Internal Displacement and Peacebuilding: Institutional Responses

Addressing the needs and respecting the rights of internallydisplaced persons (IDPs) is not only a humanitarian and humanrights issue, but also a strategic one affecting both internationalpeace and security and the prospects for sustainable development.This article explores the conceptual linkages between internaldisplacement and peacebuilding, focusing on the ways in whichaddressing the concerns and needs of IDPs can contribute tosustainable peace. The second half of the article looks at institutionalresponses to the challenge of integrating internal displacementinto peacebuilding, with a particular focus on the potentialrole of the new UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC).     

Peacebuilding through the Electoral Participation of Displaced Populations

The participation of displaced populations in elections organizedas part of a peacebuilding process is increasingly recognizedas fundamental to the goal of peacebuilding itself. Guaranteesfor their electoral participation are important, first and foremost,as a matter of rights. They also are critical for the legitimacyof the election and its results, and thus for national and regionalstability. However, translating these provisions into practicecan be a complex task, which requires addressing a range oflegal, administrative, practical, and political issues. Thisarticle explores the relationship between peacebuilding andthe electoral participation of displaced populations, arguingthat it is not possible to build peace when exclusion is dejure or de facto built into the process.     

Knowledge,Attitudes and Behaviours. Concerning Education for Sustainable Development: Two Exploratory Studies

Celebrating the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014), this paper presents results of two exploratory surveys taken in the province of Manitoba, Canada in January to March 2008. A random sample of 506 adults completed a mailed out questionnaire designed to measure respondents’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours concerning the basic themes of the UN Decade. In the same period, a convenience sample of 294 students in grades 6–12 in four schools was surveyed based on a simplified version of the same questionnaire. Using these two datasets, we constructed somewhat crude standardized tests and showed that for students and adults, having attitudes favourable to ESD/SD is relatively more influential than age, levels of education and knowledge for behaviours favourable to ESD/SD. The differences are that (1) gender was most influential for the student samples, while favourable attitudes were most influential for the adult samples; and (2) while attitudes were practically equally influential to knowledge (though numerically more influential) for the student sample, attitudes were vastly more influential than education for the adult samples.     

The United Nations on the Implementation of the Cairo Program of Action

Progress and challenges in implementing strategies on population and development were the focus of a Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly that met at UN headquarters in New York, 30 June-2 July 1999. Participating at the Assembly were representatives of nearly 180 governments, with some 150 of these, and a number of observers and nongovernmental organizations, making statements. The delegates reviewed and appraised the implementation of the Program of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development held at Cairo in 1994. The main topics discussed concerned women's rights, reproductive health issues, and abortion. The Assembly's work culminated in the adoption of a 106-paragraph statement titled Key actions…, formally issued as United Nations Document A/S-21/5. The document is reprinted below in full. It affirms the comprehensive approach to population and development issues articulated at the Cairo conference and identifies needs for further action. Also reproduced below is the address delivered at the Special Session by Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations. According to a popular lapidary characterization of the program adopted at the 1994 conference, that program concluded that “population is not about numbers.” Thus the Secretary-General's address is particularly notable for a clear affirmation of the importance of the quantitative dimension of the population issue. “[W]e have to stabilize the population of this planet. Quite simply, there is a limit to the pressures our global environment can stand.”     

Mental health issues: a comparison of lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual women

This study examines mental health issues among women of different sexual orientations. An anonymous survey was administered at 33 health care sites across the United States; the sample (N = 1304) included lesbians (n = 524), bisexual (n = 143) and heterosexual women (n = 637). Not only did sexual orientation influence the probability of experiencing emotional stress, but also whether a bisexual woman or lesbian had disclosed her sexual orientation (was "out") impacted the likelihood of having or having had mental health problems. Bisexual women and lesbians experienced more emotional stress as teenagers than did heterosexual women. Bisexual women were more than twice as likely to have had an eating disorder compared to lesbians. If a bisexual woman reported being out she was twice as likely to have had an eating disorder compared to a heterosexual woman. Lesbians who were not out and bisexual women who were out were 2-2.5 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation in the past 12 months. Lesbians and bisexual women who were not out were more likely to have had a suicide attempt compared to heterosexual women. Lesbians used psychotherapy for depression more commonly than did heterosexual or bisexual women. This is one of the few studies that compares lesbians, bisexual and heterosexual women. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

PeaceBuilding and Displacement in Northern Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study of Intentions to Move and Attitudes towards Former Combatants

Using data from a cross-sectional survey of internally displacedpopulations in northern Uganda, this article analyses individual-leveldeterminants of attitudes toward peacebuilding processes, includingreturning home and the reintegration of former combatants. Wefind that perceptions of social services and livelihood opportunitiesat the current place of living and at return or resettlementsites influence individuals’ decisions to move as do attitudestoward former combatants. Furthermore, we show that internallydisplaced persons are a specific group with needs and attitudesthat differ from those of others. Such empirical informationmust be taken into account for the successful development andimplementation of peace and reconstruction programmes.     

Motherhood status and union formation in Moshi, Tanzania 2002-2003

Age at first union is increasing throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa at the same time that not all couples are waiting for marriage before their first sexual intercourse. We assessed the effect of a premarital first birth on entrance into a first union in an urban area in East Africa -- Moshi, Tanzania. The data come from the Moshi Infertility Survey of 2002-2003. Women who spent less than a year in single motherhood were significantly more likely than childless women to enter into a first union, although the magnitude of this relationship was weaker for more recent cohorts. Women who had been single mothers for 5 or more years (about two-thirds of women with a premarital birth) were significantly less likely than women without children to enter into a first union.     

Refugees and the Regional Dynamics of Peacebuilding

This article examines the relationship between refugees andthe regional dynamics of peacebuilding. It argues that recentapproaches to peacebuilding have adopted a narrow understandingof conflict. The article outlines the links between protractedrefugee situations and regional insecurity to argue that therelationship between peacebuilding and refugees goes beyondrepatriation. Instead, the presence of "spoilers" within therefugee-populated areas, the potential for early and forcedrepatriation, and the politicization of refugees while in exilehave all the proven potential to undermine peacebuilding efforts,while the experience of exile may enable refugees to contributeto the peacebuilding process.     

Subjective Well-being Among Those Who Exchange Sex and Money,Yunnan, China and Thailand

This work explores differences in subjective well-being (SWB) between two samples. Survey data from Yunnan China was collected by Yang and Luo in 2003 and was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A second pilot data set was collected in Thailand during January and February 2007. Predictors of SWB were explored among the Yunnan sample as a whole, between Yunnan men who traded money for sex and Yunnan women who traded sex for money, and between Yunnan women who traded sex for money and Thai women who traded sex for money. For Yunnan women who exchanged sex for money, only age nears significance as a predictor of SWB. For Thai women who sell sex, age was not a significant predictor of SWB; however, having more education and feeling one’s relative income was good were associated with SWB all else equal. The authors propose that, among this sample of Thai sex workers, sex work has become normalized in Thailand.     

Poverty,Infectious Disease,and Environmental Degradation as Threats to Collective Security: A UN Panel Report

Among the documents to be considered at the 2005 World Summit at the UN General Assembly in September is the report of the Secretary‐General's High‐Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. The Panel, chaired by Anand Panyarachun, former Prime Minister of Thailand, brought together 16 prominent individuals to assess current threats to peace and security and the institutional capacity, especially within the UN, to respond to them. Its report, A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility, was issued in December 2004. Most of the publicity surrounding the report focused on its recommendations for UN reform, especially its proposals for expansion of the Security Council. The first two‐thirds of the document, however, is concerned with the substance of collective security issues and prevention strategies. Defining a threat to international security as “any event or process that leads to large‐scale death or lessening of life chances and undermines States as the basic unit of the international system,” the Panel identified six clusters of existing or anticipated threats: Economic and social threats (in particular, poverty, infectious disease, and environmental degradation); inter‐State conflict; internal conflict (civil war, genocide, other large‐scale atrocities); nuclear, radiological, chemical, and biological weapons; terrorism; and transnational organized crime. The section of the report (paragraphs 44–73) treating economic and social threats, titled “Poverty, infectious disease and environmental degradation,” is reproduced below. Paragraph numbers have been omitted.     

Seeking Help From Health and Welfare Services Among Elderly Single Women

The current research is a pilot study that included 87 single women who responded to an announcement placed in one of the national newspapers and then filled out interview questionnaires. The study hypothesized three groups of variables for predicting elderly single women's appeals for help from health and welfare services: (a) demographic variables, (b) intrapersonal variables, and (c) interpersonal variables. The research tools were (a) a demographics questionnaire constructed specifically for this study; (b) a personal assessment of single life: chosen or unchosen, including a question regarding what single people think about bachelorhood/spinsterhood; (c) an approach to the institution of bachelorhood/spinsterhood; (d) self-evaluation questionnaire; (e) a sense of mastery over life questionnaire; (f) informal support networks questionnaire; and (g) an assessment of the appeal to health and welfare services for help. A special questionnaire was constructed, which included a list of health and welfare services. The research findings indicate connections among all the research variables. All the research hypotheses were confirmed. Special attention should be given to this one tenth and more of the elder population. It might improve the lives of those women and save Western governments a lot of money.     

Family Life History and Late Mid‐Life Mortality in Norway

Using data on all Norwegians born 1935–68, we analyze the associations between mortality and a combined indicator of fertility and marital or partnership status and history. The focus is on ages 40–73 and the years 1980–2008 (30 million person‐years of observations and 117,000 deaths). Among men in first marriages, the childless have 36 percent higher mortality than those with two or more children. The corresponding figure for women is 61 percent. The never‐married have higher mortality and are differentiated even more by parenthood status. Thus, childless never‐married men and women have mortality three times as high as those who are married and have two or more children. The apparent advantage associated with having at least two children is smallest among men who divorced before their oldest child's tenth birthday. Having step‐children has no association with mortality for those without natural children but is associated with higher mortality among the parous.     

Born in another country: Women's experience of labour and birth in Queensland,Australia

BackgroundWomen born outside Australia make up more than a fifth of the Queensland birthing population and like migrants in other parts of the world face the challenges of cultural dislocation and possible language barriers. Recognising that labour and birth are major life events the aim was to investigate the experiences of these women in comparison to native-born English speaking women.MethodsSecondary analysis of data from a population based survey of women who had recently birthed in Queensland. Self-reported clinical outcomes and quality of interpersonal care of 481 women born outside Australia who spoke a language other than English at home were compared with those of 5569 Australian born women speaking only English.ResultsAfter adjustment for demographic factors and type of birthing facility, women born in another country were less likely to be induced, but more likely to have constant electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), to give birth lying on their back or side, and to have an episiotomy. Most women felt that they were treated as an individual and with kindness and respect. However, women born outside Australia were less likely to report being looked after ‘very well’ during labour and birth and to be more critical of some aspects of care.ConclusionIn comparing the labour and birth experiences of women born outside the country who spoke another language with native-born English speaking women, the present study presents a largely positive picture. However, there were some marked differences in both clinical and interpersonal aspects of care.     

Premarital pregnancies and out-of-wedlock births in denmark, 1950–65

Although comprehensive investigation of child spacing patterns requires consideration of those births that were conceived before marriage, detailed data on such births often are not available, especially in the United States. Danish statistics on first births by duration of marriage and on out-of-wedlock births permit evaluation of trends in premarital pregnancies. For the period 1950-65, they point to (1) a rise in the percentage of all brides who are pregnant at marriage; (2) an increase in the proportion of first births occurring within both six and nine months of marriage; and (3) a rise in out-of-wedlock births.The trend for the country as a whole also characterizes Copenhagen, but at a higher level, and this reflects the capital's more urban character, greater permissiveness, and attraction to young migrants. Age differentials indicate that as high as 90 percent of all first births among married women aged under 20 years and over 50 percent of those to women aged 20-24 years are premaritally conceived. The rise in the number of first births among young women largely accounts for the overall rise in the level of premarital conceptions. Compared to its suburbs, Copenhagen in 1965 had higher levels of premarital conceptions. The overall residential differential stems both from higher proportions of such births in all age groups in Copenhagen (but especially those aged 20 years and over) and from the fact that Copenhagen has proportionally more first births occurrinq to women aged under 20 years, the age group in which the rates of premarital conceptions are especially high.     

Trust,privacy, community,and culture: Important elements of maternity care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women giving birth in Victoria.

BackgroundThe Australian maternity system must enhance its capacity to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) mothers and babies, however evidence regarding what is important to women is limited.AimsThe aim of this study was to explore what women having a First Nations baby rate as important for their maternity care as well as what life stressors they may be experiencing.MethodsWomen having a First Nations baby who booked for care at one of three urban Victorian maternity services were invited to complete a questionnaire.Results343 women from 76 different language groups across Australia. Almost one third of women reported high levels of psychological distress, mental illness and/or were dealing with serious illness or death of relatives or friends. Almost one quarter reported three or more coinciding life stressors. Factors rated as most important were privacy and confidentiality (98 %), feeling that staff were trustworthy (97 %), unrestricted access to support people during pregnancy appointments, (87 %) birth (66 %) and postnatally (75 %), midwife home visits (78 %), female carers (66 %), culturally appropriate artwork, brochures (68 %) and access to Elders (65 %).ConclusionsThis study provides important information about what matters to women who are having a First Nations baby in Victoria, Australia, bringing to the forefront social and cultural complexities experienced by many women that need to be considered in programme planning. It is paramount that maternity services partner with First Nations communities to implement culturally secure programmes that respond to the needs of local communities.     

Women's Sexual Identity Patterns: Differences Among Lesbians,Bisexuals, and Unlabeled Women

To better understand women with same-sex attractions who do not identify as lesbian or bisexual (i.e., unlabeled women), we examined differences and similarities among self-designated lesbian, bisexual, and unlabeled women. Two hundred eight non-heterosexual women ranging in age from 18 to 69 years (85% identified as White) completed an online survey examining indicators of sexual orientation and beliefs and self-perceptions associated with sexual identity. Compared to lesbians, unlabeled women reported the weakest collective sexual identities and, along with bisexuals, they were less likely to view sexual orientation as fixed, being more focused on the “person, not the gender.” Unlabeled women reported the greatest likelihood that their sexual identity would change in the future. These findings highlight the complexity of women's sexual identities and question the adequacy of categorical approaches.