The New Nation - Internet Edition

Himalayan council for climate change

ICELAND President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson during his recent visit to Dhaka proposed the creation of a Himalayan council with nations of the Himalayan region to address the 'regional concerns' over climate change suggesting it could initially serve as a forum for promotion of the necessary researches and play a role in developing constructive dialogue on how to address the challenges. His proposal came as replication to the Arctic Council formed at the close of the cold war era in early 1990s by eight countries including the United States and Russia. It was pointed out that the economic and food security of more than a billion people around the Himalayas will be affected with the melting of the Himalayan glaciers and it needs collective efforts of all concerned to face the future challenges. As reported in the media, after discussion on a number of aspects of climate change by scientists, academics, government officials and civil society actors from home and abroad at the week-long international symposium on 'climate change and food security in South Asia' the Iceland president came up with six broader suggestions.

In fact, the suggestions drawn up at the conclusion included the formation of a regional network for climate change and food security and multi-disciplinary researches on the matter following the proposal made by the Iceland President. Bangladesh is bound to be affected severely by the melting of the ice in the Himalayas, often called the 'water tower of Asia', though its effects on the major rivers that run through the delta. Food and energy production for a billion-plus population in South Asia depends on the Himalayan water resources. The countries of this region must take integrated steps to combat adverse effects of global warming as the world is now united to face the threats of the climate change.

For peace in RMG sector

THE RMG workers held demonstration in the city the other day to press home their demands for Eid bonus. Workers from twenty garment factories in the Malibagh-Rampura areas indulged in violent protests against alleged denial of the factory owners to pay bonus. Workers have been demanding Eid bonus for some days. They also want a twenty-percent wage hike. The Ministry of Commerce recently directed the garment factory owners to solve the wage enhancement issue with workers within a specified timeframe with a view to averting workers' unrest. Those factory owners who have not yet implemented the minimum wage award were directed to do the same immediately. The timeframe is about to end very soon. No report has yet been received regarding the progress of implementation of the government directives.

In recent months, Bangladesh witnessed waves of agitation by RMG workers. Some of those movements were allegedly instigated by hostile forces to create anarchy in the sector. Some of the movements were attributed to diverse unfounded rumours. However, it is difficult to accept that mere instigation from alien forces can prompt series of movements in the RMG factories. Rather strong allegations are there that the garment workers are very often deprived of their legitimate wages and allowances. Arbitrary deduction of workers' overtime pay by factory owners and delayed payments are reported from time to time. Without genuine grievances the workers cannot resort to desperate movements risking their jobs. Without removal of such grievances, police guard and the use of force would not ensure complete safety of the factories. Closure of factories, as has been threatened by a section of factory owners, is not the solution because, in that case, not only the workers will lose jobs but also the factory owners will also incur heavy losses. The factory owners should, therefore, take the workers into confidence.

Mass mobilisation of Pakistanis must to contain terrorists

Dr. M. S. Haq

It now appears factors such as and as appropriate: one, the nature, the scope, the trend, the gravity, the consequence and the ramification of present day terrorist attacks in Pakistan including the one that took place at Marriott in Islamabad; two, inadequacies associated with pertinent anti-terror areas such as commitments - particularly at political and realization levels, strategies - an apparent victim of say, tunnel visions and isolation, diplomacies - an apparent victim of for example, day to day surgical procedures, utilization of scarce usable resources - an apparent victim of say, wastage and poor return, early warning systems, intelligence related follow-up, and rapid response capabilities; three, a less than required people-state synergy in support of the war on terror; four, the media (print, electronic, others) insufficiency especially when it comes to articulating cutting edge proposals on say, how best and quickest Pakistan could tackle terrorism and extremism in the country - save and except though, repetitions of few traditional proposals for containing terrorism and extremism without solid and sizeable outcomes so far, up to today, 24th day of September 2008; and five, the future of terrorism in Pakistan; tend to suggest, among other things, Pakistan will be required to attract, harness and sustain the people's power as for example an effective and efficient antidote to terrorism and extremism not only for the present time but for at least the foreseeable future.

In that respect, one of the core challenges before Pakistan would be - how to mainstreaming the people's motivation, support, ownership, participation, cooperation and inputs - as appropriate and as humanly possible - in for example the ongoing effort towards:

1. minimizing in a drastic manner, if not stopping, terrorist attacks within Pakistan in the shortest possible time and cost - time means cost, though;

2. hunting down terrorists and extremists plus their supporters (financial, non-financial or otherwise), friends, sympathizers, well-wishers and concerned others throughout Pakistan;

3. cutting off terrorist lifelines and dismantling terrorist bases and networks (including inter alia communication networks) within the country;

4. gathering intelligence on say plans and programs of terrorist attacks or on coordinative arrangements for those attacks or otherwise within and outside of Pakistan and halting execution of above plans and programs in a proactive and result-oriented manner, per se;

5. defeating terrorism and extremism at all levels of the country - ranging from families, to neighborhoods, to communities - rural, urban or otherwise, to districts, to divisions, to provinces, to the center, and to other levels, as appropriate; and

6. liberating Pakistan from terrorism and extremism in a sustainable manner and facilitating, as required, liberation of other countries including inter alia Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh from say, terrorism.

The list is not exhaustive. But the question now is as to how to create and maintain a critical mass of the people's power in the domain of war on terror and to ensure an effective and efficient use of that mass of power in pursuits of say complementing and supplementing efforts of government of Pakistan, friends of Pakistan (including inter alia the US, the UK), neighbors of Pakistan (including inter alia Afghanistan, India) and others towards making the world peaceful and terror-free within the shortest possible time. Although there are no shortcut answers to the question to me, yet a few measures have been suggested below for consideration of all concerned:

I. the war on terror should be perceived by people of Pakistan and others as a war of world people because terrorists do not, at this point in time, differentiate between say Muslims and Christians, between say, Muslim countries and non-Muslin countries, between say, mosques and temples, between say, children and women, between say, poor and rich, between say, hospitals and high value targets, between say, sick persons and dead persons, between say, Holy Verses and distorted verses, between say, black people and white people, and between say, war and peace (to mention a few) when it comes to for example terrorism at local, national, global and other levels. Further, the people should consider seriously that no one in the world is, at present, safe from somewhat unpredictable nature and dimensions of terrorist attacks and outcomes of those attacks - either direct or otherwise.

Besides, factors such as an affinity towards considering the war on terror by certain countries such as Pakistan as their own war and attempts by those countries to fighting terrorism largely in isolation in real terms in the name of their own war could increase inter alia the burden of terrorism world-wide. A windfall from the development could create additional opportunities for terrorists to use the divide and rule method against the backdrop of for example isolationists and non-isolationists in the war on terror, resulting in inter alia extending further an already extended war.

Pakistan should clarify, in a louder, clearer and wider manner than that at present, its intention and position with regard to above matters to people of Pakistan and to people of world at large. A continuous perceptional difficulty of Pakistanis and others in pertinent areas could afford terrorists the opportunity for creating additional spaces for sustaining and promoting terrorism in an already divided Pakistan, per se. It should be noted here the success of present day anti-terror efforts is being increasingly dependent on inter alia inter-country successes in pertinent areas in an increasingly interdependent world;

II. a solid, aggressive and marketable mass campaign strategy relating to fighting terrorism should, on an urgent basis, be crafted, launched, spearheaded, and implemented by Pakistan in pursuits of for example, creating, sustaining and promoting awareness among Pakistanis and others at least about those anti-terror areas wherein the people's participation are vital and about the country's expectations from them when it comes to winning the war on terror within the shortest possible time. In that respect, one of the main purposes of mass campaigns - which (I mean the campaigns) should be more effective and more efficient than those of election campaigns in Pakistan - would be to mobilize, harness and sustain people's help, support and cooperation in connection with for example each one hunt one terrorist (I would like to call it in that way) between now and the foreseeable future.

In other words, Pakistan should be able to requisition the services of Pakistanis with a view to for example, facilitating the detection, the identification, the arrest, the prosecution and the punishment of terrorists. One of the underlying assumptions here is: maximum number of Pakistanis will be able to discharge their war time obligation to the country in a maximum possible way by cooperating and coordinating with government of Pakistan and others in the effort towards stopping terrorism, as well as extremism in the country and protecting life and property of the people therein.

A planned, concerted, coordinated, integrative, mutually reinforcing, meaningful and sustainable effort, as well as endeavor by: political parties - both within and outside of the government; members of civil society including those of private sector and think tanks; the media (print, electronic, others) community; the student community; members of professional groups including medical practitioners, engineers, agriculturists, scientists, lawyers and teachers; members of religious communities (Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani's address to a gathering of Islamic scholars yesterday - 23rd day of September 2008 - in Pakistan was a constructive one but it should be the part of strategy mentioned above); members of the government and the judiciary; members of donor and diplomatic communities in Pakistan; members of NGOs and CBOs (community-based organizations); the prisoner community; and concerned others; could be instrumental in inter alia bringing about quick impacts on mobilization of people's support, facilitating a national consensus on, and a national support base for, programs like, each one detect one terrorist. A visible motivational program will be needed inter alia for triggering and sustaining the people's participation in the program;

III. a clean-up operation should, as required, be conducted by Pakistan in at least initially all governmental and government controlled organizations (including educational institutions, police stations and border check posts), the judiciary, private business enterprises involved in banking, trade, commerce and communications, and religious institutions for making them immune to all kinds of pathogen of terrorism, extremism and corruption. Further, programs for regular and preventive maintenance should be undertaken for, and implemented in, cleaned up areas for stopping a future reappearance of pathogens in above areas, per se.

IV. a quick impact program for drastic minimization of wastage at local, national and other levels should be undertaken, implemented and sustained by Pakistan with a view to for example, raising additional funds internally for poverty reduction in say, terror prone areas of the country;

V. the subjects such as terrorism and extremism should be made compulsory by Pakistan at school level and madrasha level education via crash programs;

VI. the factors such as bilateral and multilateral cooperation in anti-terror areas, anti-terror diplomacy, conflict resolution, neighborhood management, and economic, as well as environmental diplomacy should constitute, at this point in time, one of the core foundations of Pakistan's foreign policy;

VII. the frequent use of word UNLUCKILY in various discussions - particularly those conducted by the electronic media or carried by that media - should be stopped forthwith, because a prolonged and repeated use of the word could make people of Pakistan and others to start thinking and believing that Pakistan is always unlucky, per se. A windfall from the development could be instrumental in inter alia lowering down morale of ordinary people of Pakistan when it comes to their role in fighting terrorism and extremism and creating barriers to mass mobilization of people in support of anti-terror efforts;

VIII. the efficiency and effectiveness of criminal justice system should be enhanced and relevant anti-terror laws should be made more specific and more user-friendly than that at present by Pakistan with a view to creating and sustaining adequate and productive deterrents when it comes to fighting terrorism and extremism with the power and the force of judiciary; and

IX. Pakistan should accelerate the effort towards isolating publicly those people who have been failing - either intentionally or otherwise - to realize and appreciate the gravity of terrorism and extremism in present day Pakistan, those people who have been suggesting anti-terror measures that could be counter-productive to ongoing anti-terror efforts and those people who have been engaged in politicizing the war on terror for their own benefit, per se.

In fine, a united Pakistan with strong commitments to, and determinations for, fighting terrorism and extremism both within and outside of the country could help it realizing inter alia goals of war on terror. By the way what was the motive behind not strengthening the security at Marriott in Islamabad despite information on possible terrorist attacks in Islamabad? Was the attack at Marriott in Islamabad a product of some sort of compromise? The matter requires inter alia an immediate and thorough investigation.

Comprehensive packages for trafficking survivors

Nava Thakuria

It was a daylong rigorous dialogue, where mass awareness about human trafficking, comprehensive plans for victims' support & rehabilitation package, sustained & collaborative effort from NGOs and a pro-active role by the media were emerged as major issues of discussion. Organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the Northeast chapter of ATSEC (Action against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children) on September 19 at Guwahati in Northeast India, the forum brought together stakeholders like civil society, corporate house and media persons from the region.

The discussion on 'Building Public Private Partnership for Anti Human Trafficking' was held under the banner of UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), where the primary objective of the dialogue was to deliberate upon the need for a cohesive approach to combat human trafficking and also address the larger issues of livelihood generation as a prevention strategy.

The dialogue emerged as a significant initiative by the civil society and advocacy groups when the Northeast has been witnessing an increase in incidences of women & children being trafficked for exploitative situations such as forced labour, fake marriages and commercial sex works. This phenomenon can be attributed to factors such as porous borders, displacement of communities, ethnic conflicts, lack of employment, mass exodus of communities and poverty. For record, hundreds of women and children are trafficked every day within and outside the trouble torn region of the country under the pretext of a better future.

As per the UN Protocol on Trafficking, the term 'Human Trafficking', refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. Trafficking primarily takes place for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), as well as for other forms of exploitation such as labour, organ transplant, and forced marriage.

Addressing the gathering, Hasina Kharbhih of Impulse Network, a Northeast based NGO, emphasized on practical solution to the rehabilitation practices.

She argued that once a girl is rescued from the traffickers, she must enjoy the choice for vocational practices. She also insisted on a sustained need-based rehabilitation package. Talking about the huge migrating population from Bangladesh, Burma and even Nepal into the Northeast, she revealed that, the migrant population remains vulnerable to human trafficking.

Anurita Hazarika of North East Network, a women's right group of the region, in her address, urged the corporate houses to support measure to prevent trafficking on the ground keeping in mind the conflict situation of the region. She also asked the corporate bodies to play a positive role in rehabilitating the trafficked victims. She argued that they could join the initiative under the scheme for corporate responsibility sector. Anindit Roy Chowdhury, from Sanlaap, a Kolkata based NGO, highlighted the scope and opportunity for the rescued victims ensuring social and economic reintegration. He also highlighted on the employment opportunities for the victims as the sales girl, waiter, house keeping, care taker to the hospital, attendant to bank ATMs etc.

The NGO activists representing GOLD, Nedan with Impulse Network and NEN presented an overview of human trafficking in the region and also presented the various initiatives undertaken by them. The participants of the workshop included media persons, representative of NEDFi (a financial institution) and NGO workers from West Bengal, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. The gathering was also addressed by Manavendra Mandal, coordinator of ATSEC, Rajeeb Sharma of GOLD, Digambar Narzery of Nedan, Oli Bora from NEDFi and N. Thakuria from Guwahati Press Club, an active media persons organization of the region.

Pinky Pradhan Bora, Communication and Advocacy Officer, UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, shared about the mandate of UNODC, while initiating the dialogue. She informed that UNODC seeks to achieve security and justice for all by helping member states and their people to guard against threats posed by drugs, crime and terrorism. In South Asia, UNODC's main current focus areas are drug abuse awareness, reducing injecting drug use (IDU) driven HIV/AIDS, combating human trafficking, precursor chemical control, prison reform, smuggling of migrants and anti-corruption.

The highpoint of the dialogue was also the participation of Ela Sangma, an empowered survivor of human trafficking. Currently working with Impulse Network and being involved in the rescue of the victims of human trafficking, Ela spoke about the need for creating awareness at the district level and stressed upon the need to hold similar programmes with community leaders. She further appealed to the media to be sensitive while profiling the victims of human trafficking.

"UNODC's anti human trafficking initiatives focuses on the three aspects of prevention, prosecution and protection. Most of law enforcement programmes relate to setting up anti-human-trafficking units in the police, training police and prosecutors, developing standard operating procedures for better law enforcement and improving law enforcement networks with the anti-trafficking NGO communities. Other areas of work include prevention programmes and supporting facilities for the victims and survivors of human trafficking," said Marie Erickson, Consultant UNODC, during the proceedings of the dialogue.

The protection of rights of rehabilitated survivors and provision of special services was strongly recommended various speakers in the programme. Many times survivors are discriminated against and isolated due to societal stigma. The need for collaboration between law enforcement and CSO's (Civil Society Organization) was equally stressed upon. The speakers also emphasized on implementation of laws and programmes that respect women's rights. It was also unanimously agreed that there is a need for integrating counter trafficking measures within the larger livelihood framework and collaboration between civil society, corporates and Government to ensure effective implementation of laws and policies.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Guwahati, Assam, India)