| February 27, 2003 | Thursday | Zul Hijjah 25, 1423 |
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The curse of ‘vani’
Congo fever again
THE Non-Aligned Movement sent out a strong anti-war signal on Tuesday, at the conclusion of its thirteenth summit in Kuala Lumpur. The meeting of 116 developing nations, held at a time when the crisis over Iraq is at its peak, came out strongly against any unilateral action against Iraq and stressed the need to work multilaterally under the aegis of the UN to find a solution to the crisis. However, it also called on Iraq to actively cooperate with the UN weapons inspectors. Given the significance of the Iraq issue, a separate statement, focusing solely on the subject, was issued. The statement condemning the unilateral use of force is particularly significant given the wide spectrum of opinion that NAM represents. There was obviously considerable debate over the wording of the statement, with certain countries a little nervous about an outright condemnation of the US. The statement adds to the growing crescendo of protests against war, especially one that is launched without UN sanction. Representing most of the nations of the developing world, NAM’s morally and politically upright position on the issue may not have much bearing on whether or not the US goes to war but it certainly serves to underline the depth of feeling worldwide against such an act. The summit agreed that any war on Iraq “will be a destabilizing factor for the whole region and that it would have far-reaching political, economic and humanitarian consequences for all the countries of the world.” The statement also reaffirmed NAM’s commitment to achieve a peaceful solution of the crisis and welcomed all efforts aimed at averting a war.
Also present at the summit were six members of the UN Security Council, who are set to vote on a new resolution tabled by the US, Britain and Spain that could provide UN cover to an attack on Iraq. While Iraq dominated much of the debate at the summit, there were also expressions of concern over the situation in the Korean peninsula and the Middle East. A major portion of the joint statement also focused on the need to provide debt relief to the poorest nations of the world and on the unfair nature of the globalization process. The summit expressed its alarm over the growing debt burden on a number of developing countries, especially in Africa. With the quantity of aid declining and little or no foreign investment, many of these countries are in dire straits and need urgent relief.
The statement called for a “temporary standstill” on debt repayment to allow these countries some breathing space. It also deplored the marginalization of developing countries by the globalization process. Malaysia, the host nation and chairman of NAM, must be commended for steering the summit skilfully and getting a strong message across to the developed world. If one of the aims of the summit was to revitalize the organization and formulate a united stand against political and economic domination by the richer nations, the summit was clearly a success.
THE Punjab assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday asking the government to outlaw the custom of ‘vani’, whereby female members of the family of male offenders are forced to marry into the victim’s family as reparation or penance. ‘Vani’ is widely practised in the rural hinterland as a customary way of settling disputes and debts between clans and tribes. The despicable practice claims many women and minor girls as victims annually even though it is rarely reported. Last year, the Supreme Court took notice of two such cases in Punjab; the victims were swiftly provided relief and saved from becoming part of the ‘ransom’ settlement for the crimes they never committed. Presiding over a session of the National Judicial Policy-Making Committee in December last, the Chief Justice categorically declared ‘vani’ to be a crime punishable under the Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. Articles 310 and 338-E of the Pakistan Penal Code also prohibit the practices falling under the infamous custom, including marriages of minors.
The passage of the resolution moved by a woman MPA in the Punjab Assembly, thus, has a symbolic significance, even though no new law is needed to ban practices associated with ‘vani’ because the statutes clearly list these as punishable offences. The unanimous passage of the resolution, however, shows how women members of the legislatures can take up issues that directly affect the lives of half the country’s population. There is a lot that needs to be done in a country where 4,485 cases of women’s abuse were reported only last year. The Hudood Ordinances, the Law of Evidence and the Qisas and Diyat Ordinances, for instance, are discriminatory in spirit and application and deny women their right to equality before law.
Women lawmakers could certainly play a crucial role in initiating repeal and amendment where necessary and also in focusing on problems, customs and practices unjustly affecting women’s status, interests and rights in society.
PLAYING with their goats during the recent Eidul Azha proved fatal for two brothers, one aged three and the other five, who are suspected to have died from the deadly tick-borne disease commonly known as Congo Fever at the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. A few days earlier, a woman who died at the Rawalpindi General Hospital was also suspected to have been infected with the same virus, which is transmitted to man from the bites of ticks found in animals like cows, goats and sheep. This is the second consecutive year Congo Fever has surfaced in Rawalpindi. About the same time last year, also after Eidul Azha, two women had died of Congo Fever, one of whom was a lady doctor who had been treating an infected woman (The virus also spreads from person to person through direct contact with contaminated blood and secretions of infected patients). The very first case of Congo Fever in Pakistan was reported in 1976 in Rawalpindi in which a surgeon had died.
This time, however, the diagnosis of the disease was more timely, and both hospitals in Rawalpindi have quickly taken the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection. There is hope in the fact that with timely detection and diagnosis and proper medication, the disease can be cured. This year’s death of the two young brothers and the woman could have been avoided if the local clinics where they had gone first for treatment — initial symptoms are similar to flu with fever and vomiting — had been able to diagnose the disease and administered timely treatment. To prevent further tragedies from Congo Fever, the health authorities should launch a public awareness campaign and train general practitioners to make clinical diagnoses of Congo Fever and to treat every suspected case with utmost care. It should also educate the public, especially those handling livestock, about the importance of handling their animals with caution.