DOCSLIB.ORG

Multicultural Politics & Women's Activism: When Do Race and Nation Enter Women's Frames?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Multicultural Politics & Women's Activism: When Do Race and Nation Enter Women's Frames? MULTICULTURAL POLITICS & WOMEN’S ACTIVISM: WHEN DO RACE AND NATION ENTER WOMEN’S FRAMES? by CHANLEY ELIZABETH RAINEY RICHARD C. FORDING, COMMITTEE CHAIR NICHOLAS KERR DANA PATTON HEATHER MIYANO KOPELSON CHRISTOPHER HALE A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2016 Copyright Chanley Elizabeth Rainey 2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Women’s advocacy organizations often invoke moral arguments and frame issues in ways that make them legible within discourses on sexuality and race, with significance for struggles over decolonization, national representation, and schism within women’s movements. Postcolonial feminist theories help make sense of women’s activism that engages both racism and women’s rights. They provide a map of the symbolic terrain on which policy debates are fought, enabling us to identify the paths available (as well as closed) to women’s organizations as they negotiate a collective identity for their members, diagnose the problems they want to address, propose solutions, and select a strategy for persuading others to adopt their perspective. With a map like this, we can anticipate the ways in which different women’s organizations, differently positioned in terms of racial or national identity, may diverge, as well as routes to alliance. These are the tasks to which I turn when looking within the case of Trinidad and seeking to explain the different uses to which Afro-Christian, East Indian Hindu and Muslim women put race/nation in their activism. As a paired comparison of women’s activism in Trinidad and Guyana show, however, similar policy questions debated in comparable contexts (decolonizing states with histories of explicitly racial politics) can lead to strikingly different conversations, depending on whether ethno-nationalist frames occupy a central or peripheral position on the national stage. Theories of collective action framing, and the related concepts of state resonance and discursive opportunity structures, point to the role of institutionalized discourses and government priorities in shaping ii the choices activist women make about how to evaluate proposed problems and solutions to gender-based grievances. Process tracing reveals that values and beliefs institutionalized in state policies affect women’s strategic framing by creating discursive political opportunities. Broadly then, the contributions made further develop social movement theory by analyzing the causal mechanisms linking state-based discursive opportunities to the frames constructed by prominent women’s organizations. Because the Trinidadian case involves opportunities created by multicultural policy, the study also provides some insight into the effects of such policies on minority women’s activism in decolonizing, multiethnic societies. iii DEDICATION For all the women in my life who have shared with me, in many different ways, the struggle to discover what “women’s rights” mean to them. And to Ken, for continuing to ask what I’m thinking. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FPATT Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago HWO Hindu Women’s Organization of Trinidad and Tobago IWG Indian Women’s Group of Trinidad and Tobago MGYCD Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Gender, Youth, and Child Development MWO Muslim Women’s Organizations (of Trinidad and Tobago) TT Trinidad and Tobago Working Women Working Women for Social Progress of Trinidad and Tobago v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I have received support in too many forms and from too many people to truly acknowledge all of the debts incurred in this brief space. First and foremost, I am eternally grateful to Drs. Simanti Lahiri, Nicholas Kerr, Richard Fording, and Dana Patton for encouraging and enabling me to undertake field research for this project. I would not have been satisfied with my data if it had not included the living voices of activists, yet I would not have thought it feasible to speak with them if these four had not shown me the way. When I did go to Trinidad, Nicholas made sure that I was in the best possible place. The entire Edwards family has my undying gratitude, but Ms. Joslyn Edwards remains unequalled in her hospitality and warmth. Ms. Edwards, her sons—Nystrom and Sebastian—and her neighbor, Kerwyn De La mothe, along with their friends and family all over the island made sure that I was not only made to feel welcome, but was well-fed and well-acquainted with all of the fun and beauty their country has to offer. Ms. Edwards also saved me much sweat and tears by introducing me to the Trinidadian version of taxis and, in cases where public transportation would have been difficult and time-consuming, Kerwyn and Sebastian kindly gave me rides. Innumerable folk in Trinidad were helpful and kind, making my first foray into field research an incredibly affirming experience. Obviously, the representatives of women’s organizations who agreed to meet with me are due tremendous thanks. Their passion and commitment—no matter which side of the debate they fell on—is inspiring, and the insights they provided have made this project much more valuable and rich than it would have been without vi their input. Those I spoke with at the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development, as well as the people from the National Archives who helped me locate government documents and navigate Port of Spain, also did much to facilitate my research. Finally (although I have only scratched the surface), the staff of both the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago and the University of the West Indies’ Library were very generous with their time and resources. There are also many in the Political Science Department who have supported me along the way. Douglas Gibler and Karl DeRouen gave me the opportunity to practice the nitty-gritty work of data collection and historical event reconstruction by employing me in several of their research projects. Simanti Lahiri and Utz McKnight generously opened their bookshelves to me, guiding me to ideas that have shaped this work and will continue to influence my understanding of political and social phenomena. Joseph Smith welcomed me into the Department in the first place, and the courses I took with Emily Ritter and Barbara Chotiner have left an indelible mark on my approach to theory-building. My long-time officemates, Chris Kromphardt and Wes Hutto, provided many entertaining distractions as well as constructive conversation, as did my off-campus study-buddies, Ishita Chowdhury and Gina Miller. Finally, my family has been a steady source of sustenance throughout my work on this project. My parents, my husband, and my sister have been particularly crucial facilitators and cheerleaders. My children have patiently endured many a dazed look and clacking keyboard in lieu of attentive mothering. I hope this project makes them proud. vii CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ........................................................................................... iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................... xi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .................................................................... xii 1. THE PUZZLE OF WOMEN’S DIVERGENT FRAMES .......................1 Collective Action Frames and Discursive Opportunities.............................3 Paired Comparison: Women’s Frames in Trinidad and Guyana .................6 Alternative Explanations ..............................................................................9 Outline of the Dissertation .........................................................................12 2. STATE RESONANCE AND STRATEGIC FRAMING ......................14 Gender, Race, and Nation in Postcolonial Theory .....................................15 Women’s Talk as Strategic Framing..........................................................23 Conclusions ................................................................................................32 3. RESEARCH DESIGN ...........................................................................35 Conceptualizing State-based Opportunities and Women’s Frames ...........36 A Paired Comparison: The Similar Systems of Guyana and Trinidad ......44 Case Selection: Guyana as a Relevant, Negative Case ..............................50 viii Analytic Approach: Measuring Mechanisms, Tracing Process .................53 Casting the Net: Methods of Data Collection ............................................60 Pulling it All Together ...............................................................................65 4. WOMEN’S FRAMES IN TRINIDAD ..................................................66 Gender and Nation in Trinidad ..................................................................72 Cycle of Contention: Debating the Age of Consent to Marriage In Trinidad and Tobago .............................................................................79 Discursive Opportunities and Women’s Frames: The Age of Consent as Ethnic Difference .................................................88 Conclusions ..............................................................................................115
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Age and Sexual Consent
    Per Se or Power? Age and Sexual Consent Joseph J. Fischel* ABSTRACT: Legal theorists, liberal philosophers, and feminist scholars have written extensively on questions surrounding consent and sexual consent, with particular attention paid to the sorts of conditions that validate or vitiate consent, and to whether or not consent is an adequate metric to determine ethical and legal conduct. So too, many have written on the historical construction of childhood, and how this concept has influenced contemporary legal culture and more broadly informed civil society and its social divisions. Far less has been written, however, on a potent point of contact between these two fields: age of consent laws governing sexual activity. Partially on account of this under-theorization, such statutes are often taken for granted as reflecting rather than creating distinctions between adults and youth, between consensual competency and incapacity, and between the time for innocence and the time for sex. In this Article, I argue for relatively modest reforms to contemporary age of consent statutes but propose a theoretic reconstruction of the principles that inform them. After briefly historicizing age of consent statutes in the United States (Part I), I assert that the concept of sexual autonomy ought to govern legal regulations concerning age, age difference, and sexual activity (Part II). A commitment to sexual autonomy portends a lowered age of sexual consent, decriminalization of sex between minors, heightened legal supervision focusing on age difference and relations of dependence, more robust standards of consent for sex between minors and between minors and adults, and greater attention to the ways concerns about age, age difference, and sex both reflect and displace more normatively apt questions around gender, gendered power and submission, and queer sexuality (Part III).
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Study of Cervical Cancer Among Indigenous Amerindian, Afro-Guyanese, and Indo-Guyanese Women in Guyana
    Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2017 A Comparative Study of Cervical Cancer Among Indigenous Amerindian, Afro-Guyanese, and Indo- Guyanese Women in Guyana Carol Jones-Williams Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Public Health Education and Promotion Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Health Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Carol Jones-Williams has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Donald Goodwin, Committee Chairperson, Public Health Faculty Dr. Shingairai Feresu, Committee Member, Public Health Faculty Dr. Michael Furukawa, University Reviewer, Public Health Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2016 Abstract A Comparative Study of Cervical Cancer among Indigenous Amerindian, Afro- Guyanese, and Indo-Guyanese Women in Guyana by Carol Jones-Williams MPH, Walden University, 2012 MA, New York University, 1997 BSc, York College, City University of New York, 1994 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health, Epidemiology Walden University September 2016 Abstract Cervical cancer is a major public health problem in developing countries. In Guyana, factors associated with increasing cervical cancer cases among Indigenous Amerindian women (IAW), Afro- women (AGW), and Indo-Guyanese women (IGW) have not been fully examined.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversifying Political Power to Build Inclusive Societies
    DIVERSIFYING POLITICAL POWER TO BUILD INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES 8TH ANNUAL GATHERING ORGANIZED BY THE GROUP OF WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS AUTHOR TRANSLATION DESIGN AND LAYOUT PHOTOS JACK MELAMED AISLIN RYAN LISA TEMES NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ECUADOR ParlAmericas would like to sincerely experts who shared their experience TABLE OF CONTENTS thank the National Assembly of Ecuador and knowledge: Otilia Lux de Cotí for their invaluable contributions as (member of the Management Group the host of the gathering. In particular, of the Indigenous Fund for Latin 4 Message from the President of ParlAmericas ParlAmericas wishes to thank the America and the Caribbean), Tonni President of the National Assembly, Ann Brodber (Deputy Representative 5 Message from the President of the Group of Gabriela Rivadeneira, and the President Women Parliamentarians of the UN Women Multi-Country Office of the Group of Women Parliamentarians for the Caribbean), Irune Aguirrezabal 6 ParlAmericas and Member of the National Assembly, (Regional Advisor on Leadership and 6 The Group of Women Parliamentarians Gina Godoy. We would also like to thank Political Participation for UN Women) 7 The Gathering: Diversifying Political Power to the administrative and technical staff and Marco Aurélio Martins (Executive Build Inclusive Societies of the National Assembly whose work Coordinator of Promundo Brazil). was vital to the gathering’s success. 9 Sessions We would also like to thank the We extend our gratitude to the community leaders in Ecuador for their 14 #NiUnaMenos (NotOneLess) Campaign participating delegates, moderators, participation and generosity in sharing Declaration of Commitment 23 and panellists for their contributions their experiences. 26 Glossary during the working sessions and their Finally, ParlAmericas is immensely unwavering commitment to achieving 27 Participants grateful for the financial support gender equality in the hemisphere.
    [Show full text]
  • D. Trotz Behind the Banner of Culture? Gender, Race, and the Family in Guyana
    D. Trotz Behind the banner of culture? Gender, race, and the family in Guyana In: New West Indian Guide/ Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 77 (2003), no: 1/2, Leiden, 5-29 This PDF-file was downloaded from http://www.kitlv-journals.nl Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 09:49:45PM via free access D. ALISSA TROTZ BEHIND THE BANNER OF CULTURE? GENDER, "RACE," AND THE FAMILY IN GUYANA INTRODUCTION This article is a conceptual-historical effort to show the relevance, indeed centrality, of the family to representations of gendered and racialized dif- ference in the Caribbean.1 While it addresses itself to broader postcolonial feminist and Caribbeanist debates and concerns, it specifically grounds this analytical terrain in Guyana, a country where the racialization of the political process - between Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese - is today deeply embedded in the country's coastal fabric. Most scholarly and popular writings locate the historical "origins" of the conflict between these two groups (a conflict that reduces the country to its coastal limits and marginalizes all racialized "others" and in particular the indigenous, Amerindian populations) to the formal divisions of labor in a colonial plantation economy. I hope to contribute to, and extend, this discussion by showing why and how family comes to matter in the production of racialized differences, and what its consequences are for women.2 1. A much earlier version of the historical section of this paper was presented at the Conference on Slavery and the Atlantic World, Tulane University, New Orleans, 1996. I am grateful to Betty Wood and Sylvia Frey for encouraging me to reflect on these historical questions, and to Prabhu Mohapatra, whose historical work on British Guiana in large part inspired this essay.
    [Show full text]
  • Legitimate Concern: the Assault on the Concept of Rape
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Via Sapientiae: The Institutional Repository at DePaul University DePaul University Via Sapientiae College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences 9-2013 Legitimate concern: the assault on the concept of rape Matthew David Burgess DePaul University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd Recommended Citation Burgess, Matthew David, "Legitimate concern: the assault on the concept of rape" (2013). College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 153. https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd/153 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Legitimate Concern: The Assault on the Concept of Rape A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts By Matthew David Burgess June 2013 Women’s and Gender Studies College of Liberal Arts and Sciences DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 1 Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….3 A Brief Legal History of Rape………………………………………………………………….....6 -Rape Law in the United States Prior to 1800…………………………………………….7 -The WCTU and
    [Show full text]
  • Frange EXPLORATORY ASSESSMENT
    EXPLORATORY ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION: The Bahamas The Netherlands Antilles Barbados St Lucia Guyana Suriname Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago frange Domestic Servitude Forced Labor Sexual Slavery Second Edition 2 The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental body, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration, advance understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. This publication was made possible through the support of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of State or IOM. Publisher: International Organization for Migration (IOM) 17, route des Morillons 1752 N Street NW, Suite 700 1211 Geneva 19 Washington, DC 20036 Switzerland United States of America Tel: +41 22 717 91 11 +1 202 862 1826 Fax: +41 22 798 61 50 +1 202 862 1879 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Internet: http://www.iom.int http://www.iom.int/unitedstates ISBN 978 92 9068 249 3 ©2005 (first edition) International Organization for Migration (IOM) ©2010 (second edition) International Organization for Migration (IOM) Design: Noelle Ahmann Copy Edit: Sinéad Costelloe All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Rape Reform in Late Nineteenth-Century America Jane E
    Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities Volume 9 | Issue 1 Article 1 January 1997 "Even a Worm Will Turn at Last": Rape Reform in Late Nineteenth-Century America Jane E. Larson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/yjlh Part of the History Commons, and the Law Commons Recommended Citation Jane E. Larson, "Even a Worm Will Turn at Last": Rape Reform in Late Nineteenth-Century America, 9 Yale J.L. & Human. (1997). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/yjlh/vol9/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Yale Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities by an authorized editor of Yale Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Larson: "Even a Worm Will Turn at Last" Articles "Even a Worm Will Turn at Last": Rape Reform in Late Nineteenth-Century America Jane E. Larson* Even a worm will turn at last, and when her degradation was thus deliberately planned and sanctioned by the state .... then * Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin Law School. I received invaluable access and assistance from the Frances Willard Archive, Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Evanston, Ill., the National Archives, Washington, D.C., and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. I am also deeply grateful to Kathryn Abrams, Leigh Bienen, Cynthia Grant Bowman, Pamela Bridgewater, Ben Brown, Penelope Bryan, Lisa Brush, Peter Carstensen, Alta Charo, Richard Chused, Elizabeth Clark, Anne Coughlin, Mary Louise Fellows, Sarah Gordon, Michael Grossberg, Hendrik Hartog, Linda Redlick Hirshman, Linda McClain, Gwen McNamee, Tracey Meares, Elizabeth Mertz, Michelle Oberman, Richard Posner, Dorothy Roberts, Jonathan Rosenblum, Jane Schacter, Stephen Schulhofer, Clyde Spillenger, Morrison Torrey, Rosalie Wahl, William Whitford, and the Chicago Feminist Law Professors & Friends for comments on this Article.
    [Show full text]
  • The Day of the African Child 30 Years On, Where Are We Now? Page 2
    The Day of the African Child 30 years on, where are we now? Page 2: Adelaide Benneh Prempeh Advancing the Welfare of children in Ghana Page 18: Maria Mbeneka Child Marriage Page 22: Presentation Judge Fatoumata Dembélé Page 23: Diarra – Mali Euridce Baptista – Angola Page 24: CLA Role of the Law in Eliminating Child Marriage 2/10/21 ADVANCING THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN IN GHANA. Presented By: Adelaide Benneh Prempeh Managing Partner B&P ASSOCIATES 1 OVERVIEW u GHANAIAN HISTORICAL CONTEXT & BACKGROUND. u THE CHILD & FAMILY PROTECTION SYSTEM IN GHANA. u LEGAL FRAMEWORK. u LEGISLATIVE REFORM IN GHANA’S ADOPTION LAW. u ADVANCING CHILDREN’S RIGHTS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT- EDUCATION. 2 1 2/10/21 I. GHANAIAN HISTORICAL CONTEXT & BACKGROUND 3 In the Ghanaian context “Best interests of the Child” will includes cultural perspective and respect for customary structure. Ø Extended family environment. Ø Benefits: Children are allowed to remain in a familiar environment, still connected with their natural family; safety net for children to receive support within family and community. Ø Challenges: Lack of an enforced legal regime to govern this type of “informal family arrangement” for more vulnerable children, as well as the inherent difficulty in monitoring such social arrangements, lends itself to corporal punishment, domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual violence and exploitation, ritual servitude (Trokosi). 4 2 2/10/21 II. CHILD & FAMILY PROTECTION SYSTEM IN GHANA. 5 2013 International Social Service Report. Ø Weaknesses in the alternative care system/ fosterage. Ø Open adoption of children. Ø Child trafficking. 6 3 2/10/21 Technical Committee Recommendations: Ø Robust child protection framework; Ø Strong regulatory and supervisory institutions; Ø Licensing and accreditation of agencies; Ø Financing of residential facilities; and Ø Comprehensive Child and Family Framework.
    [Show full text]
  • ACP Women, Actors of Development « an Initiative of the ACP Secretariat, Funded by the European Union »
    In the course of this challenging research project, we had the kind assistance of a host of committed individuals, organisations and international develop- development agencies. list being too long to cite, we would like to express our special gratitude to the numerous women’s organisations in ment agencies. list being too long to cite, we would like to express our special gratitude to the numerous women’s organisations in Africa,the Caribbeanbbeaan & PacifiPacifi c who shared their contacts and insightsinsights and assisted in puttingputting togethertogether this publication.publication. The ppurposeurpose of thisthi publicatio is to Africa,the Caribbean & Pacifi cwho shared their contacts and insights and assisted in putting together this publication. The purpose of this highlightght thethe keykkey roleroolee womenwommeenn playp in achieving human sustainable development. It showcases the outstanding contributions of grassrootsg women publicatio is to highlight the key role women play in achieving human sustainable development. It showcases the outstanding contributions of to equitableuiittaabble andand sustainablessusttaiinan bble developmentdevelopment on the ground,ground, and in their respectiverespective countries across the Sub-Saharan Africa,Africa, CaribbeanCari and Paci- fi c regions.ions. outstanding challenges and opportunitiespp for advancingg women’s rightsg in thethe economic,eeconommiicc, politicalpop littiiccaal and social dimensionsd of grassroots women to equitable and sustainable development on the ground, and in their
    [Show full text]
  • SHAPING MORALITY and HISTORY: the RHETORIC and PUBLIC MEMORY of the GEORGIA DIVISIONS of the WCTU and UDC Taryn D. Cooksey A
    SHAPING MORALITY AND HISTORY: THE RHETORIC AND PUBLIC MEMORY OF THE GEORGIA DIVISIONS OF THE WCTU AND UDC Taryn D. Cooksey A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History University of North Carolina Wilmington 2011 Approved by Advisory Committee Candice Bredbenner Paul Townend Kathleen Berkeley Chair Accepted by Dean, Graduate School TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1 “Claiming Authority and Making History: The Scholarship of the Lost Cause, Southern Women’s Organizations, and Public Memory” CHAPTER 1..................................................................................................................................31 “Redeeming Manhood: The Georgia WCTU and UDC’s Efforts to Influence Masculine Morality” CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................................62 “Public Amnesia: The Forgotten Efforts and Motives of the Georgia Woman’s Christian Temperance Union” CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................................77
    [Show full text]
  • Introductory Material (PDF)
    Dear Reader: Throughout my career—as a prosecutor, a United States Senator, and now as Secretary of State—I have dedicated myself to ensuring victims of exploitation and abuse are treated with dignity and respect before the law, so that they may see their abusers brought to justice and begin the process of healing. Last year, I chaired the first-ever hearing on human trafficking in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where we heard about the challenges trafficking victims face in getting out of harm’s way and getting their lives back on track. As Secretary of State, I am committed to making sure that survivors’ voices JOHN F. KERRY continue to be heard, because their experiences and knowledge help shape our laws and SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Kerry Official Portrait 8x10 CX1.indd 1 3/25/13 8:09 AM policies as well as the way we implement them. Ending modern slavery must remain a foreign policy priority. Fighting this crime wherever it exists is in our national interest. Human trafficking undermines the rule of law and creates instability. It tears apart families and communities. It damages the environment and corrupts the global supply chains and labor markets that keep the world’s economies thriving. We also have a moral obligation to meet this challenge head-on. Human trafficking is an assault on our most dearly held values of freedom and basic human dignity. American leadership means protecting those values at home and working to advance them around the world. We will continue to do so through our diplomacy and development efforts.
    [Show full text]
  • Katrin Rouse Weir, Ed.D. Licensed Psychologist Forensic Psychologist SEXUALLY DANGEROUS PERSON CONSULTATION Assistant District A
    Katrin Rouse Weir, Ed.D. Licensed Psychologist Forensic Psychologist SEXUALLY DANGEROUS PERSON CONSULTATION Assistant District Attorney Jessica Noble Middlesex County District Attorney's Office 12 Commonwealth Ave. Woburn, MA 01801 July 24, 2017 Paul Shanley DOB: (86) REASON FOR REFERRAL: I was retained by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office in order to review records in order to offer an opinion regarding whether or not Mr. Paul Shanley currently meets criteria as a Sexually Dangerous Person as defined by MGL Ch. 123A, Sec, 1. I was asked to complete a pre-probable cause screening. I was told the information could be used by the District Attorney's Office to assist in determining whether they would petition for Mr. Shanley’s commitment as a Sexually Dangerous Person. On 7/10/17, I verbally informed the District Attorney's Office that in my opinion, Mr. Shanley does not meet statutory criteria as a Sexually Dangerous Person. I received a number of additional materials since offering my opinion on that date. My opinion remains the same, Mr. Shanley does not meet statutory criteria as a sexually dangerous person According to his Board of Probation record, Mr. Shanley Paul Shanley SDP Consultation DOB: DOE: 7/24/17 Page-2 The Commonwealth’s sentencing memorandum identifies 23 male victims. As I understand it, only one victim went forward with the trial. I did not interview Mr. Shanley. He cannot be compelled to meet with me at this stage in the statutorily defined process. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: I reviewed: - Mr. Shanley's Board of Probation record (CORI report) and FBI/Triple I Interstate criminal history; investigative materials, police reports including victim statements completed at the time ; -Newspaper Articles describing Mr.
    [Show full text]