Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

Sacred Sites versus Corporate Rights: Anxieties and Antidotes in a NorthAmerican Indigenous CommunityPatricia Loew, University of Wisconsin-Madison (paloew@wisc.edu)This presentation examines cultural anxiety in the Bad River Ojibwe over plans to site a largescale taconite iron mine at the headwaters of the Bad River watershed, one of the riches wildrice-producing areas in North America. Manoomin, as the Ojibewe refer to the rice, is thespiritual center of the tribe's political, historical, social, and ceremonial experience. the tribe hastaken a traditional approach to elevate understanding about its relationship to the wild rice andthe need to protect this important natural resource--storytelling. However, tradition now has acontemporary twist. Young people (ages 10-14) are creating digital stories about the mine threatthat integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge with western science and uploading them toYou-tube. Their stories, which rely on interviews with elders and Native scientist, empower thecommunity, influence outside decision-makers, help create Native and non-Native coalitions,and ultimately help reduce cultural stress over this perceived threat to their way of life.169. Torture & AbuseThe Right to Rehabilitation in International Criminal Law and the Role ofMental Health Professionals in the Post-Conflict Reconciliation ProcessDragana Radosavljevic, University of Greenwich (rd38@gre.ac.uk)The present paper investigates the parameters of the right to rehabilitation of war criminals andveterans under international criminal law and seeks to identify specific rights in relation tohealth, in this context mental health, as means towards social re-integration and, ultimately,reconciliation. The paper highlights inherent problems associated with immediate post-warinequalities in accessing mental health resources between military personnel, veterans andconvicted war criminals on one hand and victims of the conflict on the other, who are morelikely to be recipients of reconstruction efforts and help from international organisations. Dealingwith mental health issues of those who have or are perceived to have committed crimes, or havebeen convicted of war crimes, is more difficult, as this requires greater social and political will aswell as infrastructure. The paper then explores roles and scope of mental health professionals inthe post-conflict rehabilitation process of war criminals and veterans as well as the role of thoseprofessionals in facilitating social reconciliation. Generally, military rules provide little privilegeon information offered by those seeking therapy, such as admissions of war crimes, which mayresult, through the suppression of guilt, anxiety or depression for instance, in misdiagnosis and/oraggravation of symptoms for which help is sought in the first place. Two issues are consideredhere. Firstly, the extent to which military confidentiality rules hinder psychotherapist-patient396