Articles

Posted on

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 25 March


2021 Theme: “Ending Slavery’s Legacy of Racism: A Global Imperative for Justice”

The theme reflects the global movement to end injustices whose roots lie in the slave trade. The theme highlights the importance of educating about the history of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery, to bring about an acknowledgment of slavery’s impact on the modern world, and action to address its long-lasting effects. The theme guides the Programme’s development of educational outreach and remembrance to mobilize action against prejudice, racism and injustice. (https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday/2021/events.shtml)

Calendar of Events for the 2021 Commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.

Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today. (https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday/index.shtml)

Posted on

World Water Day, 22 March

“World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, focuses on the importance of freshwater.

World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Today, water is under extreme threat from a growing population, increasing demands of agriculture and industry, and the worsening impacts of climate change.

As societies balance the demands on water resources, many people’s interests are not being taken into account.” (https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day)

Water for use at home. Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash

“This year’s theme World Water Day is about what water means to people, it’s true value and how we can better protect this vital resource. The value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource.” (https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day)

“As we observe World Water Day, we should remember the 4.2 billion living without access to adequate sanitation. We can reduce this number by supporting projects that aim to provide access to adequate sanitation. We can do this and succeed with our collective efforts. Happy World Water Day.” – Kean Smith

Posted on

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 21 March

UN Secretary General’s message for 2021

“Last year, people around the globe took to the streets to protest the vicious global pandemic of racism.

They recognized racism for what it is.

Dangerous.  Abhorrent.  Ugly.  And everywhere. 

Racism is a deeply rooted global evil.

It transcends generations and contaminates societies.

It perpetuates inequality, oppression and marginalization.

We see racism in the pervasive discrimination suffered by people of African descent.

We see it in the injustices and oppression endured by indigenous peoples and other ethnic minorities.

We see it in the repugnant views of white supremacists and other extremist groups.

Wherever we see racism, we must condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification. 

This year, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination highlights the important role of youth, who have been in the forefront of the fight against racism.

Young people’s attitudes and behaviour will dictate the future shape and look of our societies.

So, I appeal to young people everywhere, as well as educators and leaders, to teach the world that all people are born equal.

Supremacy is an evil lie.

Racism kills.

On this day, and every day, let us work together to rid the world of the pernicious evil of racism so all may live in a world of peace, dignity and opportunity.”

Click on this link to find out more about the background to this International Day.

Posted on

Stop spending good money on this …

This short blog is for the benefit of any of you who may encounter conflict or disagreements in your personal or business lives which cannot be settled by negotiation.  If you cannot sever ties with the other party and the relationship must continue in some way then this is for you.

If you have a conflict with another party but the relationship must continue then it is my view and opinion that you should not litigate your issue as a means of trying to reach a solution.  Doing so will cost you money, time and also worsen the relationship.  An example of this is the ancillary matters of a divorce where children, specially minors, are involved.

Photo by Francisco Moreno on Unsplash

One of the disadvantages of litigating in national courts is the expense of instructing Counsel and the risk of losing and/or not being able to recoup legal costs.

I recommend Mediation as a cost-effective alternative to Litigation.  Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution where a third party [a mediator] is appointed by agreement of the parties involved in the dispute to help them come to a mutually acceptable agreement. (Chartered Institute of Arbitration)

This process is less expensive than litigation because only the parties with settlement authority are directly involved and the parties must agree to the mediator and the process. There is nothing in this process that is forced.  Mediation is an ideal process for parties who are looking for a solution and are willing to compromise on some terms to reach a settlement.  It also gives the parties an opportunity to personally present their side of the story if they wish.

Mediation is a viable option to parties who must retain an ongoing relationship, has some room to compromise and want to avoid protracted and costly proceedings.

Photo by whoislimos on Unsplash

Feel free to direct any questions or comments to Kean Smith at kean@smithkas.com

Posted on

International Women’s Day 8 March

2021 Theme: Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world

“This year’s theme for the International Day,”Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world“, celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also aligned with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, “Women in public life, equal participation in decision making“,and the flagship Generation Equality campaign, which calls for women’s right to decision-making in all areas of life, equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end all forms of violence against women and girls, and health-care services that respond to their needs.” – Accessed 8 March, 2021 – https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day

Meeting in Progress – Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

“When women lead in government, we see bigger investments in social protection and greater inroads against poverty.

When women are in parliament, countries adopt more stringent climate change policies.

When women are at the peace table, agreements are more enduring.

And with women now serving in equal numbers at the top leadership posts at the United Nations, we are seeing even more concerted action to secure peace, sustainable development and human rights.” – Accessed 8 March, 2021: https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day/message

Posted on

Refugee and Migrant … yes they are different

Sometimes we may think of refugees as being people from a country far far away who have voluntarily left their home country because they are looking for a better way of life.  Many of us, including me, would at some point even mistakenly use the terms “refugees” and “migrants” interchangeably.  These terms are totally different with distinct legal and/or practical meaning.

A quick read of the term “refugee” in the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees show that the term “refugee” has a specific definition in international law.

The term “refugee” is defined in the mentioned documents and applies to any person who: 

“… owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it”.

United Nations, Geneva Photo by Mat Reding on Unsplash

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there is no universally accepted definition for “migrant” at the international level. However, for its own purposes, the IOM defines the term “migrant” as follows:

“An umbrella term, not defined under international law, reflecting the common lay understanding of a person who moves away from his or her place of usual residence, whether within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently, and for a variety of reasons. The term includes a number of well-defined legal categories of people, such as migrant workers; persons whose particular types of movements are legally-defined, such as smuggled migrants; as well as those whose status or means of movement are not specifically defined under international law, such as international students.”

Photo by Antoine Merour on Unsplash

I believe that using the appropriate terms will allow us to better understand the magnitude and issues surrounding refugees and migrants.

For example, according to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), there are more than 80 million forcibly displaced people worldwide of which 45.7 million are internally displaced people; 26.3 million are refugees and 4.2 million are asylum seekers.

Furthermore, the current global estimate is that in 2019 there were around 272 million international migrants, which equates to 3.5% of the global population.

Please feel free to direct any questions or comments to Kean Smith at kean@smithkas.com

Posted on

Who needs a Will anyway?

I will answer that question this way.

Since March, 2020, we have experience directly or indirectly, many unexpected deaths. You can probably recall that on 11 March, 2020 the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

You may also be aware that as of 21 February, 2021 a total of 2,455,131 million COVID-19 related deaths were reported to the WHO. Below is a short list of countries and the number of COVID-19 related deaths:

  • Singapore – 29;
  • Barbados – 30;
  • The Bahamas – 179;
  • Malaysia – 1,051;
  • Kenya – 1,817;
  • Switzerland – 9,148;
  • Canada – 21,576;
  • Mexico – 178,965; and
  • The United Kingdom – 120,365.

The large number of unexpected COVID-19 related deaths have caused many people to think more about life, death and their love ones. An increased number of people have asked me about inheritance related issues.

Have you considered what will happen to your assets in the event of death? How will they be inherited if you die without a Will (if you die intestate)?

Here is an example of one of the scenarios under Inheritance laws in The Bahamas. Section 4(1)(b)(ii) of the Inheritance Act, 2002 states the following:

“(b) if the intestate –

…

(ii) leave children but no husband or wife the residuary estate shall be distributed equally
among the children and where there is only one child that child shall take the whole
residuary estate;”

Do you think this is fair or reasonable?

Photo by Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash

Well I believe that the law is clear and it gives family and interested parties certainty and mitigates the risk of costly litigation.

So who needs a Will anyway?

I highly recommend that you take a little time out of your busy day to consider how you would like for your affairs to be dealt with in the event of death because doing so should allow you to determine whether or not you need a Will.

All the best.

Please feel free to direct any questions or comments to Kean Smith at kean@smithkas.com

Posted on

World Day of Social Justice 20 February

Paragraphs below taken from United Nations website – https://www.un.org/en/observances/social-justice-day

2021 Theme: A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy

“On 26 November 2007, the General Assembly declared that, starting from the sixty-third session of the General Assembly, 20 February will be celebrated annually as the World Day of Social Justice.”

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

“This year’s commemoration … aims at fostering dialogue with member States and relevant UN institutions and other stakeholders on actions needed to overcome the digital divide, provide decent work opportunities, and protect labour and human rights in the modern era of digital technologies.”

Posted on

“Effects of COVID-19 on Human Trafficking and Education”

I am happy to be sharing as a panelist of the virtual event below. Please join us!

” … Webster Leiden Student Government Association (SGA) … cordially invite you all to [its] … upcoming webinar on 19 February 2021 from 11 am to 2 pm [CET].

The theme of the webinar is the “Effects of COVID-19 on Human Trafficking and Education.”

The SGA will be hosting a panel of guest speakers Kean Smith, Dr. Sheetal Shah, Amanda Mauro, MA, Dr. Sumaiya. They are from two non-governmental organizations based in the Netherlands.

The event’s objective is to educate the students and public about the forms of modern-day slavery and the numerous ways the current pandemic has restrained resources available to victims.

Also, how the Coronavirus pandemic has further limited the victims’ access to quality education, especially those seeking asylum, and how counseling is used to rehabilitate and reintegrate victims into society.

To register for this educative and informative webinar, kindly use the QR code on the flyers. However, should you experience difficulty with the QR code, please use the link below for registration:

Event flyer

Do not forget to register, share and repost.

Thank you.

Looking forward to seeing you at the event.
#websterleidencampus#society#websterSGA“

Posted on

International Day of Women and Girls in Science, 11 February

Paragraphs below taken from United Nations website – https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day/

2021 Theme: Women scientist at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19

“On 22 December 2015, the General Assembly adopted a resolution to establish an annual International Day to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology communities. In welcoming the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other relevant organizations that support and promote the access of women and girls and their participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, training and research activities at all levels decided to proclaim 11 February of each year the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.”

Women and Tech. Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

“Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past 15 years, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.”

“At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3 per cent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 per cent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent).”

Are we underutilising human resources by having so few women and female students in STEM-related field industries and higher education?

STEM related fields are for anyone with an interest. So let us encourage female students in schools and embrace the contribution that women can make and are making in this field.