2013-05-25T12:11:32-04:00 Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=davinder-kumar Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Davinder Kumar Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2834404 2013-03-08T01:45:54-05:00 2013-05-07T05:12:01-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
Kamla's friends consider her to be exceptionally brave. The majority of them simply choose not to venture out. They are scared to travel beyond a certain distance from their homes for fear of harassment and attack. After dark, girls in Kamla's neighbourhood disappear from public spaces. They avoid using community toilets as men sometimes gain entry into girls' section and try to molest them.

Since the brutal rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus three months ago, several more continue to be carried out, almost one every other day, in different cities and towns across India. And the situation is not much different in any major city across the world.

Child rights organisation Plan's research in capital cities of Delhi, Cairo, Hanoi, Kampala and Lima reveals that fear of sexual attack and violence is creating 'off-limits' areas for girls and often, this limit starts right outside their homes as neighbourhoods turn into no-go areas after dark.

Plan's unique study involved over 1000 adolescent girls who themselves assessed their neighbourhoods and mapped out major risks to their safety. The findings show that experiences of sexual harassment and places considered off-limits are shared by girls in these five cities spread across Asia, Africa and Latin America,

In Delhi, adolescent girls said they avoided being alone, especially after dark, and asked family members or friends to accompany them to community toilets, schools, markets and shops. Only three per cent of girls said they felt safe using the city's public transport. In Hanoi, nearly 60 per cent of girls said they seldom or rarely had access to emergency services such as the police.


Girls in Delhi speak to community members as part of 'safety audit' of their neighbourhood. Plan/Mary Matheson

About eight out of 10 girls in Cairo said they never or only sometimes felt safe. Victims of sexual harassment in the Egyptian capital were convinced that they were to blame for it. Similarly, in Kampala, 80 per cent of adolescent girls involved in the research felt unsafe in the city centre and many felt uncomfortable to approach security guards or the police, saying that they sometimes were drunk on duty. In Lima the majority of girls said they were living in a very dangerous city. Just two per cent felt safe in using the city's public transport.

Despite their varied cultural and political environments, girls in these five cities shared similar issues with regards to their safety. All of them envisioned future ideal cities to be well-lit, well-planned, with access to clean toilets. Cities that provided them space to participate and make their way safely to education, work and leisure facilities.

For the first time in history, there are more people living in cities than in rural areas. Each month, five million people are added to the cities of the developing world, and it is estimated that by 2030, approximately 1.5 billion girls will live in urban areas.

While girls in cities certainly enjoy increased opportunities, they also face greater risks. On the one hand they are more likely to be educated and less likely to be married at an early age; on the other hand they face sexual harassment, exploitation, and insecurity in public spaces as part of their daily lives.

It is tragic if girls are being forced out of the public sphere in their cities simply for fear of their own safety. It puts paid to the progress that has been made so far in achieving gender equality through policy and legislation when girls simply cannot access or are forced to miss the opportunities to realise their potential, for fear sexual harassment and violence.

Often policies and discussions on gender-based violence seem to miss a vital link. There is a direct connection between private and public spaces. Besides harassment and violence outside their homes, girls face risks and vulnerabilities in the private sphere as well, including domestic violence in their homes. It makes it even more imperative that public spaces are made safe to enable girls to access services they need to protect themselves from unsafe situations at home.

It is evident that adolescent girls, who are often the most vulnerable population in a city, are frequently excluded from urban processes. They are too often ignored or under-represented in current policies and programming and are most excluded from urban development and governance processes.

Plan's Urban Programme, part of its global campaign Because I am a Girl dedicated to lifting millions of girls out of poverty, is working to initiate this important shift in five diverse cities of the world. While addressing gender-based violence in cities involves long-term engagement in changing behaviours and social attitudes, there are effective steps the governments can take to start the process by making urban spaces safe.

Providing safe and reliable public transport and offering gender-sensitive training to those involved can enable girls to move freely in the cities. Building clean, safe and accessible toilets, and ensuring that public spaces are well-lit can make a huge difference in girls' access to basic services. Further, girls must be involved in the way the cities are developed and run. Cities are severely lacking in girls' perspective and girls must be included in decision making processes at the municipal and national levels on issues that deeply impact them and their chances in life.

In Delhi, it is still a long and bumpy road for Kamla to her tuition centre. For the moment, her hopes to complete her computer education and get a good job rest on the edge of a sharp steel pin.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2809065 2013-03-05T02:31:21-05:00 2013-05-04T05:12:01-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
Marcela, therefore, is just short of a miracle. Living in a community that was until recently labelled the most violent in El Salvador, Marcela is still single at 18, pursuing higher education and is championing girls' rights in her community. "I was almost destined for a similar fate had I not become aware of my rights a few years ago," says Marcela recalling her first contact with child rights organisation Plan during a project that focused on sensitising young people in her community against violence. "Years of awareness-raising has made a difference, but there are still too many girls in my community who face violence in schools and drop out of education," she says.

The problem of girls facing violence in schools is not restricted to Marcela's community alone. The statistics show that globally between 500 million and 1.5 billion children experience violence every year, many within schools. An estimated 150 million girls and 73 million boys have experienced sexual violence worldwide. Girls face double discrimination because of their age and their gender. In the global context, girls and women overwhelmingly face additional barriers to realising their rights because they are valued less, have less power than boys and men, and therefore end up being more vulnerable and at greater risk of facing violence due to their lower social standing.

At schools, it is not just male students girls can face violence from. Incidents of sexual violence by male teachers and staff against female students are common in many parts of the world. This involves a range of aggressive behaviours and misuse of authority, including rape, verbal sexual harassment, and bribing students with money or the promise of better grades. In Mozambique, for example, a government study found that 70 per cent of girl respondents reported knowing that some teachers used sexual intercourse as a condition for promotion between grades. In Niger, a study showed that more than eight out of 10 teachers confirmed existence of sexual acts between students and teachers at their school.

Gender-based violence in and around schools is one of the major barriers for girls in completing their education. It threatens to slow the progress in achieving universal access to primary education and gender equality - part of the Millennium Development Goals. An estimated 66 million girls are still out of primary and secondary school worldwide.


Girls face several barriers to access and complete a quality education. Davinder Kumar/Plan

There is a strong link between girls' education and their fundamental rights and freedoms. Girls who complete primary and secondary education are more likely to earn a greater income during their lifetimes, have fewer unwanted pregnancies and marry later. They are also more likely to break the cycle of generational poverty within their families and the communities around them.

It is therefore imperative to keep girls in education and make schools and their surrounding environments safe for girls. As part of its report being released today during the ongoing 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Plan is calling on all governments to create a concrete action plan to end gender-based violence. The report - A girl's right to learn without fear: Working to end gender-based violence at school - recommends coordination with front-line bodies, law enforcement agencies, civil society, parents and school administrators to tackle the problem.

Solutions involving communities, particularly boys and men, to create an environment where rights are promoted and valued are being implemented effectively in communities where Plan works. Young advocates like Marcela are using this tool in their communities. "It is only through awareness and education that we have succeeded in scaling down the level of violence in my community," she says. "Men can very much become part of the solution through change in behaviour and attitudes."

However, school-related gender-based violence is so widespread in its scale in the form of number of children, particularly girls, it affects, that it warrants concerted action. States, as duty bearers, have the ultimate responsibility to fulfil their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that holds that every child has the right to feel safe at school, at home, and in the community. Weak institutional capacity, limited enforcement of laws, and poor reporting and accountability mechanisms are failing to protect children, particularly girls, so that they can complete a quality education.

Gender-based violence in and around schools is a global problem and requires policy and action by all governments. Girls like Marcela should not have to be odd miracles in their communities for simply been able to continue their education. It is not a rare privilege or a stroke of luck. It is their basic human right.

(Davinder Kumar is part of Plan International's delegation at the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, currently underway at the UN Headquarters in New York)]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2804232 2013-03-04T01:11:53-05:00 2013-05-03T05:12:01-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/ UN Headquarters in New York. They want answers to their questions. They want to know what the world is doing to resolve the problems they face in their daily lives just because they are girls.

In Huyen's community girls are constantly harassed by boys and men in their neighbourhood. They cannot go out after dark and regularly face sexual advances by strangers and sometimes by those known to them. Hakima, on the other hand, is fighting hard to make schools safe for girls in her community. She holds weekly sessions to discuss incidents of violence reported by other girl pupils. The perpetrators range from boys in the school to male teachers who inflict both physical and sexual violence on girls. Very often, girls in Hakima's community drop out of education to save themselves from abuse.

Huyen and Hakima are leading child rights initiatives in their communities supported by children's organisation Plan. They have joined thousands of campaigners who have descended in New York from across the world in persuading UN member states to take action to end gender-based violence as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) starts its 57th annual session at the UN Headquarters today.

This year's priority theme is: "Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls" and the Commission is faced with the usual challenge of convincing States to make commitments. The discussions leading up to the Session have occurred amidst global coverage of two high-profile cases of 2012 - the shooting of Pakistani schoolgirl and girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai, and the gang-rape on a bus and subsequent death of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi.

The principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women will be using strong language at the session to get its message across. Among several recommendations, it is urging states to refrain from invoking any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligation to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

Speaking before a packed audience of girl delegates on Sunday, Michelle Bachelet, executive director of UN Women, set the tone for what is likely to be a keenly debated session. The former President of Chile said that too often states were using local customs and traditions as excuses for failing to act to stop violence against women and girls. She explained that lack of action meant little progress was being achieved to tackle issues like child marriage and girls dropping out of education.




Plan girl delegate Marcela from El Salvador asking question to Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women. Davinder Kumar/Plan

The statistics cannot be ignored. The practice of early marriage, a form of sexual violence, is common in different parts the world. More than 60 million girls worldwide are married before the age of 18, primarily in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Further, up to 140 million women and girls alive today are estimated to have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, mainly in Africa and some Middle Eastern countries.

Violence against women and girls is prevalent in all societies across the world. Estimates suggest that up to seven in ten women globally will be beaten, abused, raped or mutilated in their lifetimes - and most of this violence takes place in intimate relationships. According to World Bank data women aged between 15 and 44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria.
The cost of violence against women is huge. In the United States alone it exceeds $5.8 billion per year for violence inflicted by an intimate partner. Of this, over $4 billion is for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account for nearly $1.8 billion. For Vietnam the cost of violence against women is almost 2% of the national GDP. Similarly, a 2004 study in the United Kingdom estimated the total direct and indirect costs of domestic violence, including pain and suffering, to be £23 billion per year.

There are robust international legal treaties and agreements specifically dedicated to women's and girls' rights. They provide effective guarantees and protection for women and girls to enjoy respect, dignity, choices and fundamental freedoms. However, despite important progress made over the last few decades, there still remain significant challenges in ending violence against women and girls. For example, more than 125 countries have specific laws that penalise domestic violence. Yet, over 600 million women live in countries where it is not considered a crime.

In recent decades it has become obvious that there are severe gaps between commitments made by nations and actual action taken by them. It is not uncommon for states to sign up to agreements but fail to follow up with adequate implementation of legal and policy frameworks. There are additional problems in the form of lack of allocated funding and resources and no mechanisms in place to monitor or evaluate the enforcements.

Even though the CSW is faced with acute challenges, it still has great value in setting global standards to advocate for gender equality. Year on year it is relentlessly defining state obligations and creating tools for campaigners like Huyen and Hakima to fight for basic human rights in their social and political landscapes.

For thousands gathered in New York and millions beyond, the message going out is loud and clear - gender equality is critical to achievement of human rights, sustainable development, peace and security and economic growth.

Ending violence against women and girls is not an option for states. It is an urgent priority.

(Davinder Kumar is part of Plan International delegation at the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, United Nations Headquarters, New York.)]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1867726 2012-09-10T19:00:00-04:00 2012-11-10T05:12:01-05:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
His parents and brother - all died of AIDS. Of the family of four, he is now the only survivor and HIV positive.

Unlike cheery teenagers of his age, Ganesh from Pune, India, is consumed with thoughts of disease and death. "I wish I could enjoy life like everyone else," he says.

Orphaned and left homeless, Ganesh moved in with his grandmother and aunt who themselves are grappling with extreme poverty. "My paternal uncle passed away recently after a long illness. He was the sole breadwinner. We don't know what we will do now."

The tragic loss of his family, his own health worries and his current circumstances have taken a huge toll on Ganesh's body and mind. "I hope I will be able to continue my education if my health improves and if I feel strong," he says.

Ganesh got HIV from his mother and is among more than 100,000 children below the age of 15 who are living with HIV/AIDS in India. More than two-thirds of these children are not receiving any treatment. Studies suggest where diagnostics, care and treatment are not available 35% of infected children die in the first year of life, 50% by their second birthday, and 60% by the time they turn three.

Mother-to-child transmission is by far the most significant route of HIV infection among children which occurs during pregnancy, child birth and breastfeeding. Globally, almost 330 000 newborns become infected with HIV every year because they are born to mothers living with HIV. According to UNAIDS, without treatment, up to 40% of babies born to HIV positive mothers will start life infected.

Preventing this is one of the most significant investments in combating the disease. The elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is possible and has been achieved in the developed world. Measures like HIV testing during pregnancy, access to antiretroviral medication for infected mothers and their own lifelong treatment have made this a reality.

The situation in the developing world, however, remains grim. In India, for example, despite advances in its prevention and treatment, HIV screening during pregnancy is still low which is reflected in the number of children living with HIV/AIDS. Women too often go untested for HIV often with serious consequences for themselves and their newborns.

Luckily for Ganesh, his HIV treatment has started. He has been enrolled for anti-retroviral treatment (ART) at a local government hospital and is receiving nutritional support and counselling by children's organisation Plan India. Ganesh is one among hundreds of children being reached by Plan which is running a dedicated home and community based care and support programme for children affected by AIDS in the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh since 2007. The programme, supported by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, is aimed at addressing the factors that exacerbate the overall burden of HIV/AIDS on children besides reducing morbidity and mortality among them.

With HIV come social isolation, stigma and discrimination - all of which compound the psychological impact of the disease on sufferers. This is in addition to the direct burden of HIV itself in the form of treatment and nutritional needs which most poor patients are unable to afford often leading to faster progression of the disease. Many households lose their only breadwinners and children often have to drop out of schools and take up work to support their families' income.

"The combination of poverty and HIV weakens the capacity of families and communities to care for and support their children who are rendered most vulnerable," says Vinayakan Ellath, Plan's Senior Program Manager. "As an effective solution to tackle the burden of HIV/AIDS we are using a holistic approach that involves medical care, nutritional support, educational assistance, psychosocial help and economic empowerment."

Plan's efforts to create an enabling environment for people affected by HIV/AIDS in their homes and communities have met with encouraging results. "We have worked with affected families, communities and local government agencies and together provided an effective support system," says Ellath.


Following an HIV/AIDS awareness session, Nanda was accepted by her community.

Take the example of 35-year-old Nanda. Her husband and his second wife both died of AIDS and left Nanda with their six-year-old girl. Plan outreach workers referred both Nanda and her step-daughter to a local HIV screening centre where they tested positive. Nanda was shocked and distressed about their future. "I was convinced that both of us were going to die soon," she says.

They were immediately provided counselling and registered for treatment at the local hospital. "I was encouraged to join positive peoples' support group and soon realised that there were many others like me," she says.

However, after her status became known, Nanda faced opposition and discrimination from her community. "Everyone broke ties with me and wanted me out of my job as a cook at the local municipal school," she says. Already struggling to make ends meet Nanda was in real danger of losing her livelihood.

Plan's partner organisation had to convene a meeting of all villagers and conduct a counseling and awareness session on basic facts about HIV. "We dispelled many unfounded fears and doubts that had gained ground in the minds of people mostly due to lack of knowledge and information on HIV/AIDS," says Ms. Romee Hijam, Plan's HIV Project Coordinator.

Nanda managed to keep her job. She was subsequently given financial assistance by Plan to repair her house and open a shop for selling bangles which she has since developed into a successful small business. The attitude of her community towards her has also changed and many of them are now her regular customers. "I just can't imagine what I would have done or where I would have landed if this support was not available," says Nanda.

For a nation with an estimated 2.4 million people with HIV infection, India alone accounts for almost half the people living with HIV/AIDS in entire Asia. Even though new HIV infections have declined by more than half over the last decade due to robust healthcare measures, the country is a long way from providing universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

A small but sure start by Plan is very much part of meeting this huge challenge. You only have to ask Ganesh and Nanda the difference it has made to their lives.

(Names of case studies have been changed.)]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1755803 2012-08-08T11:31:18-04:00 2012-10-08T05:12:32-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/ 'International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples' today, the fight to uphold the rights of some of the most marginalised and discriminated populations on the planet is fast becoming a lost cause.

The 370 million indigenous people spread across 70 countries are rapidly losing control of their land and natural resources as states continue to issue orders and amend laws leading to systematic dispossession and displacement of indigenous populations.

In south-east Cameroon the indigenous hunter-gatherer Baka people are facing an increasingly uncertain future as their traditional lands have been almost entirely taken away from them, for purposes including commercial mining and logging. Forced out of their territory, Bakas are now faced with extreme challenges to access food and basic services.

The indigenous Mangyan people in the dense rainforests of Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines are desperately battling to save their ancestral land from transnational mining corporations, Some 40,000 hectares of land, including vast swathes of forest, is claimed by Mangyans as their ancestral domain. The land potentially holds reserves of gold, natural gas and minerals worth many millions of dollars. Physically and socially isolated from the rest of the Filipino population and among the poorest in the country, Mangyans are up against all odds as they must legally prove their ownership of the land they have traditionally inhabited for generations.

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Mangyan people in the Philippines' Occidental Mindoro are striving to their forest, communities.

Globally, although the indigenous peoples represent only about 5 per cent of the world's population, they occupy one-fifth of entire earth's territory from the Arctic to the South Pacific. Despite their hold over vast swathes of land, indigenous peoples make up 15 per cent of the world's poor and one-third of the world's 900 million extremely poor rural people.

They are over-represented on all indicators of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. Indigenous peoples face systemic racism, violence and abuse in their daily lives. An indigenous woman is more likely to be raped, with some estimates showing that more than one in three indigenous women are raped during their lifetime

The social and economic exclusion of indigenous peoples is not restricted to developing countries alone. Even in developed countries, indigenous peoples consistently lag behind the non-indigenous population in terms of most indicators of well-being. They live shorter lives, have poorer health care and education and endure higher unemployment rates. According to UN, a native Aboriginal child born in Australia today can expect to die almost 20 years earlier than his or her non-native compatriot. In countries where indigenous peoples are in sizeable numbers, they still fare poorly as compared to dominant societies. Chronic malnutrition, for example, affects 8 in 10 indigenous children in Guatemala.

At the heart of indigenous peoples issues lies the inherent discrimination of one of the most vulnerable groups in the world. Only a few countries recognise indigenous peoples' land rights. In 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples making it the most comprehensive statement of the rights of indigenous peoples ever developed. The Declaration upholds the collective rights to a degree unprecedented in international human rights law, but it is not legally binding.

The International Labour Organisation's 'Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 1989', is the only international law that protects indigenous peoples' land ownership rights and sets minimum UN standards regarding consultation and consent. More than two decades after this treaty came into force only 22 countries have ratified it so far, denying a vast majority of indigenous peoples their basic rights to their assets and natural resources.

In few places where indigenous peoples have legal title deeds to their lands, these lands are often leased out by the state as mining or logging concessions without consultation of indigenous peoples. In the ruthless appropriation of their assets, free and prior informed consent of affected indigenous peoples is almost always ignored. Still suffering from the consequences of historic injustice, including colonisation and dispossession, indigenous peoples are finding themselves trapped in an overwhelming morass of poverty, illiteracy, lack of political representation all of which is resulting in their loss of control over their own way of life.

"We are very worried that big mining companies will take over our ancestral land. If the government gives them license to operate, our forest land and heritage will be lost forever," says Juanito Lumawig, the 62-year-old supreme leader of all seven tribes of Mangyans. For him, it is a battle for survival for his people, who for centuries have inhabited the rough and hard-to-reach Philippine highlands of Occidental Mindoro."We don't know what to do but I am sure our ancestors will save us," he says with a degree of confidence.

Indigenous leaders like Lumawig are relying on prayers and spirits of their ancestors to save their land, communities and way of life as the onslaught continues to take control of their territory. With the state often on the side they are battling against, they have no one to turn to and nowhere to go. Community development organisation Plan International is assisting Mangyan tribes in surveying their land, documenting their oral history and putting their legal claim together. However, the complexity and scale of issues affecting indigenous peoples worldwide will require an effort at the global level. According to a UN report, around 60 million indigenous people around the world depend almost entirely on forests for their survival.

The deteriorating situation of indigenous peoples has figured prominently in the recent discussions at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues -- the United Nations expert advisory body dealing with the human, economic and social rights of indigenous peoples. The Forum, in its recently concluded session, approved landmark draft recommendations on the 'Doctrine of Discovery', "conquest" - the key argument used by colonisers throughout the world as legal and political justification for the dispossession of indigenous peoples from their lands, their disenfranchisement and the abrogation of their rights. The Forum has called upon the states to repudiate such doctrines as the basis for denying indigenous peoples' human rights.

The UN Forum noted that dispossession doctrines have led to a situation where states have allegedly "extinguished" the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories and resources, their right to self determination, their languages, religions and even their identities. "No other peoples in the world are pressured to have their rights extinguished", the Forum said.

It therefore does not come as a surprise that worldwide the indigenous peoples are paying a huge human cost of activities sanctioned by the state for purposes ranging from commercial exploitation to unsustainable development. Large dams and mining activities have caused forced displacement of thousands of indigenous persons and families without adequate compensations in many countries. Several communities, in many countries, have been moved out of national parks against their will, while tourist development in some countries has resulted in the displacement of indigenous people, pushing them further into poverty.

According to a UN statsitic, in Indonesia, of over 140 million hectares of indigenous territories that are classified as state forest lands, almost 58 million are with timber companies. Concerns remain about the prospect of more forest land being diverted for commercial plantations.About 30 million indigenous people depend on these forests for their livelihood. In eastern Africa and the Congo Basin, the creation of protected forest areas has caused the displacement of tens of thousands of indigenous peoples and threatened their subsistence survival.

Wanton dispossession and displacement of indigenous peoples has brought them in direct conflict with the authorities and their agents the world over. When indigenous peoples have reacted and tried to assert their rights, in most instances they have suffered physical abuse, imprisonment, torture and even death.

Even as the indigenous peoples situation continues to deteriorate, the UN Forum's robust invalidation of 'Doctrine of Discovery' has helped push the indigenous agenda to a new level of global discussion. As the debate progresses in the larger framework of human rights, the states face a call to redefine their relationship with indigenous peoples. It will be a test case for states' commitment to peace, justice and human rights. It may also be the last hope for indigenous peoples before their rights, identity and way of life are systematically 'extinguished.']]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1677736 2012-07-16T17:22:59-04:00 2012-09-15T05:12:02-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
Behind the veneer of glorious sunshine and sandy beaches, the holiday resort nation of the Dominican Republic is grappling with brutal killings and violent attacks on young girls and women.

Every two days, sometimes each day, a woman is killed in an act of violence. For an island nation of nearly 10million, over 1,000 women have been killed in the last five years. In the majority of cases the perpetrators were intimate partners of victims.

From plush urban enclaves to deprived rural counties, 'machismo' pervades all classes and is prevalent in every community in the Dominican Republic. A by-word for ultra-masculinity, 'machismo' has come to be regarded as a natural attribute of tough men who often dominate women with unprovoked aggression and violence as a way of life. From alcohol, drugs, anger to jealously, dispute or just a bad day - anything can serve as a trigger for some men to unleash violence on women.

For the majority of women escape can be very difficult. Their dependence on male partners for financial and emotional support often means they continue to suffer in silence. Those who dare face the spectre of being left on their own, often risking worse reprisals and backlash.


It took 60-year-old Lourdes (right) more than two decades before she mustered up courage to divorce her violent partner. "If I didn't do that I would have killed me by now," she says. With her daughter and granddaughter. PLAN / DAVINDER KUMAR

The national legislation against violence is in place, also the international human rights law is clear that the States have a duty to exercise due diligence to prevent, prosecute and punish violence against women. However, very little real protection exists for women in reality, as they continue to suffer violence on a daily basis as the majority of perpetrators go unpunished.

In 2010 an overwhelming number of 62,000 cases of violence against women were reported in the Dominican Republic. Just 4% of these went on legal trial. The cases range from extreme sexual violence involving young girls to women being stabbed to death. Considering a vast number of cases are not even reported, a real estimate of the extent of the situation is hard to gauge. Fighting a lonely battle, women are often coerced into retracting their statements by their perpetrators, or they simply give up in frustration for getting no further.

The reality begins to sink in when the country's Deputy Attorney General Roxanna Reyes Acosta, a woman herself, says the police and the judges - even female judges, have cultural prejudices and myths around domestic violence. For women, starting from the perpetrator to family, community, police and the judiciary, there are multiple barriers and prejudices to reporting violence and seeking justice. At every level, the victims drop out to return to the cycle of violence that often continues, if they manage to survive.

"It takes on average five years for victims of violence to realise their status and up to 15 years for women to come out of the circle of domestic violence," says Acosta. The woman with the highest office in government is trying to tackle the systemic culture of gender-bias head on, starting with sensitising key constituents of legislature, executive and the judiciary. "The majority of political leaders are male. They do not necessarily look at the female perspective. We need to revolutionise the system."

It may well warrant efforts on the scale of a revolution to save Dominican Republic's women from violence as lack of funds and inherent gender discrimination means women are way down on the priority list.

In Barahona province, 17-year-old Orvis is at the frontline of taking the message straight to the communities and homes where violence occurs. He spends his after school hours in his nearby villages going door to door raising awareness on the issue of domestic violence. Like other provinces, alcoholism, drug-abuse and domestic violence is rife in Barahona's villages. "In my village there is a man who used to beat his wife with a stick. He thought it was his right to beat his wife and so did others in the village. I told him that he was committing a crime and that he could be jailed. It took some efforts and a few visits and he finally stopped," he says.

Orvis is part of a small force of young people who volunteer for child rights organisation Plan and work relentlessly in their communities, raising awareness to stop the cycle of violence which also blights the lives of children in families where it is a routine. The violence has devastating consequences for the women who experience it, and a traumatic effect on those who witness it, particularly children. Experts believe children who grow up in families where there is violence may suffer a range of behavioural and emotional issues that can be associated with the perpetration or experiencing of violence later in life.

Organisations like Plan can only address limited aspects of the grave problem that runs very deep. The solution, like Acosta is trying to filter down from the top, also must start from the grassroots - from families and communities upwards. It means reaching people like 60-year-old Lourdes who have resigned to their fate. She says, "It is common in our community to hit women. It is a tradition." After suffering 23 years of incessant violence, Lourdes had no other choice but to separate from her husband as she was certain she would be killed one day. "He used to attack me with a machete. He nearly slit my daughter's throat," she adds.

The Dominican Republic may be on the higher end of the scale, but it is certainly not the only country where women face indiscriminate violence and death in their daily lives just because of their gender. Violence against women is a universal phenomenon and not just restricted to developing nations. It persists in all countries and cultures across the world with domestic violence, in particular, frighteningly common and accepted as "normal" within too many societies.

According to UN, in Australia, Canada and Israel 40 to 70% of female murder victims were killed by their partners. In the United States, one-third of women murdered each year are killed by intimate partners. In Guatemala, two women are murdered, on average, each day. In South Africa, a woman is killed every six hours by an intimate partner. In India, 22 women were killed each day in dowry-related murders in 2007.

According to the World Bank, women aged 15 to 44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, motor accidents, war or malaria. However, there is scant comparable data that documents the magnitude of violence against women to guide policy and monitor implementation. The often used reference point is a WHO multi-country study in 2005 that found that between 15 and 71% of women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. These forms of violence result in physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health problems among other issues.

Altagracia, for instance, is battling serious repercussions of the attack that nearly killed her. Physically and psychologically scarred, she contemplated suicide on a number of occasions but changed her mind thinking of her son. Pointing to her scarred face which has still not healed, she asks:"Who will ever love me?" Battling depression, she hopes a reconstructive surgery will help her face the world again. Her perpetrator, like many others, is still absconding justice.

(Some names have been changed to protect identity.)

This arrticle first appeared on Al Jazeera.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1586058 2012-06-11T08:49:31-04:00 2012-08-11T05:12:07-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
For each beedi, the roller painstakingly places tobacco inside a dried leaf sourced from a local ebony tree; tightly rolls and secures it with a thread; and then closes the tips using a sharp knife. For anything between 10 and 14 hours, regardless of how long it takes, Aliya's mother and others must all roll at least a 1000 beedis to earn a paltry sum of less than 2 dollars paid by the middleman. The beedi manufacturers, however, make billions of dollars.

The cigarettes are taken to warehouses of large manufacturers, packaged and sold in the market for a much higher price. The beedis are so popular that they make for nearly half of India's entire tobacco market. But, behind the country's unorganised domestic tobacco sector, lie invisible millions who are trapped in modern day economic slavery.


Plan / Davinder Kumar

In Aliya's town of Kadiri in Andhra Pradesh alone, hundreds of families have for generations relied on beedi rolling as their only means of survival. The labyrinthine, congested lanes of Kadiri slums are home to an assembly line of humans functioning like robots. Young girls and women alike can be seen rolling cigarettes in groups out in the open. Some sway, some rock back and forth appearing entranced, while others have developed odd muscular motions as they push their work speed to the edge of human limits.

For most, if they do not roll enough beedis every day there simply will not be food on the plate. "The pressure to keep up with the speed and meet the target is so intense that many skip their meals and even avoid drinking water so they do not need to go to the toilet," says Shanu a community volunteer.

Almost all beedi workers in Kadiri, like the other beedi manufacturing pockets in India, are female and a large of number of them young girls. The home-based process is preferred by men over sending women and girls outside for work. Aliya has already started her lessons early and is practising rolling beedis using cuttings of plain paper. "I want to roll beedis and give money to my mother," she says.

A study released nearly three years ago estimated a scandalous number of over 1.7 million children are working in India's beedi rolling industry. Children are knowingly engaged by manufacturers due to belief that children's nimble fingers are more adept at rolling cigarettes. Under the Indian law, beedi rolling is defined as hazardous work. But there is a loophole wherein children who assist their parents in their work do not come under the purview of the law.

"Formally, it is the women who take on the orders from the contractors. However, behind the scenes given the pressures these women face in terms of delivering on huge volumes, invariably children, mainly girls, get pulled into this to support their families in beedi rolling," says Anita Kumar of Plan India. As part of its global campaign 'Because I am Girl', the child rights organisation has started a programme focused on girl child labour in Andhra Pradesh, including girls involved in beedi making. The project will collectively impact 1500 girls over 3 years. Children trapped in beedi work will need a rescue effort on a much larger scale. "We are aiming to create a model by working with communities and the local government structures ensuring that children are prevented from falling into this cycle of labour," says Kumar.

From unhealthy living conditions to exploitative wages, slave-like working conditions and severe health consequences - the situation of beedi workers involves violation of their fundamental rights and freedoms on many levels. The majority of girls are pulled out of education by the time they complete primary school to support their families' income.

Youngest among four siblings, 11-year-old Salma dropped out of school last year when she completed grade 4. "I wanted to continue going to school but we are very poor and have been struggling to pay the rent," she says as she struggles to draw breath. Salma is suffering from jaundice and is so frail she can barely sit straight. Yet, she is tasked with rolling up to 1500 beedis a day to support her family. Squatting on the floor and hunched up, she rolls cigarettes for over 12 hours every day and still earns just over two dollars. In addition to jaundice,

Salma has also developed a ringworm infection on her wrist, quite common in the area due to poor hygiene and sanitation. She is in dire need of medical attention but visiting local hospital means a day off work due to long queues and a day's wage in transport. Her parents cannot afford either.




The health impact on beedi workers is visible on all age groups. Tuberculosis, asthma, body pain and postural problems related with hips and joints are most common. Continuous beedi rolling leads to absorption of high doses of nicotine directly through skin. The skin on the children's fingertips begins to thin progressively, and by the time they reach their 40s they cannot roll cigarettes any more. Mahboobjaan, a mother of three girls, is in her mid-30s and is already losing sensation in her hands. "My hands often swell up. I don't know what I will do if I can't roll beedi anymore," she says.

The worst thing for beedi workers is the feeling that there is no protection, no welfare, no State support. They vote but have no power or effective representation. For all development indicators they remain at the bottom of the ladder all their lives. Even among them, girls suffer the most. Throughout their life cycle their basic rights are violated; as children, as child brides, as young mothers, they continue to fight for survival with extreme labour and economic slavery.

In summer as the temperatures reach 45 degrees Celsius, streets in Kadiri are engulfed in a stifling cloud of tobacco dust. Infants play among heaps of tobacco leaves. Covered in a pool of sweat, young girls roll beedis with their eyes transfixed on their tobacco tray. Older women, who cannot roll any more, help with trimming the ebony leaves. The work continues till late in the night just to secure next day's meal and to keep a roof above the head.

Next morning, and for most every single morning for rest of their lives, it is exactly the same story. The breathless race to 1000 starts with 1 all over again.

(Names of children have been changed to protect identity.)]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1541307 2012-05-23T23:27:24-04:00 2012-07-23T05:12:05-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
Even though expeditions to Everest have been more frequent over the years, making it to the summit is rare and rarer still is Nishat's feat. Born in a small town of Lakshmipur in southern Bangladesh and raised in a conservative society in a predominantly Islamic nation, Nishat could have easily slipped into oblivion. Had it not been for her parents who educated her and allowed her the freedom to pursue her interest, Nishat's destiny would have been no different from millions of girls in her country and rest of the developing world who are deprived of education and are forced into early marriage. One girl in 7 in developing countries is married before she reaches the age of 15.

There are millions of girls out there who have never crossed their village boundaries, let alone dreaming of something as out of character as climbing a mountain or challenging a male bastion like Nishat. Throughout the developing world, the lives of girls are blighted by deep-rooted prejudices and inequalities. Girls face discrimination even before they are allowed to be born in the form of female foeticide practiced in several countries mainly in Asia due to preference for a male child. Many succumb in their early years due to neglect. An estimated 170 million girls are 'missing' globally due to sex-selective abortion and death due to infant neglect.

If girls are lucky to survive through their childhood, they continue to face discrimination and multiple barriers to enjoy their rights and realise their full potential. About 53 million girls in developing countries are denied access to primary schools. A huge number- about 10 million girls each year, become child brides. Girls that marry young, experience intense pressure to become pregnant. For example, in Bangladesh an estimated third of all teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are mothers or pregnant. They often face serious health risks due to complications associated with pregnancy and child birth which is the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19.

Denied basic education; forced into early marriage; deprived of basic rights; girls lie at the bottom of socio-economic indicators. More than two-thirds of the world's one billion people living in extreme poverty are girls and women. They have little control over assets and an even lesser say on their own reproductive health. Globally, young women are 1.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS than young men. The impact is more disproportionate when it comes to women in poorer countries. Nearly 77 per cent of all HIV-positive women live in sub-Saharan Africa.


Put in context, Nishat's success is extraordinary given the multiple social and cultural barriers girls in developing countries have to negotiate in their daily lives. Nishat's story is a milestone, a triumph for the efforts in the developing world to ensure that every girl's fundamental rights and freedoms are realised by the State and the society.

As a child Nishat could never fulfill her desire to play outdoor sport. "I used to watch my brothers play football, but I never dared to play. I was afraid of what people might say if they saw a girl playing football," she says. Drawing from her personal experiences, Nishat likens the plight of girls to dwarfed trees. "In our society, she says, girls are brought up like a 'bonsai'. "From a young age their branches and leaves are clipped with words like - you can't do this because you are a girl. As a result, many of them grow up without ever reaching the height they were meant to," says the Everest conqueror.

In her momentous achievement, Nishat has symbolised the power of education and the difference equal chances can make in a girl's life. She has dedicated her effort to child rights organisation Plan's Because I am a Girl global campaign aimed at ensuring that girls complete at least 9 years of basic quality education in the world's poorest countries.

Educated girls are empowered girls and they can transform their own lives and the lives of all around them. An extra year of school for girls will increase their lifetime income by 10-20%. Children of women who have completed primary school are 40% less likely to die before age 5. When a girl in the developing world receives 7 or more years of education, she marries 4 years later and has 2.2 fewer children. In short, keeping girls in education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and inequality that millions across the developing world are perpetually trapped in.

In a euphoric Bangladesh, plans are afoot to receive Nishat amidst grand public celebrations. For a nation braving extreme challenges of poverty, development and climate change - Bangladesh has discovered great optimism in the achievement of an ordinary young woman. The rise of 'bonsai' to Everest is a new metaphor for girls' rights. It has opened a new window of hope, pride and aspiration.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1419960 2012-04-12T06:34:50-04:00 2012-06-12T05:12:01-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
As the world marks the International Day for Street Children today, children in street situations serve as a grim reminder of how one of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups in the world continues to be deprived of their basic rights; failed by governments, institutions and societies.

The overwhelming neglect of street children is evident by the fact that we do not even know how many of them exist. There has never been a credible assessment of street children's numbers nor any collective effort to address the issues that continue to blight the lives of millions driving them onto streets. The frequently cited UN global estimate of 100 million children growing up on urban streets is now outdated and widely disputed. Many believe the real number to be much higher and rising due to rapid urbanisation, migration and general growth in world population. Add to these socio-economic, political or cultural factors that also push children on the streets.


Girls in a Plan suppoprted drop-in centre for street children in Delhi. Plan/ Davinder Kumar


According to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, children in street situations are at high risk of suffering violence, particularly torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. You only need to ask. "No one treats us like human beings - they are always trying to punch and kick us," says 11-year-old Opu who ended up on Dhaka's streets when he was eight to escape beatings of his stepmother. His friend, 13-year old Jafur loads bananas onto trucks in a fruit market. On a good day he makes about 2 US dollars for an entire day's hard work. "One night when I was sleeping at the railway station a person approached me. He said come with me, I said no I can't go with you because I don't know you. He hit me on my face."

Girls, though less in number than boys, often face far worse conditions on streets. "I regularly get harassed by boys and men on when I go rag-picking on the streets," says six-year-old Nisha who supports her family and lives in a slum cluster near Delhi's busy Nizamuddin Railway station. A UN report on violence against children refers to a study in Rwanda where three-quarters of interviewed girls in street situations - a third of them under the age of 10, admitted they were sexually active. A shocking 93% of such girls reported having been raped.

A recent report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on street children says in addition to economic poverty and family breakdown or abandonment of children, harmful practices such as early and forced marriages, natural disasters, war and internal displacement are also some of the reasons that children end up on the streets. Almost nine out of 10 children on the streets of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria have been stigmatised as "witches" and abandoned to live on the streets by their own parents.

Contrary to popular belief, street children are not restricted to the developing world alone. They are present in all countries. In the UK an estimated 100,000 young people run away from home each year and a sixth of them sleep rough. It is believed that there are up to 16,000 working street children in St Petersburg, Russia and the majority of them are under the age of 13. The particular problems children in developed countries face might differ to those encountered by street children in a developing country but they all still have connections to the streets and their hostile environment.

They are so many and so prevalent yet the street children have merged like lifeless features into the landscapes in which they exist. Street children around the world go unnoticed, uncared for and worst still - they remain unaccounted for. With no registration and identity documents, they often have no access to basic services such as schooling and healthcare to which all children are entitled. They suffer routine violation of their fundamental rights are and left vulnerable in situations that risk their survival and infract their dignity.

Child rights organisation Plan believes that registration of every child is a key first step in addressing the complex issues affecting the lives of children, particularly those in challenging circumstances such as the street children. It is a robust, credible argument that all children must be registered as their right and thus accounted for by their governments. If the children are not recorded, they remain invisible to authorities. Therefore, the causes that drive them to streets and factors that severely compromise their rights in a life connected to streets remain uninvestigated and unmitigated. A formal identity thus establishes every child's legal existence and creates a solid starting point for realisation of other rights.

As governments and the world in general ignore their plight, for most children extricating themselves from the morass of street existence is a lonely, losing battle. They are up against all odds. There is traction in waging a war for the invisibles but there are not many takers for the visible street children few want to see.

]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1334968 2012-03-09T13:09:21-05:00 2012-05-09T05:12:02-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/

The last few days I have spent scouring the tsunami-devastated coastline of Japan's north-east. From Ishinomaki to Onagawa, Shichigahama to Kesennuma, the landscape has been drastically altered as Japan presses on with the world's costliest disaster recovery till date.

Town after town affected by the tsunami has been razed to the ground. Houses, schools and busy markets have all disappeared. Almost everything that was damaged has been flattened and cleared. The horizon is now marked with towering stockpiles of scrapped cars, recovered metal and millions of tonnes of cleared debris. Some colossal industrial units will take longer to dismantle. The great fortresses of Japan's economic power- they stand like grim mausoleums, annihilated by the brute force of tsunami waves that tore through their steel ramparts as if they were made of paper.

Much like their nation, Japan's tsunami survivors have also put on a brave front to their immense loss and suffering. As the world watched the news of 11 March with disbelief, the survivors were making an orderly queue to receive emergency relief. There was shock and great tragedy, but no public display of emotion.

One year later, the tsunami survivors are still mourning their dead. Many are waiting to hear about their missing relatives. Over 340,000 people are still in temporary accommodation, most living among strangers, unsure when they will return to their homes. The tsunami not only destroyed their towns, but also broke their communities.

Despite all this the survivors rarely speak out and least of all complain about their circumstances. For them, to be seen needing help is a dent in self respect and seeking one is akin to betrayal of those who need it more.

Even with such overarching altruism and valiant attempts to live up to the embodied values of stoicism, tsunami survivors, especially children, need help. For thousands of tsunami-affected people, life has not moved further since March 11 as they come to terms with their loss. Earthquake, tsunami and the fear of nuclear radiation has put a significant population under stress.

Japan's decision to spend 13 trillion yen ($167 billion) over five years for recovery is a robust response. The urgency to getting back to business is evident and core priorities have been set around economic revival and economic benefits. Missing, however, from the discussion is the pressing human needs of survivors. Regardless of a nation's advancement and resources, disasters affect everyone. The emotional impact of tsunami on its survivors cannot be addressed by Japan's rapid reconstruction and physical recovery alone.

Mental health professionals in Japan readily furnish data to show how years after the 1995 Kobe earthquake that killed over 6,000 people, the number of psychological cases continued to rise. The 2011 tsunami dwarfs Kobe disaster in its casualties, magnitude and the geographical spread. The experts fear if emotional needs of affected people are not addressed immediately, it could have long term ramifications on general psychological well being of those at risk, especially children.

Under such compelling circumstances global child rights organisation Plan decided to make an exception and reach out to children in a developed country. The organisation, which runs its entire programmes in developing countries, began responding to the overwhelming emotional needs of tsunami affected children and their care givers such as parents and teachers in the worst affected areas of Miyagi prefecture within days of the disaster.

Plan Japan's experience of reaching thousands of tsunami survivors in the last one year confirms the assessment of psychologists and mental health experts. The organisation has come across deeply disturbing stories of children playing tsunami games and being scared to flush toilets as the sound of flowing water reminds them of tsunami waves. Psychologists working with Plan have reported cases of grown-up children showing anxiety, aggression and wetting beds; and adults going through depression and some even developing alcohol and gambling addictions.

The accepted social norm to be resilient and common confusion of psychosocial care with mental illness in Japan means those in real need may never seek any help. Plan Japan staff had to adapt and evolve ways to reach their own, very private people. Tea parties were used as an excuse to bring people together so they can talk and share their feelings. Psychosocial care had to be rebranded as child support.

The results are evident as you visit schools and temporary housing complexes where Plan has run various activities for children and adults allowing them to experience camaraderie as they live through their private suffering. Plan Japan emergency response unit in Sendai regularly receives beautifully hand bound message books sent by school children and their teachers. In their own writing they mention how much they enjoyed activities like playing African drums together. A girl describes one such emotional support session as the first time when she laughed and enjoyed herself since the tsunami.

Emotional support or psychosocial care is often neglected in disaster response, yet it is among the most basic needs of disaster survivors. It is vital for affected people to be able to relate to and deal with their circumstances. Simple things such as group activities, games or getting people to talk to each other can play a significant role in the healing process. Best still, expressing emotions and sharing feelings can prevent high risk people from advancing into stages where they require specialised mental health care involving psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.

The events of 11 March, however, have exposed a worrying neglect of emotional well-being in Japanese society, a sentiment echoed by mental health experts who fear that things could get worse.

For prided stoicism and economic realities, the pressure is intense on Japan and its tsunami survivors to return to business as usual. As the world's third largest economy races for rapid rebuilding and reconstruction it must not lose sight of survivors' emotional well being. It is a challenge and a humanitarian need that must be met.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1241614 2012-01-31T19:00:00-05:00 2012-04-01T05:12:01-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
This is just the start. I can Delta Kilo myself over the radio; tourniquet bleeding limbs; know how not to mess with landmines; evacuate within seconds; and have learnt that keeping my mouth shut is probably the best thing if I get abducted.

After dealing with pints of fake blood, silicone wounds and viscera, rounds of mock explosions and being gun-pointed with decommissioned AK-47s in the dark woods of Sussex - I have returned to my organisation Plan International's Headquarters a walking, talking disaster man.

The sounds of loud bangs, shock and awe scenarios, and the paranoia of anticipating the unknown had me and my fellow aid workers on an adrenaline rush which I can still feel in my veins. Hostile environments and conflicts, we all know for a fact, are rapidly reshaping the sphere of humanitarian aid work globally.

From supporting flood survivors in Pakistan to feeding starving population in strife-torn Jonglei state of South Sudan, from providing relief to typhoon affected people in the Philippines to helping Haitians rebuild their lives after 2010 quake - aid workers are reaching out to millions of people, every day. In the farthest corners of the world and among the most remote communities, they are dealing with more conflicts, disasters and emergencies than ever before.

Aid workers are now very much at the frontline of extreme humanitarian challenges facing the world as nations find their capacities and resources stretched to the limits and communities endure tests of survival, sustenance and reconstructing lives.

In the course of their duty, aid workers are increasingly working in environments that are isolated, difficult and hostile. They regularly face the threat of violence, targeted attacks and abductions. Between the years 2000 and 2010, 780 aid workers lost their lives in the line of duty. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in 2010 alone 242 aid workers were killed, injured or kidnapped as opposed to 91 in the year 2000.

With disasters and emergencies becoming a significant component of humanitarian work, aid workers cannot safely operate in environments they are not adequately trained for. They face both environmental and targeted risks to their life and safety.

Imagine walking into a minefield before realising you are in deep trouble and help is hours away. Picture yourself in the middle of a crowd that is fast turning into a mob. Visualise your colleague has been shot at by rebels and has a life-threatening bleeding wound. Think of a scenario where you have lost your way in the forest and the only way to find your camp is using the GPS.

Akin to a battlefront, these situations raise a demand on various physical and mental faculties for quick, and more importantly, right actions. Delays and mistakes can cost lives.

However, the comforting fact is that there are effective ways to deal with each of these situations. Through adequate information and training humanitarian agencies and aid workers can be better prepared for the widening challenges of their role. Survival is at the centre of humanitarian work and frontline aid workers must be trained in all its techniques as they strive to save and support others' lives.

As for me, I feel better prepared to deal with any eventualities during deployment or otherwise. Next time you hear me saying Delta Kilo, Message, Roger so far?, Over - you know what station I am on. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1198580 2012-01-11T06:09:53-05:00 2012-03-12T05:12:01-04:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
The two nations have a long history of earthquakes in addition to their vulnerability to hurricanes and cyclones.
As Haiti continues to make a slow recovery from the catastrophic earthquake that devastated the nation two years ago, its neighbour Dominican Republic is bracing itself to be better prepared for future disasters.

Beneath the surface of the tropical resort nation lie two major seismic faults, both of which are a cause of concern for disaster experts. The southern Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault crossing from Port-au-Prince into the southern Dominican Republic is believed to have caused the quake that razed much of the Haitian capital. The worry is the fault may still be active.

The northern Septentrional fault also traverses through the two countries. Even though it has been relatively quiet in recent times, experts believe it warrants attention as reduced activity may suggest a build-up of energy and a potential large earthquake in the future.

Almost one of every ten oceanic tsunamis generated in the last 500 years in the world have occurred in the Caribbean. In 1910 a strong earthquake destroyed much of the south of Dominican Republic including Barahona, Azua and San Cristobal provinces. The Haiti earthquake of 2010 generated a 12cm tsunami as far as Santo Domingo, seven hours' drive away from its epicentre to the west of Port-au-Prince. On 5 January this month, an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude struck the Dominican Republic with its epicenter just 34 miles west of capital Santo Domingo.

Unlike cyclones and hurricanes which are a regular seasonal occurrence, big earthquakes usually happen after long gaps sometimes skipping generations. This is why despite huge loss of human life - such as several thousands in case of Haiti two years ago, earthquakes gradually disappear from public memory with very little shared knowledge on how to react and save lives.

"We are focusing on seismic hazard precisely because very few people have life experience of dealing with it and that makes them more vulnerable as there is no one to tell them what to do," says Daniel Stothart, National Disaster Management Adviser of child rights organisation Plan International in the Dominican Republic.

Plan has been working in the Dominican Republic since 1987 and has been running disaster risk reduction programmes in different provinces of the country for over four years. Participation of the communities, especially children and young people is at the centre of Plan's approach.

At a state school in Azua the earthquake drill is in full swing. A teacher sounds an alarm indicating tremors. The children immediately get under their desks and hold themselves in brace position. As the teacher signals that tremors have subsided a public announcement is made and children make a beeline to assemble in the playground outside.

Children like 9-year-old Moises are being trained to save their own and lives of others during earthquakes. "I have never experienced an earthquake, neither has anyone of my friends or family members. But now I know what to do and how to react if it ever happens," he says. All students and teaching staff of Proyecto 2C school participate in regular drills facilitated by local Plan volunteers. Besides training the children are given easy-to-follow learning material, sometimes in innovative game formats, to take home and share with their families.

'Riskland' is one such board game, where players learn what they can do to reduce the impacts of a disaster by answering questions related to different disaster scenarios. The players advance along the board's winding path with every right answer. The questions and rules of the game can be adapted to the specific conditions of each community.

"It is very important that both children and parents to have disaster training. I know that children and young people in my school are better informed and prepared than many adults on how to react to disaster situations. What is even better is that they are teaching their families about it," says school Principal José Nicolas Diaz.

Approaches like involving communities to minimise the impact of disasters are key to Dominican Republic where a large proportion of about 10 million population are vulnerable to hazards due to inadequate planning and poor constructions. Poor quality construction, lack of access to drinking water, difficulties in public transportation and contamination of natural resources are some of the great challenges that communities face in their daily lives undermining their capacity to confront disasters.

"By end of this year we aim to reach over 16,000 people in Barahona and Villa Central urban areas alone as part of DIPECHO (the disaster preparedness programme of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department) programme focused on seismic hazards," says Stothart. The focus on urban centres is mainly due to greater risk posed by population concentration and poor design and construction.

With scant state resources and rudimentary machinery to deal with disasters, it is down to youth volunteers such as 19-year-old Junior Nuñez who are playing a frontline role in disaster risk reduction. A law undergraduate, Junior has been a Plan volunteer for over two years and spends almost all his free time doing rounds of communities in nearby villages keeping people up to date with disaster training and information. Equipped with a walkie-talkie radio set, he is in constant touch with the local civil defence. "I am just multiplying the knowledge I gained through intensive training by Plan over the years," he says. "I know communities have the first opportunity to respond in a disaster and quick action can save lives." ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.992090 2011-10-03T10:11:49-04:00 2011-12-03T05:12:02-05:00

Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
Although brazen as it may appear in its language and intent, May's argument must be examined carefully on its merit and evidence. There is nothing more damaging to the cause of human rights than knee-jerk reactions by organisations and activists inadvertently positioning human rights as a radical idea rather than a universal human value.

Human rights are a living faculty of law and philosophy. Like the established fundamental laws of physics, mathematics and other sciences, the philosophy of human rights is based on certain core values such as the right to life and liberty, which are indisputable. The entire construct of human rights has evolved around these basic values and continues to develop further as civil societies globally aspire for a more equal and fairer world.

The European Convention on Human Rights and its enshrinement into the UK law by the Human Rights Act are examples of how nations have contracted themselves into a legally-binding agreement to enforce the laws that uphold human rights of individuals and collectives. However, we must not forget that Acts and legislations are instruments for application of law and a challenge to the Act or the way a law is applied does not necessarily tantamount to abandoning the principle itself.

States have the ultimate obligation to protect human rights of all its citizens. States as supreme actors have the definitive responsibility to find and facilitate ways they can best discharge this mandate. If a State and a considerable section of its population have come to believe that a certain system is not adequately addressing its purpose or lacking a vital balance then that argument must be met with examination, investigation and above all evidence instead of broad dismissal.

In the case of the Human Rights Act, there is some evidence of popular perception that it appears to disproportionately favour those who are on the wrong side of the law or have led assault on basic rights, liberties and freedoms of others. These beliefs are further fuelled by events like extradition trials of terrorism convicts and news coverage of court rulings often quoting human rights covenants as grounds for what some call extremely 'lean' sentences.


All legislations and laws need periodic review, not to undermine their force but to improve their application and overall benefit. So, while the demand for scrapping the Human Rights Act is manifestly wrong and a political gambit, a sincere attempt to review its ability to address emerging complex scenarios still holds merit and must be contested through due process.

Human rights have long been established as trumps. They are sacred and must be protected despite unpopular outcomes. However, to dismiss the criticism of human rights legislations as anti-democratic, racist or regressive would be fatal to the cause itself. Human rights cannot be fully realised in letter alone. They also need to be achieved in spirit, in the minds and beliefs of the people.

All constituents of a society must be made aware of the great benefits and values of human rights that string together all humanity as one and equal. This is a much harder task as it is difficult to acknowledge and appreciate the liberties we enjoy as a matter of course in our daily lives. But this is a challenge that must be met. Human rights are not at odds with the State or peace-loving and law-abiding societies.

Unfortunately the rights debate is being gradually pushed into this position and this is a dangerous trend. It is leading to a point where human rights themselves are being perceived as a radical ideology by a section of the society. Talk to a stranger on the streets in Britain, or for that matter in any liberal democracy, and a good number of people will reflect this view. It may not be a qualified or fully informed view, but it is a matter of great concern if it exists and is growing.

If Theresa May feels the current Human Rights Act is inadequate or not fulfilling its purpose, then allow her to make a case for it. I, for one, have full confidence that the values behind the legislation have enough force to hold their ground.

Human rights cannot be questioned, but the legislation articulating them into laws should remain open to scrutiny through due process. An educated, informed and open debate will only dispel misconceptions that are sadly undermining the greatest progress the human race has made in recognising that every single human is born equal and free.
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Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/ UN General Assembly sessions, like listings at bookmakers' parlour, have favourites, and on occasions, even clear winners. As a scribe, for instance, you have a fair idea that Israel-Palestine issue will incite passions and dominate the agenda. From leaders with well-rehearsed speeches to news channels on a countdown, the stage is purpose-set for a grand show.

Political careers are pitched; channels get a ratings boost; activists have a field day before a global audience; and street vendors in New York too make a brisk business. Everybody wins. Then, who are the losers?

Ask 170 million dalits of India. For decades, organisations representing dalits who are traditionally regarded as 'untouchables' in centuries-old caste grouping in the Indian subcontinent, have tried relentlessly to make themselves heard at the UN forums. However, they very much remain outcasts in the world outside, as much as they remain excluded and marginalised within the South-Asian societies they live in.

Ten years ago in Durban, the UN World Conference Against Racism adopted the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Heralded as a united global action against racism, the declaration expressly set out to tackle racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. But despite years of protests, lobbying and advocacy, mention of dalits and caste-based discrimination were ignored in the declaration following a strong opposition led by the Indian government.

Organisations representing dalits have for decades argued that caste-based discrimination is a distinct form of racism and must be acknowledged and addressed in its own identity. Being born a dalit may mean being made to sit separate from other children in a classroom or denied education altogether; forbidden to touch other higher caste people; denied entry into temples and places of worship; not allowed to own land or property; only expected to do menial jobs; and face risk of violent retribution if you dare to challenge or transgress your social ranking.

Even though caste-based discrimination is a crime and punishable in local laws across South Asia region, yet centuries of social hierarchy is still deeply rooted in the subcontinent and governs daily lives of hundreds of millions. It is existent more or less uniformly across all religions and cultures in the region, making it a very unique social practice of discrimination endemic to the region and even common among the South Asian diasporas across the world. As a result, millions are deprived of dignity and freedoms which constitute the basic core values of human rights. It is common to read about atrocities committed on dalits because of their caste and status in the society. Very often, their status is exacerbated by poverty and limited chances they enjoy to progress in life.

Dalit organisations are often blamed for their failure to articulate their standpoints and advocate their rights. This, to a certain degree, is true. I recall sending stories to Outlook magazine in New Delhi from the media hub in Durban conference describing how fractured the dalit caucus was as compared to the Palestinians or the Israelis.


However, we are missing the point. It is not the failure of the dalit organisations or their leadership for their lack of ability and success in putting a robust case together. It is fundamentally a failure of the system that guarantees parity and fairness for all at platforms such as the UN. On the crest of political clamour, media rally and raucous protests, poorly resourced groups and unfashionable causes routinely fall off the agenda at key UN sessions. The case of dalits also exposes the fact that like the nations projecting themselves as moral torchbearers, human rights discourses too have a tendency to follow popular causes.

Last week, world leaders met at a high-level UN General Assembly meeting to reaffirm their commitment to the fight against racism on the 10th anniversary of the Durban Declaration. Once again, there was no mention of dalits. A scourge that blights the lives of millions who collectively represent more than half the population of the United States or roughly the populations of United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia put together, continues to be underplayed or buried under generic definitions.

For leaders there is no political leverage to be gained; for sheer force, dalit protests rarely go beyond playing of traditional drums and sporadic sloganeering; caste-based discrimination isn't a sexy story for the media; and often broke dalit activists travelling on a shoestring budget from rural pockets in India are no joy to enterprising street hawkers either. Nobody wins, certainly not dalits. In their quest for a separate identity, dalits are fighting a very lonely battle. Not only at home, but also on global forums they continue to be 'untouchables.'
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Davinder Kumar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davinder-kumar/
Then what about the people who are citizens of no state? Who do they turn to? Where do they belong? These are questions worth asking as the UN marks the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of the Stateless today.

More than 12 million people across the world, 6 million of them believed to be children, cannot prove who they are and where they come from. They have no country. They are stateless. Imagine the entire combined population of Ireland, New Zealand, Botswana and Bahrain - that is the number of people who have no legal status, no nationality and as a result, limited or no rights.

The human consequences of statelessness are tragic. Stateless people are technically not citizens of any country and consequentially they are often denied basic rights to employment, education, housing and health care. Imagine a situation where you cannot open a bank account; your children cannot be enrolled in school; you cannot get married legally; you cannot own a property; you do not even exist on paper.

From political sensitivities to ethnic discrimination, conflict, migration and breaking-up of states, there are numerous reasons why millions have been rendered without a state, forced to live in a legal limbo.

Communities of ethnic Rohingya people in Myanmar, the Bidoon in the Gulf States and a number of hill tribes in Thailand, have been struggling for decades to gain citizenship of the country they are born in and living in for generations. In the Nineties the states created by the dissolution of Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia left hundreds of thousands stateless, mostly marginalised ethnic and social groups. Of these, tens of thousands are still without a citizenship of any country.

The problem of statelessness is not just limited to the developing world or to nations routinely reproached for their human rights record. According to the UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency, even though the situation is most severe in South East Asia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, the pockets of statelessness exist throughout the world. This includes some of the most advanced and liberal nations in the world. How many people know that there are over 9,000 stateless people in Sweden, about 8,000 people without citizenship in Germany, or nearly 1,400 people with no nationality in Japan?

What is worse is that statelessness can be self-perpetuating with women and children among the most vulnerable to face the brunt of the situation. Children born to parents with no legal status and identity become stateless from the moment they are born. Generation after generation thousands are forced into a life of deprivation, extreme poverty and destitution as they survive on the margins of society as some of the most excluded people in the world.

You only have to ask 17-year-old Joe of Akha hill ethnic tribe in Thailand's Chiang Rai province, about the daily strife of living without an identity. Born stateless to parents who were themselves stateless at the time of his birth, Joe lost out on free education in his childhood, worked as a child labour to support his poor family and regularly faced police interrogations.

Even when his parents managed to get Thai citizenship after decades of wait, Joe was left out as neither his parents nor he could prove their relation. With the help of a DNA-matching project by child rights organisation Plan International, Joe could prove his genetic relation to his parents and finally received his Thai identity card just weeks ago. Plan has been actively advocating for universal birth registration as it ensures that all children are accounted for, and it is a first step towards identity and basic rights for all.

Although Joe lost out on chances in the formative years of his life, he still can be considered fortunate when compared to others who are still stateless. While the majority live in the shadows of the societies around them, some even face long periods of detention, because they have no means to prove their identity. From legal wrangles to pure prejudice, case studies of stateless people reveal untold stories of human suffering and exclusion. "I just want to go home. I want my own walls, to be able to close my door. I don't care where it is any more - even if it is in the middle of the Atlantic, I just want to go home," says a woman originally from the Soviet republic of Ukraine who is now stateless in the Netherlands.

Without any voice or representation, stateless people's cause is very much lost to politics and politicians. The international interest, or rather lack of it, on the issue is evident from response the two Conventions relating to stateless people have received so far.

The 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons defines who is a "stateless person" and establishes minimum standards of their treatment. Only 66 out of 193 UN member states are parties to it. The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness which provides guiding principles and legal framework to assist nations prevent statelessness, has had an even more dismissive response. Half a century since it was created, only 38 states have contracted to it. Not surprisingly, the majority of nations where statelessness is most acute are missing from the list of signatories.

Nationality is a fundamental human right. More importantly, human dignity is the core principle of all human rights. No nation, great or small, can hold its head high when hundreds are languishing inside its borders, deprived of nationality and basic rights.

Unwanted, unheard and unseen, stateless people exist with a sinking feeling of rejection. 'Let's go home, back to our country,' is not an option. There isn't any country for stateless people.
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