Tag: Non-governmental organization

PRESS RELEASE – “ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN PEACE PROCESS”

Over the years North East as a whole and Assam in particular has seen a lot in terms of violence and bloodshed. From armed struggle to ethnic clashes Assam has… Read more »

Over the years North East as a whole and Assam in particular has seen a lot in terms of violence and bloodshed. From armed struggle to ethnic clashes Assam has reeled under unprecedented violence. Armed revolutionaries and Government have an equal share in making Assam prone to such bloodshed every now and then keeping the common masses at the receiving end. If the armed organizations have spilled blood in the name of revolution and sovereignty, the government has got its license to kill in the name of bringing peace. The lawmakers have become the lawbreakers and the so called “rescuers” have also turned a blind eye towards all the misdoings. From clashes in between the ethnic communities to vague killings in the name of revolution has long been a problem of Assam.press
Simultaneously, the state has seen a mushrooming growth of civil organizations that have pledged to bring in peace in the state. The state has seen many civil organizations that have given loud slogans about peace and decried the violence. Such organizations have also tried its best in bringing both the armed organizations and the government to the negotiating table. But has it reaped the fruit that the entire state was expecting? Are the civil organizations serving its purpose? If yes, – then why the violence has not ended? If no, – then where are the loopholes? It’s high time the civil organizations should come together under one platform to resolve the issue. It’s time to sit and discuss together than working for the cause of society as satellites.
And Peoples’ Alliance for Peace Accordance (PAPA) has set the examples by bringing most of the civil, student, social organizations, political parties, intellectuals and individuals together under one platform for the cause of peace. So far PAPA is the only civil organization that has been largely successful in being the messiah of peace.
Center of Media and Research for Indigenous People (CMRIP) took up this endeavor of bringing the civil organizations together and have a brainstorming session over the theme of “ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN PEACE PROCESS” as the year 2010 has been very eventful in terms of peace process and 2011 also promises to continue with the ongoing trend.

Objectives of the Seminar
The overall objective of the seminar was to motivate the civil society to understand their potential role in conflict mediation and peace building in Assam. Specific objectives of the seminar were to:
• Discuss the role of civil society in peace process in Assam;
• Review the steps to be taken to help restore peace in the state; and
• Judge the role of civil society in peace process.
The Seminar
The seminar was organized by Centre of Media & Research for Indigenous People [CMRIP]. The distinguished scholars and resource persons who participated in the seminar were members of various civil societies, representatives of academic institutions, media persons, activists, NGOs, etc.
The seminar on “Role of Civil Society in Peace Process” opened at 11:30 AM on February 26, 2011 at the Guwahati Town Club. The various dignitaries that adorned the dais during the seminar are: renowned journalist and civil activist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, Anjali Daimary Convener of Bodo National Conference (BNC), Elwin Teron Gen. Secretary of People Alliance for Peace Agreement (PAPA), Gautam Saharia Vice-President All Koch-Rajbongshi Student Union (AKRSU), Bohim Chandra Langthasa former President of Gedike Nisoh Hosom (Dimasa Apex Body) and renowned singer and cultural activist Loknath Goswami.
The seminar was attended by Karbi Human Rights Watch, representatives of All Bodo Students’ Union, Greater Guwahati Karbi Students’ Union, All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union, Bodo Women Justice Forum, Karbi Welfare Society, representatives from CPI-ML, United Peoples’ Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and distinguished individuals from all walks of the society.
The seminar started with the speech by the special guest during the occasion Mr. Garvin Brown, a true follower of Gandhian Ideologies from Queensland, Australia who highlighted Gandhian Ideologies and the need for peace in today’s world.
This was followed by the speech of the Gen. Secy. Of Center of Media & Research for Indigenous People (CMRIP), Sandeep Chatterjee. He pointed out during his speech the need for a dialogue between the communities to have a unified representation for peace in Assam. He also mentioned the importance of civil society actors in moulding a unified society in the larger interest of the people. Lastly, he urged all the civil society individuals and organizations to take up similar initiative to uphold sustainable peace for generations to come.
Ajit Kr. Bhuyan in his speech mentioned that the idea of peace has not been tackled in a wholesome manner. He also pointed out that peace for one may not be sufficient for others. He also stated that peace is not meant for the political parties who have been using this term for their electoral advantage. Deepening of democracy at the grass-root level and a non-autocratic stand by the civil society actors is the need of the hour. He further went on to applaud the initiative taken up by CMRIP in this regard and hoped for more such initiatives in future.
Anjali Daimary in her speech mentioned the importance of talks between the various ethnic groups to come to an acceptable solution to the impending issues. However, she was of the opinion that such a process should come through mutual respect and dignity among the communities. She also praised CMRIP’s initiative for arranging a platform for such interaction between the communities and also stated that civil society should struggle for building up favourable conditions for the same.
Mr. Bohim Chandra Langthasa stated that the time for a dialogue has come and hence such initiatives taken up by individual bodies like CMRIP are worth complimenting. He also stressed about the need to take the peace struggle to the next step by amassing public support and bringing together the divided communities of Assam.
Elwin Teron from PAPA shared his experience of 11 years of negotiation with the officials of Govt. of India. He stressed on understanding building measures between the communities is the need of the hour. He further went on to say that instead of a divided and fragmented representation in New Delhi, the civil society bodies should rather give a unified picture of Assam. He also languished that the govt. representatives in New Delhi are not suitable to provide a solution to the problems of Assam. He mentioned that the civil society actors and responsible individuals will have to take up the matter of finding peace that grows itself with harmony rather than chasing for peace that is being dictated by a third party. He also praised CMRIP in its commendable initiative to bring the different communities together and providing a platform to them to have a broader understanding of their differences thereby, minimizing conflicts.
Gautam Saharia urged the civil society actors to give a concrete and clear picture of the peace they are struggling for otherwise they would be compelled to reject the civil societies and intellectuals. He also mentioned that each community then has no other alternative but to follow their own path of struggle. However, in the interest of a common voice from this region from assam he calls forward for the formation of joint platforms in a bigger scale similar the one CMRIP has provided today.
As the last speaker Loknath Goswami hummed some lines of his renowned songs and pointed out the importance of maintaining the bonds of brotherhood between the communities of Northeast. He also was of the opinion that CMRIP has taken this initiative in a positive direction by bring the communities together and opening up the channels of ethnic and community bonding. He also pointed out that if equal status and equal space are provided to the communities there would be no separation and fragmentation in the society.

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Let children be themselves

Chitra Ahanthem. This week threw a major surprise in the form of a newspaper advertisement in a daily Manipuri newspaper. It was an announcement for a “Manipur Barbie Queen contest”… Read more »

Chitra Ahanthem.

This week threw a major surprise in the form of a newspaper advertisement in a daily Manipuri newspaper. It was an announcement for a “Manipur Barbie Queen contest” for under 12 year olds to be held at in the hall of the memorial to Subhash Chandra Bose at INA, Moirang! While there is no dearth of shocking developments taking place around us like the very recent warning to private mobile service providers to wrap up their mobile towers and the deafening silence from the civil bodies; this small advertisement made me blink in shock. Just how have we reached this plane where sensibilities have disappeared?

Children Beauty Contest Advertisement in a Daily Manipuri Newspaper

First of all, the sheer madness of it! How can girls younger than 12 years compete in a beauty contest? And then, a contest that is named after Barbie; the classic prototype of blond and anorexic? Won’t a beauty contest for young children be a classic case of child exploitation and rights violation? What parameters would be used to judge the young participants? These questions trouble me deeply. A child is beautiful in his or her own way regardless of features or attire. It is their inherent innocence and playful nature. So why should beauty contests happen where children will be made to look like caricatures of adults?

Children can pull at heart-strings. They can also be a market decider. That is why most print and visual advertisements feature children, regardless of whether the product being sold is a toothpaste, soap, noodles, car and other vehicles, electric appliances et el. The strategy works because when a child sees another child possessing something that he/she does not have, her concentration goes to that
object. Try saying a “no” to a child who after popular advertisements for snacks wants a packet. You can risk it at the cost of your ear-drums being shattered by unending wails. My own soon to be 6 year old explains to me kindly: “Mama, they also say brushing your teeth twice a day keeps off all germs. So why can’t I have a pack of Uncle Chips/Bingo/Mamoos…?” Try getting past that logic! And while building a brand with a child appearing in its advertisement is another matter altogether, the concept of beauty contests for young children may well be unethical and violating norms of child protection. Some of the Constitutional rights that may well end up being violated are Article 39 (vocation unsuited to age, protection of children against exploitation), Article 45 (no child below 14
years shall be engaged in hazardous employment) and Article 46 (protection from social injustice and exploitation). Also, every child has a right to participate in cultural activities that may include songs, dance and any other artistic pursuit recognized to be healthy. But a beauty contest for young children cannot be termed “healthy” by any stretch of imagination.

But how do such contests tend to go towards exploitation? The answer is clear on this: with children as the main players, there will be parents who will happily assume that the contest is a platform for their child to show her talent, to prove herself. Some critics can even turn around and question my disquiet saying: “but if the parents are comfortable with their young children taking part in a beauty contest, why raise a hue and cry?” The fact is that most parents will not look critically into the question. They will get carried away by the hype, the shot at 3 minutes of fame n local channels and newspapers, the few amount of prize money but not consider that such a contest will only serve the interest of everyone concerned but for the children taking part in it. That is where the child would end up being exploited by all parties concerned.

Some time earlier, there was intense debate on a national level around the nature of “talent contests” on TV channels that featured child artists and hopefuls as participants. The debate happened following the emotional and mental break down of a young child participating in a music reality show. She had been given a public and very vocal criticism of her performance and went into such trauma that she had to be hospitalized. Following this incident, there was a public and media scrutiny over the nature of children taking part in such talent contests: how many hours would they have to practice before they went on TV, how many hours they would get to rest and sleep and play and how much can children take in as public criticism. Soon, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) came up with strict laws for TV shows involving children. These call for a counselor on the sets of the show, limited working hours and no deep make-up for children.

End-point:

Competitions are part of the process of growing up but when it is tied to the concept of beauty, it gets into a difficult terrain. Perhaps the organizers of this soon to be held contest have not thought much into it and gone ahead with their planning. But it is not too late to consider what demons they might well unleash in the lives of the young girls. Small little girls who will walk under public scrutiny and perform songs or dance or whatever it is they have to do to take way a crown that will be meaningless in a place where they don’t have a clue over their future and its safety. PS: A photograph of the advertisement along with a calling attention has been sent to the Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to alert them about this forth-coming event. This step had to be taken up on an individual level following the silence from NGOs working for Child rights Protection in the state at the time of writing this column.

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