The Ancient Roman Torture Method of the Roman Candle

The term “Roman Candle”, most commonly used within the fireworks industry, is in reference to a horrible execution method used most commonly by the Roman Emperor Nero. Nero would instruct his soldiers to forcibly coat the bodies of enemies and victims within pitch, oil, wax, and other flammable materials before lighting the feet of these victims to be used as human candles during formal parties, purposeful in its design to create the most prolonged and agonizing torture possible

 

Men Around the World Acting as the Primary Catalyst for Criminal Activity

5% of men in any given country are responsible for 60% of that nations crime. Violent criminals cost society a lot of money in respect to their victims medical costs, law enforcement time spent investigating and locating these individuals, judicial costs of a fair trial, and correctional facility costs which include housing, feeding, and providing for these people. Violent offenders cost the state between $1,500,000 – $36,000,000 (1.5 million – $36 million) each over the course of their lifetime. Rehabilitation at the point of incarceration has shown to be largely ineffective, as it is akin to pruning a weed, not removing it’s root. Researchers within the New Zealand Dunedin (pronounced “do-nee-den”) study found that if rehabilitation begins during adolescence, a persons chance of ending up imprisoned dramatically decreases

Mid 20th Century Malaysian Head Hunters

The Iban people of Sarawak, Malaysia practiced head hunting until the middle of the 20th century. Iban warriors were infamous within the region for decapitating their conquered victims to save the head as a trophy. Heads were strung and hung together at the top of the loadbearing posts of the long houses which the Iban continue to live in during the modern day, housing up to 25 families in a single building. Every month the Iban light small candles or fires below the hanging skulls to keep them warm because if they do not, they believe the spirits of the vanquished enemies will come back to haunt the dreams of the Iban. This practice was used as a right of passage and milestone mark for young Iban men throughout history, with young warriors forced to kill an enemy within the jungle and then bring the head of that enemy back to their home in order to bless it for everyone in the community. It was also common practice for Iban women to carry these skulls up and down the veranda of the longhouse to signify celebration for the bravery of the males of their family

The Problem of Corruption Within the Indian Judicial System

Of the total number cases of child trafficking which should be reviewed by the Indian Supreme Court, less than 0.001% are actually brought before the court and prosecuted. The problem however is not with the judicial system itself but rather with implementation of law enforcement as members of law enforcement often take bribes and victims frequently do not want to appear in court, sometimes being threatened by the same law enforcement officer who freed them from their captor as these officers want to continue to keep traffickers out of prison so that they can continue to generate income from their victims on a repeat basis. Law enforcement have been recorded as demanding bribes, meals, and the filling of their personal and/or professional patrol vehicles with fuel, from the families of missing children when these families appeal to them to try and find their missing loved one. When those in power are the direct beneficiaries of trafficking, the chance of the system as a whole changing is virtually non-existent. Compounding this, former victims of criminal offenses are often imprisoned after being freed which creates fear in victims when asked by higher authorities to comply with the judicial system which is yet another reason as to why trafficking goes on with near impunity in India and the Indian judicial system

The Legality of Indian Child Labor

India has the highest amount of children who work of any country in the world. Thousands of children are trafficked into domestic slavery each year in India but due to India’s vast population of 1,300,000,000 (1.3 billion) people, these children go largely unnoticed. In India, every hour, 8 children are trafficked however 5 of these children are never found after having gone missing. Traffickers are paid 5000 – 6000 Indian Rupees ($95.00 – $110.00) per child. Indian society seems to permiss children working and it is deeply ingrained within society as it is viewed as poor children working because their families cannot afford to send them to attend an educational institution. It is viewed as better to work than to do nothing at all. It’s ironic because a buffalo will sell for 200,000 Indian Rupees ($3700.00) but a young girl for 10,000 Indian Rupees ($185.00). The value of a human life does not seem to count for much as prices are set in terms of how much work a person or animal can perform before collapsing. Kailash Satyarthi, a man who has spent his life freeing children from slavery, his organization freeing close to 100,000 children in the last 3 decades as of 2018. Satyarthi who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his efforts to eradicate slavery states. Satyarthi often educates that there is a triangular relationship between poverty, child labor, and illiteracy with each forming a chicken and egg relationship with the other as each factor is a consequence of the other factors. When child labor is permitted, it allows child illiteracy and poverty to continue. Child labor is the largest factor preventing education and literacy for children around the world. This places children at an enormous disadvantage because they cannot become equal partners in the globalized economy. It’s not only the traffickers of organized crime who need to be suppressed. It is also the middle class families in large cities like Delhi who do not consider the consequences before hiring a young person to watch their children, clean their home, and cook their meals. Suppressing both of these ties to slavery will drastically help reduce the number of children who are trafficked each year. Law enforcement has been known to resort to medical examinations to provide an accurate age when documentation is unavailable or thought to be fraudulent. Indian law however clearly states that if a school certificate is used as proof of age, then no medical examination shall commence. This is used by traffickers as leverage to ensure that they’re never culpable for having a person below the age of 18 under their supervision

Women’s Rights During the Renaissance

During the Renaissance, rape was not recognized in the contextual mindscape that it is today. Rape was seen as a dishonorable stamp upon the family and the family’s name of the victim. If rape occurred, it was not uncommon for the offender to marry the victim, therefore making the act acceptable within the eyes of the family, the court, and as was thought at the time, in the eyes of God. Rape of a woman who was no longer a virgin was essentially considered not to be a crime, however rape of a woman who was a virgin, was considered to be very serious until sorted out. It was not uncommon for an aggressor to pay a dowry to the victim and her family so that she could marry another man, if the offender had no interest in marrying said victim. Dowries were considered unideal but an acceptable practice during this period. A daughters virginity being intact was viewed as a significant financial gain towards the women’s family as it was customary to receive a sizeable dowry when she became married. A notable historical example of this ideology is directly correlated to the incredibly talented Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi, who was raped by a painter her father Orazio who was also a famous painter, commissioned to teach his daughter the art of sketching using proper perspective and dimension