Insécurité à Genève

«Qui aurait pu croire, il y a dix ans encore, que nous consacrerions l’un de nos déjeuners au maintien de l’ordre à Genève? Qui aurait pu croire qu’il deviendrait si difficile de maintenir la sécurité dans cette ville?» Lancée dans les salons cossus de l’hôtel Richemond, la question de Michael McKay est de toute évidence celle que se posaient les invités de la British Swiss Chamber of Commerce (BSCC), qui organisait vendredi l’un de ses traditionnels dîners d’affaires.

Thème de la manifestation: «Faire de Genève une ville plus sûre : réalités politiques». Devant une salle comble et particulièrement attentive, le conseiller d’Etat Pierre Maudet, en charge de la Sécurité du canton de Genève, était attendu comme le loup blanc par les hommes d’affaires de la communauté anglophone de Genève. Qui, si l’on en juge par le nombre de témoignages apeurés, ne reconnaissent plus la ville paisible et tranquille dans laquelle ils avaient choisi de s’installer.

Au-delà des peurs personnelles, une crainte plus générale: celle de voir l’attractivité économique de la ville et du canton pâtir d’une situation décrite par beaucoup comme très préoccupante. Et le responsable de la compliance de la SGS (Société générale de surveillance), Olivier Merkt, d’interpeller le magistrat au micro: «Nous avons subi quatre incidents importants au cours des derniers mois. D’abord, lors de la visite de partenaires chinois de haut niveau. Ils avaient garé leur minibus devant notre siège de la rue des Alpes. En ressortant du meeting, la voiture avait été cambriolée, les passeports et les papiers dérobés, inutiles de vous dire qu’ils étaient furieux. Ensuite, et cela s’est produit dimanche passé, un manager australien s’est fait attaquer par trois individus qui ont essayé de lui arracher son sac alors qu’il sortait du bâtiment vers 17heures. Heureusement, c’est un grand gaillard et il a pu les faire fuir. En juillet dernier, l’un de nos directeur américains s’est fait voler son portefeuille alors qu’il marchait vers on hôtel. Enfin, il y a 18 mois l’un de nos collaborateurs étrangers s’est fait menacer au couteau au jardin anglais et a d, lui aussi, donner son portefeuille. Mesurez-vous, Monsieur le conseiller d’Etat, l’impact économique d’une telle situation?»

Devant une inquiétude aussi clairement formulée, Pierre Maudet n’a pas eu trop de 15 minutes d’allocution, en anglais, pour calmer les esprits. Son message: le gouvernement est conscient du problème, l’ouverture des frontières a profité à l’économie genevoise mais aussi attiré une nouvelle criminalité, la priorité est à la lutte contre la criminalité de rue et les cambriolages et les choses bougent. Mais Rome ne s’est pas faite en un jour, «nous avons certainement pris du retard et pêché par naïveté.»

Le conseiller d’Etat PLR en a ainsi profité pour rappeler qu’il s’est entendu, en septembre, avec le procureur général Olivier Jornot, pour mieux coordonner l’action de la police et celle de la justice; qu’il a soumis un plan – pour l’instant bloqué – au gouvernement afin de «doubler les places de prison»; et que, désormais, les criminels en situation irrégulière passent par la filière pénale à partir de la deuxième infraction, s’exposant, ainsi, «à trois, quatre, cinq ou six mois d’incarcération.»

«Mais ne nous y trompons pas, a-t-il conclu. La population doit aussi comprendre que la croissance de l’agglomération attire inévitablement une nouvelle criminalité. La sécurité passe donc aussi par la responsabilité individuelle, les gens doivent aussi se protéger, installer des systèmes d’alarmes par exemple contre les cambriolages.» En un mot comme en mille, le bon vieux temps est définitivement révolu.

Le magistrat a-t-il réussi à convaincre? «Il essaie de faire son travail, hésite Olivier Merkt. Je ne veux pas me lancer dans des considérations politiques. Mais la situation est préoccupante. Je constate simplement que nos collaborateurs n’aiment plus venir à Genève. Ils se passent le mot, et ça va vite, le bouche à oreille…»

http://letemps.ch/

Africa: Where black is not really beautiful

South Africa is a land of diverse cultures and races, the country is marketed to the world as Mandela's rainbow nation - where everyone is proud of their race and heritage but for some black South Africans there is such a thing as being too black.

A recent study by the University of Cape Town suggests that one woman in three in South Africa bleaches her skin. The reasons for this are as varied as the cultures in this country but most people say they use skin-lighteners because they want "white skin".

Local musician Nomasonto "Mshoza" Mnisi, now several shades lighter, says her news skin makes her feel more beautiful and confident.

Continue reading the main story

She has been widely criticised in the local media and social networking sites for her appearance but the 30-year-old says skin-bleaching is a personal choice, no different from breast implants or a having nose job.

"I've been black and dark-skinned for many years, I wanted to see the other side. I wanted to see what it would be like to be white and I'm happy," she says candidly.

Over the past couple of years Ms Mnisi has had several treatments. Each session can cost around 5,000 rand (£360; $590), she tells the BBC.

Unlike many in the country, she uses high-end products which are believed to be safer than the creams sold in the black market but they are by no means risk-free, doctors say.

Costly beauty

Ms Mnisi says she does not understand the criticism about her new appearance.

"Yes, part of it is a self-esteem issue and I have addressed that and I am happy now. I'm not white inside, I'm not really fluent in English, I have black kids. I'm a township girl, I've just changed the way I look on the outside," she says.

Skin lightening creams are popular in many parts of Africa

The dangers associated with the use of some of these creams include blood cancers such as leukaemia and cancers of the liver and kidneys, as well as a severe skin condition called ochronosis, a form of hyper-pigmentation which causes the skin to turn a dark purple shade, according to senior researcher at the University of Cape Town, Dr Lester Davids.

"Very few people in South Africa and Africa know the concentration of the toxic compounds that are contained in the products on the black market and that is concerning. We need to do more to educate people about these dangerous products," says Dr Davids.

He says over the past six years there has been a significant increase in the number of skin lighteners flooding local markets, some of them legal and some illegal. This is what prompted their research.

Local dermatologists say they are seeing more and more patients whose skin has been damaged by years of bleaching - most of the time irreversibly.

"I'm getting patients from all over Africa needing help with treating their ochronosis. There is very little we can do to reverse the damage and yet people are still in denial about the side-effects of these products," Dr Davids says.

In many parts of Africa and Asia, lighter skinned woman are considered more beautiful, are believed to be more successful and more likely to find marriage.

The origin of this belief in Africa is not clear, but researchers have linked it to Africa's colonial history where white skin was the epitome of beauty.

Some have also suggested that people from "brown nations" around the world tended to look down upon dark-skinned people.

'I don't like black skin'

The World Health Organisation released a report in June which revealed that Nigerians are the highest users of such products: 77% of Nigerians use the products on a regular basis. They are followed by Togo with 59%; South Africa with 35%; and Mali at 25%.

South Africa banned products containing more than 2% of hydroquinone - the most common active ingredient in in the 1980s. But it is easy to see creams and lotions containing the chemical on the stalls here. Some creams contain harmful steroids and others mercury.

Studies have found that men are also beginning to bleach their skin

While skin-lightening creams have been used by some South Africans for many years, they have become more common recently with the influx of people from countries such as Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are even more widespread.

In a bustling African market in the centre of Yeoville in Johannesburg, it is skin lighteners galore.

Walking through this community is like walking through a mini-Africa: you can find someone from any part of the continent here.

I notice that many of the women have uncharacteristically light skin faces while the rest of their bodies are darker.

Some even have scabby burns on their cheeks from the harmful chemicals used to strip the skin of pigmentation.

They don't want to speaks openly about why they bleach their skin, or even have their pictures taken.

Psychologists say there are also underlying reasons why people bleach their skin - but low self-esteem and, to some degree self-hate, seems are a common thread.

But skin-lightening is not just a fascination and obsession of women. Congolese hair stylist Jackson Marcelle says he has been using special injections to bleach his skin for the past 10 years. Each injection last for six months.

"I pray every day and I ask God, 'God why did you make me black?'. I don't like being black. I don't like black skin," he tells me.

Mr Marcelle - known in this busy community as Africa's Michael Jackson - says his mother used to apply creams on him when he was young in order to make him appear "less black".

"I like white people. Black people seen as dangerous; that's why I don't like being black. People treat me better now because I look like I'm white," he adds.

Entrenched in the minds of Africans from a young age is the adage "if it's white, it's all right", a belief that has chipped away the self-esteem of millions. And so the scars on their faces become a glimpse of the deep desperation to me anything other than black.

Until this changes, no amount of official bans or public information campaigns will stop people risking serious damage to their health in the pursuit of what they think is beauty.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20444798