THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- September 13, 2016- Topic 2
The findings of the Unicef
report, UPROOTED: The Growing Crisis for REFUGEE and MIGRANT Children, could not be GRIMMER. Over 50 per cent of the 50 million children who have migrated or been
forcibly displaced across borders are said to have fled violence. About one in
three children who live outside their country of birth is a refugee. The
much smaller ratio of displacement for adults — less than one in 20 according
to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees — reveals the STARKNESS of the situation. The UNHCR says that in the decade ending 2015, the
number of child refugees almost doubled. Last year, Syria and Afghanistan alone
accounted for nearly half the world’s child refugees, highlighting the brutal
impact of the war on a segment of society that had little to do with the CONFLICT directly or otherwise and is the most vulnerable. The last decade saw two
landmark rulings on the CONSCRIPTION of child soldiers. The first was the
2007 judgment of the UN-backed tribunal for Sierra Leone against three men from
a rebel armed group. The other was the conviction of Congolese WARLORD Thomas Lubanga by the International Criminal Court in 2012.
Against this backdrop, the
dramatic rise in school enrolment under a global universal primary education
drive, or the HALVING of infant mortality rates under the
Millennium Development Goals, seem like postcards from another universe. The
shocking reality of trafficking in boys and girls, conscription by armed groups
in conflict zones and EXPLOITATION in the sex trade has OVERSHADOWED these advances, PORTENDING both immediate and long-term danger to whole generations. Paradoxically,
the recommendations of the Unicef report are so comprehensive that short of
swift and sweeping changes in global policy and practice, they are unlikely to
yield tangible results. A case in point is the suggestion that governments
should address the root causes of conflict, violence and extreme poverty, and
instead divert SCARCE resources to fulfil more fundamental
necessities of life. The spirit underlying this idea is as compelling as the
complexities of REALPOLITIK that impede its translation into
action. This is evident in respect of the challenge of combating international
terrorism by a DELINEATION of its political ANTECEDENTS. Conversely, the idea to dispense with
the detention of children seeking refugee status and to do away with reporting
requirements, potentially benefiting 11 million, is a more PRAGMATIC proposal. Prima
facie, there is merit in this approach, as governments may be expected to take
a more sympathetic view on humanitarian imperatives.
::::::::::::::::::::::Meanings
with example and Synonyms::::::::::::::::::::::
1. Uprooted: pull (something, especially a tree or plant) out of the ground.
Example: The elephant's trunk is powerful enough to uproot trees
Synonyms: pull up, root out, rip out, deracinate
2. Refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war,
persecution, or natural disaster.
Example: Tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes
Synonyms: émigré, fugitive, exile, displaced person, asylum
seeker, boat people
3. Migrant: tending to migrate or having migrated.
Example: Migrant birds
Synonyms: traveling, wandering, drifting, nomadic, roving, roaming, itinerant, vagrant
4. Grimmer: forbidding or uninviting.
Example: His grim expression
Synonyms: stern, forbidding, uninviting, unsmiling, dour, formidable
5. Starkness: a state of complete emptiness or destruction.
Example: The stony desolation of the desert
Synonyms: bleakness, starkness, barrenness, sterility, wildness
6. Conflict: a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.
Example: The eternal conflict between the sexes
Synonyms: dispute, quarrel, squabble, disagreement, dissension, clash, discord
7. Conscription: compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces.
Example: The prime minister pledged again that his government would not implement
conscription for overseas service
8. Warlord: a military commander, especially an aggressive regional commander with
individual autonomy.
Example: The US is buying off regional warlords and militia commanders for a
variety of reasons.
9. Halving: divide into two parts of equal or roughly equal size.
Example: Peel and halve the pears
10. Exploitation: the action of making use of and benefiting from resources.
Example: The Bronze Age saw exploitation of gold deposits
Synonyms: utilization, use, making use of, making the most of, capitalization
on, cashing in on
11. Overshadowed: tower above and cast a shadow over.
Example: An enormous oak tree stood overshadowing the cottage
Synonyms: shade, darken, conceal, obscure, screen, dominate, overlook
12. Portending: be a sign or warning that (something, especially something momentous or
calamitous) is likely to happen.
Example: The eclipses portend some major events
Synonyms: presage, augur, foreshadow, foretell, prophesy, be
a sign, warn
13. Scarce: (especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the
demand.
Example: As raw materials became scarce, synthetics were developed
Synonyms: in short supply, scant, scanty, meager, sparse, short
14. Realpolitik: a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral
or ideological considerations.
Example: Power politics and realpolitik emphasized by realists is seen as being
derived from shared knowledge which is self-fulfilling.
15. Delineation: the action of describing or portraying something precisely.
Example: The artist's exquisite delineation of costume and jewelry
16. Antecedents: a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another.
Example: Some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa's oral
traditions
Synonyms: precursor, forerunner, predecessor
17. Pragmatic: dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on
practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Example: A pragmatic approach to politics
Synonyms: Practical, sensible, down-to-earth, commonsensical, businesslike