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1] From: "CHROkeralam" <chro1@rediffmail.com> Date: Sun Jan 9, 2005 8:30pm Subject: U.N. accuses peacekeepers of sex abuse U.N. accuses peacekeepers of sex abuse http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/01/07/congo.peacekeepers.sex.ap/ Friday, January 7, 2005 Posted: 10:03 PM EST (0303 GMT) Report says soldiers traded food, money for sexual favors [There are nearly 11,000 military personnel in the Congo to help keep the peace amid a civil war] UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- U.N. peacekeepers in Congo sexually abused and exploited women and girls, some as young as 13, according to a report released by a U.N. watchdog agency Friday. Peacekeepers regularly had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money, an investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services found. "We have had and continue to have a serious problem of sexual exploitation and abuse," said William Lacy Swing, the secretary-general's special representative to Congo, said Friday at a news conference. "We are shocked by it, we are outraged, we are sickened by it," he said. "Peacekeepers who have been sworn to assist those in need, particularly those who have been victims of sexual violence, instead have caused grievous harm. It is inexcusable behavior, we are determined to stamp it out." Reports of around 150 allegations of sexual exploitation emerged in early 2004. The U.N. mission began investigating itself before calling in the OIOS. Sexual activities continued even while the investigation was going on in Bunia between May and September 2004, the report said. "It was clear that the investigation did not act as a deterrent for some of the troops, perhaps because they had not been made aware of the severe penalties for engaging in such conduct, nor had they seen any evidence of a negative impact on individual peacekeepers for such behavior," it said. The investigators said some military officers tried to block their work: "On several occasions, the commanders of these contingents either failed to provide the requested information or assistance or actively interfered with the investigation." The problems were "serious and ongoing" and it was "disturbing" that there was no deterrence or protection program, the report by the U.N. oversight agency said. The team investigated 72 allegations against both military and civilian U.N. personnel, which resulted in 20 case reports. One case involved a U.N. civilian; the others, peacekeepers. "In six cases, the allegations against the peacekeeper were fully substantiated, and underage girls were involved in all of them," the report said, adding that none of the peacekeepers admitted to the allegations. In other cases the evidence was either convincing, but not fully substantiated or could not be corroborated, according to the report. The U.N. watchdog recommended that the countries that sent the peacekeepers should take appropriate action. Peacekeepers fall under the jurisdiction of the military in their own countries. Jean-Marie Guehenno, U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations said Friday that trying soldiers after they returned to their home countries was "one of the areas where we need to do better." He suggested that courts martial should take place in the countries where the crimes were committed. Guehenno said the abuse undermined the credibility of the United Nations. "When we betray the trust they place on us it is unconscionable," he said. "It is a big stain on us. We have to go at it in great determination." He said the sex abuse had "tainted" other U.N. staff in the country. Guehenno declined to "name and shame" countries whose troops have committed sex abuse, saying that would lead to less cooperation from the member states in cracking down on the exploitation. "If you do it in an adversarial way, you are going to have the Secretariat against the member states, and it is not going to work," he said. He also said the investigative capability needed to be "beefed up" and rules and regulations needed to be tightened in some cases. Under the code of conduct, soldiers are banned from engaging in sexual relations with girls under 18 years old. Asked whether he thought sex with civilians of all ages should be banned to protect desperate women from exploitation, Guehenno said the rules could be improved. "When you are in a broken country with extreme misery and you insert a force with power, with money, the imbalance between power and money and that extreme misery, the risk of that imbalance creating an exploitative relationship is quite high," Guehenno said. "That is why we need to take extra measures and that is why I believe that the present rules are good enough in a normal environment, they are not good enough in the kind of environment that we see in post-conflict situations." Many girls in Bunia had been raped or sexually abused by local warring factions, then left without family or means of support. The presence of the peacekeepers "augmented the problem," according to the report. In one case, a 14-year-old girl was given $1 or $2 or two eggs in return for sex. She was able to identify the soldier because he had a broken arm. She had sex with another soldier in return for $3 and a packet of milk. Another 14-year-old girl was given $2, chocolate and bread in return for sex. A 13-year-old girl said she and her friends would go to the camp to have sex with different soldiers for between $3 and $5 for each sexual encounter. The United Nations mission in Congo will have about 16,000 soldiers in the country by February this year. It began in 1999. Allegations of sex abuse and other crimes have dogged U.N. peacekeeping missions almost since their inception in 1948. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2] From: "CHROkeralam" <chro1@rediffmail.com> Date: Sun Jan 9, 2005 8:33pm Subject: KERALA SEX SCANDAL:: WOES OF CPI-M LEADERS VS Never Opposed Decision To Let Kunhalikutty Off The Hook New Indian Express, January 09, 2005, Sunday VS never opposed decision to let Kunhalikutty off the hook THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM politburo member and Opposition Leader V.S.Achuthanandan, who is now making a hue and cry over the Kunhalikutty issue, had not opposed the decision to absolve the IUML leader from the ice cream parlour case when it was placed before the party State secretariat in 1998 for its approval, according to sources in the party. Achuthanandan was part of the core group in the CPM which decided to absolve Kunhalikutty for want of `evidence.' Sources said that former Chief Minister E.K.Nayanar had always consulted Achuthanandan before taking a final decision on all important and sensitive matters, including the ice cream parlour case and the Suryanelli case. Nayanar and the then party secretary Chadayan Govindan had a detailed discussion with Achuthanandan on the ice cream parlour case. Nayanar had sought the expert opinion of the then Advocate-General M.K.Damodaran and former Director General of Prosecutions Kallada Sukumaran before deciding to let Kunhalikutty off the hook. Eliciting expert opinion is a normal practice. Earlier, Nayanar had sought the opinion of IG Sibi Mathew regarding the role of former Union Minister P.J.Kurien in the Suryanelli sex scandal, sources said. Referring to Kallada Sukumaran's statement that he was not part of the `sub-committee' that had absolved Kunhalikutty, sources said that he was only consulted for expert legal opinion. The Kunhalikutty issue, first raked up by the Achuthanandan group for bringing the party apparatus in the State under its arm, became a controversy with CPM State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan pointing an accusing finger at Achuthanandan at the Kollam district conference of the party the other day. Vijayan is reported to have explained at the conference that the Nayanar Government's decision to drop the case against Kunhalikutty had the consent of Achuthanandan. P.Sasi, the political secretary to Nayanar, when contacted said that he did not want to be part of the present controversy. `Everybody in the party leadership knows what had happened. Let the party secretary and the Opposition leader clarify things,'' he said. Both Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan could not be reached as they are attending the CPM central committee meeting in Kolkata. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20050108112403&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0& ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3] Encounter Killings: AP: Woman Naxalite Killed In Encounter The Hindu, January 09, 2005, Sunday Woman naxalite killed in encounter ONGOLE, JAN. 8. A woman member of the Gundlakamma local guerella squad of the CPI (Maoist), Lathakka, was killed by the police in an encounter at J. Pullalacheruvu village of Racharla mandal in Prakasam district, 200 km from here, today. It is the first encounter in Prakasam district after the State Government has initiated peace talks with the Maoists. It is stated that the police went to the village at 7.30 a.m. as part of their routine visit. A group of naxalites waiting on the outskirts opened fire at the police who returned the fire killing one woman. While the police nabbed one member, Vijay, others fled the scene. The police recovered one 303 rifle, one 410 musket, two claymore mines, 12 detonators and eight kitbags from the scene. The last encounter was in April when two naxalites were killed at Pedaraveedu in Prakasam district. The police, however, unearthed a series of landmines allegedly planted by Maoists in Yerragondapalem mandal last month. The Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee vice-president, G. Venkata Rao, condemned the encounter, and felt that it would vitiate the ongoing peace talks between the Government and Maoists. In a press statement here he asked the Government to order an inquiry into the encounter by mediators. He asked the police to produce the nabbed naxalite before a magistrate immediately. Fake encounter? The North-East Area Commander of the CPI (Maoist), Sagar, alleged that the police had killed Lathakka in a fake encounter, and held the Giddalur Congress-I MLA, Pagadala Ramaiah, responsible for it. He told The Hindu that the Government began encounters only to vitiate peace talks. Congress leaders would be held squarely responsible if the peace talks failed, he said. According to Maoists, while 16 naxalites made good their escape, the police nabbed Latha (wife of Sagar) and Vijay. The whereabouts of another woman member were not known, they said. He alleged that the police caught her first and shot her dead later. Ensuring peace: YSR Our Hyderabad Staff Reporter writes: The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, asserted that maintenance of law and order was the responsibility of the Government and that the police-naxal encounters were part of the process of ensuring peace. He was responding to queries from presspersons about the killing of naxalites in two encounters on successive days in Warangal and Prakasam on Friday and Saturday. "It was not as if the police were out to kill. While one naxalite was killed, the police did arrest one more in Warangal," he said. On Saturday's encounter, he said, he was yet to get details of the action. http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/09/stories/2005010904820600.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ The Hindu, January 09, 2005, Sunday Police firing in self-defence: Jana By Our Staff Reporter PRODDATUR (CUDDAPAH DT.), JAN. 8. The Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, on Saturday termed the encounter in Prakasam district "unfortunate" but gave a clean chit to the police saying that they opened fire in "self-defence." Speaking to newsmen, the Minister maintained that the police had gone to the area on combing operations and they did not intend killing the naxalites. The Government stand on naxals had always been clear and such incidents occurred because the naxals were moving with arms in villages. Asked about the Maoist emissary, Kalyan Rao's charges on the encounter, he remarked that there was no need to give an explanation. "Naxalites are not our enemies, but they must not move with arms," he said. `No hindrance to talks' Our Hyderabad Staff Reporter adds: The Director General of Police, Swaranjit Sen, said that the encounter killing of a Maoist activist would not impact the peace talks. "I neither feel nor hope the encounter would affect the talks", he said. Mr. Sen said police party did not purposely go on the offensive when it encountered the Maoists. The reaction of the Maoists in opening fire at the police exposed their intentions. Emissaries cry foul The CPI (Maoist) and Janashakti emissaries blamed the Government for resuming encounters and vitiating the peaceful atmosphere even as it talked the about peace process. Reacting to the encounter killings of Lathakka in Prakasam district on Saturday and a Janashakti activist, Raji Reddy, in Warangal two days ago, the emissaries, Varavara Rao, Rao, Kalyan Rao and Gadar (Maoist) and Chandranna and C. Srinivas Rao (Janashakti), in a statement, alleged that the incidents were aimed at violating the ceasefire agreement and stalling the peace talks. They claimed that the killing of Lathakka in particular had exposed it as an action of the police in retaliation against the death of IPS officer, Surendra Babu, in Bihar. The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, while assuring that the Bihar incident would not be allowed to cast a shadow on the talks, failed to take steps to prevent the police from taking up combing operations. http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/09/stories/2005010903860400.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4] WOMEN: She Runs Away From Abusive Hubby, Village Auctions Her Off To Widower New Indian Express, January 08, 2005, Saturday She runs away from abusive hubby, village auctions her off to widower CHAMOLI: The defiance of a young, illiterate woman from Chamoli district - who dared to escape from her alcoholic husband's home to live with another man - has raised the temperatures in the hills this winter. The district administration had ordered an inquiry into the episode following reports that the panchayat in Dhoni village auctioned off the woman to a widower, in order to teach her a lesson. While the incident stirred women's groups into action, it also rattled the orthodox society here, and copies of the newspaper that first reported the plight of 25-year-old Maheshi Devi were burnt. Maheshi Devi, meanwhile, has told the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Chamoli district that she was tired of putting up with a drunkard husband, Sohan Singh, who tortured her mentally and physically for seven years. According to the woman, she ran away from her husband's home on the night of December 30. After a day's search, her in-laws and the panchayat members traced her to Kunbagad village, where they found her living with one Jagat Singh, a widower with four children. ???I am living here out of my free will,??? Maheshi Devi says, a statement that she has repeated before the SDM. The woman adds that she was tortured by her in-laws too, as she did not have any children. ???My father-in-law spat on my face thrice for failing to conceive. But I was helpless, as my husband is impotent,??? Maheshi Devi told the SDM, Udai Singh Rana. The district administration had sent Rana to probe the alleged sale of Maheshi Devi in an open auction - reports of which appeared in local dailies. ???The inquiry has revealed that there was no `auction' of the woman but Jagat Singh, with whom Maheshi Devi has been living, has been asked to pay Rs 6,000 to her previous husband,??? Chamoli District Magistrate Ajai Singh Nabiyal said. Jagat Singh has even admitted to paying the money to Sohan Singh, the SDM said. Now, the woman's father, Sabar Singh, is also showing interest in his daughter's future. ???Earlier, when his daughter pleaded with him, he refused to help her,??? Rana said. The district administration has registered cases against both Sohan Singh and Jagat Singh - as money changed hands - for their alleged complicity in the ???transfer??? of the woman. And as the villagers continue to debate on Maheshi Devi's actions and burn copies of the newspaper that carried her story, the Chamoli District Magistrate said: ???It is better to respect her decision and let her live a dignified life.??? http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20050108082630&Page=O&Title=This+is+India&Topic=0& ------------------------------------------------------------------ Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (CHRO) 3, Rams' Cottage Ambalathumukku Pettah Thiruvananthapuram-695024 Kerala South India Ph.: 0471-2476262 www.humanrightsindia.com www.humanrightskerala.com |
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| << January09, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]India's poor need a radical package: Amartya Sen |
January11, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Kalam to address meet on NE indigenous issues >> |
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