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aman ki asha Destination Peace

AN INITIATIVE OF THE JANG GROUP AND THE TIMES OF INDIA

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

COMPETITORS, NOT ENEMIES

The spirit of Aman ki Asha is embodied in the gesture of an Indian who gives a Pakistani a free ticket to the first Twenty20 cricket match between India and Pakistan in Bangalore

Pakistan cricket fan, Mohammad Bashir from Chicago, holds a paper which reads Please I need one ticket India Pakistan match as he stands in front of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the venue of first Twenty20 cricket match between India and Pakistan, in Bangalore, India, on Monday, Dec. 24, 2012.

Mohammad Bashir (second left) reacts as Indian fan Sudheer Kumar (right), shouts slogans while talking to a television reporter in front of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the venue of first Twenty20 cricket match between India and Pakistan, in Bangalore. Photos: Aijaz Rahi /AP

Indian cricket fan Sudheer Kumar (fourth left) gave Mohammad Bashir (third left) a ticket for the match free of cost. Here, they hold the flags of two countries joined together in front of the Chinnaswamy Stadium before the first Twenty20 cricket match between India and Pakistan.

By Ilmana Fasih

Sometimes, calamities unite us more

The conscience-shaking brutal rape and subsequent death of the anonymous student from Delhi is not Indias issue alone and the grief is not for one case alone

s thousands of people on both sides of the India Pakistan border mourned the death of the Delhi gang rape victim, someone commented on Aman ki Asha Facebook group: Well, the Delhi rape proceeds from a common mindset. The negatives unite us just as well as the positives. Sometimes, calamities unite us more, came a response. The conscience-shaking brutal rape and subsequent death of the anonymous student from Delhi (who is referred to by different names by various sections of the media) has made us rethink how common our pains are. Beyond this tragic incident, looking through the e-newspapers from the subcontinent, there is hardly a day without some incident of rape being reported. Be it the gruesome gang-rape of a medical student at a bus stop in a megacity, or a six-year-old girl raped by local goons in a village, or a girl raped while partying with friends in the posh area of another city, or a teenager gang-raped and then asked to patch up by accepting money or marrying one of the rapists in a town. Can you guess which side of the border each case belongs to? The scenarios differ, cities differ, but the crime remains the same. The mindset stays identical. Age is no bar. Infancy upwards, one finds women and children of all age groups being subjected to rape and sexual abuse. Unfortunately this is one situation where the human race seems to have achieved a no barriers of age, color, creed or class, the world over. Hard to digest, but rapes are on a steep rise in the subcontinent. In 2011, 568 rape cases were reported in Delhi, and 459 in 2009 (National Crime Reports Bureau) .The figures given by Delhi Police reveal that a woman is raped every 18 hours or molested every 14 hours in the capital. Similarly in Pakistan, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, estimates that every two hours a woman is raped in Pakistan and every eight hours a woman is subjected to gangrape. The Additional Police Surgeon, quoted in a 2008 newspaper report, estimated that at least 100 rapes are committed in Karachi alone every 24 hours, although most are un-reported. If these are the statistics of two megacities,

Bakht Arif: A cry from the heart against human violence and apathy. Listen to Bakht Arif, from Pakistan, from that side of the international border. She sings for all the Zinda Lash, here, there and everywhere - , Bakht Arif, from Pakistan, sings Zinda Lash for Patronizing Indian Politicians (No, Dont Listen to Honey Singh), Kafila.org, Dec 26, 2012 one can fathom what would be the situation in the other smaller towns and villages. It is well known that the majority of the rapes in India, Pakistan and other South Asian countries are never reported, and just a handful of the perpetrators are ever punished. The tragedy is amplified when inane solutions are offered like: Women should not go out late at night or Women going out late night should be accompanied by a male. In the Delhi gang rape case, the solution of an accompanying man clearly failed. Women are advised not to wear western clothes, or more ridiculous not to eat chow mein or not to carry mobile phones with cameras. Some even advise women to not report the attack if there are not enough witnesses. But none of this well-meaning advice takes into account why rapes occur. It is not because the woman was dressed so, or walked alone on the street late at night, or was attending a party with her friends or ate a certain kind of food. No. Rape occurs because some men want to rape. And why do some men want to rape and not others? Rape is the culmination of a series of systematic experiences that a man is exposed to, from infancy to manhoodin which he is told, with or without so many words, that he is stronger, and a woman is not just weaker, but a commodity at his disposal. Rape is a way to display power and superiority. So long as this mindset persists, legislation and punishment will never be enough of a deterrent. This tends to get overlooked in all the outrage at the gruesome details of the Delhi gang rape, that has led to demands for the severest of punishments, even public hanging for the perpetrators. Without undermining that tragedy it is important to remind ourselves of the countless cases of rape and sexual harassment that are routine on both sides of the divide. Those who survive suffer psychological trauma, often far from the media limelight, mostly in silence. Rape survivors are often pressured by the

police or local goons to hush up the matter either, to accept money, or worse still, marry the rapist. Many commit suicide, or live with permanent scars. The rapists often roam scot free, posing a threat to the survivor who does not even dare to raise her head for justice. Insisting on the death penalty in an isolated case that has shaken people cannot be a solution. Studies have shown that the certainty of punishment, rather than its severity, is a greater deterrent to crime. We also need to look towards at preventing this crime rather than just push for a punishment after a case gets highlighted. Foremost, each of us, irrespective of gender, which empathises with the Delhi student who was gang-raped, or any other faceless rape victim, needs to strive to ensure every woman in our sphere of influence feels secure and gets due respect. One of the signs of evolution in human beings is the neo cortex which enables us to restrain behaviour and train our minds. We need to use it to ensure that we dont force anything upon any woman or indeed anyone in a more vulnerable position. Secondly, we need to empower girls with the right information and stop making rape a taboo issue for their innocent minds. It is more important to teach a girl to be assertive than to try and protect her. Look up as you walk and stand up straight; pretending as though you have two big panthers on either side of you as you walk may sound silly, but it can help boost confidence, suggests a self help site on rape prevention. Attackers are more likely to go for those who they think cannot defend themselves. Given that over 90% of the perpetrators are known to the victims, girls (and boys) must be taught that if they feel uncomfortable with anyones touch - even if it is an uncle, a cousin or a friend they must trust their gut and not let it continue. Thirdly, if we cannot change the mindset of some grown men, we can at least guide our sons, right from babyhood, to respect women and not consider them a commodity that is available. Last but certainly not the least, for those who cannot change their mindsets, a real need for certainty and not the severity of punishment to the rapist, as a mode of deterrence, is mandatory. Shocked after the demise of the Delhi paramedical student, I tweeted: Her sacrifice must no go in vain. Let us rise to make violence against women a history. Knowing the scale of the menace, this may be wishful thinking, but we need to keep striving to make it a reality. The writer is an Indian gynaecologist married to a Pakistani, a proud Indian Pakistani dreaming of a peaceful, healthy and prosperous South Asia. ilmana_fasih@hotmail.com. She tweets @zeemana

Best wishes for the year that has just begun to all our readers and supporters. May 2013 be kind to everyone, especially India-Pakistan relations
Aman ki Asha

HOME-BASED WORKERS

A cross-border collaboration

epresentatives of the inter- their organisation with the relevant nationally recognised Self government department, as a Union, Employed Women Associa- Association, or Community Based tion (SEWA) Academy, Organization. India, visited Pakistan for the first Namrata Bali stressed the need time, and conducted a workshop in to strengthen womens initiatives to Lahore to train home-based workers build peace in the region and from around Pakistan. strengthen the poor, marginalized HomeNet organised the three-day training held last week, led by SEWA Academy Director Namrita Bali, Program Coordinator Sapna Raval, and Trainer Rema Kapur, along with Renu Golani, Program Manager, HomeNet South Asia. Home-based workers from eleven cities in Pakistans four provinces attended the Indian and Pakistani home-based workers unite training, aimed at build- in Lahore. Photo: Rahat Dar ing leadership and organising capacities. sections of society. Her message for Organisers hope that sharing the Aman ki Asha was to open doors for success story of the SEWA move- women to learn form each other and ment and information about organi- utilize South Asian resources to build sational strategies will help home capacities. based workers in Pakistan to HomeNet Pakistan intends to strengthen their own movement. continue the collaboration with Ume Laila, Executive Director SEWA to organize more trainings HomeNet Pakistan explained how for women home-based workers home-based workers can register in Pakistan.

B R I E F S

Mekaal Hasan Band India tour 2013

Pakistani lawyers book on Sarabjit Singh

akistani advocate Awais Sheikhs book "Sarabjit Singh: A case of mistaken identity" is being launched in India, in Delhi on Jan 5, Amritsar 6th, Chandigarh 7th, Jaipur 9th, Lucknow 11th, Patna 13th, Kolkata 15th and Mumbai 17th. The people of South Asia have suffered because the governments of Pakistan and India have failed to shed their legacies of hatred and mistrust to forge ties of friendship and cooperation, writes well known journalist Zubeida Mustafa in the preface. One victim of this failure has been a man called Sarabjit Singh. According to the author of this book, Awais Sheikh, Sarabjit, who has been charged with espionage and has languished in a Pakistani prison for 22 years, is actually a case of mistaken identity. What is more important is that it emerges clearly that Sarabjit has not received a fair trial. The quirks of international relations and a flawed legal system have combined to determine the unhappy fate of this man. Justice demands that it must not be so. A 22-member Pakistani delegation expected to participate in the book launch along with Awaish Sheikh, includes lawyers, businessmen, and other India-Pakistan peace activists. Their travel depends on the visas coming through in time, which at the time of writing, are still not certain.

ekaal Hasan Band is touring India with shows in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur with original line up of Javed Bashir on vocals, Mohd Ahsan Papu on flute, and Mekaal Hasan on guitar. Dates and venues are: Jan 5th 2013, Karnavati Club, Ahmedabad Jan 6th 2013, Natraj Gardens, Mumbai Jan 8th 2013, Blue Frog, Mumbai Jan 13th 2013, Blue Frog, New Delhi Jan 14th 2013, Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi

Advocate Awais Sheikh

THE FIRST STEP LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

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A peace initiative whose time has come... Destination Peace: A commitment by the Jang Group, Geo and The Times of India Group to create an enabling environment that brings the people of Pakistan and India closer together, contributing to genuine and durable peace with honour between our countries.