Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta UK. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta UK. Mostrar todas las entradas

martes, 27 de septiembre de 2011

Single Mothers Become Scapegoats in Britain - by Katrin Bennhold - NYTimes.com

NYTimes.com, by Katrin Bennhold, 27/09/2011, extracto.-

When a wave of youth riots swept across the ethnically mixed suburbs ringing France’s cities in 2005, one popular catchphrase was a much-cited (if ill-defined) clash of civilizations. “Muslims” were burning cars and “Muslims” were facing off with the French riot police, or so one was told.

Across the Channel, Britain right now is still coming to terms with its own bout of rioting last month. The explanation that seems to have captured the imagination at London dinner parties and among pundits is that of “broken families” — a phrase used to suggest a demise of values among certain youths, rooted not least in the crumbling of the two-parent family.

What Muslims were to the French riots, single moms seem to be to the English ones.

“The rightwing press and politicians have pondered the burning of Poundland and delivered their verdict,” Tanya Gold wrote recently in the left-leaning newspaper The Guardian. “Who brought us here, to this terrible place? Single mothers, yah.”

lunes, 15 de agosto de 2011

Reino Unido - David Cameron on riots: broken society is top of my political agenda | guardian.co.uk 15/08/2011

guardian.co.uk, 15/08/2011, excerpt/extracto.-

David Cameron pledged his government would 'turn around the lives of the 120,000 most troubled families' by the next election as he said his broken society analysis is 'back at the top of my political agenda'.

He made the ambitious commitment in a speech delivered on Monday at a youth centre in his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire, in which he described the rioting as a 'wake-up call' for the country. He said his ministers would use the summer to ensure their departments' policies address the causes of broken Britain.

The government has assessed there are 120,000 families across the UK that cause much of the disturbance in communities across the country – and he is now to use the government's success in turning around their lives as a benchmark against which he should be judged in 2015.

domingo, 14 de agosto de 2011

(Disturbios y familias - PM Cameron) - UK riots: zero tolerance promises Cameron - but will this be his finest hour? - Telegraph 14/08/2011

Telegraph, by Matthew Ascona, 14/08/2011, excerpt/extracto.-

Primer Ministro Cameron: sobre los disturbios, el rol de la policía - y de los padres y de las familias (de los jóvenes de los disturbios):

(...) "I don't know if I can put a number on it - it might be 100,000 deeply broken and troubled families I think this is a real project for this Parliament in saying right, we know who they are, we know where they are, we know how you can help to strengthen a family. So let's roll up our sleeves, not be embarrassed with worries about 'is this a nanny state?' but these families are costing hundreds of millions of pounds for the country, they are completely dysfunctional, they need help and we are going to get in there and actually try and turn this around.

viernes, 3 de junio de 2011

United Kingdom: New Report Examines Effects of Gang-Related and Serious Youth Violence on Women and Girls - The Advocates 31/05/2011

The Advocates, 31/05/2011, excerpt/extracto.-

Race on the Agenda's (ROTA) 2011 Female Voice in Violence Final Report illuminates the effects that gangs and serious youth violence have on women and girls in the United Kingdom. Previously, most attention and resources have been spent on researching the effects of this violence on males. ROTA’s report reveals the physical, emotional and sexual abuse that women and girls face. The women who participated in this story did so at great risk, and the authors state that there will be no progress made until there is an environment of safe disclosure.

The report makes five main findings: First, females are affected by gang-related and serious youth violence because people close to them are involved. Second, risk management structures are necessary to allow girls the ability to leave their violent environment. Third, current policy and practice in the areas of youth violence and child protection do not effectively address gender-based violence. Fourth, national and local structures need to work together by creating minimum standards that are easily implemented in local communities. Lastly, males need guidance and structure in understanding the reality of negative attitudes and actions towards females.

martes, 28 de diciembre de 2010

Nueva década de 'nuevos pobres' europeos - por Andy Robinson - La Vanguardia

La Vanguardia, por Andy Robinson, Liverpool, 29/12/2010 02:00 hrs.-

En el Reino Unido los ajustes al gasto publico creará casi un millón de pobres antes del 2015; en la periferia europea puede ser aun peor

Las burbujas de la década del 2000-2009 en Europa dieron vida a los nuevos ricos de dos chalés, y un BMW X3. Ahora, dos años sin crecimiento, un desempleo elevado que empieza ya a ser de larga duración y los primeros recortes del sistema de protección social están dando luz a un nuevo ser paradigmático de la nueva década de crisis económica: el “nuevo pobre”.

Es menos ostentoso que el arquetipo de la década prodigiosa pero se veía en cada parada de un recorrido invernal por la Europa de la austeridad. Hombres de mirada desquiciada que pedían limosna navideña en el pub Philharmonic de Liverpool a escasos metros de los flamantes apartamentos vacíos construidos en un ataque de euforia para el año de la capitalidad de cultura europea. “Peniques, céntimos de euro; todo me vale”. Trabajadores en paro en la sala de espera de la estación ferroviaria de Lisboa, dormidos en posturas agónicas. Adolescentes de cara pálida en las oficinas del empleo en Dublín a un tiro de piedra de las estatuas esqueléticas de bronce del Famine Memorial, homenajes a las victimas de la hambruna de los 1840 y la emigración masiva posterior. Mujeres ecuatorianas rastreando en los cubos de basura delante del Carrefour de un barrio céntrico de Madrid en busca de restos de comida.

Aun es difícil cuantificar el impacto que va a tener el doble golpe de recesión y austeridad fiscal en las capas más vulnerables de los países europeos mas afectados por la crisis, principalmente la periferia de la zona euro, -Irlanda, Portugal Grecia, España-, el Reino Unido y los países del este. “Los datos comparables de pobreza no nos ayudan porque son del 2007, el pico del boom”, dice Cristos Papatheodorou, economista especializado en pobreza de la Universidad de Atenas. “Pero no es muy difícil deducir lo que esta pasando: lo que diferencia un país de elevada pobreza de otro es el alcance de sus sistemas de protección social”.

Hasta la fecha en la maltrecha periferia europea, ningún instituto económico ha podido o querido realizar una previsión cuantitativa sobre el impacto de los recortes sobre la pobreza. Pero en el Reino Unido , el Instituto de Estudios Fiscales (IFS)y la Fundación Rowntree han publicado esta semana los resultados de un importante análisis del mega ajuste presupuestario adoptado pro el gobierno de David Cameron que pretende reducir el déficit británico del 10% del PIB hasta el 2% antes del 2015. Son devastadores y tienen implicaciones preocupantes para países como España que empiezan a adoptar políticas parecidas.

IFS y Rowntree prevén que los recortes a los sistemas de protección social por valor de unos 9.000 millones de euros acabarán por crear a casi un millón de nuevos pobres en los próximos cuatro años.