Editorial [ The Kathmandu Post (Nepal)]

A dar al-Islam

The Taliban in Afghanistan, which has already earned international censure for fundamentalist extremism, has now imposed a "Nazi-like label" on Hindus living for generations in that country to distinguish them from the Muslim community. This immediately raises a host of questions. Does this not directly undermine the fundamental human rights of a minority, besides heralding a policy of religious intolerance? Has the Taliban done this with the aim of eventually evicting the Hindus and barring them from their dar al-Islam or land of Islam? Is the Taliban regime really out to convert Afghanistan into a dar al-Islam? By imposing the religious label, the Taliban has not only indicated that it considers Hinduism an alien religion but also shown religious intolerance. Although different communities will have different faiths, modern day civilisation in a comity of nations requires that certain fundamental rights and values be respected by all and sundry. This is what the Taliban have patently failed to do.

Taliban, the Pakistan trained religious fundamentalists’ group ruling Afghanistan since 1996, has ordered members of the Hindu minority in that country to wear a yellow piece of cloth on their shirt pockets. While the Taliban authorities would have it that this would make it easier for Hindus to avoid the strict religious regime that they are imposing on the rest of Afghan society, it is more likely to encourage minority prosecution. The order is so specific that Hindus would be easily identified wherever they go in Afghanistan. It is also indicative that Hindus may no longer be welcome in a society whose dominant faith is a proselytising one, and especially so, one would tend to suspect, under a fundamentalist dispensation. It also smacks odiously of a similar religious label imposed on Jews by Nazi Germany during the second world war. Jews were forced to wear yellow Stars of David. That eventually made it easy to tell them apart from Germans and other native populations when it came to deportation to the concentration camps.

Although things have not yet come to that in Afghanistan, the 50 thousand Hindus there have been reduced to 500 within ten years. Had there been religious tolerance, the Hindus, who once had considered Afghanistan their home, would not have become so few. Now the question is where have they all gone. Have they left Afghanistan as a result of religious intolerance or have they suffered a worse fate?

Earlier, the fanatic Taliban regime destroyed two giant statues of the Buddha carved out of a cliff side during the third and fifth centuries. This was done because, as chief Taliban religious leader Omar Mulla claimed, Islam does not allow worship of idols. Such an act of destruction of cultural heritage in the name of religion is against human civilisation. It takes one back to the Arab maraunders before and after the invasion of the Indian sub-continent. Ghori plundered temples, Aurangzeb and Ghazni destroyed age-old cultural heritage sites and Khiljis slaughtered Hindus to convert the subcontinent to a dar al-Islam. The Taliban appears no better. Religious fanaticism in this or any other form is not acceptable.

Operation, not war

By Nagendra Chhetri

Although the constitutionally existing government is emphasizing operational imperatives which necessitate enhancement of the capability and potential of the armed policy by restructuring and reorganizing it to give it a greater punch in forthcoming counterinsurgency operations, it has not taken that shape yet. With chances for the peace strategy ie, negotiations/talks between the democratic forces and the Maoist leaders looking slim and far fetched or increasingly infirm, non-initiation of encounters right now looks impossible.

The dilemma confronting the general public today is whether to fully support the proletariat dictatorial ideology or to wait for manna from heaven to deliver something through the multiparty democratic system. Therefore, the civil-military leadership must work together in an operation other than war, if not external forces and their intelligent agencies will turn this country into their playground. The best and final solution to the problem is talks /negotiations. No other alternative could be as fruitful as talks.

Nepal right now is embroiled in ideas regarded as subversive of the existing constitutional political, social and economic order. In the existing conditions, we have nothing to be proud of but are forced to choose between the bad and worse. Therefore, it is hard for us not to be critical about the phase that politics is passing through. If the choice is between the bad and the worse what is the use of voting or changing the government or practising pluralistic values?

Although the call to the major opposition forces to join hands in its internal security and development package (ISDP) programme has been rejected, the government has decided with the consent of the King to mobilize the army to participate in the operation other than war ie, counterinsurgency operations or a battle of hearts and minds in the Maoist-infested areas. This operation falls well short of shooting anyone as the enemy and the army is involved in the day to day lives of the people. Operations other than war are civil-military activities in which the application of military experience and skill are also used on occasions in order to maintain stability or to prevent bloodshed. The whole aim is to help and assist the constitutionally existing government and provide security to the developmental activities in those areas.

As far as the internal security and development package (ISDP) is concerned, there are no doctrinal terms in the civil-military relationship, a relationship which is crucial for the smooth running of developmental projects and simultaneous security management in a given area. The most glaring absence of any official pamphlet or publication on civil military relationship and near absence of any mechanism to coordinate the military contribution within an overall unorthodox environment, speaks of little or no understanding of the concept of insurgency and counterinsurgency operations on the part of the political front. The local delivery agencies, development work and security agencies should be on the ground together simultaneously. The reserve and reinforcement must be on stand-by to support whenever necessary. This is not happening even in Gorkha, supposed to be a model for ISDP. An experienced, clean, dynamic person with a bright future is a simple must as coordinator, which is utterly lacking in the present scenario.

"If you wish for peace, understand war particularly the guerrilla and subversive forms of war." For the students of operations other than war, the legal constraints and connection between the civil authorities and military has always been a sensitive area and one that has evoked much discussion. In olden days, the legal position of troops was more firm and simple and straightforward. In recent days, there have arisen many complicated legal nuances between the different forms of insurrections, insurgencies, revolutions, counterinsurgency and counter-revolution. There are many humanitarian agencies, I/NGOs, human rights groups and Geneva Conventions with which a military commander should be thoroughly conversant before taking operational decisions for tactical purposes.

In practising operations other than war the politico-military leadership is required to reflect and imagine placing due emphasis on the intellectual and psychological aspects of operations not simply on the material resources. Of course, material resources are factors, particularly in remote, inaccessible and poorer areas of Nepal which determine the outcome of counterinsurgency operations but one should put the major focus on people and their ideas. In the context of counterinsurgency operation, an operation other than war means a politically motivated ideological move aiming at identifying and breaking down the insurgents cohesion by applying concentrated but discrete constitutional force. The critical target for use of ideological force could be its chain of command, means of communication, logistics and administrative echelons and the people’s support. Identifying and addressing the root causes of uprising, revolution, frustration and dissatisfaction and providing local employment opportunity and secure sleep with two square meals a day are the very basics of the internal security and development package scheme. If the critical weaknesses of the government are hit the government agencies should also apply the tactics of "diamond cuts diamond." A tactics of surprise, unrelenting pressure, simultaneity and unflinching determination are used to overwhelm and unhinge the insurgents to bring about a complete collapse of will to fight. The aim is to break a united front at the leadership level and cadres and force a political defeat creating ideal conditions for negotiation in order to reintegrate insurgents into the constitutional fold of the national mainstream. Security forces are involved in counterinsurgency operations not to train their gun at any Nepalese citizen but to protect the lives and property of the people of Nepal.

In an insurgency and counterinsurgency situation, people are always divided into three main groups. The extremist group is the insurgents themselves and those working for the constitutional government is another group. The large majority of the people are sitting on the fence not deciding what to do but waiting to join the winning side. They are the target groups where the battle of hearts and minds is conducted and operations other than war are fought. Psychological operation, civil affairs, civic action and media warfare are directed and concentrated focusing on this target. As intelligence, psychological warfare and media warfare are the deciding factors of the battle of hearts and minds this is the main source and target of the counterinsurgency operation.

A clear, simple and precise constitutional mandate to the security forces, a complete understanding of the civil military concept of internal security and development of an integrated approach to the Maoist problem and clear cut policy guidelines for the surrendered and detached ones are the prerequisite of ISDP. The authorities must draw up overall policy on general amnesty, reintegration and rehabilitation in the early part of the counterinsurgency operation and humanitarian activities needed in the field.

In a parliamentary system like ours, the government keeps on changing and the ruling party goes to the opposition bench. Therefore the continuous support and commitment from all political fronts are sought for the successful conduct of the ISDP operations. This is where the unquestioned importance of a permanent, apolitical (unpoliticised) body of experts and the experienced like the National Security Council comes in.

An extremely mind bugging and burning question today in Nepal is why cannot the Maoists and ruling leaders sit down together if they are all committed to the complete wellbeing of Nepal and Nepalese? One does not trust the other and everybody seems to play a little dirty trick against the other. The political leadership must protect this country from becoming a battleground for external forces and their intelligent agencies. If the political leadership including Maoists have not learnt a lesson from 1950, 1960, 1980 and 1990 to keep this country independent and sovereign then they better learn now. Will they accept foreign powers to mediate in our internal problems and again attach strings to undermine our sovereignty? Don’t we realize this sinister design is in store? There are many but clear indications within the last six years that the Maoists are being played against the government and vice versa. They don’t want to see this country stable, prosperous and standing on its own feet.

Kathmandu No 2

By Razen

Why should there be only one capital in each country? This could be a new brainstorming question for new kids in schools. Instead this has become a burning issue in Kathmandu. If one seat is not enough for a party president, one job is not enough for a government employ and if one wife is not enough for a grotesque husband, how can one country be satisfied with one capital? And especially in the context of the changing scenario of the country, it is high time to think about many capitals.

The capital is one but its are abundant. This is not fair. If doing justice to all, we need to build a score of Kathmandus immediately. But, the problem is that nobody is really interested in launching this programme, much more urgent than poverty elimination and the Integrated Security Development package.

I urge the government to take steps to build at least one more Kathmandu, considering the benefits for various classes of people.

The new capital will be bandh (closed) throughout the year. There will be an office where political parties will register their name and buy the date for shutdown. The office will help the party announce bandh after a leader goes there and fills in an application form. A big bulletin board outside, displaying the names of the parties, days and reasons (if any). The registration will be on the first-come-first-serve basis. Those who do not have any professions except "doing pultiks" and used to living on friend’s mercy before 2046 BS will be allowed to buy the plots. All the building materials, furniture, vehicles etc. will be duty free.

No public land will be left where green grass could grow. There will be no temples, no water spouts, no ponds or no play grounds. Because these are not the needs of the politicians. They will instead erect the "idols" of the ruling prime minister or party presidents at every crossroads, that will be replaced by the new ones right after the ruler changes. Each of the street will be named by leading politicians, which will also be changed in the aftermath of cabinet hurricane. This capital will give the top priority to julush-makers. They are the only group of people working sincerely in the last decade. Similarly, this is the only work being done without fear of corruption, arrears and without inviting tenders. There will be no restrictions on torch-rallies either.

The public in general always frown at those leaders who have no guts to stop the prime minister’s car and disturb the busy people (who do not earn bread by doing politics). But cheer up, this city will have a chakka-jam, that will last forever. The youths will go to special schools but instead of studying, they will study new techniques of burning vehicles, pelting stones, breaking bars and smearing black paints on the teachers’ faces.

Violence at work place and nurses’ role

By Jamuna Tamrakar Sayami

Violence is the main cause of morbidity and premature mortality worldwide. WHO task force on violence and health defines violence: "The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual against oneself, another person or against a group, or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development or deprivation". Each year, more than two million people die of injuries due to violence. Many more survive permanent disability (WHO, Violence against women 1997). Interpersonal violence is the third leading cause of death among the people, ages 15 to 44. It is estimated that the injury and violence contribute 14.5 percent burden of disease in developed countries and 15.2 percent in developing countries.

At least, one in five of the world’s female population has been physically or sexually abused by a man at some time during one’s lifetime. This includes pregnant woman and girls who are subject to severe sustained or repeated attacks (WHO fact sheet No 241, June 2000). Consequences of violence could be manifested in a wide variety of health problems, which include mental health problems, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and behavioural problems. Violence takes many forms, ranging from child abuse and neglect, to bullying at schools or at work places, violence against women, sexual assault, rape or homicide. The impact of physical violence, verbal abuse and sexual harassment is of great concern in view of its prevalence and extremely negative consequences.

Domestic violence describes destructive behaviours perpetuated by partners and former partners, family members, household members and other close personal relationships. It ranges from physical abuse to sexual assault or rape and psychological abuse, including intimidation, harassment, damage to property, threats to kill or harm, restraints of normal activities or freedom and denial of access to resources.

Violence against health care personnel is increasing. More assaults occur in health care and social service industries than in any other sectors. Health care settings are filled with various activities and are highly emotional. This involves close interaction among health personnel, patient and family members. Nurses are three times more likely to be the victims of violence in work place than other professionals. The prevalence of violence against nursing personnel is of great concern. A study conducted in Pennsylvania (USA) found that 36 percent of the emergency room nurses responding, had been physically assaulted at least once in the past 12 months, while only 6 percent of probation and parole officers surveyed, had been physically assaulted during the same period.

Violence at work place, includes production industries like garments, carpets, recreation industries like hotels, restaurants and beer bars where mostly girls are employed as labour force and service caterer.

Fifty restaurants and bars visited by a investigation team reported that girls working as waitresses are being treated as prostitutes by customers even though they are there just for service only. Many of the waitresses had their story that they were coerced into prostitution, states an investigative report on exploitation of girls in Restaurants/bars in Kathmandu. Other examples of violent behaviour in work places are bullying, mobbing, victimizing, intimidation, threats, ostracism, sending offensive messages, rude gesture, interfering with work equipment’s, hostile behaviour, homicide, rape, wounding, physical attack, kicking, biting, punching, spiting, squeezing, pinching, stalking and harassment including sexual and racial (ILO, World of Work, No 26 Set/Oct 1998). Risk factors for violence at health care settings and other social service workers include unrestricted movements of public in clinics and hospitals, growing presence of organized gang groups, drug alcohol abusers, dissatisfied family members and visitors. Long waits in OPDs and emergency rooms to obtain care lead to frustrations. Low staffing levels in hospitals, dealing with patients, families and visitors who are in stress, grief and pain make things even worse.

A situation analysis of Violence Against Women and Girls in Nepal reported that among 1250 respondents, 95 percent of respondents attested to first hand knowledge of VAW and G incidents. In 77 percent of cases, perpetrators were reported to be the members of the family. Most VAW and G cases occur at night. Reporting on types of VAW and G on the prevalence of a psychological form of violence was very high along with the existence of mental and emotional torture being reported by 93 percent, while 48 percent expressed knowing about sexual harassment in public and work places.

Beating was the most common form of physical violence (82 percent), followed by rape (30 percent), and forced prostitution (28 percent). Polygamy was reported by 64 percent, and can be taken as the most prevalent form of traditional VAW and G. The study also reported that two leading causes of VAW & G were economic hardships (52 percent) and alcoholic abuse (49 percent), followed by torture in police custody (48 percent). Women’s economic dependency on their spouses and extended family were primary reasons (73 percent), not reporting against the violence followed by lack of education and family integrity (49 percent). (A Situation Analysis of Violence Against Women and Girls in Nepal, SAATHI, 1997)

Nurses’ role on intervention of violence in all its forms and settings requires concerted efforts from various sections of society, and must be at the forefront to combat violence and create safe environment of living and working. This can be done in two ways: organizing group through effective networking and through community and resource mobilization by coordinating different sectors to initiate activities against violence.

Developing and maintaining contacts with women’s groups and other governmental and non-governmental agencies help to build support for women experiencing violence. Similarly, measures for promoting a culture of non-violence, advocacy and awareness building measures, training, legal reforms and supportive legislation, monitoring intervention and measures, data collection and analysis, early identification of high risk families and communities are also needed. As being a direct care provider/counsellor, a nurse should create a supportive non-judgmental environment to let the victim open up to tell her story.

Summing up, violence is not only a national problem, it is also a global problem. Hence this year’s International Nurses Day is being celebrated with the theme "Nurses are always there for you: united against violence". The ICN condemns all forms of abuse and violence against nursing personnel, including sexual harassment, which are considered to be a violation of nurses’ rights to personal dignity and integrity.