NUHS grad affects world politics

Kathy Bonnifield

to observe elections

in Ukraine

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS -- A woman with New Ulm ties who decided as a teenager to make a difference in world politics and human rights after a foreign exchange visit is doing just that.

Kathy Bonnifield of Minneapolis, the daughter of Mary Lou Bonnifield of New Ulm, studied in Turkey as an AFS student during her senior year of high school.

Next week, she will travel to the Ukraine for a week-long stay. She'll observe political elections as one of about 100 representatives of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe).

After earning a degree in geology from Gustavus Adolphus College, Bonnifield, a 1990 NUHS graduate, traveled to Changchun in northeast China to teach English. She stayed a year.

"I was just starting to understand China, but thought I needed language lessons. so I joined the Peace Corps and went to Sri Lanka," Bonnifield said. "There, I learned the language and culture and taught within the context of it."

When a civil war heated up in Sri Lank, Bonnifield moved to Nepal. She lived in two villages for two years.

She recently traveled to Ankara, Turkey to participate in the International Symposium on Torture. There, she learned about new human rights tactics in a country known for its poor human rights record.

At the symposium, Turkish government officials were educated on human rights. Participants learned how action plans can prevent human rights violations.

In India, a Human Rights Law Network created the Indian People's Tribunal to promote justice and mobilize victims of human rights abuses. Since 1993, the group conducted 24 tribunals on issues ranging from police violence and the right to food and housing.

"Lots of sharing helped us learn how to stop and deal with human rights violations," Bonnifield said. "When people are tortured, they need to heal to get over their post-traumatic stress syndrome disorder."

In the U.S. alone, there are 20 torture treatment centers.

Last March, she observed the Russian presidential election for OSCE. In order to prevent bias, she worked with a partner from another country. Assisted by interpreters and drivers, both workers observed the election wherever ballot boxes were located, including prisons.

If they noticed anything questionable, OCSE observers would discuss it and decide if it should be reported.

Bonnifield said she didn't notice any violations but that some observers noticed ballot box stuffing. Findings of about 300 observers, including 30 Americans, were reported at large press conferences designed to create fair and balanced reporting of what the observers witnessed.

Bonnifield said the Russians were very friendly to her.

"It was a party atmosphere with everybody singing and dancing during the elections," Bonnifield said. "We talked freely with them. They knew what we were doing and were happy that we were there."

She now works as a consultant for a new, non-profit organization, Gross Injustice.

Bonnifield credited her NUHS teachers for encouraging her foreign exchange visit to Turkey.

She encouraged high school students not to be afraid to try to make a difference in the world.

"I was very lucky to have such encouraging high school teachers in New Ulm. I am still in touch with some of them," Bonnifield said. "Without their help, I would not have been able to do what I did. Anyone can make a difference in the world if they want to."

(Fritz Busch can be reached at fbusch@nujournal.com).