2015 Peace and Global Security Workshops

Come hear testimonies of marginalized communities in Brazil, Burundi and elsewhere in the Global South where restorative justice practices have brought healing and peace to victims and perpetrators of violence. Learn from practitioners in Brazil on the positive impact of restorative justice practice for inmates, victims and their families. Also, hear how a community can be successfully rebuilt, socially and economically, after a conflict through the documentary “Life after conflict in Burundi: Socio-economics and trauma healing.”

Speakers:

In spring 2014 more than 250 school girls were abducted as part of a violent campaign by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria. These and other abductions were claimed to be in response to abuses by governmental security forces which were in response to attacks by this group. As well as the perpetuation of violence which devastates communities, abduction and human rights abuses in detention centers contribute to cycles of violence and undermine the possibility of peace.

Speakers:

Public outrage over police responses to public protests have highlighted the need to address the transferring to and use of military equipment by local police forces. What impact does this militarization have on law enforcement? On public perception? How is it connected to U.S. foreign policy and defense budgets? Come hear about these issues and what we as a nation can do to change it.

Speakers:

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s Torture Report shows the dangers of letting national security concerns trump morals and laws. In the U.S. some 80,000 are held at any given time in solitary confinement cells, as highlighted by recent attention to Rikers Island and Pelican Bay, among other jails and prisons. Learn how you can help to change policies that set aside the basic human dignity in each human being and how you can work with family members and survivors for legislative and cultural change.

Speakers: