Mass Crackdown Against Child Marriage Tears Mostly Muslim Families Apart In India’s Assam
New
Age Islam News Bureau
21
February 2023
•
‘Early Women Explorers In Arabia’ Exhibition On Show In London
•
In A First, Saudi Launches Women Paramedics Course At Airports
•
Zamfara Govt Vows To Protect Women, Girls Against Gender Based Violence
•
Two Senior Women Bureaucrats, D Roopa, An IPS Officer, And IAS Officer Rohini
Sindhuri, Indulge In Public Spat In Karnataka
•
Prisons Chief Inaugurates Rehabilitation Project At Riyadh Women’s Prison
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Mass
Crackdown Against Child Marriage Tears Mostly Muslim Families Apart In India’s
Assam
By
Maitreyee Boruah and Md Meharban
21
Feb 2023
Saidul
Islam and his family members attend to Noorjahan Nissa after she fainted [Md
Meharban/Al Jazeera]
----------
Assam,
India – As Saidul Islam stares at rows of wilted cauliflowers and cabbages, the
33-year-old is unable to decide what is more frightening – his dying crop or
weeks of imprisonment.
The
patch of land where Islam grows his vegetables was not watered for two weeks
while the vegetable grower from Assam’s Dalgaon village, about 100km from state
capital Dispur, was bundled into jail on charges of marrying an underage girl
seven years ago. His bride was then 15.
On
February 3, the police in Assam – ruled by the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) – went on an arrest spree as part of a mass crackdown
against child marriage. Within 24 hours, more than 2,000 people, including
grooms, their family members and religious leaders allegedly involved in
underage marriages of girls were imprisoned in makeshift jails.
More
than two weeks later, the number of arrested people stands at more than 3,000,
including 93 women.
‘We
were a happy couple’
Islam
was one of them. He told Al Jazeera he managed to secure bail after spending
two weeks in jail. “I engaged one lawyer and spent a lot of money to get bail.
I was already poor, now I am poorer,” he said, adding that over that fortnight,
his health deteriorated drastically. “I have become very weak and so has my
wife.”
On
Saturday when Al Jazeera visited Islam’s house, his wife, NoorjahanNissa,
fainted because of “weakness”. She recovered after a while.
“We
were a happy couple but my arrest has had a devastating effect on her,” Islam
said.
Since
his release, Islam has been constantly staring at his agricultural field – his
sole source of income. “My crops have been destroyed. I had worked so hard
growing them. I wonder how I will survive now.”
Assam
has registered more than 4,200 cases – with 6,707 people accused – under the
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in cases where a girl
below 14 was married. For those married between the ages of 14-18, it has
invoked the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
In
Islam’s village, Al Jazeera found that police had arrested people from at least
15 homes. Most of those arrested are fathers-in-law of the women as their
husbands are working outside the state.
‘To
harass Muslims’
Shahjimina
Khatoon, who claims she was 18 when she married 18 months ago, said the police
arrested her father-in-law. With a toddler in hand, Khatoon is clueless as to
when he will return home. Her husband works as a daily wage earner in
Karnataka.
Khatoon
alleges her father-in-law was arrested because they are Muslim. “I think the
arrests related to child marriage are to harass Muslim people.”
In
Khatoon’s neighbourhood, AbroanNissa, 19, is waiting for the return of five of
her arrested family members: her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law,
brother-in-law and one more relative. She is alone at home with her child. “I
don’t know how I’ll feed my child. The earning members – my husband and my
father-in-law – are in jail. I want justice,” Nissa told Al Jazeera.
The
police in Assam retrospectively booked people who allegedly participated in
child marriage in the past seven years. However, according to Section 468 of
the Criminal Procedure Code, if the punishment under law is between 1-3 years,
then a court of law cannot consider cases older than three years. Under the Prohibition
of Child Marriage Act 2006, the maximum punishment is two years. However, if
the government is invoking POCSO, there is no such limitation as the minimum
punishment under the law is 10 years.
Legal
experts in Assam told Al Jazeera that cases like Islam’s have no legal basis as
he married seven years ago. Since he has been booked under the Prohibition of
Child Marriage Act 2006, experts say a court cannot consider it.
Moreover,
they say the name of the law itself suggests the state should have banned child
marriages. In Assam, the state acted after the marriages had taken place and in
many cases, after many years.
“These
are old cases where the marriages have already been consummated. Most of the
child brides are now adults. The petitioners here are not the hitherto child
brides. The state is destroying married lives of people and further burdening
women and girls already burdened by child marriage,” Guwahati-based human
rights lawyer Aman Wadud told Al Jazeera.
Along
with the unprecedented large-scale arrests of people to prevent child marriage,
critics of the latest step by Assam chief minister and BJP leader
HimantaBiswaSarma say it is “anti-poor and anti-minority as most of the
arrested people belong to the Muslim community”.
As
per the government data, Assam has the highest percentage of Muslims after
Indian-administered Kashmir, with Muslims comprising 34 percent of the
northeastern state’s 31 million people. At least nine of the state’s 31
districts’ populations are more than 50 percent Muslim.
Bengali-speaking
Muslims comprise the bulk of the Muslim population in the state.
In
Assam, the socio-political narrative for a long time has been centred around
the issue of “illegal immigrants” from neighbouring Bangladesh. The Assamese
nationalists maintain that the state’s “land and culture are under threat”
because of “continuous illegal migration from Bangladesh”.
“The
politics played with the lives of Bengali-speaking Muslims, who are mostly
poor, every now and then should end. As the BJP is in power in Assam since
2016, they should take necessary action to stop the entry of ‘illegal’ migrants
instead of crying foul over the issue,” Hasina Ahmed, secretary of the All
Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU), told Al Jazeera.
Suicides
over the arrests
As
the men – most sole breadwinners of their families – were taken away by police,
images of anguished wives and mothers beating their chests and pleading for
their release outside police stations went viral on social media.
Defending
the police action, Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan, inspector general of police (law and
order) and spokesman for Assam police, told Al Jazeera, “We are only following
the law. There is nothing illegal about the arrests, which are currently under
way. As far as criticism is concerned, people have the right to do so as we are
a democratic country.”
Bhuyan
added that investigations are on and in a month, chargesheets will be filed in
all the cases.
Assam
reported at least four suicides in connection with the statewide drive against
child marriage. The deceased include a widow from South Salmara-Mankachar
district. She took her life fearing the arrest of her parents as she was a
child bride. In the Karbi Anglong district, a woman died by suicide after her
son was arrested during the crackdown.
Wadud,
who is representing some of the arrested people in the Guwahati High Court,
told Al Jazeera the government should undoubtedly eradicate the “social evil”
and society should play a part in the process. However, he questioned the
intention of the state government, controlled by the BJP.
“What
was the government doing all this while to address the age-old problem? I
believe the government has miserably failed to implement the Prohibition of the
Child Marriage Act 2006. Since the government has woken up now, however, are
(mass arrests) the way to go forward? They should follow due process,” he said.
“In
an attempt to implement the legislation, they are invoking the POCSO Act. The
Act is to give justice to minor victims of sexual abuse. How do they know there
is sexual abuse in all these marriages, especially when the women have been
pleading to get their husbands back?”
On
February 14, while granting anticipatory bail to nine people charged under the
POCSO Act, the Gauhati High Court heavily criticised the mass arrests, saying
the crackdown was “causing havoc in the private lives of people”.
But
despite criticism of the government’s “ill-thought-out and inhumane campaign”
to prevent the marriages of minors, Chief Minister Sarma said he was “committed
to ending the evil practice”. He also said the arrests included the accused and
perpetrators of the crime and denied any prior religious profiling was
undertaken by the government.
Sarma’s
critics disagree, saying the right-wing party since it first came to power in
Assam in 2016 has used its laws and policies to target Muslims.
“There
is a pattern to the whole process of being anti-Muslim. People are not fools.
Right from the National Register of Citizens (a list of Indian citizens in
Assam), evictions of Bengali-speaking Muslims, encounter killings, to current
mass arrests, the BJP government has been targeting the Muslims in Assam,” a
political observer told Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity.
‘Why
don’t they open more schools?’
AAMSU
secretary Ahmed told Al Jazeera that while the arrested people in child
marriage cases belong to all communities and religions, including the
Indigenous people known as the tribals, most of them are Muslims.
“Chief
minister Sarma always talks about Barpeta, Dhubri and Goalpara, where there is
a sizeable Muslim population. Why doesn’t he open more schools, colleges and
universities in these districts as development measures?” Ahmed asked.
About
32 percent of women in Assam marry before they attain adulthood, according to
the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
Statistics
also show that education and health facilities are mostly inaccessible to women
and girls of Assam. According to the latest NFHS, only 29.6 percent of women in
the state aged 15-49 years have 10 or more years of schooling. Since females do
not have access to higher education, their participation in the job market is
also low.
Likewise,
Assam’s maternal mortality ratio is also the highest in the country. According
to the Registrar General of India’s latest report on maternal mortality for
2018-2020, the state recorded 195 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Arman
Ali, executive director of New Delhi-based National Centre for Promotion of
Employment for Disabled People, who has worked with a non-profit for children
with disabilities in Assam, says the mass arrests showed a “very myopic view”
of tackling child marriage.
“Child
marriage does not happen in isolation. Poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness
and age-old traditions are behind the social evil. Instead of addressing the
main issues of empowering girls and women by providing them education, health
facilities and job opportunities, the government is marginalising the already
marginalised and making criminals out of men and punishing them,” Ali told Al
Jazeera.
Source:AlJazeera
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‘Early
Women Explorers in Arabia’ exhibition on show in London
TAMARA
TURKI
February
20, 2023
LONDON:
An exhibition in London, hosted by the Saudi Embassy in the UK, is celebrating
the late 19th and early 20th century expeditions of British women in the
Arabian Peninsula.
The
“Early Women Explorers in Arabia” exhibition kicked off on Feb. 8 with a
screening of a short film about English Princess Alice’s adventures as the
first European royal to visit Arabia.
The
film featured archival footage of her visit to Saudi Arabia in 1938 after
receiving an impromptu invitation from Crown Prince Saud at the Ascot
Racecourse.
The
princess, who was the only European royal to meet King Abdulaziz, traveled the
hills around Taif, through the desert to Riyadh, and east to Hofuf before
arriving on the coast at Damman where oil had just been discovered in
commercial quantities.
The
exhibition launch also included a presentation by Dr. Elisabeth Kendall,
explorer and mistress of Girton College Cambridge.
Kendall
talked about her time in the field, specifically in war-torn Yemen, where she
researched the use of soft culture, such as poetry, by militant jihad groups to
recruit members and garner acceptance in the community.
“I
think exploration is the best way to discover for yourself that stereotypes are
just that — stereotypes,” Kendall told Arab News.
“My
own experiences traveling around the Arabian Peninsula were that I’ve never
felt so welcome in such a hospitable place with people who were so warm and so
giving,” she added.
Kendall
was later joined on stage by Saudi explorer Reem Philby to discuss her recent
1,300-km expedition across Saudi Arabia. The journey sought to raise awareness
of the Kingdom’s historical relationship with Britain, following in the
footsteps of her grandfather, the legendary British explorer Abdullah Philby.
Reem
explained that her main drive to begin exploring around 15 years ago was to be
a Saudi who knows her own country.
She
also hoped that the “Heart of Arabia” expedition would promote the idea of “journeying
with purpose and stepping away from the electronics we’re surrounding ourselves
with.”
She
said: “Carrying out this recent journey made me aware of the challenges both my
grandfather and these Victorian women faced — the harsh cold of the desert at
night, the physical challenges of very different terrains, and the fear of the
unknown. Our route was mapped and safe. Theirs very often wasn’t.”
The
exhibition features several Victorian British women who had a strong influence
in the region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Lady
Anne Blunt, who traveled in the region as far as Hail in the 1880s to 1890s,
and Gertrude Bell, one of the most influential Western women in Arabia, known
for archaeological explorations and for political influence as the only female
agent in the region during and after the First World War.
Lady
Zainab Cobbold, the first British-born Muslim woman to carry out the Hajj, and
Freya Stark, a historian and writer who went to some of the most dangerous
corners of Hadhramaut, were also notable.
“I
think the exhibition is going to be really inspiring. What it says to everyone,
but particularly to women, is that you can go to places and do things that you
perhaps would only dream of,” Kendall said.
“If
they can do it, so can we,” she added.
Saudi
Ambassador to the UK Prince Khalid bin Bandar, who attended the exhibition
launch, told Arab News: “We had an amazing turnout to celebrate five amazing
women from history and two amazing women tonight, both of whom showed the best
of what Britain is and what Saudi Arabia is.
“Exploration
is an underplayed field, and we need more of it. Saudi Arabia is a huge country
with a lot to see, and it was our pleasure to show people here tonight what
they’re missing by not being there.”
The
“Early Women Explorers in Arabia” exhibition will run until March 5 at the
Royal Geographical Society.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2254766/saudi-arabia
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In
a first, Saudi launches women paramedics course at airports
Sakina
Fatima
20th
February 2023
King
Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah became the first airport to use women
paramedics. Photo: Screengrab/Video
-----------
Riyadh:
For the first time in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah
Airports Company (JedCo) launched course for the Saudi women, to provide
medical services on the airport grounds, in emergency cases.
Thus,
King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah became the first airport to use
women paramedics for the first time at the level of the Kingdom’s airports.
One
of the participants told the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV that the course lasts
three months and consists of theoretical and practical training.
Paramedic
services at King Abdulaziz Airport supervise all medical conditions such as
stress, childbirth, and chronic conditions.
The
course requires that the applicant hold a bachelor’s degree in the field of
emergency medical services, or its equivalent, with an equivalence of the
certificate if it was issued by an entity outside the Kingdom, and that the
applicant holds a valid license to practice a profession (classification:
Committee for Health Specialties – Medical Services Technician) ER), and pass
an English language test at IELTS 4 or equivalent.
Objectives
of the paramedics program
Empowering
women to work in line with Saudi Vision 2030
Improving
the traveler experience
Providing
first aid services to airport visitors
In
recent years, Saudi Arabia has vigorously pursued a campaign to empower women
in various walks of life as part of the dramatic changes in the kingdom.
Saudi
Minister of Human Resources Ahmed Al-Rajhi said in January 2023, that women
made up 37 percent of the kingdom’s total labor market in 2022.
Source:
Siasat Daily
https://www.siasat.com/in-a-first-saudi-launches-women-paramedics-course-at-airports-2531191/
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Zamfara
Govt Vows To Protect Women, Girls Against Gender Based Violence
February
21, 2023
By
Ifeanyi Nwannah
The
Zamfara State government has declared that it is determined to collaborate with
relevant stakeholders in the implementation of policies that will protect women
and girls from Gender Based Violence (GBV).
This
was disclosed by the State deputy Governor, Senator Hassan Nasiha Mohammed
Gusau at a workshop organized by the State Hisbah Commission, in collaboration
with Development Research and Project Centre and Federation of Muslim Women of
Nigeria (FOMWAN).
The
occasion was a one-day step down workshop on the role of the State Hisbah
Commission in Protecting women and girls from Gender-Based Violence, using
Islamic perspectives.
Senator
Gusau, who was represented by Hon. Abubakar MailafiyaMada, noted that the State
already had some existing Islamic laws that ensured the rights of women and
children were protected against violence and intimidation.
In
his speech, Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Kabiru Balarabe,
represented by Permanent Secretary, Dr. Barira Ibrahim Bagobiri explained that
religion has already protected women and children against any form of violence.
Speaking
earlier, the Executive Director GRPC, Dr. Abdullahi Maiwada said the program
was initiated to scale up the campaign against Gender-Based Violence which had
continued to affect the social lives of people, stressing that it equally
affects both male and female populations.
“Reducing
the menace of Gender-Based Violence is a collective responsibility.
“Women
are most affected as one in every three women suffer violence directly or
indirectly, hence the need for authorities to do the needful towards changing
the narrative,” he said.
In
a goodwill message, the Emir of Gusau, Dr. Ibrahim Bello, represented by Senior
District Head, Bashir Kabir Danbaba suggested application of other measures in
punishing offenders instead of jailing culprits, stressing that even Prison
Service has been renamed “correctional services”.
Source:DailyPost
Nigeria
https://dailypost.ng/2023/02/21/zamfara-govt-vows-to-protect-women-girls-against-gbv/
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Two
Senior Women Bureaucrats, D Roopa, An IPS Officer, And IAS Officer Rohini
Sindhuri, Indulge In Public Spat In Karnataka
Feb
20, 2023
With
two senior women bureaucrats indulging in a public spat, Karnataka Home
Minister AragaJnanendra on Monday expressed displeasure against their conduct,
and warned action, citing service rule violation.
The
Minister was referring to the exchanges between Karnataka State Handicrafts
Development Corporation Managing Director D Roopa, an IPS officer, and IAS
officer Rohini Sindhuri, Muzrai Department Commissioner.
"We
are not sitting quiet, action will be taken against them. They both are
behaving in such a bad way that not even normal people speak on the streets.
Let them do whatever on their personal issues, but coming before the media and
behaving in a way they are doing is not right," Jnanendra said.
Speaking
to reporters, he said, people see IAS and IPS officers with high respect, but
looking at their behaviour and conduct, they are causing disrespect and
humiliation to civil services officers.
"We
have good officials of high ranking, they are the ones who run the state and
the country, but a few such people are bringing a bad name to the whole of the
official class, they have to be punished. I have spoken to DG (Director General
of Police) and will be speaking to the CS (Chief Secretary); the Chief Minister
is also aware of it," he added.
Roopa
has taken to social media alleging several "wrongdoings" of Sindhuri.
She also made personal remarks, accusing Sindhuri of misconduct and released
personal pictures of her alleging that it was shared by her with a few male
officers.
Terming
the allegations as baseless, Sindhuri alleged that Roopa, who holds a
responsible position, is making such comments against her out of personal
hatred, and was behaving as if she had lost her mental balance.
The
two have accused each other of violating the Civil Services Conduct rules, and
that they had brought it to the notice of the appropriate authorities. Sindhuri
has said that she will take legal and other actions with appropriate
authorities for Roopa's actions amounting to misconduct and criminal offences
under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Noting
that the officers are bound by conduct rules, Jnanendra said, "already
they were warned in the past and as they are not stopping, the government will
consider taking strict measures. They have taken names of certain Ministers and
the government, the Chief Minister is aware of all this, and he will take a
strict decision", he added. Earlier too, both officials had indulged in a
public spat, and had been involved in controversies separately too in their
official capacities.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Prisons
chief inaugurates rehabilitation project at Riyadh women’s prison
February
15, 2023
RIYADH
— Director General of Prisons Maj. Gen. Majed Al-Duweish inaugurated the
expansion of a rehabilitation project at the Riyadh women’s prison and these
include a nursery for the children of inmates, a sports club, a women’s
workshop, and a cultural library. The function was held at the headquarters of
the General Administration of Women’s Prison in Riyadh.
This
is one of the projects of the Kafo Association for the Employment and
Rehabilitation of Female Inmates, and the Fajr Rehabilitation Center, which
targets to address the phenomenon of recidivism among female inmates.
It
is noteworthy that the General Directorate of Prisons seeks, through these and
other projects, to rehabilitate female inmates in the vocational field, and to
provide them with suitable job opportunities, while taking care of the
psychological and social aspects to facilitate their integration into society
after serving their prison terms.
Source: Saudi Gazette
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