User:Deashiaterrell/sandbox

Responding to Constructive Criticism

Achievements

The Association for the Prevention of Torture has worked for over 40 years to prevent torture around the world. There are now regional, national and international committees that oversee places of detention in which people are being denied of their civil liberties. A common term for these detention centers are closed environments which are prisons or immigration centers that prevent people from expressing their inalienable rights. The APT has taken preventative measures to ensure that individuals who have been incarcerated or taken into custody unjustly are able to have access to a lawyer, a doctor and family members are also notified when their relatives are incarcerated to prevent and reduce the possibility of torture occurring. The APT has also been successful in setting up regular visits to detention camps and ensuring that no malpractices are occurring among people who are being detained. Additionally, the APT has also composed a guide about anti torture legislation that details the national laws that must be followed to take action against torturous acts. Since the APT partnered with the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) many places of detention have been shut down. Also, in other instances the living conditions of some detention camps have improved in terms of food and housing arrangements. These improvements are due to the communicative efforts between national organizations and the APT.

Purpose

The APT is a non governmental association that is focused on ensuring that no human being is ever subjected to the cruel or inhumane practices of torture. The vision of the APT is to protect the liberties of people who have been denied or cheated out of their basic human rights. Every person is entitled to being treated with respect and given opportunities to better themselves and their economic status. The APT is also very objective in its pursuits which are to have an open mind and non discriminatory ideal towards helping any one who is being treated unjustly. Overall, the APT has set an international standard by which over 80 countries are in agreement to recognize that torture is an inhumane act that affects people in developing countries. The APT has ongoing projects in place to ensure that acts of torture are not legitimized in any form.

Founder Biography

Jean Jacques Gautier was born in 1912 in Chene-Bourgeries, Geneva. He was raised by a family of influential bankers and he later became an associate of the Picet and Cie private bank. In 1973, Amnesty International started a campaign to abolish the practices of torture. This influenced Gautier because he believed that torture was, "the absolute weapon in the service of the powers of the evil, the shame of our century." Being greatly influenced by his Christian beliefs and the anti torture movement, Gautier entered early retirement and dedicated the remainder of his life to stopping torture from endangering the lives of innocent people.

Regional

The APT works with countries in Africa, the Americas, Pacific Asia, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa and other countries to carry out plans for preventing acts of torture. Indonesia organized a trip for students to visit Geneva with the help of the APT and they spent the day at a workshop to develop strategies to create a system that monitors the conditions of a detention camp. The APT hopes that its support for Indonesian national institutions will form the National Preventive Mechanism in Indonesia which is the process of ratifying OPCAT to act as a supporting system in efforts to rid any areas of Indonesia that are engaging in cruel acts of torture.

Drafting my Contribution

I will be contributing to the article entitled: Association for the Prevention of Torture

I plan on adding a section for Achievements, adding more biographical information about the founder into the lead section of the article, Regional Expansion, Purpose/Mission of APT

Achievements

The APT has worked for over 40 years to enact different ways to prevent (awk; has worked to prevent torture around the world?) acts of torture from occurring on a global scale. There are now regional, national and international sectors (committees?) that can supervise (what do you mean by this) places of detention in which people are being stripped or refused their civil liberties. There are preventative measures that have been taken (avoid passive voice) to ensure that individuals who have been incarcerated or taken into custody unjustly are able to have access to a lawyer, a doctor and family members are notified in order to prevent and aid in reducing the possibility of torture occurring. The APT has also been successful in setting up regular visits to detention camps and ensuring that no malpractices are occurring among people who are being detained. The APT has also composed a guide about anti torture legislation that details the national laws that must be abided by to take action against torturous acts. Since the partnership of the APT with the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) many places of detention have been shut down (cite?). Also, in other instances the conditions of some detention camps have improved in terms of food and housing arrangements. These improvements are due to the communicative efforts between national organizations and the APT. Ultimately the APT has set an international standard by which over 80 countries are in agreement with which is recognizing that torture is an inhumane act that affects people in developing countries. Additionally, there are still numerous ongoing projects for that the APT has to get as many countries involved with making sure acts of torture are stopped and not legitimized in any form (last sentence awkward; also, where are the citations for this information?).

Jean Jacques Gautier (to be added to the lead section; I actually think this can be its own section - founder biography)

Jean Jacques Gautier is was born in 1912 in Chene- Bougeries, Geneva. He was raised by a family of influential bankers and he later became an associate of the Pictet and Cie private bank. Later (when?), Amnesty International started a campaign to abolish the practices of torture which influenced Gautier (how). Being greatly influenced by his Christian beliefs and the anti torture movement, Gautier entered early retirement and dedicated the remainder of his life to stopping torture from endangering the lives of innocent people. (Sources!)

Regional Expansion

The APT works with countries in Africa, the Americas, Pacific Asia, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa and other countries to carry out plans for preventing acts of torture. Indonesia (the country organized or APT did?) for example organized a trip for students to visit Geneva and spend a day at a workshop to come up with strategies to create a system that monitors the conditions of a detention camp. The National Preventive Mechanism in Indonesia is in the process of ratifying OPCAT to act as a supporting system in efforts to rid any areas of Indonesia that are enraging in cruel or degrading acts of torture. Torture prevention strategies in conjunction with working with other nations to talk about building and promoting preventative torture strategies.

Purpose

The APT is a non governmental association that is set on ensuring that no human being is ever subjected to the cruel or inhumane practices of torture. The vision of the APT is to protect the liberties of people who have been denied or cheated out of their basic human rights. Every person is entitled to being treated with respect and given opportunities to better themselves and their economic status. The APT is also very objective in its pursuits which are to have an open mind and non discriminatory ideal towards helping any one who is being treated unjustly.

Outline Your Contribution

• I am going to be contributing to the Wikipedia entry entitled Association for the Prevention of Torture
• The information that is already provided on the entry includes: a brief history about when the organization was founded and who founded the organization, activities that the APT does to achieve its goals, and the structure of the organization and the partnerships it has acquired
• The main points I plan on contributing to the article include: Achievements (the organization's accomplishments since it was founded), a more detailed biography of the founder of APT, Regional Expansion (where the APT is working and what types of improvements they are making in other parts of the world), the purpose of the APT and their overall mission

My contributions and their sources cited:

Achievements:

Founder of APT:

Regional Expansion:

Purpose:

I. Achievements

1. Main purpose is to make people aware that they have rights and are allowed to seek help from other countries or organizations
2. Torture cannot be justified ever
3. APT has enacted inadmissible evidence which sets a grounds for proving the act of torture

II. Founder of APT

1. Jean Jacques Gautier was born in Geneva and was committed to serving those who were less privileged
2. Humanitarianism was the focus of Gautier was to combat torture
3. He was heavily influenced by his Christian faith and the anti torture movement

III. Regional Expansion

1. APT has partnered with Africa, the Americas, Pacific Asian Islands, Europe and Central Asia, along with the Middle East and North Africa
2. Latin American and some Caribbean countries have started discussing legislation on anti torture
3. The European Union, Argentina and Mongolia have launched a global alliance for torture free trade meaning that they no longer will engage in trade transaction with nations that torture citizens

IV. Purpose

1. The vision of the APT is to help people who have been stripped of their freedoms to gain help or asylum from other countries
2. APT remains unbiased, never taking sides
3. APT is willing to do what is in the best interest of the victim

Academic Article Outline (Version 2)

Changing Cultures in Closed Environments: What Works? by Jem Stevens

I. Introduction

• Authoritative forces are seen as a source of protection for people who are stripped and or denied their basic rights
• APT works to implement ways to prevent abuse of citizens
• Understanding the organizational structure of closed environments will help identify ways to change negative attitudes and consider ways in which an understanding of what human rights are can be agreed upon

II. Argument

• Closed environments: categorized as prisons, detention camps, immigration centers in which people are deprived of their liberties
• Closed environments are closed off from the outside world and are not subjected to regulations that can keep them in line and ensure that the people encased in the environment are being adequately cared for
• There is a possibility that with the help of the APT, the substandard living conditions in the detention camps and immigration centers can change in a positive way to ensure that the people in these environments are given their basic human rights

III. Supporting Evidence

• Institutionalized racism can be briefly summed up as a form of racism that has been implemented in preventing the social/political advancement of people of color
• The culture in most closed environments will reflect the society's values (United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, etc.)

IV. Conclusion

• There can be a shift in the terms of treatment for the people who are being detained in camps or detention centers
• The APT can be influential in making sure that basic human rights such as shelter, food/water and clothing are provided
• Better treatment of individuals (in closed environments) can come from being conscious about the changes in our society such as the rights every human being is entitled to have simply because they are human beings

Academic Article Outline

Outline of Who Shall Teach African American Literature by Weihua Zhang, Adam Meyer, Carl A. Adkins and Cary Nelson published by Modern Language Association

I. Introduction

• There is a question or whether or not individuals of other ethnicities should be able to teach a course about African American studies.
• Perhaps there is a fear that allowing peoples who are not of African or African American descent will somehow diminish the authenticity of taking an African American Literature course
• However, there could be great benefits in allowing individuals of different ethnicities and nationalities to teach these courses in order to diversify western literature

II. Argument

• There is a shortage of African Americans with PhD's
• Hiring Caucasian professors to teach an Afro-American course is better than leaving it to be untaught

III. Data

• There is a need for better prepared African American scholars
• Biased/uninformed critics should be better informed about the importance of Afro-American studies
• There is a need for minority literature to define their narrative and not have it erased or ignored

IV. How to Apply

• The integration of African American literature into most if not all college curriculums across the country is important to teach the significant impact minorities have had in history

V. Conclusion

• The profession of teaching African American studies needs to be respected
• Allowing other ethnicities such as Caucasians and Asians to teach this course can allow others to see the importance and value in destroying the tired ideologies of racism/prejudice/stereotypes

[[/ Article evaluation -- (Human) Suffering]]

Association for the Prevention of Torture

    The article I have chosen to contribute to is entitled The Association for the Prevention of Torture. The APT was founded in 1977 by a man named Jean-Jacques Gautier. In its early days, the association was called the Swiss Committee Against Torture. The main goal of this association is to try and prevent the mistreatment of immigrants. Their challenges include trying to work with the United Nations in ensuring that all immigrants are treated fairly and given equal opportunity. This association has helped release detainees through using a regulated protocol to communicate with other nations and change their detention policies. I will be contributing the mission of this association along with examples of what kind of mistreatment the individuals are subjected to. 

    There are numerous journal articles and government websites that can inform citizens about this association and its efforts to inspire, inform and persuade people into preventing the torture/mistreatment of others. This article can help us understand that no human should be treated inhumanely. We should all be willing to help when it comes to making sure that other humans are treated fairly and equally to make a better life for themselves. Torture is banned and no human should have to endure it however it still occurs in some places. 

Bibliography

APT - Mobilising for prevention. Accessed September 28, 2017. http://www.apt.ch/en/mobilising-for-prevention/.

"Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT)." HRDN - Human Rights and Democracy Network. Accessed September 28, 2017. http://hrdn.eu/association-for-the-prevention-of-torture/.Deashiaterrell (talk) 17:32, 28 September 2017 (UTC)

Of Torture, Association for the Prevention. "UN Global Compact on Migration: Preventing Torture of Migrants Should Be at the Core of the Compact." By Association for the Prevention of Torture :: SSRN. August 25, 2017. Accessed September 28, 2017. https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=998105006000066120067111126101100121053040051018055094125101003098095110071064124123041031008002042043044095084119031120017080025010021006031087089030120109084103030064008046090120006008105022127105093122029021024108108070092102088123068066105094101069&EXT=pdf.

"Torture." Human Rights Watch. Accessed September 28, 2017. https://www.hrw.org/topic/torture.

Deashiaterrell (talk) 17:35, 28 September 2017 (UTC)