[sacw] SACW | 12 Jan. 03

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 12 January 2003

CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY -- GUJARAT 2002: A report on the=20
investigations, findings and recommendations of the Concerned=20
Citizens' Tribunal
on http://www.sabrang.com.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE OF HATE- IDRF and the American Funding of Hindutva
A report on the US-based organization -- the India Development and=20
Relief Fund (IDRF), which has systematically funded Hindutva=20
operations in India.
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/2002/FEH/

__________________________

#1. South Asians Against Nukes web site - Update 12 January 2003
#2. Why are we poor [in Pakistan and India]? (Farrukh Saleem)
#3. Plastic Identity - Dividing line between Chosen People and=20
Illegal Aliens (John Dayal)
#4. Tackling child sexual abuse (Sudha Ramachandran)
#5. A modicum of clarity, please (N. Bala Ganesan)

__________________________

#1.

All are invited to visit
South Asians Against Nukes web site
[Last updated on 12 January 2003]
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/NoNukes.html

______

#2.

The News International
January 12, 2003
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2003-daily/12-01-2003/oped/o1.htm

Why are we poor?
[by] Dr Farrukh Saleem

India plus Pakistan is 20 percent of humanity. India plus Pakistan is=20
a mere 5 percent of world income. India plus Pakistan have 45 percent=20
of world's illiterates. India plus Pakistan have 50 percent of all=20
malnourished children. India just by itself has the world's largest=20
number of poor people in a single country. In absolute terms, at=20
least 50 million Pakistanis and 350 million Indians live in extreme=20
poverty (must earn during the day to eat dinner).

Some 60 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi, the Bapu of all Indians, had said,=20
"Poverty is but the worst form of violence." Look at present-day=20
Bombay. The city has ten million people and is the financial capital=20
of India. Four million of the ten million live in rough-and-tumble=20
fabrications of bamboo, plastic, wood and tin. At least a million=20
live and sleep on footpaths. For the rest of India, poverty remains a=20
Himalayan problem. Which one of the 14 prime ministers has done=20
anything to save Indians from the worst form of violence?

On 9 August 1947, Quaid-i-Azam, the father of our country, delivered=20
a speech at the Karachi Club. The Quaid asserted that it is the=20
"scared duty of the Sovereign State of Pakistan to solve the problem=20
of poverty of the people." Which one of our 11 presidents or 19 prime=20
ministers has paid any attention to the Quaid's pledge? Look at=20
present-day Rojhan Jamali, the birthplace of our Prime Minister Mir=20
Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Out of all of PM's constituents the lifetime=20
goal of at least 90% is to own a Rs2,000 goat.

What really is poverty? According to the World Bank, "Poverty is=20
hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not=20
being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not being able to go to school=20
and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for=20
the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to=20
illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness,=20
lack of representation and freedom." Both India and Pakistan have all=20
these forms of poverty. Why are we so poor?

Over the last 5 years, India has spent $4.2 billion and Pakistan $2.6=20
billion on the importation of major conventional weapons. For India=20
that converts to $4 on a per capita basis and $19 for every Pakistani=20
man, woman and child. India and Pakistan remained the poorest of all=20
countries but India is now the 5th largest importer of major=20
conventional weapons while Pakistan is the 12th largest.

Pakistan is poor because we have enriched China Metallurgical=20
Equipment Corporation, Lockheed Martin (a billion dollars for F-16s,=20
P-3 Orion, etc) and Raytheon (Stingers, side-winders and TOW=20
missiles). Over the past 5 years, we have deposited $1.024 billion=20
into Chinese coffers, $650 million has gone to Ukraine, $400 million=20
to France and $250 million each to the UK and the US.

India is poor because she has been enriching Rosoboronexport,=20
Russia's arms exporting corporation. Most of India's defence kitty=20
has gone to Russia; $3 billion over the past 5 years alone. The=20
Netherlands took in $350 million and Germany another $210 million.

We shall continue to be poor. Under the long-term Indo-Russian=20
military technical cooperation programme there are some 350 new=20
defence deals in the pipeline-including the production of Lada class=20
diesel submarines, Gorshkov aircraft carrier, TU-22M long-range=20
bombers, Akula-II class nuclear submarines and AWACS. Total tab: $4=20
billion. Then there is the BAE Systems Hawk jet deal with the UK.=20
These 60 Hawks have a price tag of a billion pound sterling which is=20
the equivalent of nearly ten years of India-UK bilateral trade.=20
India's neighbour has billion dollar Agostas so India must also buy=20
Scorpene 'killer submarines'. France wins both in India and in=20
Pakistan.

More recently, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) signed a two billion=20
dollar weapons contract with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL). The=20
contract covers $280 million for surface-to-surface naval Barak=20
missiles, $300 million for pilot-less planes, $250 million for Green=20
Pine radar systems, Phalcon early-warning aircraft and towed howitzer=20
for the Indian army.

The US, in the meanwhile, has established a tourist-cum-investor 'no=20
fly zone' over Pakistan while our armament wish list remains heavier=20
than our GDP. Short range ballistic missiles, intermediate range=20
ballistic missiles, F-16 fighters, surveillance aircraft, Harpoon=20
missiles, long-range weapon-locating radars, rocket fuel, anti-tank=20
missiles and combat helicopters. Additional Main Battle Tanks (MBT)=20
are going to cost $1.5 billion. The PAF wants a multi-billion dollar=20
package covering Mirage 2000-5s and then there's F7-P4 aircraft from=20
China and gunship helicopters. Spare parts from the US are also high=20
on our wish list.

Just who is profiting from the sale of all these machines of death=20
and destruction? The top ten exporters of conventional weapons are=20
USA, Russia, France, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Ukraine, Italy, China=20
and Belarus. The top corporate merchants of death are Lockheed Martin=20
(USA), Boeing (USA), BAE Systems (UK), Raytheon (USA), Northrop=20
Grumman (USA), General Dynamics (USA) and Thomson-CSF (France).

When the poverty-ridden East fills West's craving for drugs there is=20
talk of 'supply control'. The West remains the chief pretender of=20
virtue but is the largest seller of arms to the East. The US, for=20
instance, accounts for a full 50% of the world trade in arms.

Conflict and poverty are the closest of relatives. Look at Ethiopia,=20
Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Somalia, Nigeria, Pakistan,=20
Haiti, Mozambique, Mali, India or Angola. They are all in=20
conflict-either within or with their neighbours-and they are all=20
poor. Peace is an essential prerequisite to prosperity. Without peace=20
there can't be any poverty alleviation.

India's economy is 800% the size of ours. On a per capita basis, we=20
have a record of spending 500% more on arms imports than does India.=20
Which country is likely to run out of resources first? Just who is=20
most likely to win without firing a shot? There certainly are no=20
prizes for getting these riddles right.

_____

#3.

9 January 2003

Plastic Identity
Dividing line between Chosen People and Illegal Aliens

If you were born in Chittagong or Lahore in 1940, migrated to the=20
United Kingdom in 1945 and became a British national, would you=20
qualify for the precious double citizenship that India now wants to=20
bestow on chosen People of Indian origin or as the Bharatiya Janata=20
Party calls them, Pravasi Bharatiyas? Would the answer depend on=20
whether you are a Muslim or a Hindu? And in Delhi, is the drive=20
against Slum Muslims who speak Bangla or Bengalis who happen to be=20
Muslims living in slums?

By John Dayal

In the second week of New Year 2003 was marked by a series of=20
apparently unconnected events:

- Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told a 1,500 strong=20
gathering of top international leaders of the estimated 2 crore=20
Indian ethnic origin that Pravasi Bharatiyas, or NRIs, from select=20
countries such as the US and the UK could get double citizenship on a=20
reciprocal basis

- Deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, announcing a=20
scheme for a proposed multi-purpose national identity card, said=20
about 12,000 Pakistanis staying illegally in India after the expiry=20
of their visas an estimated 1.5 crore Bangladeshis would be expelled,=20
a programme enthusiastically echoed by the Lt Governor of Delhi which=20
arguably has the second largest such population after Assam

- India `tested' one more version of its Agni mid range=20
ballistic missile which puts all of Pakistan, and Bangladesh, within=20
strike range -- the missile can, of course, carry the much wonted=20
nuclear war head for which a new command system has now been put in=20
place.

- A growth rate of over 8 per cent has been envisaged, some=20
of it expectedly from large scale Foreign direct investment

- In all innocence, Vajpayee asks Indians, including NRIs, to=20
help un tarnish India's image abroad, even as the government cancels=20
passports of top Kashmiri leaders it holds guilty of tarnishing the=20
Indian image by telling the world what is happening in Kashmir and in=20
Gujarat for that matter.

The men who wrote the Prime Minister's Musings from Goa, and the men=20
who interlocute for him in talks with the US government, among the=20
elite band of thinkers in the NDA government and the Bharatiya=20
Janata party, have unanimously reached the decision that this is the=20
right time for India to launch a major Public relations Exercise=20
abroad, harnessing whatever energies it can from resident and no=20
resident Indians, from the emerging Hindutva in the expatriate=20
populations in the US and the UK, and above all, when the western=20
governments are still on the cusp of the anti-Islamic hate wave=20
following the World Trade Centre terror and before it calms down to=20
an oil dictated d=E9tente with the Gulf region once again.

Top of the mind also is the need to clear up the public relations=20
disaster that Gujarat was, as government thinkers put it in mild=20
terms, and yet retain some steam for the `Secularism versus Security"=20
debate on which the BJP hopes to ride the election campaign later=20
this year for half a dozen state assemblies, hoping to repeat in=20
Rajasthan and elsewhere the black miracle it did in Gujarat.

So what is wrong with either the grant of citizen status to people of=20
Indian origin, or with kicking out people who definitely are aliens=20
and are living - for good or for bad - as any other citizen in the=20
metropolitan towns and qasbas of most of north India? Is there any=20
breach of international protocols in chucking out Bangladeshis?

The problem with both issues is not the law, but the morality. The=20
NDA government - and perhaps it is time to call it the BJP government=20
on these issues - is pandering to lobbies whose intention is to=20
subserve the agenda of the Sangh parivar, and not the nation at large.

Prof Amartya Sen and several prominent NRIs from the United Kingdom=20
in fact pointed out directly to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee=20
that the nation has to make up its mind as to what sort of an image=20
it wants to project. It will not do, they said, for India to account=20
for itself as an exclusive land, fit in the sciences and first in=20
culture, without acknowledging that its civilisation has gained=20
tremendously in millennia of give and take with other peoples and=20
other civilisations, including the now hated western civilisation.=20
Indian claims in mathematics ring true only in acknowledging the=20
contribution of Arabian sciences and western thought, as much as even=20
its Sanskrit language cannot be kept exclusive as something born in=20
India and not brought from Outside.

These savants among the NRIs want an image of India that obeys the=20
rules of civilisation, the rules of law, of plurality of culture, of=20
the fact that for over 2,000 years, various religions and ethnic=20
groups , hundreds of language segments and social mores have co=20
existed and interacted, each strengthening the other, even if=20
occasional syncretism gave way to temporary absorption. An India=20
where man had, and has, dignity.

It is in this context that thinkers reject both the Israeli model of=20
Diaspora and the Chinese emotionalism and loyalty as universally=20
valid for the type of Diaspora that Indians are.

The Israeli Diaspora, and the Israeli pattern of dual citizenship=20
accord between Washington and Tel Aviv - a great favourite of Home=20
minister Lal Krishna Advani - is fed on centuries of history of=20
paranoia and persecution in Europe, culminating in the Holocaust in=20
which Nazis, another favourite of Advani, sent over 6 million Jews to=20
the gas chambers or forced labour camps. The birth of Zionism, the=20
forced birth of an Israeli state and the Law of return, weave a=20
complicated web of loyalty, compassion and attraction that binds=20
conservative Jews and modern New Yorkers with first generation=20
refugees from Eastern Europe still speaking the Yiddish of the Polish=20
Ghetto. Israel and New York, if not Washington, merge seamlessly as=20
it were where the interests of Israel and the self interest of the=20
ruling regime in Wall Street and Washington is concerned. The flow of=20
money, the flow of arms, and the diplomatic turning of the blind eye=20
to Israeli nuclear ambitions or its terrible human rights record, are=20
all part of the package which modern day Israel has been able to=20
wrest out of a west which wants a foothold on the shores of the oil=20
rich Western Asian region, and also suffers from a colossal guilt=20
complex for the anti Semitism of two thousand years, which still=20
breaks through every so often in real life to send law makers rushing=20
into another sop for Tel Aviv.

The Chinese Diaspora is more complex - generations of movements that=20
colonised South east Asia to emerge as the main ethnic group as in=20
Singapore, and generations of migrants to the west who emerged from=20
their ghettos as an industrious people with strong emotional ethnic=20
identity and ties which a monolithic cultural commonality and a=20
unique and exclusive language -- despite its variations such as=20
Cantonese and the classical Mandarin - which allowed them to live in=20
powerful cultural cocoons which outlasted the initial reasons for=20
which they had left the home land - for work, or fleeing communist=20
action or whatever. The Chinese of the first regeneration have send=20
money home, and during the long cold years of the Maoist and Cultural=20
Revolution days, they patronised the many democratic and market=20
movements in the main land. It needs to be remembered that despite he=20
strong political animosity that Hong Kong and mainland once had, and=20
which Taiwan still has towards Beijing, there are strong ethnic and=20
cultural ties that bind the one common Chinese people. But even in=20
the Chinese model of Diaspora, it is the first generation that has an=20
economic interest in the Mainland, even if it has no desire to settle=20
down there. The astute Chinese mind - which invented the bureaucracy=20
five thousand years ago -sees the homeland as a good investment=20
because their understanding of its potential and their faith in the=20
industry of their own people, who like themselves, want to reach out=20
for the sky. The Chinese have a time conception which spans=20
centuries, and the pace of events is never forced. The Chinese, as=20
India knows to it cost have inordinate patience and a cohesiveness=20
which India cannot match.

The Indian Diaspora share a little with the Chinese in as far as the=20
forced movement of citizens during the British regime is concerned.=20
The Indian Diaspora is multi layered, and each layer responds in its=20
own unique way, with little in common with other NRIs conglomerations.

The first possibly is the natural migrants from South India whose=20
boats took them all the way to South east and perhaps even to the=20
Pacific Rim. The Tamil and Indian heritage in these areas exists,=20
but the people have little interest in India other than that of a=20
cultural curiosity. It is too far back in time. Even closer in time,=20
the Tamils of Sri Lanka, whether they are indigenous, or plantation=20
labour or even more recent migrants of the twentieth century,=20
maintain a close relationship of culture with Tamil Nadu, which for=20
them is all that is India, but neither the government nor social=20
movements have ever thought of them ad part of the Diaspora that is=20
to be wooed. Among other things, they are non sanskritised, anti=20
Brahmanical, and poor. And the Tamil Tigers, at present, are militant=20
and remember not the Indian help to them but the hurt and injury that=20
the Indian army incited on them during the days of Rajiv Gandhi and=20
the Indian peace Keeping Force. Tamils in Sri Lanka also do not=20
forget that India helps the Military whenever the chips are down=20
though its diplomacy I apparently geared towards the Tamils. India=20
loses out either way for the ham handed ness of its relationship with=20
this large volume of men and women so patently of Indian origin.

The next group is of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh residents and men from=20
Andhra and Tamil Nadu who were shipped to the Caribbean, the pacific=20
islands and the large islands of the Indian Ocean between India and=20
the continent of Africa. Fijians, Jamaicans, Mauritian or what have=20
you maintain their Hinduism in the midst of a Christian sea, still=20
speak versions of their other tongue, pidgin Hindi or Telegu,=20
together with Creole, English and French. This group, half volunteer=20
and half commandeered by English tradesmen and railway officials has=20
no roots in India, no close relatives as they were often shipped in=20
the village-load. But yet they retain a close community feeling. This=20
is mainly because they were taken in such large numbers as to form=20
organic communities on whatever piece of land they were settled, and=20
for the community to be self contained for marriages and growth, so=20
that no interaction was required with the neighbouring original=20
inhabitants, or with the European masters. This block of people form=20
the bulk of those with a cultural nostalgia and desire for reopening=20
links with India. It is a moot question if they are also keen to=20
invest in India. So distant is the financial relationship, and so=20
urgent their immediate need o invest their money in their countries=20
of livelihood, or in the markets of the west which are more=20
lucrative. The BJP is working hard to creep into these communities=20
through the Hindu pantheon and the temple route, so to speak. The RSS=20
has sought to open new Gangotris and other replicas of Indian=20
pilgrimage centres in the Caribbean and other countries.

>From an economic point of view, the one sector of NRIs that the=20
government of India and the political apparatus is wooing with full=20
vigour is the emigrants of the post Independent era. These include=20
second generation Gujaratis who were forced out of Uganda and other=20
African countries - where they were traders despised for their usury,=20
or for their aloofness - by the likes of dictator Idi Amin, and have=20
made it good in the UK, rising from the neighbourhood shopkeeper to=20
the small industrialist and the middle level businessman with money=20
to spare. Other groups include farmers and artisans from the Punjab,=20
who were a loyal Diaspora till the government crushed the Sikh psyche=20
in the many complex tragedies of the Nineteen Seventies and Eighties,=20
culminating in the massacres of the Sikhs in Delhi and other places=20
in 1984. Now this community has little if any trust in India, and=20
particularly in Hindu governments.

The final phase of the Diaspora is of the technocrat and the=20
academic, the medico and the technician, the labourer and the nurse,=20
to West Asia, and particularly to the United States.

The Diaspora in the Gulf is considered only a transitory one. The non=20
Muslims are there for the duration of a job and will return home to=20
Kerala and Punjab, Andhra and Bihar. The Muslims may stay a little=20
loner, but they have little in common with the Arab, and will return,=20
almost each one of them, back to Hyderabad and Patna and Kerala=20
unless they migrate to the West, now a near impossible thing.

This really leaves the Indian Diaspora in the US. The American India,=20
so to say.

This is the Real McCoy. This is the group that the BJP targets, that=20
the RSS woos, and that the Indian business pursues with such vigour.

And this is an expanding group -in numbers and in economic and political cl=
out.

The India Aboard centre for Political Awareness, based in Washington,=20
DC after the last Census noted a 106% growth in the Indian=20
community's population. As a community, the Indian American=20
population in the United States has dramatically increased by almost=20
10 percent from 1990 to 2000, comprising 1.678 million of the U.S.=20
population, rising by more than twofold from 815,447 in 1990,=20
according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the highest increase in=20
the Asian American community, which is the fastest growing community=20
as a whole in the United States; the Indian American community is now=20
the third largest Asian American group in the country behind Chinese=20
and Filipino Americans. Ten years ago Indian Americans ranked fourth=20
in the group, behind Japanese Americans. Doubling to nearly 1.7=20
million people, the Census results show that the Indian American=20
community has grown at a rate of 7.6 percent a year in the last ten=20
years.

IACPA says a key factor that accounts for the rising numbers in the=20
Indian American community is the influx of H-1B visa holders and=20
their families (spouses and children) who have helped stimulate=20
economic growth at unprecedented rates in the last several years. The=20
number of H-1B visas issued to those from India jumped from 2,697 in=20
1990 to 15,228 in 1995 to 55,047 in 2000, according to figures from=20
the State Department. When the silicon bubble burst, many frustrated=20
youth returned, but most stayed on. IACPA sees that this sharp rise=20
in the number of H-1B visa holders has fuelled the growth in the=20
Indian American community. This has particularly occurred from 1997=20
to 2000, when considering the Indian American population was 1.215=20
million in 1997, according to an estimate given by Professor Sharon=20
Lee of Portland State University. The Indian American community now=20
stands at 1.678 million in population.

Some growth in the Indian American community can also be attributed=20
to immigrants being admitted between 1990-2000 with numbers varying=20
between 30,000 and 45,000 from India annually achieving permanent=20
residence, as noted in materials from the Immigration and=20
Naturalization Services (INS). According to IACPA's analysis, on a=20
more general level, the numbers show that Indians have a population=20
roughly equivalent to the state of Nebraska, ""which indicates that=20
if all of our community lived in one state, we would have three=20
Indian American members of Congress." Also according to Census=20
figures, Indian Americans represent .6 percent of the U.S.=20
population; this would entail that the Indian American community=20
should have at least 45 State legislators of Indian origin, according=20
to IACPA analysis, as opposed to the two who currently hold office,=20
when considering there are 7,424 State legislators nationwide,=20
according to the National Conference of State Legislatures

"The realization that we need to take an active role in the political=20
process is one we must make as a community, soon," say Prem=20
Shunmugavelu, Political Associate at IACPA. "Political activism needs=20
to grow at the same rate that our population has grown; the hope is=20
that the rise in numbers will serve as a catalyst to enhance=20
political activity in our community and our civic engagement in=20
mainstream society."

This is the political lobby the government and the BJP are praying=20
for. This is the lobby for which they created the post o a special=20
ambassador, Mr Agnihotri (Indian Currents did a cover story on him in=20
2002). This is the lobby with free money that may be invested in=20
India, but more important, with money they can send to the RSS and=20
its organisations while ensuring that the likes of Narendra Modi can=20
never be identified as criminals with the American legal system of=20
international human rights.

Possibly this is the first group which will apply for the dual=20
citizenship, as and when it becomes possible. Prime minister Vajpayee=20
has said the Bill will be introduced in the Budget session of=20
Parliament in February, possibly with some budgetary sops for Foreign=20
Direct Invests from NRIs.

Now for the bad Indian blood, metaphorically speaking.

These are the Bangladeshis. Culturally and ethnically=20
indistinguishable from their brethren living in the Indian West=20
Bengal, or in parts of Assam and Orissa.

Bengal was partitioned even before India was, by the British in the=20
first quarter of the last century, purely on grounds of religion. But=20
as East Bengal emerged as a Muslim dominated province, there remained=20
crores of Hindus in the rich rice fields and the big towns of Dhaka=20
and Chittagong, among other places. Till the second partition when=20
east Bengal became part of Pakistan. Many Hindus fled East Pakistan,=20
and were absorbed in India without a murmur as legitimate refugees.=20
The post Chittarnjan park in Delhi, earlier called the East Pakistan=20
Displaced persons colony, EPDP, together with Tagore Park in North=20
Delhi, are examples of that wave of refugees.

The real cataclysm came with the Civil war in Pakistan after the Army=20
generals, goaded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto refused to recognise the=20
electoral victory of Mujibur Rehman in the n national elections.=20
Refusing to make him president, they let loose a regime of military=20
terror in East Pakistan, forcing tens of thousands of Muslim refugees=20
into Indian West Bengal and Assam.

The Liberation of Bangladesh by the Indian army never did stop this=20
flow of refugees. No longer fleeing military terror, they now fled=20
economic destitution. The flow continues. A Porous border of several=20
thousand kilometres, much if it water logged, insufficient and=20
corrupt officials in the border forces re but a few of the many=20
reasons Bangladeshis continue to flock to India. Crossing Bengal,=20
they slowly drift west and south, and are found in slums and ghettos=20
all over the country.

They fill a vacuum of cheap labour, outbidding internal migrants from=20
Rajasthan, Bihar, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

They also, say the police, add to the crime wave. But there is no=20
special data to prove that Bangladeshis are involved in large scale=20
crime which still remains the preserve of basically some Indian=20
communities and some well off, politically backed Indian groups.=20
Petty crime is a different matter, and Bangladeshis have their share=20
of drugs and prostitution rackets, their own women and children as=20
the main victims.

The law and order machinery reacts ruthlessly. The Bangladeshis are=20
at the receiving end of marked police brutality. Human rights groups=20
have over the last twenty years pointed to the bias in the police.=20
Hindu Bangladeshis soon merge and are absorbed into the system,=20
without the police harassing them.

All over the country, Human rights groups have in the past felt that=20
political drives to identify Bangladeshis and the police action in=20
accordance with such directives, has led to the victimisation of all=20
Bengali speaking Muslims. Various central accords with cut off dates,=20
such as in the case of the Assam accord, have not helped matters.

By now, many if not most of the Bangladeshis have the same civic=20
documents that any other citizen has - a voter's card, a ration card,=20
often even a passport, thanks to the famous Indian corruption.

Ho will Advani be able to implement his latest directive without=20
provoking a cry of bigotry is a moot question.

It may be perhaps relevant to recall just one reminder from the=20
papers of the past. This had to do with Orissa where the BJP opposed=20
deportation of Bangladeshis . The BJP, a partner in the ruling=20
coalition, took strong exception to the Orissa government's action of=20
deporting 21 Bangladeshi nationals from Raighar block in the=20
tribal-dominated Nawarangpur district. BJP state unit president=20
Manmohan Samal, met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to express his=20
unhappiness over the government's decision. Samal described the=20
government's action as illegal and said the Bangladeshi nationals had=20
already been settled in Raighar over the last three decades and=20
allotted land and ration cards. The Centre had rehabilitated them as=20
they were treated as refugees rather than as infiltrators as=20
described by the state government, he said. Samal demanded that the=20
government reconsider its decision to deport the Bangladeshi=20
nationals from Raighar.

The issue of national identity cards itself is a matter of another controve=
rsy.

The west has identity cards in many countries, but despite=20
globalisation, the west also has a social network, including=20
unemployment doles and pensions for senior citizens.

That is the worth of an identity card that promises little more than=20
starvation? And which is being designed not for the benefit of the=20
citizen but to help identify aliens.

The issue, as always with this government, is of public morality, of=20
law and of human rights. There is little at this stage to show that=20
it will be able to succeed.

______

#4.

The Deccan Herald
Friday, January 10, 2003

Tackling child sexual abuse

By SUDHA RAMACHANDRAN

A recent report of the Voluntary Health Asso-ciation of India (VHAI)=20
points to an alarming increase in the incidence of child sexual abuse=20
in the country. The VHAI report confirms what other studies have been=20
pointing to for several years now - that sexual abuse of children is=20
rampant in our society. Consider the following statistics: A survey=20
conducted by Samvada, a Bangalore-based NGO, among a random sample of=20
348 girls in the 15 to 18-year age group in Bangalore revealed that=20
82 per cent of the respondents had suffered soft spectrum abuse, i.e.=20
eve-teasing; 33 per cent of them by age 10. Forty-seven per cent of=20
the respondents suffered hard spectrum abuse, i.e. insistent sexual=20
overtures or touches, 15 per cent of them by age 10. In 55 per cent=20
of the cases, the abuser was a male family member.

The survey found that 15 per cent of the respondents had suffered=20
serious forms of abuse i.e. attempts at penetration, forced oral sex,=20
rape etc; 38 per cent of whom faced repeated abuse. One in every 6=20
girls was found to have suffered serious abuse, 32 per cent were less=20
than 10 years old when first raped and 55 per cent of the abusers=20
were male family members.

The VHAI study cites a report brought out in 1998 by the Working=20
Group on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which says that=20
in India, every 155th minute a child below 16 years is raped. Every=20
13th hour, a child below 10 years is raped. Six out of 10 rape=20
victims in Delhi and Mumbai are children below 16.

Child sexual abuse is the physical and/or mental violation of a child=20
with sexual intent, usually by an older person who is in a position=20
of trust and/or power vis-=E0-vis the child. Both girls and boys are=20
victims of sexual abuse, although girls are more likely to be abused=20
and over a longer period. What is particularly tragic about child=20
sexual abuse is that the victim, being a child, often does not know=20
what is being done to her or lacks the vocabulary to tell others that=20
she is being abused. Moreover, in most cases of child sexual abuse,=20
the abuser is a member of the child's family, sometimes even a parent.

Relationship problems
The closer the relationship between the child and the abuser, the=20
graver is the trauma suffered by the child for what has happened is=20
not just a violation of the child's body but of the trust implicit in=20
a caretaking relationship. Victims of sexual abuse in childhood=20
frequently have problems building relationships. They often end up=20
blaming themselves for the abuse. Their self-image is poor.

Victims of sexual abuse are often reluctant to disclose their trauma.=20
They fear the abuser will harm them. After all, the abuser has=20
secured the child's silence by threats. Often the memory of the years=20
of abuse is painful and therefore suppressed. There are many taboos=20
surrounding issues of sexuality and sexual abuse in our society and=20
victims feel inhibited to speak up about their suffering.

The VHAI report points out that in India, a sexually abused child=20
suffers four times - at the time of the offence, when narrating the=20
incident, during medical examination, and finally, when the child has=20
to face the courts. An insensitive police and judiciary and lengthy=20
and cumbersome legal procedures compound the victim's suffering. It=20
is because of this secondary victimisation - sometimes worse than the=20
offence itself - that some groups do not actively encourage parents=20
to report the matter to the police.

Inadequate laws
Society is unwilling to accept that sexual abuse, especially of=20
children, is taking place and often by family members. Accepting this=20
unpleasant fact would mean challenging the sanctity of the family as=20
the social ideal, that whatever goes on inside its boundaries - be it=20
wife-battering or sexual abuse - is none of society's business. It is=20
the victim's silence and society's unwillingness to listen to her or=20
act against the abuser that provides protection to the latter and=20
enables him to keep on abusing.

The VHAI report points out that there is no single law to deal with=20
sexually abused children or their offenders. Currently various=20
sections of the Indian Penal Code may be invoked in cases of child=20
sexual abuse. Activists have been calling for a separate,=20
comprehensive law to deal with sexual abuse and the rape of minors=20
but such demands have so far been ignored. They are demanding that=20
the age of the victim should determine the severity of punishment for=20
rape and that the scope and interpretation of rape should be widened=20
beyond penetration.

There have been calls for amending Articles 375 and 376 in the=20
context of child sexual abuse. Activists feel that the term rape=20
needs to be replaced by the words 'sexual assault' to make it gender=20
neutral and to include all kinds of penetration. In doing so, the law=20
would become applicable to women, men and boys too. Another amendment=20
being sought is to legally differentiate between sexual abuse by=20
parents/relatives as opposed to strangers - assault by a person in a=20
position of trust should be treated as a much graver offence.

Children can be protected better from sexual abuse if they are made=20
aware in terms appropriate to their age and understanding of what=20
constitutes sexual abuse. They must be taught to differentiate=20
between a 'good touch' and a 'bad touch'. And instead of dismissing=20
what they say as childish prattle, we need to take what they say=20
seriously.

______

#5.

The Hindu
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2002
Open Page
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/op/2002/12/24/stories/2002122400130200.h=
tm

A modicum of clarity, please

If one is against religious extremism, would he want to interpret=20
results in a manner that lends fuel to the very fires the extremists=20
are eager to set, particularly when the results can quite readily be=20
interpreted entirely differently?

I MUST admit to being quite puzzled - the steady-state condition of=20
NRIs who have just become RIs. About Gujarat, I mean. More precisely,=20
I mean the analysis and interpretations of the results of the recent=20
elections there. I have thought about it a lot, for I have loads of=20
time these days to think about whatever I choose to think about. But,=20
to no avail. You may say that anyone who voluntarily spends a lot of=20
his time thinking about Gujarat deserves to be puzzled, but as I=20
said, it is not the state of that State that puzzles me. It is what=20
numerous experts say about the place, its electorate and what they=20
have just done.

As an NRI, or PIO, or some such thri-akshara abomination, I am told=20
by my friends that I haven't a hope of understanding the complexities=20
of India, I have to go through a lengthy RI first. I try and throw=20
some Indianisms around, if not to gain acceptance, at least to avoid=20
summary dismissal. As a result, I have graduated from summary=20
dismissal to conciliatory condescension. No mean achievement, I=20
assure you. Anyhow, back to Gujarat.

Pre-election reports

I read all the erudite, prescient pre-election reports. The experts=20
did not necessarily agree with one another, but I was immensely=20
impressed at the depth of their individual and collective knowledge=20
of the State. They said at first that Modi and the BJP would romp=20
home. Godhra was it. Then, having read additional or different chai=20
pattas, they said that there is bound to be a backlash - squared.=20
But, they were unanimous in saying that the electorate were putty in=20
the hands of the politicians. After all, if they could be moved to=20
burn, loot and murder, they could be led like lemmings to go wherever=20
the politicians wanted them to go.

I couldn't quite figure out where that was. You see, I am still=20
struggling to understand exactly what Hindutva means. For the last=20
ten years or so, I had understood that it was the tearing down of=20
mosques built by marauding invaders on any Divya Janma Bhumi. Even=20
this understanding was not attained without considerable struggle. I=20
couldn't, and still can't, figure out how one locates a DJB after=20
multiple pralayams. I consulted various pralayamologists and received=20
the usual "Oh, you are an NRI!" dismissal. So, I came to my=20
understanding. Then, Godhra happened. I couldn't very well hold on to=20
my understanding after what followed. Enraged secularists said that=20
this was Hindutva in all its ugly reality. The Hindutva folks said=20
that it most certainly wasn't, it was just fair payback. I was lost.

Then came the elections. Politicians of every colour and shade=20
descended on that poor State. Some were called dogs, but imported=20
ones which had barely completed their quarantine. Others were called=20
fascists. Some had Veerappanesque moustaches, others sported bin=20
Laden beards, yet others had painted substantial parts of their faces=20
red, orange, saffron, green, or ashen grey, and everyone donned even=20
more colourful clothes. All of them wanted to lead the voters astray,=20
so the media said.

Media projections

Oh yes, the media was there as well. I hadn't realised that the legal=20
retirement age for media personnel is thirty-five in India. I am=20
totally amazed at how much these twenty and thritysomethings know and=20
how dogged they are. They know the answers to even their own=20
questions and simply will not quit until the ignorant souls being=20
questioned provide precisely those answers. They said that the BJP=20
would get about a 100 to 110 seats and the Congress would get around=20
75. There appeared to be considerable consensus on these projections,=20
particularly after very precise exit polls.

But, nobody told the Gujarati electorate about this. The BJP ended up=20
with 126 seats and the Congress dropped by two to 51 (not bad by the=20
VVS Laxman standard). Well, this is worse than the Bhuj earthquake,=20
they said. The New York Times called it a landslide. Some other paper=20
termed it a tidal wave. India would never again be the same. A=20
"katzenjammer" mood had set in, for a Hindutva pralayam was about to=20
be unleashed on the whole country. An extremely knowledgeable and=20
dear RI friend was willing to take a bet. Since these were the very=20
people who had made all the earlier predictions and there had been no=20
survey to indicate why the voters had voted the way they in fact did,=20
I was hesitant in buying any of these dire predictions.

In my view, the classic explanation was that the ill-conceived=20
Anumandhra sthayi (it is that season in Chennai, after all) Hindutva=20
of the Congress party was no match for the Athithra sthayi version of=20
the BJP. This bowled me over completely. What exactly is=20
soft-Hindutva? Do SH adherents merely maim Muslims, not kill them? Do=20
they gently push mosques down, not crush them with sledge hammers? I=20
don't get it.

Then some statistics started to be released, not that the experts=20
appeared to pay any attention to them. They had their number, 126.=20
But, the most telling pair of numbers, in my not-yet-certifiably-RI=20
opinion, appeared in a tiny little table on page 11 of The Hindu of=20
December 17 (why is it that, in India, only newspapers follow the=20
American system of denoting dates?): 49.79 and 44.81. The BJP=20
received 49.79 per cent of the votes cast in this election and 44.81=20
per cent in the 1998 election.

Is 49.79 per cent a plurality of pralayam proportions? Is an increase=20
of 4.98 per cent the unleashing of a tidal wave? Not quite a Mian=20
majority or a Miandate, is it? There was another meaningful number as=20
well, 12. That is the number of BJP ministers who were voted out of=20
office. If this electorate is made of putty, then the Gujarat heat=20
must have turned them into sterner stuff. If they are wise enough to=20
have thrown out incompetent ministers, one would think that they had=20
similarly wise reasons for voting others back in. I don't know how=20
many of the votes cast for the BJP were so cast due to a relative=20
satisfaction with the way the State had been run by the BJP, but I am=20
"willing to bet" that it is not a negligible number. I do not know=20
how many votes for the BJP were, in reality, votes against the=20
Congress and its SH. Then, there was the Patels-versus-everyone else=20
issue, or Kshatriyas versus Vaisyas, or Adivasis versus=20
Johnny-come-latelies, etc. And, there must have been some who didn't=20
particularly care, rightly or wrongly, for an Italian lady's=20
criticism of a fellow Gujarati. Further, terrorism had raised its=20
macabre head. Adjusting for all these factors, I can easily argue=20
that there wasn't even a Hindutva drizzle. Far more of a Hindutva=20
fizzle. Therein lies my puzzle.

Predictions of doom

What is worse is that I don't see the point in all these predictions=20
of doom. They are likely to lead to the very result that everyone=20
making these predictions appears to dread. If you are against=20
religious extremism, would you want to interpret results in a manner=20
that lends fuel to the very fires the extremists are eager to set,=20
particularly when the results can quite readily be interpreted=20
entirely differently? Why are these experts doing this? Are they=20
concerned that if the extremists were to be defeated everywhere, they=20
wouldn't have anything to write about? Would someone provide some=20
clarity, please? Meanwhile, I will focus on 49.79, 44.81, 4.98 and=20
12. I deem 126 a fluke attributable to the winner-take-all electoral=20
process.

N. BALA GANESAN

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