Modern Times

On a mild and overcast day in mid-October, representatives from 14 countries convened for the Central European Initiative’s (CEI) first ministerial meeting on science and technology in Trieste, Italy.

As Syria’s resident Bashar al-Assad continues his bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in defiance of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the question of the human rights movement’s political force is as timely as ever. 

To most people, mentioning the words “Vienna” and “psychology” in one sentence quickly leads to a conversation about Sigmund Freud, or perhaps Alfred Adler, C.G. Jung, Anna Freud, Melanie Klein or Viktor Frankl, or even the assiduous work of Karl and Charlotte Bühler between the wars.

Not long ago, marriage seemed like a solution to every woman’s future. It brought financial security, status in society, and children to start the picture-perfect family she had always dreamed of.

Today, the equation has been changed: With access to education, financial independence and reliable birth control, marriage is not the only answer anymore. A woman can make her own place in society through a job or career that will also support her financially, and she can even chose whether or not she wants children. And, if she opts to start a family, she can even do it on her own and will be accepted in the majority in most developed societies.

It’s hard to get people’s attention on the issues of Human Trafficking, noted Evelyn Probst, Coordinator of the Austrian Anti-Trafficking Organization, LEFO-IBF.

So it seemed particularly frustrating when the room set up for the press conference at Vienna’s Palais Epstein on the Dr. Karl Renner Ring, Oct. 21, was still nearly empty just minutes before 10:00 on day of the event. And by the time it began, around 10:15, only 12 of the 30 chairs were filled. And out of those 12, only one of them was a man. Perhaps it was because of competition from to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s goodwill ambassador, actor Nicolas Cage, speaking about victims of organized crime at the same time across town.

Imagine you are sitting on the U-Bahn in Vienna. It’s lunchtime and there are not too many people on the train. Two cyclists are having a loud chat, talking about the Tour de France and not noticing that their bikes are blocking the way. They don’t even see the elderly woman hovering nearby, complaining.

“Iyi Aksamlar, Kalispera, Dobra Vecer, Good Evening,” said the moderator as she stepped onto the stage in the packed ballroom of the Vienna City Hall. Sitting at her feet, were Sikhs next to Turks, Chinese next to Greeks, Vietnamese next to Serbs.

11:12 – The journey from Lugano to Zürich rolls us smoothly through the majestic tranquility of the Swiss Alps. Usually, this two and a half hour train ride is memorably relaxing. This time, a niggling sense of nervous anticipation stirs inside me, as I realize we’re on our way to the Street Parade.