Bedouin in Lebanon are estimated to represent two‐three per cent of the population. Most of them benefited from the 1994 Normalisation Law and are domiciled there. Being in rural…
Abstract
Bedouin in Lebanon are estimated to represent two‐three per cent of the population. Most of them benefited from the 1994 Normalisation Law and are domiciled there. Being in rural areas and under‐privileged neighbourhoods, Bedouin continue to suffer from problems like social exclusion and poor health care provision. This paper assesses the awareness and knowledge of policy makers of the health policies and health status of the Bedouin community in Lebanon. In‐depth interviews were conducted with nine health policy makers from government, private and non‐government organisation sectors, and UN agencies (UNFPA, UNICEF) on topics of Bedouin status and livelihood, health policies and current health provision and use in reproductive and child health, and interventions to improve access to and quality of reproductive and child health and well‐being. Most of the policy makers interviewed had little or no knowledge of Bedouin population estimates, identity status and normalisation, geographical distribution in the rural peripheral areas of Lebanon, range of mobility, common health problems, or provision and use of health services. Policy makers said they had no current or future plans for health policies or procedures for the Bedouin community, but expressed willingness to contribute to any interventions to improve Bedouin health and well‐being. In Lebanon, where the public health sector is feeble and inequitable, mostly affecting marginalised and underprivileged communities including the Bedouin, policy makers hold unrealistic stereotypes about Bedouin and Bedouin health issues, and there are no comprehensive health policies that integrate Bedouin. It is essential that policy makers be more sensitised to and aware of the status of Bedouin in Lebanon, and advocacy and lobbying be initiated to include Bedouin health in government health and social policies.
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The populations of the Middle East have experienced particularly rapid socio‐economic change over the past 40 years, due largely to the consolidation of the nation‐state after the…
Abstract
The populations of the Middle East have experienced particularly rapid socio‐economic change over the past 40 years, due largely to the consolidation of the nation‐state after the break‐up of the Ottoman Empire at the close of WWI. The basic social, political and cultural rights of the pastoral populations (the Bedouin) of this region have been largely ignored, however, in part due to their remoteness and inaccessibility, but also because of the very fact of their mobility and physical marginality. With a few exceptions ‐ such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia ‐ cultural differences between the mobile Bedouin and the settled urban and agrarian populations have translated over time into development of discriminated minorities. The Bedouin way of life has come to be regarded as backward and primitive; in some places their very authenticity as part of the nation‐state has been questioned as they fail to ‘Modernise’ at the same pace as surrounding populations. Thus in Lebanon the majority of Bedouin are ‘stateless’ without papers and live beyond the ‘boundaries’ of government services. Their mobile way of life is largely a thing of the past, but their sense of tribal belonging remains strong. Their desire for nationality papers reflects a wish to end their marginalisation and statelessness and be able to access government services.
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Faysal Boughorbel, Yan Zhang, Sangkyu Kang, Umayal Chidambaram, Besma Abidi, Andreas Koschan and Mongi Abidi
This paper describes an imaging system that was developed to aid industrial bin picking tasks. The purpose of this system was to provide accurate 3D models of parts and objects in…
Abstract
This paper describes an imaging system that was developed to aid industrial bin picking tasks. The purpose of this system was to provide accurate 3D models of parts and objects in the bin, so that precise grasping operations could be performed. The technology described here is based on two types of sensors: range mapping scanners and video cameras. The geometry of bin contents was reconstructed from range maps and modeled using superquadric representations, providing location and parts surface information that can be employed to guide the robotic arm. Texture was also provided by the video streams and applied to the recovered models. The system is expected to improve the accuracy and efficiency of bin sorting and represents a step toward full automation.