My initial reaction to the reported cheating scandal that busted several students at the prestigious Harvard University wasn’t one of shock or bewilderment; I seemed to have expected that something like this was bound to turn up especially at a school where stress and pressure is highly conceivable. What did surprise me, however, was the blatancy that some of the students exhibited in carrying out the cheating. They were administered a take-home midterm exam in their government course, which, for one thing, seemed to ask for a lot of trouble coming from the professor himself. Such an exam of weighted importance was meant to be supervised so as to allow him to oversee the progress and performance of his students. By granting his students the freedom to complete the assignment without such supervision, the professor gives the students an opportunity to discuss the answers with one another and replicate their solutions – clearly not the intent at which the midterm was administered for. Those who were subsequently caught after the scandal had papers that were identical. Even the typographical errors were the same, which is a highly unintelligible effort that can even be seen as insulting, implying that those who grade the papers are too dense to notice the identical errors and solutions posed by the students. Indeed, such acts blatantly violate the codes of honesty, and both the students and the professor are to blame in the outcome of the scandal: the students for their openness in circulating the answers and the professor for encouraging such behavior.
Human trafficking is by far one of the most prevalent issues plaguing the modern world, to the extent at which it occurs everywhere. Even the places that appear to have a supposedly “low crime rate” are potential candidates for places that house the most number of imported sex slaves. To make matters worse, corrupt government officials and legitimate businesses team up with these illicit organizations to strengthen their modus operandi and keep the billions of dollars in annual revenue circulating. For this reason, victims of human trafficking often cannot turn to anyone for help, as human trafficking has become a system that is not only backed by a strong brothel network, but has also compromised the government. After reading the article Women, Bought and Sold in Nepal, I was mildly astounded to have discovered that a victim had won a court case against her captors. Granted the overall level of corruption in countless government officials, the odds of merely being able to speak out were stacked highly against the victim’s favor. Despite the unlikeliness of this victim’s case, I was pleased to hear that she had achieved a sound victory over those who openly supported human sex trafficking. What’s even more encouraging to hear is that this very same woman is advocating a cause to raise awareness of human trafficking, which will prove to be the first steps towards tracking and demolishing the sex trade.
Recent Comments