judge

In the most poignant case, Goldstone ruled against the 1986 appeal of a 13-year-old boy who had been sentenced to jail for disrupting school as a protest against apartheid and increasingly draconian "emergency laws" used to preserve order and squelch opposition to the government. Goldstone, according to The New York Times, provided no comment to his decision to uphold the sentence of the lower court.

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The case of the 13-year-old boy Goldstone ruled against came in the context of a wave of national protests and school disruptions by South Africa's black youth against apartheid and the brutal emergency laws. Authorities responded with mass detention of children who participated in the protests, or were suspected of doing so. By the fall of 1985, at least 800 students had been detained. By December of 1986, South African security officials admitted to having detained more than 1,800 teenagers, while reports surfaced that policemen routinely whipped children at their school desks if they were suspected of supporting the anti-apartheid protests.

Contributed by Irene Watson, MA

One of the most valuable parts of attending an anonymous meeting is sharing your story and listening to other people’s stories.

Many people feel anxious about going to a meeting because they are afraid to tell their story, to let other people know their problems or the mistakes they have made.

The first thing to know is that you don’t have to share anything if you don’t want to. If you do want to share, you share only what you want to. No one will expect you to give any specific information. No one will ask you questions about your issue. This is not an interrogation, a place to judge or to lay blame. It’s simply a place to unburden ourselves when we are ready, and to learn from other people.

When the time in the meeting comes to share, people share if they want to. They generally talk for just a few minutes, respecting others by not using up all the time. They talk about whatever is on their mind, a problem they have, what they are experiencing, how they feel, or how they are working the program. No one interrupts anyone else. The person is allowed to finish, and then the next person who wishes to speak does so.

Meetings do not allow for crosstalk, feedback, or advice giving. If you want someone to give you advice, you can ask that if anyone has advice, they tell you after the meeting, but we do not give advice during the meeting so no one feels they are being told what to do, so people feel it is safe to share.