Innocent Citizens Research Articles

A GIS TOOL FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE NATURE OF INSURGENCY IN BORNO STATE

The various activities carried out by the fundamentalist group called Boko Haram have created fear among the populace and the international communities. This group was the first set in Nigeria to be labeled as an insurgent organization by the United State of America and its associates. Since 2009 to date the group has carried out so many violent activities in the North-eastern Nigeria through Kidnapping, suicide bombing, attacks on innocent citizens and robbery. The study explores the usefulness of Geographical Information System (GIS) in understanding the various pattern and nature of insurgency in Borno State. In other to achieve this aim, the study provided the following objectives which include updating the existing database of insurgency activities in Borno State showing the pattern of the nature of insurgency in Borno state from 2009 to 2017 and identifing the area with the highest and lowest insurgency activities in the state. Secondary data where utilized from Armed Conflict Location and Events Dtat (ACLED) 2018 version, and security records. ArcGIS was employed for the analysis of the spatial pattern of the nature of insurgency. The result shows that suicide bombing was the commonest nature of insurgency in the study area with 505 incidence, while attacks on foreigners was the least with 9 incidence. It further shows that Maiduguri had the highest insurgency incidence throughout the period of study. The study therefore recommended that adequate security measures showed be employed, rollout counter violent extremism programs and emphasized the humanitarian dimension of international aid.

Are smart sanctions smart enough? An inquiry into when leaders oppress civilians under UN targeted sanctions

Why do some UN targeted sanctions (or “smart” sanctions) cause collateral damage to the general population, while others minimize it? We suggest the scope and the effectiveness of smart sanctions, as well as the political institutions of target countries, are critical determinants of sanctions’ adverse effects on human rights. Leaders targeted by sanctions with a broad scope will have a greater incentive to oppress people to ward off potential support for challengers. The degree to which they can carry out successful oppression, however, hinges upon the effectiveness of the implementation of sanctions. Furthermore, we expect that authoritarian systems are more likely to encourage oppression than other ones. We conduct a quantitative analysis of 56 UN-imposed smart sanction episodes. Our study reveals sanctions with a broad scope that are less effective result in deteriorated human rights conditions, especially in authoritarian countries. However, we find when sanctions with a narrow scope work effectively, they do not hurt innocent citizens.

Police brutality and human rights in Nigeria's democracy: Focus on restoration of man's dignity

After about twenty years of military rule in Nigeria, Nigerians seemed to have lost the ability to insist on their fundamental human rights. In this vein, any attempt to talk about human rights has been very controversial since the return of democracy in 1991 because the police seem to have taken over the lawlessness of the military as no day passes without a daily occurrence of extra judicial killings, accidental discharge, and other notorious acts against innocent citizens all over the country. Therefore, with police brutality observable in every nook and cranny of the Nigerian society, this study evaluates human rights abuses in Nigeria's democracy with a view to restoring man's dignity that is at lowest ebb today than ever. Since government seems confused on what steps to take to put a stop to the series of abuses of human rights, hypotheses were formulated and literatures related to the variables reviewed. Survey research design was adopted and a total sample of 150 respondents was selected through purposive sampling technique and simple random sampling technique. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significant levels and the results of the findings show that all the null hypotheses were rejected and the alternate hypotheses accepted at same significant levels. Among the findings, the study shows that the rule of law in Nigeria has fallen short of the expectations of the citizens. Secondly, the police force has become a stumbling block to the effective administration of Justice and efficient maintenance of law and order as cruelty against citizens are widespread. Furthermore, the sheer disrespect of rules of engagements with imunity by the police not only questions the ability of the government to protect its citizens but also undermines its credibility. Based on the findings, the study concludes that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have not only abdicated their constitutional functions, responsibilities and obligations to Nigerians, but are deeply engaged in human rights abuses, bribery, and extortions of money not only from motorists plying our roads but also in our habitudes at the least opportunity. In this light, the study recommends that as a security organization in a democracy, the Nigeria police should understand that democracy demands that the human personality in its course of development should be allowed to proceed without artificial forces or barricade so long as it actively does not violate the safety and reasonable right of others. In addition, there should be other far-reaching reforms and reorientations necessary to bring Nigeria's policing operations into conformity with constitutional and international human rights standards.

Tristes Tropique in Jacqueline Bishop's Patchwork Aesthetics

Tristes Tropique in Jacqueline Bishop's Patchwork Aesthetics

The Effect of American and European Sanctions on Russia

The paper defines “international sanctions” as politically and economically coercive decisions imposed by two or more countries upon another country to further their own perceived strategic interests. International sanctions can include economic manipulation; coercive diplomatic efforts; or preliminaries to war. Sanctions are controversial. Scholars question sanctions’ effects on innocent citizens; the level of ethnocentrism involved in designing and implementing sanctions; and the possibility that sanctions may be ineffective. Ang and Peksen 2007 found that sanctions achieve their goals only 33% of the time. Supporters of sanctions argue that regardless of sanctions’ negative effects on innocent people, those citizens were already being oppressed by their government. Supporters also argue that sanctions are the best international alternative to inaction; and that in the absence of sanctions, oppressive regimes have no incentive to reform. Opponents of sanctions argue that sanctions promote western values while diminishing the culture of the targeted state. Conversely, supporters argue that something must be done, and cite democratic peace theory as a justification for cultural insensitivity. There have been several international sanctions against Russia by the U.S. and its allies, beginning in 1979 when the U.S. stopped wheat exports to the Soviet Union. The most recent major sanction was imposed in 2014 on the Russian Federation following its annexation of Crimea. The paper examines economic and political sanctions against Russia and attempts to determine their effect on political and macroeconomic variables such as election results, exchange rates, trade, unemployment rates, and economic growth; and whether sanctions have been effective in meeting their goals.

PRAVO NA NAKNADU ŠTETE ZBOG NEOPRAVDANE OSUDE ILI NEUTEMELJENOG UHIĆENJA ILI PRITVARANJA, S NAGLASKOM NA UPRAVNO POSTUPANJE U OSTVARIVANJU TOGA PRAVA

According to Croatian law, the procedure for compensation for damage due to unjustified conviction or unfounded arrest or detention is administrative-judicial. The injured party is obliged to refer to the Ministry of Justice before filing a lawsuit against the Republic of Croatia in order to achieve a settlement of damages and compensation. In accordance with the views of the European Court of Human Rights, there are admissible restrictions on the “right of access to a court” guaranteed by Article 6 § 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The legal basis of compensation for damage are the rules of international and constitutional law according to which the compensation for damage is subject to public law of an unjustifiably convicted or unfounded arrested or detained person, corresponding to the duty of the state to award compensation. Compensation is a subjective right as it concerns private interests of the injured party but also a public right because it is in the public interest that the innocent citizen is not unjustly convicted or unfounded arrested or detained. Unlike the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, which in Article 25 § 4 stipulates the right to compensation for damage to a person who was “illegally” deprived of liberty or sentenced, Article 3 of Protocol No. 7 to the 1984 European Convention on Human Rights provides for the right to compensation for wrongful conviction, which is perceived as “unjustified conviction”. In its practice, by referring to the concept of “lawfulness” of the deprivation of liberty under Article 5 § 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights has in fact, in its practice, reimbursed the unjustified arrest and detention (in the sense of the European Convention on Human Rights) of unwarranted arrest and detention. “Inadmissible” arrest or detention is, in accordance with the provisions of Article 480, a wider term that includes “unjustified” (misdirected under Article 3 of Protocol No. 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights) and “unlawful” arrest or detention. The number of injured party claims for damages to the Croatian administrative body (Ministry of Justice) is significant, and the number of solved applications is considerably smaller. Compensation based on settlement is solely monetary and only because of unjustified arrest or detention. The fees, as a result of the unacceptably large number of unfounded arrests or detentions, are large. The tendency of increase in the number of applications received and paid amounts was curbed in the period from 2013 to 2016, slightly less than the number of claims received and significantly in relation to the amount of money disbursed on the merits.

Terrorism and its Negative Effects on Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Al-Shabaab

In contemporary times, the most pressing issues threatening the tranquility and global stability, particularly in Africa, are the heinous activities of terrorist groups. The word “terrorism” caught the world’s attention through the 9/11 incident, although it has been in existence for centuries. There have been numerous definitions for the act of terrorism, yet there is no universally approved definition which is accepted by all countries. This article, therefore, seeks to elucidate terrorism from different perspectives and also elaborate on its causes as well. Most importantly, this article focuses on Al-Shabaab as a violent extremist group with an emphasis on their background, their violent activities, the recruitment process as well as their source of funding. Additionally, their interconnection with the Al-Qaeda group will be dealt with as well as how terrorism has negatively affected a lot of people through the spread of violence, fear, and instability throughout the regions of Africa. The Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia is considered amongst the deadliest militant groups across the continent of Africa, after the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria. Some of the heinous activities carried out by this Al-Shabab terrorist group comprises of intimidation, bombing, suicide attacks, kidnapping, and gunfire of unarmed innocent citizens both within and outside Somalia. The inception of Al-Shabaab was as a result of the power vacuum that was created in 1991 after the warlords were unsuccessful in bringing into being any governance system during the fall of the last Somalia central government. Owing to this power vacuum fabricated, it has therefore empowered the Islamic court's leaders to assume informal authorities in some parts of south-central Somalia. Despite the fact that the Islamic court defeated these warlords, they were eventually defeated on the grounds of a national security threat by Ethiopian forces invading Somalia.

Face Detection & Recognition using Tensor Flow: A Review

Face recognition has become a popular topic of research recently due to increases in demand for security as well as the rapid development of mobile devices. There are many applications which face recognition can be applied to such as access control, identity verification, security systems, surveillance systems, and social media networks. Access control includes offices, computers, phones, ATMs, etc. Most of these forms currently do not use face recognition as the standard form of granting entry, but with advancing technologies in computers along with more refined algorithms, facial recognition is gaining some traction in replacing passwords and fingerprint scanners. Ever since the events of 9/11 there has been a more concerned emphasis on developing security systems to ensure the safety of innocent citizens. Namely in places such as airports and border crossings where identification verification is necessary, face recognition systems potentially have the ability to mitigate the risk and ultimately prevent future attacks from occurring. As for surveillance systems, the same point can be made if there are criminals on the loose. Surveillance cameras with face recognition abilities can aide in efforts of finding these individuals. Alternatively, these same surveillance systems can also help identify the whereabouts of missing persons, although this is dependent on robust facial recognition algorithms as well as a fully developed database of faces. And lastly, facial recognition has surfaced in social media applications on platforms such as Facebook which suggest users to tag friends who have been identified in pictures. It is clear that there are many applications the uses for facial recognition systems. In general, the steps to achieve this are the following: face detection, feature extraction, and lastly training a model.

Conspiracy Narratives in Russian Politics: from Stalin to Putin

In order to silence the resistance, the Soviet Union under Stalin kept the population in permanent fear and uncertainty by recurrent purges of innocent citizens, ‘Old Bolsheviks’ and Red Army commanders, thus terrorizing the entire population. Similar conspiracy narratives are used under Putin. In order to keep his grip on power, after the Beslan massacre, Putin’s administration discourse hints at the operation of an international conspiracy of states using terrorism as an instrument to weaken Russia.

The Short-Lived Epidemic of Botulism From Commercially Canned Foods in the United States, 1919 to 1925.

In 1919, three deadly outbreaks of botulism caused by consumption of canned olives packed in California captured national headlines. In all of the outbreaks, which occurred in separate locales, unsuspecting people died after consuming tainted food during a banquet or family meal. The press's sensational portrayal of canned food as hazardous aroused alarm among consumers at a time when commercial canning was becoming more common. Intent on restoring the image of their product as safe and wholesome, canning industry leaders funded a "botulism commission" of scientific experts in 1919 to investigate how to systematically eliminate the threat of botulism that had imperiled their business. The commissioners identified the scientific reasons for the outbreaks, and on the basis of their findings, the California Department of Public Health issued explicit recommendations for sterilization procedures intended to ensure safety. However, the department did not mandate inspections for all canneries. When commercially packed fruits and vegetables continued to cause botulism, industry leaders voluntarily backed a cannery inspection act to legally require all California canners to possess appropriate equipment and follow scientifically validated sterilization procedures. After the California legislature approved the act in 1925, canneries were inspected, regulations were enforced, and no further outbreaks occurred. This botulism epidemic is an example of a disease outbreak that was controlled when business interests became aligned with public health goals. The press's portrayal of afflicted persons as innocent victims and worthy citizens galvanized businessmen to implement safeguards to protect consumers from botulism intoxication. To preserve their customer base and salvage their corporations, leaders of the canning industry acknowledged the public health threat of their unregulated procedures and acted on the recommendations of scientists.

Exploring the Causes and Management of Pastoralists-Farmer Conflicts in Ghana

Conflicts between pastoralists and farmers are not new to our farming communities in Ghana but in recent years the magnitudeof these conflicts have increased especially in the Agogo traditional area of the Ashanti region of Ghana. This paper exploresthe causes of the conflicts and conflict management strategies used. In order to achieve the said objective a qualitative andquantitative data collection techniques were employed to study some 90 farmers who were directly affected by the conflicts inthe study area. Data were collected using semi structured questionnaire administered through personal interviews. The datawere analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. The study found out that, the conflicts between farmers andFulani pastoralist in the study area was caused by five major factors which include; destruction of food crops by cattle and thekilling of innocent citizens of the area which has brought fear and panic among citizens. Since the 1990s till today, the Fulaniherdsmen have either shot and killed or butchered not less than 12 people in the study area. The conflicts were managed usingseveral conflict management strategies, however what proved very effective was coercion and adjudication.

The Fanatical ISIS through the Lens of Islamic Law

Series of attacks under the disguise of Islam; ISIS created an outrage throughout the world, bombings in a number of places, beheading innocent citizens, kidnapping women and children of different sects of Muslims for the cause of harassment and assault, also, burning non-Muslims alive and drowning, then upload those video clips of murder-inaction in the name of the so-called revival of Khilafah and post Quranic verses has raised questions like is conflict one of the principles of Islam? During and after the propagation of Islam did the prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) ever behead a non-Muslim and present it to a ruler in order to accept Islam? Does Islam allow to amputate any human body who claims the prophet a liar or who talks against him? Furthermore, it is concluded that ISIS misinterprets the fundamentals of Islam and misrepresents them to the world either go against Islam or form the ideal of massacre. This paper intends to comprehend the fanaticism and radical terrorists’ frequent murders of ISIS that is statistically increasing daily, its brutality and more importantly creating a phobia of Islam with their bestial activities, critically, if Islam allows it and how it objectifies this in the light of Islamic law. As well as to lay out a content of Islam as religion and where it stands today under shari'ah.

Cruising in Plain View: Clandestine Surveillance and the Unique Insights of Antihomosexual Policing

The mid-twentieth century witnessed a boom in policing against homosexual cruising, the practitioners of which relied on a set of robust defense tactics to avoid detection by strangers. Frustrated by the difficulties of catching suspected cruisers, police departments developed a variety of surreptitious, deeply intrusive surveillance tactics for monitoring public bathrooms. Yet while necessitated by the insularity of modern cruising culture, these surveillance tactics were legitimized in court partly through judges’ very skepticism of that culture. Weighing the utility of clandestine surveillance against its intrusion on innocent citizens, judges frequently justified surveillance by characterizing cruisers as sexual predators eager to expose themselves to innocent victims. From inception to conviction, the utility of clandestine surveillance thus depended partly on an epistemic lag between the arms of the criminal justice system: a disconnect between the police’s sensitivity to contemporary homosexual practices and judges’ continuing insistence on an older paradigm of perverse predation.

Kwangju Incident and Role of the Judiciary in South Korea

Objective - The Constitutional Court of South Korea ('the Court') is the guardian of the constitution and has jurisdiction to decide cases concerning potential violations of the constitution. In the Kwangju incident, innocent citizens were murdered and injured while they were protesting against the military government. Their demand was to be provided the basic rights which are granted by the constitution of South Korea, as well as seeking democracy in the country. This paper analyses the judgment of the Court and observations of the judges. Further, it discusses the effects of the judgment on legislation, as well as analysing the situation involved in deciding the case in which unconstitutional actions of the military government were declared inhumane. Methodology/Technique - The research reviews articles in related area. Findings - Through this judgement, the Court played a major role in strengthening the constitution and democracy, through the way in which it reached a conclusion in the Kwangju incident case. The Court suggested the legislator should introduce new legislation to remove the latches of the case. Novelty - The study intends to learn the effects of the judgement on South Korean legislation. Type of Paper - Review Keywords: Kwangju Incident; Special-Legislation; Justice System; Democratization Movement.

The Historical Significance of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Biological warfare is a growing threat to modern society that has yet to be effectively regulated at the international level. Contemporary applications of biological weapons are of increasing concern to states around the globe. The so-called “Amerithrax” incident of 2001 is one example of the frightening effects of such weapons on innocent citizens. As a result, five civilians died from anthrax exposure, and 17 others became ill or were injured, making it one of the “worst biological attacks in U.S. history.” The event garnered much international attention, and prompted many government officials to begin discussing biological weapons and biological warfare both domestically and globally. This essay provides a history of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and details many of its successes and failures. This essay also discusses the future of biological weapons law through the lens of the BWC’s history. Further, this paper offers ideas as to why nations sign agreements before immediately violating them. Biological weapons law has been violated by many state actors throughout history, making the enforceability of those laws a prime area for study.

A Glimpse On The Iraqi And The Kurdistani Laws Of Terrorism

The issue of terrorism occupies a large part of the attention of criminal jurisprudence in view of the serious danger posed by terrorist crimes that threatens the society, resulting in the loss of security and safety, the destruction of private public property, exhaustion of bodies and desecration of holy sites. This issue is unique in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, From various forms of terrorist crimes, to well-funded organizations capable of planning and coordinating among themselves to be a rival to the great powers that use the religious discourse as a cover for them and under various names and pretexts that jeopardized the safety and security of society, O innocent citizens and caused serious damage to the economy, environment and infrastructure.

ELITE POLITICS AND THE EMERGENCE OF BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY IN NIGERIA

Abstract. This study examines the role of elite politics in the emergence of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. It argues that the struggle between political elites of northern and southern extractions over the control of state power has intensified national conflicts and insurgency in the country. Political elites are no longer divided by ideology but by economics of state power. Elite politics of who gets what, when, and how and the struggle for state power led to the formation of the sect and fuels the incessant attacks and insecurity in Nigeria. The study adopts a methodology involving re-description of history based on documentary research. It establishes that elite politics accounts for the emergence and escalation of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Accordingly, the study recommends that good and inclusive governance be employed as a panacea for harmonizing the fractured Nigerian state and overcoming insurgency in Nigeria. Keywords: elite politics, Boko Haram, state power, terrorism, political elite, good governance 1. Introduction Political elite is undoubtedly a crucial determinant of the history and identity of a given society. It is also a vital force in politics and violence. Boko Haram was seen as an Islamic sect pursuing religious issues. Its attacks has not just added a new phenomenon to Africa's numerous conflicts but created a new dimension to such conflicts. Terrorism is not just an African phenomenon but a global one. It seems that the intensification of the global circuits of capital is linked to the rising tide of terrorism. Terrorism refers to principally, but not exclusively, carried out by organized and unorganized non-state actors, as well as the state, designed to instil fear on victims in order to achieve political, economic, social and even religious ends (Mbah 2007:110). Essentially, terrorism can be placed contextually throughout history by various sects to achieve objectives through the use of violence (Aly 2011). Since 1997, Africa has witnessed a significant increase in the number and level of intensity of terrorist incidents. According to the incidents database of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, between 1997 and 2007 Africa recorded an estimated 522 acts of terrorism, resulting in 8,477 injuries, and 2,614 fatalities. Records show that 73% of these terrorist incidents were domestic while only about 27% were transnational, qualifying Africa as a continent perpetually at war against itself. Despite the high frequency of domestic terrorism in Africa, the many terrorism cleanup initiatives on the continent primarily concern transnational terrorism, especially since the epochal events of 9/11 (Agbiboa 2013). In modern times, manifestation of international terrorism can be seen or distinguished essentially by political and social circumstances within the international environment. Boko Haram exhibits similar tactics and motivation. There was an initial differentiation between Boko Haram, which was regarded as a kind of domestic terror group excluding it from the international network with Al-Qaeda. In this way, the emergence of terror groups in the countries of Africa was linked with economic deprivation and poverty. Thus, the political discourses in Nigeria were based on poor governance, economic deprivation, and elite corruption. However, religion acts as the ideological force, legitimizes and unifies the group and aims to achieve one of the three primary religious goals: establishment of a religiously pure state, establish religious governments or destruction of earth (Aly 2011). In spite of its marginality in global affairs, Nigeria appears to have been drawn into this spiral of terrorism. Boko Haram is predominant in the northeastern part of Nigeria, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States. It has in the last half a decade ago become the most dangerous insurgent group in Nigeria. They are known to destructively attack innocent citizens, government institutions, security formations, telecommunications masts, banks, religious organizations, educational institutions, media houses, beer halls, markets and local communities with a kind of guerrilla warfare (Mbah and Nwangwu 2014; Mohammed 2014). …

Guns, Crime, and Dangerous Minds

In the wake of recent, high profile mass shootings, the “deranged mind” has become a common discursive ground for policy makers, pundits, gun enthusiasts, and gun control advocates alike. Interested parties on both sides of the gun control/rights debate have agreed that laws restricting gun ownership should be assessed according to their ability to protect the innocent citizen from the unpredictable criminal violence of the insane (despite the fact that mass shootings account for only one tenth of 1% of all homicides committed with a gun). Contextualizing this development within both distant and recent U.S. history, we argue that policy proposals that tie contemporary gun violence prevention to mental health care can be seen as part of a confluence of technologies of social governance that includes: a turn from therapeutic to risk-management approaches to mental health care; a turn from retrospective/forensic to prospective/preventative approaches to criminal justice; and, a broader turn toward a “criminological” view of civic identity. Furthermore, by shifting the locus of violence from the gun to the interior world of the potential violent criminal, the “mental health” turn dematerializes the gun at the very moments when its “thingliness” is most vivid.

Can Care and Compassion—Be the Ultimate Solution of Terrorism?

<p><em>Like a number of serious problems in our world terrorism is also one of them. Now what do we mean by; ‘terrorism’? It is a political phenomenon, where violence and bloodshed are brought upon the innocent citizens in order to shaken up the Government as it exploits the so-called terrorists. This is a set up which runs parallel with the main stream to devastate the main stream, in a secretive or clandestine method. Thus any violent bloodshed such as killing in robbery or insurgency cannot be called terrorism as there either the cause is not political as in case of killing in robbery; or common men are not targeted as in case of insurgency (although its cause is political). Again Guerilla tactic although is a clandestine or secretive method still it is not terrorism as here the units of the Government, that is innocent citizens are not killed. Revolution also involves violence but unlike terrorism it gains public support. The terrorists claim that they are actually waging a war against the Government, but in a war certain just rules are followed which states that proportionality between the means and end should be maintained, there should be a legitimate authority waging a war, it goes on within a particular territory, it should have a consistent success rate and most importantly it protects the immunity of the innocent mass. But in terrorism such rules of just war are lacking. Thus terrorism is a political violence between the mighty and the weak, for which it can also be called a class struggle or power struggle, where the weak sect shake the mighty by attacking upon those who are part and parcel of the mighty. This ‘ism’ is thus different from war, insurgency, revolution, crime and guerilla tactic because of its distinct feature that it does not attack its direct victim but attacks its indirect victim. In other words instead of destroying the Government which is guilty to them it attacks the innocent citizens of the Government because they are the units of the Government. Thus if the part is destroyed then the whole would automatically be shaken up. This unique mentality is found only in this ‘ism’ thus it differs from all other instances of violence. Terrorism is of two types—Terrorism from Above and Terrorism from Below. The former is also known as ‘State Sponsored Terrorism’ where the state is found to torture its citizens. The latter is termed ‘Non-State Terrorism’ where the exploited lot terrorizes the state for having been oppressed by it for years. The Non-State Terrorism is formed by the private parties such as Al Qaeda, Aum Shinrikyo, Maoists of India and so on.</em></p>

Disability, Girlhood, and Vulnerability in Transnational Contexts

When we first proposed this special issue on “Disability and Girlhood: Transnational Perspectives,” we had not yet realized how the urgency in the global humanitarian crises that has escalated in intensity and scope of violence in recent months would demand our thoughtful attention. These crises, the outcomes of social protest, wars, and genocidal acts in many parts of the world for over a decade, punctuated by the Paris bombings of November 2015 that took the lives of 130 innocent citizens; the widespread displacement of 4 million Syrian refugees from their homeland; the increased militarization at the borders of the European Union and the United States; and the environmental impact of this war of terror on the daily survival of disabled and non-disabled people around the globe continue unabated. On the internet, photographic images of women and children with disabilities (and girls in particular) serve as the very embodiment of vulnerability in competition with thousands of other images of suffering (see for instance, Human Rights Watch 2012) vying for the attention of an impatient and fickle global audience (Goggin 2009; Kim 2011). In these images, disability, seen to be synonymous with vulnerability becomes simultaneously hypervisible in its ability to trigger an affective response and hyper-invisible when inspiring an emancipatory response to the material consequences of actually living with a disability. This special volume includes contributions from academics, activists, and service providers who engage with the intersectional domains of disability, gender, and humanitarian praxis. While vulnerability was not even mentioned in the call for submissions, we found that the affective politics of vulnerability appears as an “absent presence” (Ferri and Connor 2010: 106) in every submission included here. Vulnerability, when we use the term to refer to an individual or a group, makes “specific claims about differential power, as well as ... acknowledge[ing] the speaker’s own feelings of the