Seeking Accountability for Rape Committed by Indian Armed Forces in Jammu and Kashmir: An International Law Perspective

Rape has taken place during times of armed conflict throughout all of history. In fact, research has indicated that it occurs during all wars. The frequency of this violation varies from case to case; in some conflicts, it only occurs occasionally when soldiers find themselves with an open opportunity to rape civilians without being held accountable, such as in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and in others it is widespread and part of a systematic policy, as was the case during the Rwandan Genocide. Both men and women can face this form of violation at the hands of soldiers and insurgents; however, women are raped much more often than men. Rape has been internationally prohibited during armed conflict for a long time; in fact, “the protection of women in war is found in several early texts, such as the Belli Treatise of 1563, which held that the crime of rape during wartime was punishable by death.” In the present day, rape is prohibited on the international level through international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law. Additionally, in some cases, rape can be prosecuted as a war crime, crime against humanity, or genocide. Taking this into consideration, it is clear that the international community considers rape to be a serious offense. It is perceived this way not only because it has been committed during conflicts throughout all of history and is sometimes widespread, but also because it is thought to be the most personal form of violation and therefore has a negative impact on victims that can last a lifetime. Because rape is such a serious crime, and occurs during all armed conflicts, it is important to ensure that all victims receive appropriate justice through the legal system. However, there are many states in which rape frequently goes unpunished. One of these states is Jammu and Kashmir, which is legally a disputed territory, but controlled by India. In fact, Kashmiri women have been raped on a frequent basis by Indian armed forces since 1989 without receiving any justice. Considering how long this abuse has been occurring, it is necessary to figure out a way to bring justice to Jammu and Kashmir, which is the purpose of this paper. Through an analysis of the history of the Kashmir Conflict, the sexual violence Kashmiri women have been subjected to, a couple of cases of such abuse, and the ways in which international law can be applied to the situation, this paper will illustrate that by not holding its troops who have committed rape in Jammu and Kashmir accountable, India is guilty of violating international human rights law, and most likely international humanitarian law as well, and because the article that it is most likely violating in international humanitarian law, Common Article 3, carries individual criminal responsibility, and the situation in the state probably meets the threshold needed to trigger the application of individual criminal responsibility, India is expected to punish these soldiers

The Trail

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Bridging the Power Gap: GTAs and Student-Staff Partnership

Drawing on previous work done on student-staff partnership (SSP), this paper will consider how involving GTAs in SSP could help bridge the gap between students and staff, with GTAs bringing a unique perspective to their teaching since they are simultaneously students and teachers (Standen, 2018). To do so, this article will build on and contribute to existing literature on SSP and how engaging in SSP can be a transformative learning experience for staff and students at different levels (Healey & Jenkins 2009; Cook-Sather 2014). While SSP has been shown to improve student engagement and outcomes and bridge the gap between research and teaching, it is not without challenges (Bovill, Cook-Sather, Felten, Millard & Moore-Cherry 2016). One key issue around SSP is naturally the concept of partnership, which can be challenging for staff and students alike who may be more accustomed to a hierarchical power dynamic (Cook-Sather 2014). Some forms of research collaboration that are typical in HE can involve SSP, but they often focus more on collaboration between students and staff, perhaps relying more on an apprenticeship model of teaching, which is intrinsically more hierarchical. This paper will consider the relationship between power and participation through the work of Arnstein (1968), arguing that it is important to place GTAs in this liminal space to bridge the power gap. Reflecting on my own experience across two SSP projects as both student and GTA, I argue that being both a student and teacher made me more aware of how I learned and how I could bring that knowledge to my teaching practice and collaboration with other students. As research students, GTAs can also engage in a kind of praxis (cycle of theory, action and reflection) when using SSP in their teaching. In this way, they are uniquely positioned to demonstrate how SSP empowers both students and staff to learn from each other and produce innovative research and ideas (Cook-Sather 2014)

Moon Leaning Its Round Shoulder

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Diet Technicians in Dialysis: A Rare Opportunity to Decrease Costs and Improve Quality of Care

As healthcare costs continue to rise beyond sustainable levels, both payors and providers are seeking ways to reduce their costs without sacrificing quality. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) accounts for a significant portion of Medicare expenditures, despite efforts over the years to alter the reimbursement scheme to control costs. Providers must now find a way to deliver care that both meets CMS quality standards and doesn’t exceed reimbursement amounts. Time and resource constraints have lead to registered dietitians reporting difficulty with providing important medical nutrition therapy to patients. Hiring dietetic technicians may be a cost-effective way to help improve nutrition therapy within the scope of the Medicare Conditions for Coverage for ESRD

Direct Potable Reuse of Wastewater

Water is essential to our societies and mankind. Currently, 844 million people across the globe lack access to potable water. By 2025, it is projected that half of the world population will be in a region of water stress.5 The water crisis is often thought of as a problem limited to places that have always struggled to have clean water, but it is now affecting new areas such as the southwest United States. With increasing population demands and drought, the feasibility of direct potable reuse (DPR) of wastewater is being considered. According to an EPA report in 2017, there are only four operational or planned DPR facilities in the United States. Of these, the El Paso Advanced Water Purification Facility will be the only one to send treated water directly into the distribution system without blending or continuation onto conventional treatment.1 As demand and water costs increase, we believe that the implementation of our DPR process for wastewater effluent is a viable option for many communities. The primary contaminants in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent that must be targeted for potable reuse are organics, bacteria, pathogens, viruses, and suspended and dissolved solids. Our process consists of ozone treatment, granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment, a cartridge particulate filter, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection. Ozone is used to kill microorganisms in the secondary WWTP effluent before it enters the rest of the system to prevent bio-fouling on the equipment. GAC is used to remove the majority of organic contaminants. A cartridge filter is between the GAC and ultrafiltration (UF) to prevent plugging of the UF membrane. Ultrafiltration is used as pretreatment for the reverse osmosis unit. UF was chosen for its ability to remove pathogens and viruses. Reverse osmosis will remove dissolved solids, a necessary step for the contaminated water to become potable. The final step is disinfection by ultraviolet treatment to ensure no live pathogens reach distribution. Experiments were performed to determine if this combination of steps could effectively treat contaminated water. The necessary treatment must be able to reduce the total dissolved solids (TDS) level from 1,200 parts per million to less than 500 parts per million and reduce TOC from 10 parts per million to less than 0.1 parts per million. Fecal bacteria such as coliform must not be present for the water to be considered potable.15 A full size plant was designed based on the needs of a community of 5,000, using an average water demand of 100 gallons per person per day.18 The Poo Pig Sooie team has found Silver City, New Mexico (population ≈ 10,000) to be an ideal city for implementation of the DPR process. This plant would be able to supplement 50% of the potable water (equivalent to a city with a population of 5,000) demands of the city for as little as $2.45 per 1,000 gallons