours with President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country, and Taliban troops capturing the capital city, Kabul. As the news and control of the Taliban spread, the internet was full of stories and videos showcasing desperation among people to flee the country and terrors of the past under Taliban rule.
Human Right Struggle- The Taliban of the past were infamous for denying education to women, carrying out public executions of their opponents, persecuting minorities, such as the Shiite Hazaras, and destroying priceless ancient giant stone Buddhas at Bamiyan. While they were active in some parts of the country there were reports of people being executed for helping anyone that stood against the Taliban, physical abuse towards women, shutting down schools and bombing hospitals and infrastructures.
The neighbours react- Pakistan’s Prime Minister called this turn of events “breaking from shackles of slavery”. However, there would be refugee exodus in the neighbouring countries, and Pakistan would be the top destination for the same. While, fifth-largest donor to Afghanistan- India faces a bit of security concern as Pakistan wins a strong ally.
Uncle Sam’s perspective- Joe Biden, President of the United States after waking to the new reality of Afghanistan, had to come to terms with the collapse of the US’s idea of nation-building and claimed it was not the actual goal of the superpower in Afghanistan.
Local and International Cost- Even after several claims on the “unlikely” return of Taliban’s troops by Biden. This would raise questions over US Intelligence as well.
For more context, check out the timeline of the USA’s involvement in Afghanistan-
Earthquake in Haiti: The poster child for political mismanagement
What happened in Haiti?- Haiti on August 14, 2021, was hit by an earthquake that caused infrastructural devastation in the country along with the human loss of more than 2000 people. The earthquake came weeks after the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse – an event that had set in political and economic instability in the country.
Healthcare and aid- Haiti's hospitals have been swamped by thousands of injured citizens. Nearby countries, including the Dominican Republic and Mexico, rushed to send food and medicinal aid by air and across Haiti's land border. While the United States dispatched vital supplies and deployed a 65-person urban search-and-rescue team with specialized equipment.
Despite the prompt response on neighbouring nations part, Prime Minister Ariel Henry stated on Wednesday that his administration will work to not “repeat history on the mismanagement and coordination of aid,” a reference to the chaos that followed the nation's overwhelming 2010 earthquake when the government was blamed for not getting the entirety of the funds raised by donors to citizens who needed it.
Rather Haiti's government appealed to aid organizations to work through the Planning Ministry to maintain harmony and control.
Can Empathy reduce crime?
This pandemic has taught us many things like taking a break is okay, self-care is necessary, but one of the important takeaways is to be empathetic. By Definition, empathy means- “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.”
A study published in Psychology, Crime and Law, titled- ‘The optimal application of empathy interventions to reduce antisocial behaviour and crime: a review of the literature reveals that training young people to be empathic can reduce violent crimes.
When researched further, it was found that empathy levels of violent offenders are 15% lower than less severe offenders and non-offenders. In other words, empathy is inversely proportional to the number of crimes committed by the juveniles and that’s why it is important to start this training at an early stage of child development and especially in India which records a high incidence of crimes committed by juveniles.
As per the experts, the best time to train an individual to be empathetic is when they are in their formative years(0-8 years).
The researchers believe that these programs can help in developing empathy-
In early middle school- Universal social and emotional learning programs could be helpful.
From mid-childhood or early-adolescence into adulthood- Offender-targeted programs would be helpful.
As a parent, how can one develop empathy within their child?
Talking about a child's feelings in a difficult situation and understanding their viewpoint.
Talking about others’ feelings and letting your child acknowledge them.
Be patient as it is a time taking process and it’s a teaching and learning process for both, the parents and children.
(Sources: Swaddle, Zero To Three organisation)
What else is happening?
India might have Justice BV Nagarathna as the first woman Chief Justice Of India in 2027.
A large study has claimed that Covid-19 vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant.
The world is coming to terms with Covid-19, but China has a long term strategy that is aggressive and might keep the region isolated for a long time.
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