Freedom from Fear - Current Issue

The digital space represents a global interaction and communication sphere for all people. In this sphere children connect with young people and adults across almost all countries, cultures and age groups. The constant improvement and implementation of automatic translation programs, for example in social media, also means that language barriers in the digital space are becoming increasingly blurred. This evolution, which is actually to be welcomed, promises at best the emergence of a kind of Internet-based global society, but it also presents a dark side. Criminology assumes that many forms of crime - regardless of the respective national criminal law - typically arise from interaction between people. There are few arguments to argue against the fact that this is not the case on the Internet - which actually makes it the first truly widespread and global crime scene in the world. Children, too, are a natural part of this educated global scene (or space) and are thus exposed to the digital forms of crime that go hand in hand with it. At the European level, children aged 9-16 spend an average of 167 minutes each day online (Smahel et al. 2019). In Germany alone, 97 percent of minors aged 12 and over use the Internet several times a week (Feierabend et al. 2020). Children are also intrinsically confronted with the digital risks of this area. These risks range from cybergrooming and sexual harassment in social media and online games, to the confrontation with extremism and violent content, to risks such as cyberbullying and stalking (cf. Bötticher 2020; Gabriel 2020; Rüdiger 2020). Almost 25 percent of children in the European Union who use the Internet have already reported having had at least one negative online experience in the past year (Smahel et al. 2019). The U-25 study from Germany even speaks of minors perceiving the Internet as a culture of injustice (Borchard et al. 2018).

The pandemic of COVID-19 and the imposed lockdown, has led to more people to be confined at home with many more hours to spend online each day and increasingly relying on the Internet to access services, they normally obtain offline.

Over the last century, organized crime has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to rapidly adapt to mutated social, political and economic conditions. While in some cases this adaptation was the result of a reactive response to improved legislation targeting their interests, in many others it was ignited by the pursuit of new possibilities for economic profit. Examples in this sense include how quickly criminal groups adapted to new scenarios created, for instance, by geopolitical changes, the integration of global markets or the generalized use of the world wide web as a marketplace for a variety of licit and illicit goods and services.

“Man is by nature a social animal” proclaimed Aristotle. This characteristic has made us organize into complex hierarchical societies where individuals are interdependent to satisfy basic necessities. Although we all know that social distancing is the most effective way to contain the spread of coronavirus, this is something biologically unnatural for humans.1 In this health emergency, many governments have decided to impose strict measures to limit social interactions to an absolute minimum. Lockdowns, limitations of movement of people and closure of borders have all been necessary measures for the good of societies.

The principle of equality – the belief that all human beings are born free and equal – along with the correlated prohibition on discrimination are foundations of society. Equality is one of the most basic aspects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a pillar on which the United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945. Yet, following the emergence of the coronavirus in December 2019, this long-established fundamental human right is being increasingly threatened. Indeed, as the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Fernand de Varennes, observed, “COVID-19 is not just a health issue; it can also be a virus that exacerbates xenophobia, hate and exclusion.”

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, no clear evidence has emerged of a significant decrease in the supply of drugs at the global level, including in Italy, even after the quarantine was extended to the entire country.

To prevent the spread of Covid19, many governments have been taking strict measures such as closing borders, imposing nationwide lockdowns and setting up quarantine facilities. While these measures may ensure that social distancing is followed seriously, they may have indirect effects on the economy and adverse effects on the well-being of people, especially the vulnerable population.

The year 2020 marks two important landmarks in gender equality achievement: the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, and the 20th year of implementing Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic caused cancellation and postponement of many important international meetings, including a shortened version of the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, but it is also risking to heavily jeopardize the progress made over recent years.

The global spread of COVID-19 has dramatically impacted our lives. In an effort to contain the virus, governments across the globe have resorted to social distancing, home lockdowns, and isolation policies. However, such measures can have a negative impact on people’s mental well-being, put pressure on their relationships and cause stress, thus potentially contributing to an increase in violence and aggression within households. A recent review of the psychological impact of quarantine measures confirms that isolation can produce several negative emotional effects, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, emotion regulation problems, depression, and increased feelings of stress. Experiencing stress and powerlessness is associated with an increased risk of violent victimization. Perpetrator and victims often know each other. The combination of stress-inducing factors due to the lockdown and potentially living together with a perpetrator of violence may trigger an increase and worsening of various forms of violence within the household.

Preparing young people for the diplomatic and international careers of today means facing the new international crises with an innovative and global vision that analyzes their real causes first and then provides adequate and effective responses over time. Furthermore, a greater synergy with international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) is needed. In this regard, the European Association of International Studies (AESI) usually organizes two missions in Geneva in coordination with the Italian Representation at the United Nations agencies. Unfortunately, the health emergency has not allowed this tradition to continue this year, but the liaison with the Director-General of the UN Agencies in Geneva, Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, is still vigorous and the activities promoted by AESI for young university students are considered of great importance. Indeed, AESI is strongly convinced that only by investing in the new generations with innovative and global training, which envisage above all concrete contacts with international actors such as the UN and the European Union (EU), we can achieve a future of peace and promote a culture of solidarity. Furthermore, we believe that the interaction with young university students who are preparing for diplomatic and international careers can also enrich international organizations through a deeper understanding of young people’s perspectives, enhancing also their creative solutions to crises. The Director-General of the United Nations Agencies in Geneva illustrated in her Message to AESI what the priorities of this health emergency are, but she also encouraged the UN to listen to the new generations. She invited students to send them messages and contributions. The Director-General also expressed her wish to meet with the young AESI members in Geneva when it will be possible. The University will play a great role in the future, not only with respect to the international relations dimension, but above all with the involvement of young people in the process of renewing peace promotion strategies in crisis situations. The United Nations has discovered this great added value and for this we also thank the United Nations Director-General of Geneva.

The world is shaken by an unprecedented health crisis. Its multiple ravages are echoing all over the world and the media seem to revel in it as information concerning the situation becomes vital. Needless to say, Covid-19 made its appearance at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of the province of Hubei in China, and at the start of 2020, continued to spread in an overpowering and dominant way, not only characterized by its speed but also in its capacity of adaptation across all continents of the world. China has been overwhelmed. In France, there are no longer yellow vest protests. Italy no longer sings and the art world present in the country has closed its doors. It would seem that America, in tears, suddenly forgot its superpower. The virus rapidly spread also in Latin America, with more than 11 thousand cases in 24 hours in Brazil. All of this to show the very serious impact that Covid-19 has provoked on daily life around the world. In fact, on March 11, it qualified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), exceeding the number of 100 infected countries to all areas of the globe.

In its efforts to raise awareness against the coronavirus, the association “The voice of the students of Timbuktu” has just trained around thirty young people in respect of measures to stop the contagion. The training can be recognized as a means to strengthen the prevention of COVID-19 in Timbuktu, where nothing seems to worry the population.

In his remarks to the High-level Meeting on Mali and the Sahel held on the margins of the General Debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, the Secretary General António Guterres acknowledged the increasing threat posed by the rise of violence in the Sahel and its spreading towards the Gulf of Guinea. He also warned about terrorist groups exploiting local conflicts and acting as defenders of communities to enhance their popularity and local support. As a matter of fact, countries in the Sahel region have been experiencing a significant increase in the level of violence, resulting in severe consequences for the population. According to Mohamed Ibn Chambas, UN Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), the casualties caused by terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, have increased five-fold since 2016. The fragile circumstances and the deteriorating security situation have also pushed many people to flee their homes, with more than one million refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltered in the central Sahel.

In our contemporary globalized world, women and adolescent girls in various countries across the globe continue to face constant hardships and obstacles, ranging from gender-based violence to prevalent gender inequalities and deeply rooted gendered socio-cultural norms, which hinder their emancipation and development and negatively impact the implementation of gender equality and rights. Despite these circumstances, different advancements, such as emerging innovative solutions and technologies, can play a significant role in relation to the development and empowerment of women in various sectors of society globally. It thus becomes ever more necessary to apply cross-cutting approaches, such as a critical gender lens and a rights-based approach1 to a wide range of development sectors and issue areas, including, but not limited to, education, political participation, and economic development, while considering, at the same time, the role that technology can have in these domains and analyzing its socio-cultural, global implications.

A patriarchal society confers the title of “breadwinners” on ‘him’ and bestows them with the responsibility to earn for the family. This confers another title on him as “head of the family” which thematically corresponds to “white man’s burden” as it creates an illusion that only men are capable of earning for the family. Unfortunately, the phrase “the father is the head of the family” is taught already as a lesson in pre-primary school thereby sowing the seeds of inequality in innocent minds. This illusion, born from the patriarchal mindset, laid the foundation for the socio-economic gender inequalities present today and is the root cause of intergenerational inequality faced by women.