Scourge of legitimised crimes against humanity

Tmost accepted and also most common definition of a crime is that it is an act which breaks the law. What this means is that there must be a written law in place first and foremost before a crime is or can be committed. Where there is no written law in place, a crime can therefore not be committed. Considering what we all know about crimes in practice, this is indeed a very unfortunate misunderstanding and acceptance of what crime is all about.

This definition of crime is very restrictive, narrow, unrealistic and dysfunctional. And it is this kind of thinking about crime which has led to a lot of human pain and suffering throughout this world. Just because of this malnourished definition of crime, a lot of people in this world are legitimately being criminally reaped off and raped on a daily basis. This definition of crime is itself a crime against humanity! But just what exactly, about, you wonder? Not for long good people, because just now, I am going to show you how we have all endured the scourge of legitimised crimes being committed against us on a daily basis in this world.

Let us start at the very beginning, this being the beginning of life itself. Right now, the world is heavily divided about whether abortions should be legally allowed or not. Some liberal minded people believe that abortions should be legalised everywhere and anywhere in this world under any and all circumstances. Conservative minded individuals think that abortions must be completely outlawed. The split between the two protagonist groups is almost fifty-fifty.

This means that there is no clear-cut winner in this case. Cognisant of this fact, the world has just left it up to individual countries or States to decide whether or not to legalise or ban abortions, and how to go about banning or legalising them. Such being the case, some countries and some states within countries have completely banned abortions, while others have completely allowed them to happen. In between these two extremes, there are varying degrees of conservatism and lib;7257,21 black tax and emotional blackmail are one of my favourite topics when I relay the chronicles of being an orphan.

Before I forget, let me re-introduce myself. My name is Tilokotfo Dlamini, the broken and healing orphan girl.

People have this notion that the troubles of an orphan, who is also underprivileged, end once they enter tertiary and the future looks brighter for them.

This theory might be all shimmery and be fuelled with positivity when in actual fact, it is the total opposite in my case, to be more specific.

Just like any other young adult my age, I was excited to enter one of the main universities in the country, after scoring a scholarship which comes with personal allowances. Initially, personal allowances are intended for eralism. However, the pertinent question is that, in reality, and with all factors and fundamentals of human life and existence being considered, what exactly should the world’s stance be on the question of abortion? Should abortions be legalised or not? Who in this world has got the right to decide on who lives or survives and who dies?

Looking at abortions in a legalistic sense actually misses a whole lot of naturally endowed human and social existence issues. It implies that we as human beings can and should determine whether we exist (live) or not, and whether new human beings have got the right to exist (live) or not. It gives the impression that we as human beings, are here on this earth because of our own making or doing, hence we might as well also decide on the fate of other unborn human beings in terms of their right to come into this world or to exist or not. Any yet, we as human beings do not exist or live on this planet earth due to our own accord or making. We did not put ourselves on this earth.

ARBITRARILY

We were put on this earth by the creator and not by our own selves or of our own making or doing. Such being the case, we have absolutely no right at all to decide, legally or otherwise, as to whether other new human beings have got the right to exist as well or not. Arbitrarily arrogating such rights to ourselves is just legitimising crimes against humanity! We are not the creator. We must leave that determination to the one who created and put us and all life onto this earth. We should stop acting as if this place (earth) belongs to us, because it does not. And we should also stop acting as if we can determine the course of life because we cannot and the student to always have personal items and food for that academic year. They are a student’s protection in a sense that they are not prone to criminal activities or promiscuity so they could survive and study, as intended.

With me, the story was different, a very ‘interesting’ one. Remember I relayed how my relatives, mainly my uncle, chipped in to assist with my high school fees, and this I am always grateful for.

TAX

Also, remember I mentioned ‘pay back’ time and the time had come. I was caught unaware.

While my agemates were enjoying their allowances, I was being reminded how I could not have been where I am without their assistance. That reminder came with a demand for me to give out over half of my allowances to my family members.

This is when I learnt of black tax and do not determine the course of life on this earth! We must just live the life which the creator gave us and mind our own business as allowed by nature. Our usurping the powers of the creator means that we are actually simultaneously breaking both the unwritten laws of nature and also the laws natural justice. The fact that these laws are not written anywhere does not necessarily mean that they do not exist. They do exist, and we have got moral and ethical obligations to respect and abide by them. This is where the concept of legitimate crimes comes in.

The fact that we have purposely defined committing crime as the act of breaking written down man-made laws does not mean that acts which break the known but unwritten laws of nature and laws of natural justice are not criminal acts anymore. They still are criminal acts!

Hence immoral and unethical acts such as abortion, war, hatred, favouritism, chicanery, subtle racial discrimination, prostitution and sexual exploitation, among others, are still crimes against humanity!

Moving on from the case of abortion and onto the case of the intrinsic right of all children to be born and brought up in a normal and healthy way, and also in a normal and healthy environment so as to give them equal chances to lead normal adult lives, we also come across the glaring legitimisation of crimes against humanity. We have all, and together with our families, communities, social and national public governance systems, left it up to individual people and individual parents, whether single or married, to bring their own children into this world, and to also bring them up or raise them in whatever way they can afford to. We have thus negated the fact that as social

emotional blackmail. I was only 12 years when my parents passed on - I did not think it came with so much responsibility- the responsibility of knowing that no one is doing anything from the goodness of their heart. Well, that is just my case.

Barely two months down the first semester, I had nothing; no food, no one to call and tell I am in need of help. I was paying back my dues - at only 18 years old. This is where vulnerability comes in. What would you do out of desperation? How far would you go to survive and have the next meal?

I was supposed to enjoy my journey in life- in tertiary to be more specific, but I was not. While other students were in class, doing their assignments and studying, I was listening to my growling stomach and thinking where I would find the next meal. That was my life for three years and for what? Just because I had to show that I am grateful and give back what was given me - which was actually my right as a child. It is then that it dawned on me that being alone in this ‘savage’ world, with no parents’ love and support, can mean such.

Being mercilessly manipulated and tricked into situations which can be draining- emotionally and financially. The human race was created in animals, human beings belong not just to those who give or gave birth to them, but to society as a whole.

Furthermore, the human, social and behavioural problems or challenges which individual human beings bring into this world do not just affect the ones who gave birth to them alone, but they also affect society as a whole too. Hence, first of all, if we let individual parents bring up their own children in whatever way they want or can afford to, we would be doing a great injustice to those children whose parents cannot bring them up in a normal way because they would turn out to be abnormally behaved adults in one way or the other.

Secondly, when such wrongly reared children, which would not be of their own accord, choice or making, grow up to become adults exhibiting such antisocial and bad behaviours such as being thieves, robbers, rapists and murderers, it is society as a whole which would suffer the consequences of its own criminal negligence and not just the poor parents of such unfortunately raised children. Hence, child neglect at national level whereby children are left to be born and raised within the confines and vagaries of their own parents is yet another example of a legitimised crime against humanity.

Such public negligence just ensures that children born of poor parents and in poverty stricken communities would never be able to break away from the cycle of ignorance, crime and poverty, much to their own personal detriment and also much to the detriment of their own parents, relatives, communities, countries and society as a whole. No wonder we have got a lot of crime infested poor countries in this world today! Do you see my point, ladies and gentlemen?

LEGALISED

When it comes to legalised commercial chicanery, and being cheated and fleeced by business people and politicians on a daily basis, most of our beloved national governments have literally left us to be mauled down by wolves in sheep’s clothing! Let us start with examining how national governments have thrown us to the wolves or into the lion’s den as far as the lucrative business of religion is concerned. National governments have legitimised religious organisations and their leaders to psychologically coerce, extort and cheat people out of their hard earned money on a daily basis. Religious leaders are allowed to legally fleece congregants through sometimes very frank, and at other times very subtle, veiled

a manner that they have a survival instinct and I was no different. My circumstances were excruciating, embarrassing and most of all, testing my academic abilities. “I have to survive this. I have to make a bright future for myself by completing my course - financial support or none. I will persevere through this”, were words which kept me motivated to go to class, complete my assignments and study for tests.

Motivation was not my only survival instinct, the other gender was. Remember I talked about having a good time with men and being promiscuous to forget about my parents’ demise? So, it happened this was not only for rubbing off memories but to survive as well.

CHOICE

Did I have a choice? In my mind, this was the only way or the high way. In this world, with about seven billion people, there was no family to reach out to - I was practically alone. I faced everything ALONE.

My life has not been all, gloom because as we speak, I am an economically active liSwati who earns a monthly salary. I should be happy that everything worked out for the good, right? But did it?

Life can be so ironic. Many would and subliminal threats of retribution and tribulations without relief here on earth, and even beyond the grave, should their followers stubbornly refuse to part with their hard earned money. They also do it through false promises of heaven on earth should the people agree to part with very large sums of their money. All our national governments know very well that the money which religious organisations collect in the name of, and for the benefit of God or the creator, never goes to God or to the creator at all, but into the pockets and stomachs of these religious leaders or charlatans. And yet they (governments) leave these religious crooks to cheat and fleece their congregants just like that! This is a legitimised crime against humanity, ladies and gentlemen. And it happens almost every day! The next criminals which have been legitimised by all our national governments are politicians. These people (politicians), just like the religious leaders mentioned above, promise the electorate everything from heaven on earth to miraculous miracles just so as to be voted into power. However, once in power, they turn their backs on and even against the very same electorate. They also never deliver on their pre-election promises.

ELECTORAL

This is legalised electoral theft, fraud and chicanery. Simply put, politicians obtain votes through electoral promissory bribery and fraud! To make matters worse, they never pay or deliver the promised bribes! While other forms of bribery are outlawed, political promissory, electoral bribery and fraud are not! This is actually a legitimised crime against humanity! There are many other businesses where cheating customers is legalised.

These included the insurance industry, be it medical, life, funeral cover or whatever. Did you know that insurance companies would never insure any risk which is 100 per cent assured to materialise during the subsistence of the insurance policy? And in the rare event that the risk actually materialises, they always put in those small print caveats which would ensure that they do not pay up anything at all, or that they would pay much, much less than what they originally promised to pay! The other business where cheating customers is legalised is the financial investment industry. Many people have lost lifes avings through investing in dubious but legalised investment vehicles! All of these are legalised crimes against humanity even if no written laws are broken!

really think that I, Tilokotfo, am probably in my best shape as I have a job, a car and a beautiful son, but I am far from being content. The black tax and emotional blackmail is still severe as it was over a decade ago. I guess I am still paying the debt which was dropped on my lap in 2002. I am paying for being brought up, for being housed and for being sent to school.

In 2015, I met change in a form of a book. The book was titled ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne and it changed my thinking process, changing my life. Basically it talks about how we, as the human race, become what we think either negative or positive.

APPLYING

Applying this in my life I concluded that despite my circumstances, what I have allowed myself to do and what I allowed other to do to me, I will be a better person. I made a pact with myself to entertain positive thoughts and embrace my past. I have been so moved by this story that I have started to get in touch with more orphans and they are ready to share their experiences. I am are also ready to share how you can help the orphan child have a better future. Please stay tuned on this page where all the information about the foster care system will be made available.