South Asia Citizens Web

The Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign invites you and your organization to the Fifth National Convention on the Right to Food and Work in Ahmedabad from 1-3 March 2014. The last convention was organized in Rourkela, Odisha, in July 2010 where more than 2500 people from 18 States participated. The context of the last convention was to push for a comprehensive food security law.

By doing nothing, institutions foster hostile sexual environments.

We express strong outrage at the Indian government’s reaction to the case of visa fraud and exploitation of her domestic worker against Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade in the United States. In its dealing of the case, the Indian government has sought only to protect the reputation of Ms. Khobragade, and has shown a complete lack of respect for the underlying issue – that of the abuse and exploitation of a domestic worker by a senior official.

The arrests by Indian Coastguards and MSA have increased manifold in the recent months since the monsoon trawl ban has been lifted in September 2013. This is not surprising considering the rude reality that whenever the India-Pakistan border posts on land heats up with the firing between forces, the waters boil too! Hundreds have been arrested and put behind bars, most of them being Indian fishermen, now in Pakistani jails.
For years, groups including Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD), National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF), and other citizens groups have been working relentlessly towards a permanent settlement to the issue of arrests and ‘cross-border fishing’. However, both governments continue to treat the issue as a hostage to settle other disputes and scores.

The Indian government’s reaction to the case of visa fraud and exploitation of her domestic worker against Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade in the United States is outrageous. In its dealing of the case, the Indian government is only seeking to protect the dignity and honour of Ms. Khobragade, and has shown a complete lack of respect for the underlying issue – that of the abuse and exploitation of a domestic worker by a senior official. What Ms. Khobragade has done is not an uncommon practice among diplomats and government officials. It is difficult to expose such crimes as domestic workers, in their vulnerable and terrified state, are unable to bring such employers to justice.
While the alleged strip search that Ms. Khobragade was subjected to is condemnable, the outrage over her arrest and mistreatment by officials cannot camouflage the deeper questions raised by the case.