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[1] From: Parvez Jamasji <parvez1942@yahoo.com> Date: Sun Aug 28, 2005 Subject: Re: [indiathinkersnet] Re: Workshop on Right to Food Rights to ........... Any right to responsibility ? Anyone is deprived of food by anyone or by the govt ?? Has poverty been thrust upon citizens, except by our self enriched neta-babu nexus ? Why not force the Govt to feel ashemed of starvation, instead of boasting of going to the moon or being a 'super power' having " cutting edge, state of the art; INDEGENIOUS technology " "Training Initiative, ICHRL" <training@...> wrote: Dear Friend, India Centre for Human Rights & Law is organizing a workshop on Right to Food on 16-18 September 2005 at Nagpur. Please confirm your participation at earliest.The details of the programmes are attached here with. Please Contact Shabana @ 23439651 / 23436692 ----- Original Message ----- From: Training Initiative, ICHRL To: docuwallahs2 ; Karmayog ; Mumbai VAW ; INSAANIYAT BOMBAY ; Insaaniyatlist ; Docuwallahs ; India Thinkers Net ; CSD Mumbai ; India Together ; MIHRE Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 4:43 PM Subject: Workshop on Right to Food INDIA CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND LAW August 08, 2005. Dear Friend, In April 2001 the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court describing the spread of hunger in the country and sought reliefs for the poor with special emphasis of children, women, the unemployed and the aged. In a series of EIGHT orders spanning the last four years, the Apex Court has taken the first steps to tackle the issue of malnutrition and to reform and strengthen the food security system in India. --------------------- [2] From: "dn.rath" <dn.rath@gmail.com Date: Fri Aug 26, 2005 Subject: Fw: Globalization Driving Inequality, UN Warns Globalisation Driving Inequality, UN Warns Published on Friday, August 26, 2005 by the Inter Press Service Globalization Driving Inequality, UN Warns By Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS - Despite unprecedented economic growth in recent years, the rich have become richer and the poor even poorer, says a new U. N. report that also shows women facing more hardship than men in all walks of life. Focusing exclusively on economic growth and income generation as a development strategy is ineffective, as it leads to the accumulation of wealth by a few and deepens the poverty of many. UN report, "The World Social Situation: The Inequality Predicament" The report, titled "The World Social Situation: The Inequality Predicament," was issued Thursday just three weeks ahead of a major world summit called by U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to address the pressing issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy. Sounding the alarm over "persistent and deepening" inequality, the authors focus on the chasm between the formal and informal economies, the widening gap between skilled and unskilled workers, the growing disparities in health and education, and opportunities for social, economic and political participation. The world is more polarised today than it was 10 years ago, says the report, which calls for a deeper commitment to keeping the pledges made by world leaders at the Summit for Social Development held in the Danish capital of Copenhagen in 1995. At that meeting, they promised to confront profound social challenges and place people at the centre of development. "But (since then) some decades-old social gaps have actually widened, particularly gender disparities," Jose Antonio Ocampo, under-secretary-general of the U. N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, told reporters as he introduced the report. Noting that one of the "most pervasive" forms of inequality is gender discrimination, Ocampo noted that about 60 percent of the world's informal workers, who lack legal protections, are women. "That's a very hard proportion given the fact that women have a lower level of labour force participation than men," he said. Although more women and girls are being educated, formal employment figures for women have stagnated or even decreased in some parts of the world, he said, describing the sharp increase of women in the informal sector as "even more troubling." The 158-page study shows that inequality between and within countries has often accompanied greater economic globalisation. These inequalities have had negative consequences in many areas, including employment, job security and wages. "Ignoring inequality in the pursuit of development is perilous," the report warns. "Focusing exclusively on economic growth and income generation as a development strategy is ineffective, as it leads to the accumulation of wealth by a few and deepens the poverty of many." The authors note that in a world of increasing technological development, when societies should be benefiting from economic progress, many are facing "alarming increases" in the discrepancies between rich and poor. Even comparatively wealthy nations like the United States, Canada and Britain have failed to escape this trend. And while China and India have seen considerable economic growth, the two largest Asian nations have also failed to address the issue of inequality. Similar patterns are found in the distribution of wealth elsewhere in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The report says that in sub-Saharan Africa alone, the number of poor people increased by almost 90 million in little more than a decade (from 1990 to 2001). In Latin America, unemployment rose from nearly seven percent in 1995 to nine percent in 2002, with many workers forced to turn to the informal sector, where conditions are "often inhumane and the wages are low". The report suggests that in countries like Brazil, Guatemala and Bolivia, race and ethnicity continues to be a main determinant of economic opportunities. Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations earn an average of 35 to 65 percent less than white men, and are much less likely to have access to education and housing, the report says. Regarding solutions to inequality, the report stresses the need to adjust the economic imbalances not just within nations, but also among them, noting that 80 percent of the world's domestic product belongs to one billion people living in the industrially developed world, while the remaining 20 percent is shared by five billion people living in developing countries. Worried about the slow pace of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Annan has repeatedly urged wealthy nations to fulfill their pledge of giving at least 0.7 percent of gross national income for development in poor countries. This issue is also highlighted in the draft document for the September Summit, but the United States has expressed strong reservations. In fact, the United States recently introduced more than 750 amendments that would eliminate new pledges of foreign aid to poor countries, instead focusing on issues such as terrorism and security. The eight MDGs include a 50 percent reduction in poverty and hunger; universal primary education; reduction of child mortality by two-thirds; cutbacks in maternal mortality by three-quarters; the promotion of gender equality; environmental sustainability; reversal of the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; and a global partnership for development between the rich and poor -- all by 2015. "The U. S. government calls for striking any mention of the MDGs, and the administration has publicly complained that the document's section on poverty is too long," according to the Washington Post, which obtained the text of Washington's proposals this week. In their report, U. N. researchers also argue that the growing schism between the "haves" and "have-nots" poses a major threat to democracies around the world, and will breed further violence and terror if the trend is not reversed. In his remarks, Ocampo warned the world community of the consequences of inaction. "Failure to address this inequality predicament will insure that social injustice and better living conditions for all people remain elusive," he said, adding that it would lead to further social instability in the world, "for which every one will have to pay the price". ?© 2005 IPS - Inter Press Service ### Printer Friendly Version E-Mail This Article FAIR USE NOTICE This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Common Dreams NewsCenter A non-profit news service providing breaking news & views for the progressive community. www. commondreams. org ---------------------------- [3] From: "dn.rath" <dn.rath@gmail.com Date: Fri Aug 26, 2005 1 ubject: Fw: Planned state violence: reports High-level inquiry recommended into Honda-workers' dispute; call for tracing missing workers The Hindu : National : Planned state violence: reports Saturday, Aug 27, 2005 Hindu Planned state violence: reports Staff Correspondent High-level inquiry recommended into Honda-workers' dispute; call for tracing missing workers Violence against police by workers was spontaneous reaction Police action in violation of Haryana Police Manual NEW DELHI: Two fact-finding reports enquiring into the sequence of events leading to the lathi- charge on Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India (Pvt.) Ltd. (HMSS) workers on July 25 say that the brutal attack suggests a planned act of state violence. A Citizen's Committee Enquiry Report and a report by the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) Report, say that the district and police authorities appear to have had clear instructions to inflict violence on the workers to break their efforts at organising themselves. Pointing out that incidents of violence against the police by retrenched workers who were being stopped from registering their protest was a spontaneous reaction, the reports say that workers were persuaded to march to the Mini Secretariat to submit a memorandum to District Commissioner (DC) Sudhir Rajpal, where they were lathi-charged by a large police force mobilised by the district administration from neighbouring police stations. The Citizen's Report, which has been submitted to the National Human Rights Commission, questions the mandate of Mr. Rajpal in appearing before the workers in riot gear and leading a lathi-charge against them. The report says that the actions of the police were in violation of the Haryana Police Manual, which says that in order to disperse an agitating mob, it should use teargas before resorting to a lathi-charge. According to the manual, even in a lathi-charge, the police are not supposed to hit above the shoulder and is not supposed to follow a crowd that is dispersing. The report says that an illegal lockout at the HMSI factory continued for a month in spite of genuine efforts from workers to break the deadlock. The Citizen's Report said that despite repeated tri-partite meetings involving the District Labour Commissioner, the management was adamant in keeping out workers who formed the HMSI Workers' Union. It says that 2700 Honda workers were retrenched by HMSI on June 27 because they had registered with the Honda Motor Cycles and Scooter India Employees Union. Putting the onus of the July 25 incident on the HMSI management, the report says that events before July showed how the management had threatened workers. It says the incident was preceded by frantic efforts by the management to recruit a temporary workforce by changing the recruitment policy from one of recruiting staff with an assurance of absorption after a specified period of training, to one of recruitment with no assurances on the part of the management. The report has recommended that a high-level enquiry be set up by a sitting judge nominated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to look into the matter. It recommends that all missing workers be traced, and those not found be deemed dead, and adequate compensation paid to their families. The DC and the Superintendent of Police in charge should be suspended and transferred for a fair enquiry. |
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| << August26, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Sukla,Sanjeev,Parvez and Viji posts |
August29, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Report on police attack on Honda workers >> |
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