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10 January 2013
The World News Headlines This Week Gang rape case: five in court
Walmart, the world’s largest retail company, has been found to have had ties to a garment factory in Bangladesh where 112 workers were trapped and killed in a fire in late November 2012. The company, which buys $1 billion in garments from Bangladesh each year, initially tried to deny any connection
Mayor fires off angry letter over Banglatown
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ayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman has published a letter clamming planned changes to the borough’s electoral wards following the conclusion of a public consultation. In the strongly-worded letter, Mr Rahman called on the Local Government Boundary Commission to scrap its plans to re-name wards after the tumultuous consultation period came to an end on Monday. Mr Rahman’s detailed his response to the plans, writing that he objected in the “strongest possible terms” to the pro-
posals to scrap ‘Banglatown’, the removal of ‘St Dunstan’s’ from the Stepney Wards, and the re-naming of East India and Lansbury as Poplar North. Referring to the move to drop the name ‘Banglatown’ from the Spitalfields and Banglatown ward, he wrote: “I struggle to comprehend why any individual or political entity would regard dispensing with this name as desirable, aside from as a very cynical blast on the proverbial dog whistle, aimed at attracting support from people who resent the Bangladeshi com-
‘Renaming the (Banglatown) ward as merely ‘Spitalfields’ would be a hugely reactionary, retrograde and provocative step’
Mayor Lutfur Rahman munity’s presence in t he area. “Accordingly, renaming the ward as merely ‘Spitalfields’ would be a hugely reactionary, retro-
grade and provocative step”. The Commission is due to publish its final recommendations in Spring this year. Its draft proposals had also attracted criticism for removing the names of former Labour Party leader George Lansbury and former Bishop of London St Dunstan from
ward names in the borough. Mr Rahman concluded: “I hope that you will consider my submission, as well as the views of hundreds of local residents expressed in related petitions, extremely carefully when arriving at a final decision.” eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk
Five sentenced to death for murder in Dhaka of Saudi diplomat
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special tribunal sentenced to death five Bangladeshi men for killing a Saudi diplomat in an apparent street crime earlier this year. Initial speculation about the shooting had focused on Iran, which denied the accusations. The suspects told investigators they were trying to rob the diplomat and shot him accidentally. Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali, a 45-year-old official in the Saudi Embassy’s consu-
lar section, was killed near his home in Dhaka in March. Tribunal Judge Mohammad Motahar Hossain handed down the verdict Sunday, chief prosecutor Rafiqul Islam said. One of the men was tried in his absence, Islam said. He said the men can appeal the verdict. Iran has been accused of other international attacks or attempted attacks against diplomats, including Saudis. Days after the shooting, Saudi Arabia sent investigators to assist
Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali was killed near his home in Dhaka Bangladeshi detectives. The defendants pleaded not guilty at the trial. After their arrest in July, the four men told investigators they tried to rob the
diplomat as he was going for a walk on the deserted street and shot him accidentally during a scuffle. Police said the men were ar-
rested after a revolver and a car used in the killing were found in their possession. Muslim-majority Bangladesh enjoys good relations with Saudi Arabia, which is a top destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers. Relations between the countries were tested in October last year, when Saudi Arabia beheaded eight Bangladeshi workers who were found guilty of robbing and killing an Egyptian.
Five men accused of raping and murdering an Indian student were read the charges in a nearempty courtroom on Monday after the judge cleared out lawyers for bickering over whether the men deserved a defence. The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died two weeks after being gang-raped and beaten on a moving bus in New Delhi, then thrown bleeding onto the street. Protests followed, along with a fierce public debate over police failure to stem rampant violence against women. With popular anger simmering against the five men and a teenager accused in the case, most lawyers in the district where the trial will be held refuse to represent them.
British soldier shot dead
A British soldier serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has been shot dead by a man in an Afghan army uniform, according to the US-led military coalition. In a statement released on Tuesday, ISAF said that the incident, which took place in southern Afghanistan on Monday, was “under investigation”. “The British soldier was killed when a suspected Afghan soldier opened fire first at Afghan troops and then at British soldiers,” said Major Martyn Crighton, an ISAF spokesman. “In the subsequent engagement, the attacker was killed by British troops.”
Many killed in drone attack
At least eight people have been killed in two suspected US drone attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas, security officials say.Both attacks took place in the Mir Ali area of the North Waziristan tribal district in the early hours of Tuesday. In Khiderkhel, eight missiles were fired at a compound, killing at least four people, security sources told Al Jazeera. In Essakhel, meanwhile, two missiles were fired, killing at least three people.
Messi named world’s best
Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi has been named world footballer of the year for the fourth time in a row, marking another unprecedented achievement. He pipped Andres Iniesta and Cristiano Ronaldo to the title. No other male footballer has been named the best on the planet in four separate years, let alone four in succession.
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News Curry trade has ‘greater potential’, says BCA boss This Week
UK hack in deport threat
Radio host Alex Jones wants CNN host Piers Morgan deported back to the UK for expressing his opinion – a first amendment right – on gun ownership – a second amendment right. Jones, sitting on the set of “Piers Morgan Tonight” on Monday, nodded in agreement, as Morgan framed the gun advocate’s desire to have the Englishman thrown out of the United States. Morgan is “a hatchet man of the New World Order,” Jones said. He warned that there will be a new American revolution, if Morgan and others, including international banks, who he believes are conspiring to wipe out gun owners’ rights, succeed.
One fish sells for $1.7m
A new world record for “crazy” was broken yesterday in Japan, when a single bluefin tuna, weighing 489 pounds, sold on auction for 155.4 million yen (think: US$ 1.7 million dollars).This whopper rang in the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market, where bluefin tuna is highly prized…although never quite to the tune of 700,000 yen per kilogram, or $3,603 per pound before. It turns out the high bidder was the president of a company that operates a chain of sushi restaurants who planned to serve up his prize to customers later that same day. He was quoted as saying, “the price was a bit high,” but that he wanted to “encourage Japan.” By buying a fish. For 1.7 million bucks.
INTERVIEW: The Bangladeshi Caterers’ Association is the premier representative organisation for curry houses owned by British Bangladeshis. Its newly elected leader outlines his plans to work towards creating growth for the sector
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ritish Bangladeshis own more than eighty percent of the 3.6 billion pound valued UK curry industry. It satisfies with its various foods the appetite of the royal family as well as the mass. Back in 1960, these entrepreneurs, with their 12,000 restaurants, established the powerful organisation called Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA). Besides upholding the different interests of the people related to this industry, BCA played active role for Bangladesh in times of disaster like flood and cyclone like SIDR and assisted in various ways to make the Vision Bangladesh, a pro-
‘This industry has been established by our forefathers and lately it has achieved a tremendous growth. It is our duty to nurture it for further growth’
Wild fires rage in Australia
Soaring temperatures and strong winds have combined to create a “catastrophic” fire threat across the southeast Australian state of New South Wales. Residents have been warned to remain vigilant as temperatures rise towards a predicted high of 109 degrees Fahrenheit in the state capital of Sydney. In some areas of the state, winds of more than 70 kilometers an hour were threatening to fan the flames of fires already burning.
ject of BRAC, effective. Recently, BCA held its Annual Award Ceremony and Gala Dinner at a five star hotel in Central London with presence of powerful ministers and MPs from the opposition. In an exclusive interview, M. A. Munim, the newly elected General Secretary of BCA has spoken on problems and potential of the curry industry prevailing in the UK. Q: How long had you been involved with the curry industry? Munim: I have been involved with the curry industry for last 20 years now. Very recently, I was elected the General Secretary of BCA and I take much pride in it. This industry has been established by our forefathers and lately it has achieved a tremendous growth. It is our duty to nurture it for further growth. Q: How do you evaluate Bangladeshi Curry Industry at this hour of global economic recess? Munim: This industry started its journey during the late fifties and now over time, the business has grown in size and volume
M. A. Munim, the newly elected general secretary of the BCA to be an inseparable part of the UK national economy. Though we are experiencing a tough time due to the worldwide economic recess, but yet, not only that we are catering career and job opportunities for over a hundred thousand people who are directly employed in the industry, we became a part of the existing British Culture. Nonetheless, we are going through hard times regarding the immigration limitations. But we are having dialogues with the government to sort a way out from this problem. Q: What is the role the British Government playing in the development of the
curry industry? Munim: On average about 2.5 million people in the UK regularly eats at restaurants owned by the Bangladeshis. We expect the government to come up with a way out of our existing problems. We could prosper on a regular pace if we do have the governmental cooperation. To ensure smooth growth, it is imperative for the business to enjoy VAT reduction as well as relaxation in the immigration laws is very urgent. Q: Some say, Bangladesh has a huge export potential for the UK curry industry, do you agree? Munim: I do not know if
there is any other industry as huge as this curry industry in UK really exists in the world which is controlled solely by the Bangladeshis. Talk between Bangladeshi high officials and BCA leaders regarding huge export potential has been going on for quite a while. But I have not observed proper initiatives taken from the end of Bangladesh government for utilising this potential. Depending on our curry industry, various Indian establishments are exploiting this opportunity and enjoying a monopoly in this sector. I am sure, if the government steps forward with a positive thinking for the growth of the business, we will always be there with them along with the collective power of these 12, 000 restaurants, with not only business opportunities but also as true patriots. Q: Would you tell us a few words on recently held BCA Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony? Munim: By rewarding the brilliant entrepreneurs of the new generation, we can inspire them. This year, we have awarded 11 curry restaurants besides 9 talented chefs of new generation. It would be a huge challenge for us to get these new generation entrepreneurs get involved into our curry business. We are hopeful that we would become successful in this regard.
Labour attacks Mayor over New Year fare hikes B oris Johnson’s New Year fare rises have been slammed by Labour councillors as unnecessary and unfair. The councillors, who have been campaigning at tube stations around the borough every day since the new year, claimed that the Mayor’s fare rises will hit hard work-
ing residents at a time when many are already struggling to make ends meet. Fares for tube and bus journeys have increased by over 4% each with costs for the flagship Cycle Hire Bikes doubling. Labour’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Motin Uz-Zaman, said: “Boris Johnson has in-
creased the cost of travel in London above inflation every year since becoming Mayor. “These price rises are hitting residents who have no choice but to pay the fares in order to get to work. Many will already be struggling as a result of pay freezes and the Government’s cuts to benefits. “To think it is acceptable
to keep rising fares year on year at the same time as wasting huge amounts of money on vanity projects such as the failing Thames cable car river crossing is bizarre. “The Mayor must come back to reality and pledge now that London’s commuters will not face any further above inflation fare hikes.”
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
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10 January 2013
News Bangladeshis in UAE urged to work for economic strength
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n the occasion of Bangladesh Victory Day on Sunday, the Bangladeshi ambassador to the UAE urged the nearly 800,000 expatriate community in the UAE to help their homeland achieve economic independence. “We will truly appreciate the political freedom gained by Bangladesh about 41 years ago by working hard for its economic independence,” Mohammad Nazmul Quanine said in his address after hoisting the national flag at the Bangladesh Emabassy in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Bangladesh Victory Day (December 16) marks its independence after a nine-month war with Pakistan in 1971. Over 500 community members attended the colourful Victory Day celebrations at the Bangladesh Embassy premises. Bangladeshis are the third largest expatriate community in the UAE, after Indians and Pakistanis. “We should not be complacent about the political and geographical freedom gained by the nation, because we have to achieve economic independence also,” the ambassador said at a discussion meeting after the flag hoisting ceremony.
List of 100 powerful British Bangladeshis
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he 2013 British Bangladeshi Power100 (BBPower 100) will be unveiled on Tuesday 22 January 2013 in the Commonwealth Room of the House of Commons at 19.00. Special guests at the reception will include a senior government minister and members of the 2013 list. The 2013 list is the second publication of the BBPower100 which is a celebration of leading British Bangladeshi figures who are helping shape Britain for the better with their ideas, example, talent and success. The BBPower 100 was created by Abdal Ullah and Ayesha Qureshi MBE. This year’s list will consist of 100 people and organisations across 20 categories. The list is independently judged and ranked by a panel lead by Iqbal Wahhab OBE and Syed Nahas Pasha. The 2013 BBPower 100
will also celebrate and recognise the contribution of the British Bangladeshi community to the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Abdal Ullah, Founder of BBPower100 said: “The publication of the 2013 BBPower 100 promises to reveal more talent, inspiration and success from the British Bangladeshi community. “We aim to highlight and celebrate the strengths and dynamism of this often overlooked community.” Ayesha Qureshi MBE,
Editor of BBPower100 said: “We’re really proud that this year’s BBPower 100 will recognise the contribution of the British Bangladeshi community to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “From helping to win the bid to mesmerising the world in the opening ceremony, with the many gamesmakers and torchbearers in between, this small but vibrant community has amazing 2012 Games stories with which to inspire the next generation,” she added.
Likely to be on the BBPower100: (from top left) Rushanara Ali MP, Mayor Lutfur Rahman, Enam Ali MBE, and KM Abu Taher Choudhury
‘We’re really proud that this year’s BBPower 100 will recognise the contribution of the British Bangladeshi community to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games’
munity liaison officer M.W. Khokhar MBE, who presented the bouquet of flowers to Mrs Rowland Elvidge. They had a detailed discussion with the assistant CEO Barrister Hamid Azad. They were briefed about Muslim Aid’s relief and development projects in different countries. And his team were impressed and promised to work together for the poor and needy in future.
The delegation was warmly welcomed by the community liaison officer, M.W. Khokhar MBE
Online shopping growing
Strong growth in online shopping stopped retail sales falling in December, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Sales in December were up 1.5% compared with a year earlier, while like-for-like sales, which exclude new store openings, rose 0.3%. Without a 17.8% jump in online non-food sales, total sales would have fallen. “Since the beginning of 2011 we’re really not going anywhere,” said new BRC director general Helen Dickinson. She added that there was little sign that things would improve in 2013. The BRC bases its retail sales monitor on responses from its members. “Many retailers have invested a lot in making their websites easier to use across devices and also increasing confidence in their online security... the surging popularity of tablets and smartphones giving even better access is a major factor,” Ms Dickinson said.
Benefits caps called for
Jesus Christ church leaders pay visit to Muslim Aid A high-profile delegation visited the head office of international nongovernmental organisation Muslim Aid in Whitechapel. The Jesus Church of the Latter Saints senior representative in Europe, Mr Clifford, and director director of national public affairs Mr Rowland Elvidge and his wife visited the Muslim Aid’s head office. The delegation was warmly welcomed by the com-
This Week
Latest figures show there has The government has urged MPs to back a 1% cap on annual rises in working-age benefits and some tax credits, arguing it is vital to cutting the deficit. Labour – which opposes the caps – said that Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith was “in denial” over the state of the economy.
Policewoman in cash case
A former counter-terrorism detective accused of offering police information to the News of the World for money did not need the cash, a court has heard. Det Chief Insp April Casburn is accused over Operation Varec, which considered whether Scotland Yard’s inquiry into phone hacking should be reopened.
Villiers slams protestors
Northern Ireland is being “held to ransom by protesters” due to the dispute over the union flag in Belfast, the secretary of state has said. Theresa Villiers called for an end to all street demonstrations over flags - even peaceful protests - following a fifth night of rioting in east Belfast. Rioters used hatchets, sledgehammers and petrol bombs to attack police and their vehicles on Newtownards Road.
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Features Bribes becoming more expensive in Bangladesh
‘If Monsanto’s entry led to a quarter million suicides, Walmart would pave the way for more. The model thrives on making everyone reduce margins… People reduce their margins until they go out of business’
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ccording to a recent report, the amount of money Bangladeshi households paid in bribes has more than doubled compared to two years ago. The reach of corruption, however, has shrunk, the report indicates. An initial look at the report released by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) last week showed a quite alarming rise in the sheer price that Bengalis were paying in bribes. In the 12 months up to April last year, extortion was costing Bangladesh the equivalent of 13.6 percent of its national budget. Of the 7,906 households questioned in the National Household Survey, a remarkable 63.7 percent of them reported they had needed to pay bribes for government services. In fact, the average household paid a total of 6,900 takas (66 euros) annually in payoffs - roughly a tenth of the yearly average salary. The figure for Bangladesh as a whole stands at 2.1 billion euros - more than double what households had paid in the previous study Law enforcement among the most corrupt In the latest TIB survey, corruption was found to be highest in labor migration, with 77 percent of the service seekers falling victim to bribery. Law enforcement agencies, land administration and judicial services in the country have been rated as the next most corrupt sectors, with rates of corruption at 75.8, 59 and 57.1 percent respectively. Although the estimated total amount of petty bribery paid in the service sectors had risen 2.3-fold in the past two years, the total number of bribery cases in the country had dropped, the survey found. Only the health sector showed no improvement,” according to Dr Iftekaruzzaman Iftekaruzzaman, the executive director of TIB. “It is good news that - with the exception of the health sector - the number of bribes paid has dropped in all other 12 sectors,” Iftekaruzzaman told DW.
Genetically modified seeds and other damaging practises can leave previously arable land parched
Shiva attacks big corporations Word-renowned expert on sustainable development Dr Vandana Shiva warns against allowing large multinationals too much freedom
Dr Vandana Shiva
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here would be no large-scale unemployment across the US and Europe were it not for large, multinational companies increasingly sourcing goods from China and other cheaper countries. That is the view of Dr Vandana Shiva, an expert in sustainable development who is based in India, but is widely acknowledged around the world as a leading thinker on the subject. “The whole unemployment crisis in the West is due to the model of centralised procurement by a few big players,” she says. “If the big retailer [in India] is to import all medicines from China, our pharmacists would shut shop. Our electronics shops would shut shop. People would go to the big retailer to get cheaper stuff. In the 80s, the difference between retail and wholesale prices was 6 per cent, which rose to 50 per cent six years ago. With foreign direct investment in retail, 98 per cent would go to retail and just 2 per cent to farmers.” While the accuracy of her figures could be debated, the general trend of large, multinational companies squeezing smaller players out of the market is plainly obvious for everyone to see. Here, in Britain, town centres across the country are seeing record numbers of vacant shops, and many people are talking about “the death of the high street”, a prospect which has led the government to appoint Mary Portas – also known as “Mary, Queen of Shops” – to lead a review into the whole issue. However, it does not take an expert in retail, such as Ms Portas, to figure out that online shopping giants such as Amazon and eBay that are among the main factors for the gradual disappearance of smaller, local shops. Tesco has also played its part, opening smaller outlets deeper into neighbourhoods across the country, squeezing out the “corner shop” as it’s called in the UK, and the “mom and pop shop” as it’s called in the US. Tesco is one of the leading retailers online in the UK and is the third-largest retailer in the world overall. But of course it isn’t just small shopkeepers that are facing the prospect of being flattened by the juggernaut that is international trade and the colossal companies who are benefitting from it. It is also hundreds of millions of farmers across the developing world
who are having to deal with encroaching corporatism and in India and other developing countries; their situation is tragic. According to some estimates, as many as 17,500 Indian farmers a year kill themselves because of the pressures of making a living from one of human civilisation’s oldest organised activities. Naturally, for Dr Shiva, this is an area of paramount concern. She is particularly concerned about what is known as “seed sovereignty”, or “seed freedom”, which can be described as an attempt to stop multinational farming companies from patenting seeds, claiming copyright on them, and perhaps – but not always – genetically modifying them. This leads to prices going up and the seeds being non-sustainable – that is, unlike natural seeds, crops grown from genetically modified seeds often do not produce seeds of their own, requiring farmers to continue buying seeds every season. Plus, the earth is often left parched. The very idea that a company could come along and copyright seeds that have naturally existed on earth for millennia seems preposterous but that is exactly the issue at stake for Dr Shiva, who calls the practice “biopiracy” and “theft”. Dr Shiva has drawn up a “declaration on seed freedom”, which aims to stop companies from copyrighting seeds. “Seed Freedom of diverse cultures is threatened by biopiracy and the patenting of indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. Biopiracy is not innovation – it is theft,” she says. “Seed Freedom is threatened by genetically engineered seeds, which are contaminating our farms, thus closing the option for GMO-free food for all. Seed freedom of farmers is threatened when after contaminating our crops, corporations sue farmer for ‘stealing their property’. “Seed Freedom is threatened by the deliberate transformation of the seed from a renewable self generative resource to a non-renewable patented commodity. The most extreme case of non renewable seed is the ‘Terminator Technology’ developed with aim to create sterile seed. “We commit ourselves to defending seed freedom as the freedom of diverse species to evolve; as the freedom of human communities to reclaim open source seed as a commons. To this end, we will save seed, we will create community seed banks and seed libraries, we will not recognise any law that illegitimately makes seed the private property of corporations. We will stop the patents on seed.” While it clearly cannot be claimed that the mass suicide of Indian farmers is the result of large, multinational corporations engaging in genetic modification of seeds and other such practices, it is obvious that without checks and balances defending the smaller players in business sectors across the entire global economy, the world will be increasingly dominated by fewer and fewer companies, most of which – quite rightly – do not have any obligations to help even the people of their own country of origin, let alone those of far-off lands. For Dr Shiva, the connections are obvious and irrefutable. Speaking about the entry of Walmart into the Indian retail market, she says: “If Monsanto’s entry led to a quarter million suicides, Walmart would pave the way for more. The model thrives on making everyone reduce margins, until none exist at lower levels. People reduce their margins until they go out of business.” She adds: “Why is Walmart importing 80 per cent of what it sells in the US from China? Walmart can’t exist where there are labour rights. They had to leave Germany. As for jobs, the difference between India and the US is we have surplus labour. However, the irony is displaced farmers would not find jobs in these shops. They get educated kids. The poor migrants here can then resort to crime.” Dr Shiva believes that trade is becoming increasingly undemocratic and seems to partly sympathise with governments because they are often not consulted by the corporations who have been shown to do everything they can to avoid regulations, particularly those governing tax and workers’ rights. But she adds that governments around the world need to learn lessons from what is happening in Europe and the US and not allow large, multinational companies free reign to circumvent national and international laws. “It is an insult,” she says.
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10 January 2013
Features
Furious demonstrations have taken place after a young medical student was brutally gang raped on a bus
Gang rape in India leads to protests Demonstrations have continued for a month since the brutal gang rape of a young woman in Delhi. Now, the broader issue of safety of women is under the spotlight like never before in India and countries in the region
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he shocking gang rape of a young woman in Delhi in mid-December last year has galvanised public opinion in a way that no other issue has in recent times. Thousands upon thousands of enraged Indian citizens have taken to the streets demanding that the culprits be hanged for their crime. The protests have continued since the case came to light in the run-up to Christmas and far from dissipating as time has gone on, increasing numbers of people are taking part in demonstrations across India and beyond. The issue of women’s safety in India has never been under the spotlight as it is now, with global media coverage on the unfolding events and even similar protests in neighboring country Nepal. The Indian furore started with the rape of a 23-year-old female medical student in India’s capital city on December 16, 2012. The young woman had been out to the cinema – to watch Life of Pi – with a male friend and was on the bus on the way back home when the attack happened. The attackers bludgeoned her male friend with an iron bar and proceeded to beat and rape the young woman on the bus. Such was the savagery of their attack that she did not recover from her injuries and died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital, where she had been taken for specialist treatment. Her friend has since spoken to the media about the incident. “The attack was so brutal I can’t even tell you … even animals don’t behave like that,” he said. He said he had tried to defend himself and his friend, but he was outnumbered. “I gave a tough fight to three of them. I punched them hard. But then two others hit me with an iron rod,” he said. He added that after he and his friend had been stripped of their clothes and thrown off the bus by the attackers, he had tried to persuade passers-by to help. He gestured and shouted for help to pedestrians, cyclists, and people in cars and auto-rickshaws. “They slowed down, looked at our naked bodies and left,” he said. “My friend was grievously injured and bleeding profusely. Cars, autos and bikes slowed down, looked at our naked bodies and left.” But it took around 30 minutes for someone to respond to their pleas and call the police; and the police not only took a long time
to arrive at the scene, they debated jurisdiction issues for another 30 minutes when they got there. All the while, the gang-rape victim was lying on the ground, bleeding to death. Her brother, who had managed to speak to her while she was in hospital, told the media: “She told me that after the incident, she had asked passers-by for help but to no avail, and it was only after the highway patrol alerted that she was rushed to hospital, but it had taken almost two hours,” he told the Press Trust of India. “By then a lot of blood was lost.” The young woman died on December 29, 2012 of massive internal injuries suffered during the attack. Indian law – much like English law – prohibits the publication of a rape victim’s name. However, one British newspaper has actually named. Despite initial lack of publicity, word had spread of the extreme nature of the attack and protests began, and clashes with the police ensued. Demonstrators demanded that the culprits be caught and hanged. Such was the sustained ferocity of the protests that the authorities have apparently fast-tracked everything, from the police investigation to the court case. At the time of writing this article, five men have been arrested in connection with the attack and appeared in court on January 7, 2013. They have been named as Ram Singh, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur. A sixth man who was arrested in connection with the attack is a juvenile – at 17 years old – and will be dealt with by the Juvenile Board. Prosecution lawyers, led by Rajiv Mohan, say that DNA tests had confirmed that the blood of the victim matched the blood stains found on the clothes of all the accused. Two of the defendants had offered to give evidence against the others, according to news reports at the time of writing this article. Protestors had initially demanded that all the accused be denied legal representation and many lawyers had refused to act on their behalf. However, lawyers were eventually found to comply with due process. While this particular rape case has been more violent than most, the incidence of rape is all too common – which is another reason why the protests have been so sustained. Violence against women is all too frequent and the response of the police and judiciary is seen as totally inadequate. Indeed, even the media have – until now – been reluctant to pay much attention. But after the protests, more and more attacks against women are being given prominence in the media and are being reported in detail. The Delhi court had banned the reporting of the case in the media, a decision which angered many people, including Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, a lawyer who challenged the order. He said the entire system of Indian justice is being judged: from the passers-by who did not help, through the police who bickered and wasted time while a young woman was bleeding to death, and the doctors who treated the victims, to the judiciary which is about to try the accused. “In this case there was a systemic failure,” said Mr Mishra. “The trial should be fair and transparent so all the facts come out.” India has no specific law against sexual assault or harassment, which has the obvious implication that women are not given the protection in law that they are in other countries, such as Britain. There are laws that talk of “insulting or outraging the modesty of a woman” or “intruding upon her privacy”. If found guilty of such offences, the maximum sentence is a year in jail. Given that rape is specifically defined as vaginal penetration by a penis, the implications are obvious. “Men abuse women in every society, but few males do it with as much impunity, violence and regularity as the Indian male,” wrote Samar Halarnkar, a columnist in the Hindustan Times. He observed that this particular gang rape of the medical student highlighted the dangerous deterioration in living standards and public life in India. “This is a story of a dangerous decline in Indians and India itself, of not just failing morality but disintegrating public governance when it comes to women,” he wrote, adding that a poll of 370 gender specialists around the world voted India the worst place to be a woman out of all the G20 countries. It may surprise some that Saudi Arabia was placed at the second-worst position, but the experts were resolute in their choice. “In India, women and girls continue to be sold as chattels, married off as young as 10, burned alive as a result of dowry-related disputes and young girls exploited and abused as domestic slave labour,” said Gulshun Rehman, health programme development adviser at Save the Children UK, who was one of those polled.
Government to nationalise primary schools
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he government has decided to nationalise 26,193 non-government primary schools across Bangladesh. Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Ameen says Sheikh Hasina will make an announcement to this effect on Wednesday from a rally of the non-government primary school teachers in Dhaka’s National Parade Square. “It will be an historic event in the history of Bangladesh. A long cherished demand of the teachers will be fulfilled ,” Ameen said. He said the jobs of 103,192 primary school teachers will also be regularised , though the whole process will be implemented in three phases. The minister said this will benefit 22,981 Monthly Payment Order (MPO) enlisted registered schools, 388 permanently registered, 361 temporary registered, 720 with teaching permission, 653 non-MPO community schools, 130 NGO schools, 151 schools recommended for teaching permission and 809 schools waiting to get teaching permission. Acting Secretary of the ministry MM Niaz Uddin said the latest move will dispel the existing differences between the government and the nongovernment primary schools. The education minister said 91,024 teachers of 22,981 MPO-enlisted schools will be brought under government pay order from Jan 1 of this year. This move will cost the government an extra Tk 1 billion in the 2012-13 fiscal. In the second phase, the jobs of 9,025 teachers of 2,252 schools that are permanently or temporary registered, with teaching permissions, community and NGO run will be regularised from July 1 for which another Tk 3.71 billion will be needed in the next fiscal year.
Historic change for schools