In the article Kosovo Gypsies Living in ‘Toxic’ Camps by Thomas Morton the author describes the injustices done to the large Roma (gypsy) population that resides in Kosovo. The country was at war between the Serbians in the north and the Albanian majority in the south, leaving the Roma and other small groups stuck in the middle. To deal with the growing population of gypsy refuges the UN (United Nations) created camps. These camps were anything but a refugee though. The site was built on a toxic wasteland that was lower then the surrounding lands, causing the camp to flood when it rained. The only food the camps were given was flour and beans, they also were not provided with any water. That is not even the worst of it, it was found that the children in the camp had the highest lead poisoning levels every recorded in medical literature. The UN that placed these people here have not showed much concern or reacted to the constant protest.
After reading this article I am appalled that the UN is actually letting people live in these conditions. Not only were these people forced out of their homes, their loved ones killed, their country at war, but also they must live in such horrible conditions. The UN looked down on these people because they were gypsies, but they are people just like anyone else. Also to think that had no water to cook with or clean with is just plain sad. The worst part of this whole thing is that they are allowing children to grow up in this camp while they are being poisoned by lead. I thought the UN was put in place to help keep peace in the world, but after reading this article it seems like they don’t really care.
Very good source and intresting topic. Everything came together so well. I enjoyed reading this.
ReplyDeleteI was actually really surprised to see how little the UN does in peace keeping efforts. My Paper 1 topic is about the genocide in Rwanda, and while researching I learned that they never sent troops for relief. Further, they didn't allow any country within the UN to help until April of 1994, more than 100 days into a full fledged mass murder.I agree with you, they really don't care. I think they're there for decoration more than anything, to show that they aren't going to start a war, but they won't end one either.
ReplyDeleteI am appalled as well! It's so disturbing to see that the very organization people depend on for help can also be the cause of such suffering.
ReplyDeleteYour summary and response fully meet four out of the five Cs (Clear, Concise, Correct, and Creative). The voice and title are especially creative, excellent job expressing your opinion and supporting it with details from the article! In the first paragraph you've switched refuge and refugee, and you are missing a they in the second paragraph, make sure to proofread (or ask a friend to for you) before submitting,
I too am appalled by the actions of the UN! It is articles like these that reinforce the notion that the UN should undergo major reform, or the United States should go back to more isolationists policies and work on reforming their own government and society, and allow the rest of the world to work out their issues on a smaller, more local level.
ReplyDeleteThis article was eye-opening! I had no idea any of this was going on and it shocks me that one of the organizations I held at such a high standard (United Nations) is just as bad as the rest. That's hypocrisy at its finest and only proves that the world is all about politics. We live in a dog eat dog world.
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