Today, 11 October, is the first ever
'International Day of the Girl'. The Day has been designated by the
United Nations in response to a growing acknowledgement that investing
in girls, while overcoming discrimination against girls, releases their
potential to flourish and to contribute to their communities and to the
world.
'Girls are three times more likely than boys to suffer from
malnutrition and are more likely to be forced into early marriage', said
Coordinator of the International Anglican Women's Network, Ann Skamp.
'Around the world, the daily realities of poverty, discrimination and
violence mean that one in three girls is prevented from receiving a
secondary education. Only when obstacles such as these are dismantled
will girls properly achieve their full potential. So it's time to
shatter stereotypes, advocate for and enable equality, and change girls'
lives.'
Child marriage is a focus of this first International Day of the
Girl. According to UN Women, every year, more than 10 million young
girls world-wide are forced into marriage, even where this practice is
illegal. As a result, child brides are deprived of a good childhood and
are unable to make choices about their education and their future. Child
brides are also likely to suffer from health problems such as HIV/AIDS,
premature pregnancy and maternal mortality.
The intention of the Day of the Girl is to give people and
organisations the opportunity to raise public awareness of the different
types of discrimination and abuse from which many girls around the
world suffer. It is also a time to show what is being done to empower
girls through active support and through engagement with parents,
families and the wider community.
'Sadly, the good news of this movement for the enabling and
flourishing of girls has coincided with the attempted murder of a 14
year old school girl in Pakistan on Tuesday' reflected Mrs Skamp,
referring to the shooting of Malala Yousafzai, an activist for education
for girls who was shot in the head by an extremist while on a school
bus with friends.
'Today let's hold in prayer Malala and all girls in cities, towns,
villages and rural areas across our world, remembering that Jesus Christ
has shown us the ultimate preciousness of each girl and each boy in our
midst.'
Friday, 12 October 2012
Activists
have called for alternative jobs for those involved in Pakistan’s illegal arms
manufacturing industry, located mainly in northwestern parts of the country.
“Tribesmen involved in illegal arms manufacturing already have basic skills, raw materials and their places of work. The government and international agencies can assist them in switching to making other things such as agricultural tools, surgical goods and car parts.
Khan noted that illegal arms manufacturers were getting squeezed out of business by the propensity of smuggled weapons available in the region. “This is the time that the government can support them in regularizing and diversifying the industry,” he added.
Pakistan, according to anti-arms campaigners, has one of the greatest per capita rates of gun ownership in the world. Though there are no official figures, rough estimates put the total number of small arms at large in the country at more than 20 million, with about half of them illegal. NWFP alone is believed to have nearly half a million illegitimate small arms and light weapons.
The severe proliferation of small arms in Pakistan began after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In addition to the cross border flow of weapons, an estimated 30 percent of the weapons funneled by US and Pakistani intelligence services to the Afghan resistance during the conflict were diverted for other purposes, according to anti-small arms activists.
In Pakistan, the illegal arms market supplies militant sectarian groups, terrorists, drug cartels, criminals and those seeking protection from such groups. In addition, tribal disputes in the frontier provinces of Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab are perpetrated by the abundance of cheaply available firearms.
In the southern port city of Karachi, nearly 18,000 people fell victim to gun violence between 1992 and 1998.
More recently, in March 2006, at least 25 people were killed and 30 hurt in the tribal area of Bara in NWFP during clashes over preaching rights between supporters of two rival clerics, where the rival factions fought pitched battles with automatic weapons.
“Tribesmen involved in illegal arms manufacturing already have basic skills, raw materials and their places of work. The government and international agencies can assist them in switching to making other things such as agricultural tools, surgical goods and car parts.
Khan noted that illegal arms manufacturers were getting squeezed out of business by the propensity of smuggled weapons available in the region. “This is the time that the government can support them in regularizing and diversifying the industry,” he added.
Pakistan, according to anti-arms campaigners, has one of the greatest per capita rates of gun ownership in the world. Though there are no official figures, rough estimates put the total number of small arms at large in the country at more than 20 million, with about half of them illegal. NWFP alone is believed to have nearly half a million illegitimate small arms and light weapons.
The severe proliferation of small arms in Pakistan began after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In addition to the cross border flow of weapons, an estimated 30 percent of the weapons funneled by US and Pakistani intelligence services to the Afghan resistance during the conflict were diverted for other purposes, according to anti-small arms activists.
In Pakistan, the illegal arms market supplies militant sectarian groups, terrorists, drug cartels, criminals and those seeking protection from such groups. In addition, tribal disputes in the frontier provinces of Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab are perpetrated by the abundance of cheaply available firearms.
In the southern port city of Karachi, nearly 18,000 people fell victim to gun violence between 1992 and 1998.
More recently, in March 2006, at least 25 people were killed and 30 hurt in the tribal area of Bara in NWFP during clashes over preaching rights between supporters of two rival clerics, where the rival factions fought pitched battles with automatic weapons.
A 2003 survey by DASE foundation Pakistan found there were 1,200 shops selling guns in Darra Adam Khel alone. These were supplied by nearly 1,500 small workshops and more than 50 medium-scale manufacturing units employing over 6,000 gunsmiths.
Small arms have long been a part of traditional Pathan society in NWFP. “Guns have remained an embodiment of physical power in this male-dominated tribal culture
Programs to reduce the number of small arms in Pakistan have had little success, particularly in parts of the country where Islamabad has little authority.
But in 2000, state arms manufacturer, Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF) managed to dent the illegal trade by recruiting some of the skilled artisans from the tribal areas to POF’s main manufacturing unit in Wah - a cluster of 14 factories 40 km north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Thursday, 11 October 2012
Social Harmony Program
Implementing
Body: DASE Foundation Pakistan
Partnership with: Christen Study Centre
Total
Budgets: 550,000
Duration: 1997 to on going
Main Activities: Dialogue
between religious groups, Meetings, Forum, Policy Discussion, Poster
Publication, Peace Committees formation, Capacity Building, Celebration of
Festival
Objectives: Bringing 25
different socio-political and religious extremists together through 6 different
activities to harmonize varied patches of society.
Raising
awareness about peace and social harmony for 50,000 peoples (male & female)
Beneficiaries: Bringing
25 different socio-political and religious extremists together through 6
different activities to harmonize varied patches of society.
Raising
awareness about peace and social harmony for 50,000 peoples (male & female)
Outcomes/Impact: The purpose for which we made the
first move, no doubt has not yet been achieved from top to bottom. But some
positive change can be perceived as a harbinger of better state of affairs.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, DASE will have to do a lot in this regard, but we
are hopeful that soil has been made fertile to sow the seeds of better
understanding
Strategy: Three recently
elected councilors hold meetings the people from different social echelon of
the society
Different
activities of other CBOs to take part in wiping up the basic differences among
poles apart group of society
Community
meetings of different social groups about the issues of social betterment.
Round
table conference
Political
leaders representing varied political extreme slants also hold a meeting on the
platform provided to them by DASE, they discussed various issues, in the end
they agreed upon mutual efforts for the socio-economic condition of their
original terra firma.
As
a step for CBM, DASE did peace walk as joint effort with other community
groups. DASE received rewarding response afterward.
Project
Status: Completed
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