FGM: UK's first female genital mutilation prosecutions announced

An offence was allegedly carried out by a doctor at the Whittington Hospital in London

The first UK prosecutions over female genital mutilation have been announced by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena, 31, of Ilford, east London, will be prosecuted for an alleged offence while working at the Whittington Hospital in London.
Hasan Mohamed, 40, of Holloway, north London, faces a charge of intentionally encouraging female genital mutilation.
Dr Dharmasena and Mr Mohamed will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 15 April.
'Sufficient evidence' In a statement, director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders said the CPS was asked by the Metropolitan Police to consider evidence in relation to an allegation of female genital mutilation (FGM).

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Female genital mutilation

• FGM includes procedures that alter or injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons
• About 140 million girls and women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM
• Dangers include severe bleeding, problems urinating, infections, infertility, complications in childbirth and increased risk of death for newborns

Source: World Health Organisation

• Find out more from the WHO
• BBC ethics guide: Female circumcision

It was alleged that following a patient giving birth in November 2012, a doctor at the Whittington Hospital repaired female genital mutilation that had previously been performed on the woman, allegedly carrying out female genital mutilation himself.

Ms Saunders said: "Having carefully considered all the available evidence, I have determined there is sufficient evidence and it would be in the public interest to prosecute Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena for an offence contrary to S1 (1) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act (2003).
"I have also determined that Hasan Mohamed should face one charge of intentionally encouraging an offence of FGM, contrary to section 44(1) of the Serious Crime Act (2007), and a second charge of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring Dr Dharmasena to commit an offence contrary to S1 (1) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act (2003).
"These decisions were taken in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors."
NHS trust Whittington Health, which runs the Whittington Hospital, said it had contacted police and started its own investigation when staff raised concerns following a birth in November 2012.
Misunderstanding The CPS has decided to take no further action in four other cases of alleged FGM.
In one of those cases it was alleged that two parents had arranged for their daughter to undergo female genital mutilation while abroad.
In another, a suspect contacted an FGM helpline to request the procedure for his two daughters after misunderstanding the purpose of the service for victims.
The CPS is currently considering whether to proceed with four other cases.
Prosecutors have also had discussions with police over investigations into two further cases, which are at an early stage.
'Unforgivable' The UK has in the past been compared unfavourably to other countries over the issue, such as France where there have been more than 100 successful prosecutions.

Specialist midwife on the impact FGM has on women

MPs have said it is "unforgivable" that there have been no UK prosecutions since laws against FGM were introduced nearly 30 years ago.
This was despite more than 140 referrals to police in the past four years.
The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 replaced a 1985 Act, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, raising the maximum penalty from five to 14 years in prison.
It also made it an offence for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to carry out FGM abroad even in countries where it is legal.
Home Office minister James Brokenshire said the government had "stepped up its response" to "take this crime out of the shadows" and give victims the confidence to come forward.
He said the "key message" was that the government took FGM "extremely seriously".
Education Secretary Michael Gove is writing to every school in England to ask them to help protect girls from FGM.
credt: BBC NEWS

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Miscarriage risk linked to low IVF success

The study analysed 124,351 IVF pregnancies between 1991 and 2008

Women who produce fewer eggs during IVF treatment are more likely to miscarry, research suggests.

Scientists analysed 124,351 IVF pregnancies between 1991 and 2008.
About 20% of pregnancies in women who produced fewer than four eggs after the ovarian stimulation phase of IVF ended in miscarriage.
The research indicated the quality of the eggs in these cases was poorer - clinicians said this information would help them to counsel patients.

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“Start Quote

The information will empower women”

Dr Sesh Sunkara Reproduction Unit, King's College London

IVF involves stimulating a patient's ovarian cycle, extracting eggs from their ovaries, fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory, then transferring the embryo into the womb to develop.

Ovarian surgery risk In the study, carried out at King's College London and the University of Birmingham, the miscarriage rate fell to 15.5% for women who produced between four and nine eggs, and 13.8% for those with between 10 and 14 eggs.
The average risk of miscarriage across the population is 15%.
The co-author of the research, Dr Sesh Sunkara from the Reproduction Unit at King's College London, said: "I think the information will empower women.
"IVF treatment can be a distressing experience, and miscarrying makes it even more agonising."
Dr Sunkara said the study could indicate new risk factors such as ovarian surgery, which could increase miscarriage risk if it lowered the number of eggs a woman produced.
The fact women with fewer eggs had more miscarriages indicated the quality of the eggs must be lower, she said, as it was through such eggs miscarriages happened.

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It is really devastating for women... you want to cry with them”

Prof Siobhan Quenby Professor of obstetrics, University of Warwick

Early menopause

Prof Neil McClure, professor in obstetrics and gynaecology at Queen's University, Belfast, said: "This study is vast in terms of its numbers, and reached a very logical conclusion."

He said reduced egg production was linked to a woman's age, as young women produced lots of healthy eggs, which decreased in number and quality with age.
Prof McClure said he thought the younger women in the study who produced fewer eggs did so because they were on the brink of an early menopause, which was "more common than we might think".
Women who had miscarried after IVF and were worried about miscarrying again could opt for an egg donor, he said, adding that cutting down on smoking and eating a healthy diet would also help.
Help for clinicians Prof Siobhan Quenby, professor of obstetrics at the University of Warwick, said: "It [the study] will be very helpful for me as I see a lot of people who have miscarried after IVF."
She said uncovering the link between low numbers of eggs and egg quality was important to inform people in deciding whether to carry out another round of IVF, which costs on average about £10,000 if done privately, or opt for an egg donor.
Prof Quenby added: "There is a lot of emotional trauma involved in miscarrying after IVF. It is really devastating for women who wait 10 years to have a baby and then with eight weeks to go they miscarry.
"You want to cry with them."

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Things every Irish parent says to their American kids

What sh*te do your Irish parents say on St. Patrick's Day? Photo by: EMPICS Sport

They may charm us with their clever wit year round but there's some key phrases that every child growing up in the US will defintiely hear from their Irish parents.
1. "Get up, we’ll be late for Mass!"
Ahem, Saint Patrick’s Day.

2. "How many sausages do you want?"
Long day ahead! Better line the stomach with a full Irish fry.

3. "Now, you do know who St. Patrick was, right?..."
Many Irish parents take the time on March 17th to explain St. Patrick’s importance to the history of Catholicism in Ireland. Yes they do.

4. "Ah, bring your jacket for the parade, you’ll freeze!"
Irish parents are never the ones to let their wee ones go cold, especially in unseasonably warm weather like 70 degrees this week.
5. "Did you see that one marching?"
She’s your father’s cousin’s husband’s sister’s aunt …
Everyone knows everyone in the Irish community; throw them all together in a parade and it becomes a sea of cousins!

6. "Jesus, it’s Galway, not Gaaaaalway."
American accents aren’t always so kind to Irish pronunciations, and most native Irish are never shy to point out.

7. "We’ll just pop in for a pint."
Which, of course, means an hours-long session at the local pub. Guinness, anyone?

8. "Corned beef and cabbage isn’t even Irish!"
The meal typically served on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t considered Irish by irish from Ireland. Opt instead for some spuds and beef stew -- that’ll keep ‘em happy..

9. "Will I put on the kettle?"
As if this is even a matter of discussion after a day parading and pubbing! Typical response Where’s the advil mom?

10. "Good craic, in fairness"

Yes, we had a great time. Reflect on the day spent with family and friends until the wee hours of the morning.

Got any more to add to the list?

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Suluhu Assembly Vice Chairperson

WINNER AND LOSER HUG: Amina Abdallah Amour (R), who lost yesterday�s race for the position of Constituent Assembly Vice Chairperson, hugs winner Samiah Suluhu Hassan in a show of solidarity notwithstanding the way the election went. The winner, who is Minister of State in the Vice President�s Office (Union Matters), garnered 390 votes to the loser�s 126. Our photographer captured the scene at the entrance to the House debating chamber in Dodoma yesterday, shortly after the results of the election were announced.

The Constituent Assembly (CA) yesterday elected Samia Hassan Suluhu as the Vice Chairperson.

 

Dr Thomas Kashilila the Returning Officer announced Suluhu as the winner, saying she scooped 390 of the 523 votes cast during the elections conducted yesterday evening.

 

Her opponent Amina Abdallah Amour from the Civic United Front (CUF) scooped 126 votes which is equivalent to 24.1 percent of the ballots. Void ballots were seven, said Dr Kashilila.

 

According to the Constitution Review Act when the chairperson hails from one part of the Union, the vice chairperson shall come from the other part of the republic. 

 

Before the elections, the interim chair, Pandu Ameir Kificho provided the candidates with three minutes each to campaign for the seat.

 

In her manifesto, Amina Abdallah Amour said she holds a Masters Degree for Finance and a Diploma in Law. She is a Member of Parliament and has worked with National Bank of Commerce (NBC) for 23 years.

 

Samia Hassan Suluhu said she is a graduate of MBA on Economic Community Development and has been a Member of Parliament for 14 years and throughout the period she has been serving as a minister in the United Republic of Tanzania and Zanzibar. 

  

Suluhu promised to give chance to youths to contribute to constitution debates in order to ensure that their views are incorporated. “I have learned a lot from the outgoing chair. I will use his wisdom and my experience to ensure smooth writing of the Mother Law,” she said.

 

She however said that as the minister responsible for union affairs she has managed to reduce the union challenges from 13 to only one. 

 

“I am now dealing with the remaining economic challenge after finding solution to the rest,” Suluhu insisted.

 

The chairperson and his vice will be sworn in today morning followed by other members of the assembly.

 

Meanwhile newly elected Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Samwel Sitta has pledged to give daily reports to the media and to also prepare special documentaries to be aired on radio and television to increase public awareness of the House proceedings.

 

The veteran politician and member of the ruling party Chamma cha Mapinduzi (CCM) mid this week defeated Hashimu Rungwe from opposition party Chama Cha Ukombozi wa Umma (CHAUMA) securing 487 votes over the contender who settled for 69 votes.

 

The new Chair also pledged to give more voice to the 201 members of the CA appointed by the President noting that those from the House of Representatives and MPs have so far dominated the House discussions.

 

Speaking outside the debate chambers after his outstanding win, Sitta also said that he would give more time to the members to further deliberate on  what he described as ‘the tricky sections 37 and 38 of the endorsed regulations.’

 

"If we are to get a constitution that represents the collective will of the people then the voice of the 201 members must be also heard ", he noted.

Sitta made it clear that he is determined to ensure that the deliberations are transparent and again reinforced his commitment to make certain that the opinions of all groups of people are represented and heard.

 

In the wake of his election, Members of the Constituent Assembly (CA) have expressed unanimous overwhelming confidence in the newly elected Chairman, applauding the outgoing interim chair, Pandu Ameir Kificho for a job well done having managed to lead the house even before the Standing Orders were in place.

 

Hamuod Jumaa, a Member of Parliament for Kibaha Rural is of the opinion that Sitta will strengthen democracy in the House especially during debates by giving equal opportunity to the members without any biasness.

 

A representative of persons with disabilities, Amon Mpanju who is a member of the CA Technical committee seconded the view expressing confidence in the new Chair to give equal representation to all groups.

 

 Monduli Member of Parliament and former Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa cemented the confidence and trust in Sitta. He too is of the opinion that the new Chairman of the CA will spearhead the draft review in a fair and just manner.

 

"He is experienced and given his speed and standard philosophy, Tanzanians can rest assured he will guide the members to productive discussions that will see the country attain a fully inclusive Mother Law that will reflect the will of the people,” Lowassa said.

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EAC moves to ease payments system

EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera

Transactions within the East African Community states are set to become faster and  easier following the launch of the EAC Payment and Settlement Systems Project (EAC-PSSIP).

 

The project was launched here yesterday by the EAC Secretariat and the African Development Bank (AfDB). 

 

The major objective of the project is to broaden and deepen the financial sector by the integration of the regional financial market infrastructure and facilitating cross border fund transfers.The project is also aimed at supporting the economies of the region and providing outreach to rural areas in order to encourage greater participation in the formal financial sector.

The five central banks of the EAC partner states will facilitate the implementation of the project, which is expected to speed up payment system in the region.

 

Speaking at the launch of the project Dr Natu el-Maamry Mwamba, who is the Bank of Tanzania’s deputy governor (In-charge of Economic and Financial Policies), said the project takes East Africans to the next level of regional integration.

 

She said from now on East African traders and ordinary citizens, will be required to use their local currencies when doing transactions within the region.

 

“This project gives room for traders and ordinary people to easily carry out business using currencies of their countries,” she elaborated.

 

For his part, EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera said the project is a major factor in deepening the integration of the region’s financial sector.

 

“Functioning payment and settlement systems represent a basic infrastructure for the functioning of market economies. This is because they provide effective mechanisms for the exchange of money between transacting parties; ensure finality and irrevocability of both payment and settlement; enables management, reduction and containment of systemic and other payment related risks and facilitate implementation of monetary 

policy,” he said.

 

In a speech, read on his behalf by EAC Deputy Secretary General (Planning and Infrastructure), Dr Enos Bukuku, the SG said the project is geared to see the development of sound payment and settlement systems within the region. 

 

“This will also facilitate the integration of EAC economies into single monetary area through efficient means of understanding payments within the region,” he said.

 

Dr Sezibera further noted that the trading bloc envisages a wider outlook which will include achieving collaboration on addressing any existing infrastructure weaknesses within the region’s financial integration space.

 

AfDB representative, Jacob Mukete said the project is expected to facilitate the transition to a single integrated financial system and enable the processing and settlement of payment obligations in a timely manner, enhance accountability, minimise errors and facilitate the development of innovative financial products while better managing risks.

 

“This is an important project as it will support the development of central securities depositories and core banking platforms in the EAC Partner States,” he added.

 

According to Mukeke, the project also supports capacity building in specific areas of payment and settlement systems for relevant stakeholders in the region such as judges and judicial officers at the East African Court of Justice and relevant members of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in the legislative support required for payment and settlement systems, commercial law and enforcement of collateral.

 

Kenya’s Central Bank Governor, Prof Njuguna Ndung’u noted that the project will modernise, harmonise and create a regional integration of payments and settlement systems.

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EA film makers to form alliance to support regional integration agenda

Martin Mhando, the CEO and director of Zanzibar International Film Festival

East African film makers on Wednesday convened in Arusha in an effort to form an alliance of film festivals that will support the regional integration agenda.

 

The three-day first Preparatory Forum for Film Festivals and Film Makers was made possible by the East African Community (EAC) in collaboration with the German International Cooperation (GIZ).

 

The forum is meant to prepare ground work that will lead to the integration of all film festivals and film makers in the region into a regional body that will advocate for the film sector and also support the regional integration efforts through film in the overall context of culture and creative industries.

 

Addressing the forum, EAC head of the Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Owora Richard Othieno hailed East African Film Festival directors for coming up with such idea.

"The move is recommendable and will take the regional bloc into another stages, taking into account that the industry is very powerful, when it comes to taking message to the public," he said.

 

The official said the trading bloc's secretariat will fully support the initiative to further strengthen the already existing cooperation between the EAC, other state and non-state actors towards building a stronger East African Community through the arts and culture.

 

"Indeed this is a laudable initiative and is in line with Article 119 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, the Common Market Protocol and the Development Strategy (2010-2016), all of which provide for the fostering of public - private sector partnership towards the development of culture and creative industries in the EAC," Owora said.

 

"The Film industry is one of those culture and creative industries in the region with great potential to alleviate poverty and also to create employment for young people. The EAC is cognizant of the critical challenges facing the sectors such as the low capacity, infrastructure, financing and copyright among others. But these are not insurmountable," he said.

 

Martin Mhando, the CEO and director of Zanzibar International Film Festival, noted that culture has been used to shape and to govern identity and as festivals are perceived to be vehicles for "re-imaging" places, they also give communities a creative focus, helping to celebrate achievements, forge community identity, and of course in generating increased tourism.

 

He said the region was rich in talent but has no infrastructure to develop the talents and the formation of a festival network is a response to such a need.

 

The forum is being attended by film directors, cultural officers, and culture and creative industries stakeholders.

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Ugandan activists challenge anti-gay law in court

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 KAMPALA, Uganda — Rights activists on Tuesday petitioned Uganda’s Constitutional Court to challenge the validity of an anti-gay measure that allows severe penalties against homosexuality.
The activists — under a group called Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law — hope the court will agree the new law violates Uganda’s constitution by encouraging discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The group has asked the judges to issue an interim order “stopping the police from implementing” the anti-gay law, said Nicholas Opiyo, a Ugandan lawyer who helped to draft the petition.
It also seeks an order barring local tabloid newspapers from printing the names and pictures of known or suspected homosexuals, a key concern for activists in a country where homosexuals report severe discrimination.
Opiyo said it will likely take several months, even years, before judges reach a final decision in the case challenging the anti-gay law, because the court has many other cases before it.
Uganda’s president enacted the law last month, strengthening criminal penalties against homosexuality. Some European countries and the World Bank have since withheld or delayed development assistance to Uganda. The United States has suggested it is considering similar action if the law is not repealed.
The legislation allows life imprisonment for those convicted of engaging in gay sex. It also creates the offenses of “conspiracy to commit homosexuality” and “aiding and abetting homosexuality,” both of which are punishable by seven years behind bars. Those convicted of “promoting homosexuality” face similar punishment.
Despite Western opposition to legislation widely described as draconian, the law is popular among many in this conservative East African country.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said he was enacting the law in order to deter Western homosexuals from promoting homosexuality in Africa. Evangelical Christian clerics who championed the law said it was necessary to protect Ugandan children from being “recruited” by wealthy homosexuals from the West.
But Ugandan gay activists insist they are the victims of a hate campaign orchestrated by U.S. evangelicals who wanted to spread their anti-gay agenda in Africa.
Activists say there have been some allegations of violence and retaliation against people known or suspected to be gay, including evictions by many landlords of their tenants, according to the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law. At least 10 suspected homosexuals have been arrested and more than five evicted by landlords since the law was passed, the group said.
Fox Odoi, a Ugandan lawyer who is one of the petitioners in the case and the only lawmaker who publicly opposed the anti-gay measure, said the legislation is harmful to the lives of Uganda’s homosexuals. “Because a person is homosexual he should go to jail and because you are heterosexual you should walk the streets: What kind of nonsense is that?” he said.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

credt: the washington

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Voting system still sticky for Assembly

Prof Costa Mahalu, Chairman of the technical committee

The technical and consensus committees of the Constituent Assembly (CA) have again failed to resolve the tricky sections of the standing orders regarding the voting system in passing contentious provisions of the constitution.

 

Prof Costa Mahalu, Chairman of the technical committee and George Simbachawene yesterday told CA members that they had decided to add a sub-section on clause 38 of the rules which states that decisions on some contentious provisions will be passed by voting without specifying whether it will be open voting system or the ballot.

 

For almost three weeks now the CA has been working on section 37 and 38 of the regulations whereas on Friday last week the interim Chair, Ameir Pandu Kificho decided to form a consensus committee to work on the tricky sections that provide guidance on making decisions in passing the draft document and on the mode of voting.

 

“We have incorporated all the amendments...we will later on bring the document for approval but with slight changes on clause 38,” said Prof Mahalu.

 

Simbachawene insisted that amended rules must be endorsed today to pave way for other procedures to take place so that it doesn’t look like members are being paid allowances for merely staying in Dodoma.

 

Immediately after the announcements, a big number of CA members stood up to oppose the committee's decision to pass the rules without deciding on the voting system. 

 

David Kafulila, Kigoma North legislator (NCCR-Mageuzi) requested the interim Chair to postpone CA meetings until the two committees come up with a decision on the voting mode, adding that the delegates have been receiving daily allowances without doing any job. 

From page 1

 

“May be we should go back home and wait for the committees to reach a consensus,” suggested Kafulila. 

 

Responding to Kafulila, the interim Chair said it is impossible to postpone CA meetings because the President was the one who convened the assembly hence he is the only one with powers to dissolve it.

 

Ezekiah Olouch from Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU) advised that the matter itself should be resolved through votes to fasten the approval of the rules because advisory committees have failed to reach a common ground.

 

In his intervention, Minister of State (Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs) William Lukuvi insisted that the standing orders should have been passed by yesterday evening.

 

He said since 95 percent of the job has been completed, there was nothing to wait for because the issue of section 37 and 38 will continue to be taken care of by CA's standing committee on regulations. He however said that members will still be allowed to submit their private motions to amend the two sections.

 

“We have passed 85 sections of the standing orders...I don't see the reason of wasting time on the two sections because this is not the end of approving CA rules. Doors will still be open for any member to submit private motions for amendments,” said Lukuvi.

 

He reminded members that the two clauses are of no importance at this stage as they will be needed later on when passing provisions. He said the 85 rules should be approved to end the seminar so that the CA can continue with its business.

 

In an interview outside the parliament, Civic United Front (CUF) national chairman, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba and Chadema national chairman, Freeman Mbowe claimed that CCM leaders are interfering in the discussions of the advisory committee hence affecting its decisions. They claimed that committee members from the ruling party cannot make decisions before consulting their leaders. 

 

Ismail Jussa Ladhu who is also a member of the technical committee said members should endorse the rules because the tricky clauses have been partly handled. He said when time comes, members will decide on the specific voting system.

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Gender equality merits special consideration

Women celebrate their day

It is opportune to take stock of the situation with respect to women’s status and gender equality in the world of work.

 

According to a Statement by the International Labour Organization Director General Guy Ryder (ILO), delivered on the occasion of International Women’s Day, there has been notable progress in the area of national legislation with most countries having incorporated the principles of equality and non-discrimination. 

 

Many governments have adopted active labour market policies to tackle discrimination against women and a growing number of employers’ and workers’ organizations are implementing initiatives on equal opportunity and treatment. 

 

A number of individual women have managed to advance and to break through the glass ceiling. 

 

At the same time, stubborn and often profound gaps persist. Progress in increasing women’s labour market participation has been uneven according to our 2014 Global Employment Trends Report. 

 

In developed economies, women are expected to benefit less from the timid recovery projected in the medium-term – their unemployment rates will only gradually decline to 8.2 per cent in 2018, whereas for men it is projected to drop to 7.6 per cent. 

In North Africa women’s labour market participation rates in 2013 were barely 25 per cent, and in the Middle East not even 20 per cent. 

 

Occupational sex-segregation and gender pay gaps persist. Women are over-represented in the informal economy, precarious work, and in low-paid jobs. 

 

For example in South-East Asia and the Pacific, vulnerable employment in 2013 affected women most (63.1 per cent as compared to 56 per cent for men). In the formal economy women’s share of decision-making posts remains low notwithstanding a pool of talent. 

 

Services to assist women and men in balancing work and family responsibilities – particularly state-funded and quality childcare – are unavailable or inaccessible for many. Such care still largely falls on the shoulders of girls and women.

 

Moreover, a large majority of women lack access to quality maternal and infant health care and other maternity protection measures – effectively penalizing them for their reproductive role.

 

Risks and opportunities for women often vary depending on their colour, religion, social origin or skill levels. Women do not constitute a homogenous group. 

 

Consequently it is also important to look both at how different groups fare in the labour market and how they and women generally fare relative to their male peers.  

 

The rights of girls and women are often subordinated; their economic and social contribution often undervalued and their perceived inequality compared to men sometimes regarded as immutable. 

 

Not surprisingly, their work is also simply invisible – physically as in the case of domestic workers for example working behind closed doors. Or they may simply be absent from the data – which perpetuates their inequality. 

 

It is time to do better

Keeping on top of such issues is especially important in the context of an increasingly interconnected global economy, rapidly-changing labour markets, the impact of migration and challenges to the universality of rights and standards. 

 

The ILO is renewing its own efforts to establish a solid information base that will be a shared resource to inform future action. With sound knowledge to back up evidence-based arguments, declarations and policies on gender equality will have far better prospects of translating into change for the better in the lives of many more working women. And this, we know, also means stronger families and communities and ultimately businesses and economies. 

 

Today we recognize the valuable and indispensable contribution of women in the world of work. We join our efforts with all who are striving for gender equality: it is also our common challenge to ensure mutually reinforcing action to secure steady progress to this goal. 

What is the International Women’s Day?

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

 

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. 

 

In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women's full and equal participation. 

 

International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

 

1909: The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

 

The United Nations and Gender Equality

The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

 

Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights. The empowerment of women continues to be a central feature of the UN's efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.

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TFDA closes 34 illegal meat shops in Dar

TFDA Public Relations Officer,Gaudensia Simwanza.

Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) this week ordered 34 meat shops in Dar es Salaam to stop business for operating contrary to rules and regulations.

Last month the authority conducted a survey and realised that most meat shops in the city were operated in poor environment, being a threat to the health of the public.

Gaudensia Simwanza, TFDA Public Relations Officer, said mid this week that in the operation 207 meat shops were inspected, adding  that 100 butcheries were in Kinondoni Municipality. Twenty-eight and 79 butcheries were in Temeke and Ilala municipalities.

Speaking in a telephone interview Sinwanza said: “Meat should be sold in safe, quality and effective environments. But some of meat shops use pieces of timber on which to cut meat, which is not hyperemic enough.”

“We are still educating stakeholders in the eastern zone to abide by rules and regulations of distributing and selling meat to consumers. The inspection was aimed to improve the standards, though some owners are still cutting meat on timber.”

 “I encourage the public to purchase meat from shops that cut meat using machines… they will be on the safe side compared to those using pieces of timber,” Simwanza added.

For their part, owners who did not reveal their names said they used timber because they lacked enough capital to purchase modern machines. “It is because we don’t have enough capital that’s why… in case we get such capital we will buy modern machines for cutting meat.”

Meanwhile, on February 20 this year TFDA also closed major market in Moshi after discovering that it operated below the required standards; mainly because it was dirty.

On March 1, the authority also closed 50 butcheries in Kilimanjaro Region for operating illegally; giving them 16 conditions, one of them  being they should be use air conditioners in their premises.

“We are still planning to evaluate all meat shops in the eastern zone regions of Lindi, Mtwara, Morogoro and Coast since we want to strive for quality in the pursuit of protecting public health and environment, ” she said,

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'Constitution needs to clarify GBV penalties'

People demanding new constitution before 2015 election.

The new constitution must bear clear description gender based violence (GBV) and list subsequent punishment for all GBV related cases, stakeholders have demanded.

 

Speaking during a function held in honour of the International Women’s Day coordinated by the Women's Legal Aid Centre (WLAC), Chairperson of Jipange Women group dedicated to advocating and fighting against gender violence in Kinondoni district, Dar es Salaam, Janeth Mawinza said by clearly specifying GBV and related punishment in the new constitution the nation asserts its commitment to address the GBV.

 

Other than advocate for inclusion in the new constitution, Jipange group backed by WLAC support is planning to launch a door to door campaign to educate men in the district to join the war against gender violence.

 

“Through the campaign we are going to visit all men at home, at their work places,  bus stations  and wherever else we can find them to make sure they are informed on  gender issues and their part in it,’’ she said.

 

Mawinza suggested the constitution take into account maternal health issues to improve maternal health care in the country.

 

 “The move will help to reduce maternal deaths resulting from poor and unsafe delivery environments …if clarified in the constitution as a primary right for each woman in the country it then much needed resources will be devoted to solving related problems,’’ she said.

 

World Health Organisation (WHO) 2009/10 Demographic and Health Survey report that every year, 454 women die from pregnancy related complications for every 100,000 live births.
 

Low availability of emergency obstetric and new born care services, chronic shortage of skilled health providers together with a weak referral system contribute to the observed high maternal deaths.

 

Jipange has so far reported six cases related to gender violence to various organisations responsible to provide legal aid services as well as advocacy.

 

“Also we have managed to file two cases with the courts and we provide temporally shelter to the victims of gender violence together with solving a number of related cases,’’ Mawinza said 

 

According to the government report, gender-based violence in the country results from norms and social and economic inequalities, that gives privilege to men over women.
 

Meanwhile, in celebrating Women’s Day, WLAC provided legal aid services and human rights education to a number of women in Bagamoyo District and in the Coast region advocating for an end to all forms of gender-based violence in the district.

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Woman, daughter killed by lightning

  A  woman, 31, and her eight-year-old daughter died last week while the woman's sister was left battling for her life after lightning struck a tree under which they were sheltering from rainfall.
Junior Dhlamini and daughter Rebecca Magoche died on the spot while Eva Dhlamini, 26, was left fighting for her life at Chikombedzi General Hospital where she was admitted after the incident.
Masvingo police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Peter Zhanero, said tragedy struck after the trio sought shelter under a tree from the heavy rains currently being experienced in the province.
"The trio was working in the field when it started raining heavily and they rushed to seek shelter under a Marula tree which was nearby," Zhanero said.
He added that they were later discovered lying under the tree by a passer-by who notified relatives. The police were also called in, resulting in Eva being rushed to hospital.

"It is not wise for people to seek shelter under a tree when it is raining,” said the police officer.

“We have been taught this since primary school. People should desist from going against this advice and it is advisable to look for secure places when it starts raining."

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Zimbabwean battered to death in Botswana

A YOUNG family has been left distraught and emotionally marooned in Australia following the battering to death of their father in Botswana early this month.
Zimbabwean engineer Stephen Ticharwa, 40, died in Gaborone last Thursday after suffering blunt force trauma to the head after being repeatedly bludgeoned with a log.
His face was also severely lacerated with broken bottles following an argument over a yet to be explained issue with work colleagues.

Brutally murdered ... Stephen Ticharwa

  Perpetrators of the attack, some of them believed to be Zimbabwean, have since fled to neighbouring South Africa following the brutal murder.

One of the suspected fugitives Botswana police are reportedly keen to interview has been identified as Philip Mukombe.

While there was no immediate comment from authorities in Gaborone, the family has since confirmed that Stephen’s body was still in Botswana awaiting repatriation to Zimbabwe for burial.

“Indeed the family is in crisis and mourners are currently gathered in Westgate in Zimbabwe,” said a family spokesperson.

“We are terribly pained at the loss of Stephen, particularly after he had said he was raising money to have his children visit him for Christmas at the end of this year.
“His eldest had just started University, studying mechanical engineering in Australia and they were looking forward to meeting and having precious father and son moments as he was also an engineer by profession.”
Compounding complications surrounding the tragedy is the fact that Ticharwa’s children and his ex-wife are stranded in Australia where they are based.
The three children have since launched an online appeal for assistance to cover the costs of travelling to Zimbabwe for their father’s funeral.
Said the eldest son Tinashe: “Our father was murdered in Botswana on 6 March 2014. This is a tragedy that caught us unaware. We hear his body is in Botswana.
“I am 19 and my brother and sister are 16 and 13. I had just started University. My mother is a single woman who has been struggling for our upkeep.
“Friends have come to pay tributes and thank you. We are appealing for your support to help us go bury our father. Whatever amount we get from you would be helpful and airlines have offered us discounted fares.”

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Malaria: High risk focused in 10 African countries

Paris – Gains in fighting malaria in sub-Saharan Africa have left the highest risk for the disease concentrated in 10 countries, according to a study published on Wednesday by The Lancet medical journal.
Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Guinea and Togo together account for 87 percent of areas that have the highest prevalence of malaria, it said.
The study assessed the effectiveness of the battle against malaria, which went into higher gear with the launch of the Roll Back Malaria initiative in 2000.
Since then, financial support has risen from $100 million (73 million euros) annually to about $2 billion (1.46 billion euros).
The researchers drew up a map of the changing face of malaria from thousands of surveys of prevalence of the disease among children in 44 countries.
They set down three categories of risk: high, meaning places where more than 50 percent of the population were likely to be infected by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite; moderate (10 to 50 percent of the population infected); and low (less than 10 percent).
From 2000 to 2010, the number of people living in areas of high-risk infection fell from 219 million to 184 million, a decline of 16 percent.
But the numbers living in moderate-risk locations rose from 179 million to 280 million, a rise of 57 percent.
The good news was that the tally of people living in low-risk areas rose from 131 million to 219 million.
Four countries — Cape Verde, Eritrea, South Africa and Ethiopia — joined Swaziland, Djibouti and Mayotte in the elite club of countries where transmission levels are so low that elimination of malaria is a realistic goal.
The researchers said the overall picture was mixed, and important gains had been partly offset by population increase — over the decade, an extra 200 million people were born in places with malaria.
“Substantial reductions in malaria transmission have been achieved in endemic countries in Africa over the period 2000-2010,” the paper said.
“However, 57 percent of the population in 2010 continued to live in areas where transmission remains moderate to intense and global support to sustain and accelerate the reduction of transmission must remain a priority.”
In its 2013 report on malaria, the World Health Organisation (WHO) last December said 3.3 million lives had been saved worldwide since 2000.
Even so, the mosquito-borne disease still killed 627,000 people last year, mainly children in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The agency pointed to a shortage of funding and a lack of access to artemisinin malarial medicines and basic remedies such as bed-nets remained a serious problem, it said. (AFP)

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tanzania president says poaching boom threatens elephant population

DAR ES SALAAM – Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said his country’s elephant herds faced extinction following a wildlife poaching boom in east Africa’s second-largest economy.
Kikwete said a new census at the Selous-Mikumi ecosystem, one of the country’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries, revealed the elephant population had plummeted to just 13,084 from 38,975 in 2009, representing a 66-percent decline.
The president announced plans to call for a global ban in the trade of ivory and rhino horn, as a new wave of poaching is threatening its elephant and rhino populations.
“There is every sign that this animal (elephant) will become extinct in the near future if deliberate efforts are not taken to protect these herds,” Kikwete said in a speech released by his office on Thursday.
“If this (ivory and rhino horn) trade is ended, not a single elephant will be killed. There won’t be any incentive for poaching.”
He said elephant slaughter in Tanzania declined sharply after 1987 when the government launched a major anti-poaching operation, which led to an increase in herds from 55,000 in 1989 to 110,000 in 2009.
But the poaching has revived in recent years, driven by fast-rising demand for ivory and rhino horn in Asia in tandem with growing Chinese influence and investment in Africa.
Kikwete appealed for assistance from the international community in fighting poachers, saying game rangers were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the problem, with the area of the country’s wildlife sanctuaries “nearly the size of the United Kingdom” at 232,535 square kilometers.
“We need technical assistance, funding and technology to … enable us to employ more game rangers and to give us modern technology to tackle poachers,” he said.
In a separate statement released late on Wednesday, the Tanzanian president’s office said the country had confiscated close to 20 tons of ivory between 2010 and 2013.
“The government is finalizing the employment of 900 more staff for the wildlife division … However, the government still needs more equipment to match the existing challenges in wildlife conservation,” the president’s office said.
President Kikwete in December sacked four government ministers following accusations of abuses committed by security forces during a huge operation against wildlife poaching.
The government said it was now finalizing plans to re-launch the anti-poaching operation. (Reuters)
(Reporting by Fumbuka Ng’wanakilala; editing by Drazen Jorgic and Ralph Boulton)

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Scientists: Global Warming Likely to Surpass 2°C Target

Look a long time for nations to set a speed limit on the road to a warming world.

But for the past four years, even though negotiators have never arrived at a plan for avoiding dangerous climate change, they have agreed on a goal: limiting the increase in the Earth’s global average surface temperature to 2°C (3.6°F) above the preindustrial level.
Now, two Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) climate scientists and two colleagues argue that policymakers need to acknowledge that the world is already on track for warming beyond 2°C.
“A policy narrative that continues to frame this target as the sole metric of success or failure to constrain climate change risk is now itself becoming dangerous,” wrote Todd Sanford and Peter Frumhoff of UCS in the commentary published Wednesday in Nature Climate Change. “[It] ill-prepares society to confront and manage the risks of a world that is increasingly likely to experience warming well in excess of 2°C this century,” said the piece, co-authored by Amy Luers of the San Francisco-based Skoll Global Threats Fund, and Jay Gulledge, of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Rethinking the Target
The authors are by no means the first to suggest a rethinking of the 2°C goal. Todd Stern, the lead U.S. climate negotiator in President Barack Obama’s administration, provoked anger in 2012 when he said a more “flexible, evolving” approach might be more effective in spurring a political accord. Coming at the issue from an entirely different angle, retired NASA climate scientist James Hansen and a group of colleagues wrote in December the 2°C target was not stringent enough, and “so dangerous” as to be “foolhardy.” At that level, the world risked initiating feedbacks in the climate system, such as the melting of ice sheet area, that could trigger irreversible warming out of humanity’s control.
Hansen and colleagues suggested a 1°C target was far less dangerous. The Earth has warmed 0.85°C from 1880 (preindustrial times) to 2012, according to the latest consensus science reported in September by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientific body established by the United Nations to inform governments of climate risks.
The UCS scientists and colleagues took the IPCC to task for issuing reports that present different future scenarios, while making no judgment on the relative likelihood of the varying projections, “implicitly treating all scenarios as equivalently plausible.”
“Inadvertently, the [IPCC] reinforces the present narrative by failing to provide policymakers with guidance on how to weigh the relative likelihood of the scenarios of future concentrations of heat-trapping gases and other drivers of warming on which its climate change projections are based,” the authors said.
In an email, Rajendra Pachauri, who has been chairperson of the IPCC since 2002 and who is an adviser to National Geographic’s Great Energy Challenge initiative, declined to comment on the opinion piece. “The Panel has an established process for producing its reports and in every respect we make efforts to see that our reports are policy-relevant,” he added.
Gavin Schmidt, a climate scientist with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, agreed that the world needs to assess the risks of high-magnitude warming, but he said criticism of the IPCC is misplaced.
“We do need to assess the risks of high scenarios, not just assume that [2°C] guiderail is achievable, but the call for IPCC to give probabilistic information about different [scenarios] is just a non-starter,” Schmidt said in an email. “What is the probability of an international carbon tax? A breakthrough in nuclear power generation? Solar? Of missing feedbacks in models becoming important? These are undefinable, and yet essential for what they are calling for.

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Africa’s Supposed Failure to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals

There are currently 7 billion people living on our planet. Some 80 percent, or 4.7 billion, of those people live on a meager $10 a day. The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population holds just 5 percent of global income, while the richest 20 percent holds 75 percent. The stark divide between the rich and the poor was addressed in a series of conferences and summits held by the United Nations that culminated in the United Nations Millennium Declaration in September 2000. From this summit the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were born.

Some African economies would need to grow at the impossible rate of seven percent to meet the Millennium Development Goal for poverty eradication.
The MDGs consist of eight broad goals that range from eradication of extreme poverty and achieving universal education to ensuring environmental stability and fighting diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS. The goals, agreed to by all the world leaders that attended the summit, are laudable—after all, eradicating poverty is one of our most pressing global issues—however, they are not free from criticism.
While nations such as India and China will achieve most if not all of the goals, many African countries, particularly those in the Sub-Saharan region, will miss the mark by a wide margin because the goals were simply unrealistic.
The very first goal is to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.” Target 1 of this goal calls for halving the number of people living in poverty. Out of 153 countries, only seven were able to accomplish this goal — and Botswana and Equatorial Guinea were the only African countries. Other African economies would have to grow at an astonishing rate of 7 percent between the years 2000 and 2015 in order to halve the number of people living poverty. In 1996, the United States economy grew by 4.4 percent and that was considered a spectacular year for economic growth.
The second goal is to “achieve primary universal education.” Target 2 of this goal aims to have children all over the globe be able to complete primary education. However, rich countries took nearly a century to have all their children complete primary school. It seems nearly impossible that African countries with extremely low levels of children enrolled in primary schools will be able to accomplish the same in just 15 years.
Burkina Faso has a net primary school enrollment of approximately 45 percent. If it were to reach enrollment levels of 60 percent, according to the MDGs, that would still be a failure, despite the obvious progress made. Setting impossible goals takes attention away from any legitimate progress that was made and unfairly creates a false impression of failure, which may jeopardize international funding for future development initiatives.
The time frame to complete the goals is set to expire December 31, 2015, and many are looking beyond the 2015 deadline. The Post-2015 Development Agenda will hopefully provide a clear framework on how to move forward and how to use these types of broad goals as tools for development. In the case of Africa, attainable goals need to be set; to continue to outline unfeasible goals only runs a disservice to the very countries the Millennium Development Goals intend to help.

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More than 45% of under 5 children in Zambia are stunted

A bright future can be seen spilling out of these children’s eyes as the clap in apriciation of the danation of books and desks fron the rotary club of Knwazi

About 45 percent of children who are below the age of 5 are stunted due to malnutrition in Zambia.
Zambia Civil Society – Scaling Up Nutrition (CSOSUN) Alliance has said children who are undernourished are at a greater risk of having difficulty in learning, playing or engaging in normal childhood activities.
CSOSUN Alliance National Coordinator William Chilufya pointed out that undernourished children are more vulnerable to disease due to weakened immune response.
He told ZANIS in an interview today that a child’s nutritional future begins with the mother’s nutritional status during her adolescence and during pregnancy.
Mr Chilufya explained that the empowering of women especially expectant mothers is critical to the health of the unborn child and to the future generations.
Mr Chilufya further noted that every child has the right to adequate and appropriate nutrition as stipulated under Article 6 and 24 of the Convention on the Right’s of a Child.
Mr Chilufya said the Alliance consider malnutrition as a violation of children’s rights.
He added that empowering women plays a pivotal role of improving nutrition in many households and is cardinal to the growth and development of children.
Mr Chilufya said that the Alliance appreciates the role women play in ensuring that Children do not get malnourished.
He stated that empowering women will help them to expand their ability to make strategic life choices especially on the nutrition of their family.
“As CSOSUN, we feel there is need to empower women to make informed choices such as breastfeeding and nutritious foods during pregnancy and lactating. Considering the important role that women play in improving the nutrition status of children,” noted Mr. Chilufya.
Mr Chilufya said according to the 2013 Zambia Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) progress report, women’s low socioeconomic status and reproductive role expose them to risks of poor health and premature death.
He stressed that the high maternal mortality rate in the country is rooted in gender inequality.
Meanwhile, Mr Chilufya has observed that most girls have no access to sexual reproductive health information and services hence the high cases of adolescent pregnancies.
ZANIS

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Farmers who engage in banana schemes are better off than those who grow maize-Panji Kaunda

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President Michael Chilufya Sata talks to Transport, Communications deputy minister Panji Kaunda (r)

Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Deputy Minister Panji Kaunda has implored small scale farmers to practice crop diversification and stop depending on maize growing.
Speaking in a telephone interview with ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Kaunda said small scale farmers should venture in growing others crops such as bananas and cassava.
He explained that most farmers fail to diversify from maize because of the farmer input support programme.
Mr Kaunda observed that most farmers depend on farmer input support programme hence their unwillingness to diversify into other crops.
The deputy minister cited banana growing as one of the schemes that can enable small scale farmers earn a living.
He insisted that farmers who engage in banana schemes are better off than farmers who grow maize on an annual bases.
Mr Kaunda explained that banana farmers don’t need to replant compared to maize farmers thereby serving on resources.
He said local farmers should consider engaging in growing crops that will make Zambia become a producing country.
Mr Kaunda said once Zambia becomes a food basket the dollar will be weak compared to the kwacha.

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NGOs registration extended again

Minister for Community
Development, Mother and Child Health Dr. Joseph Katema

Government has again extended the registration period for Non governmental organizations (NGOs) under the NGO Act no.16 of 2009 by sixty days effective 4th February to 5th May 2014.
Community Development,Mother and Child Health Minister Joseph Katema has made in the announcement in a statement issued to QFM News.
Dr Katema said the extension is to allow the NGOs that collected registration forms but were unable to submit them before the deadline on 3rd February to do so.
He said NGOs that did not commence the registration process before the deadline of 3rd February,2014 can apply for registration as long as they complete the process with the stipulated timeframe.
Dr Katema has warned that the NGOs that will not abide by the provisions of the law as stipulated in Section 10 on the prohibition of operation by an NGO not registered in accordance with the Act, will face appropriate action as stipulated by law.
He however clarified that those that wish to register new NGOs can proceed to do so as the deadline for registration does not apply to them.
[QFM]

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