Siddharth Chatterjee: Perspectives-My work in the United Nations, the Red Cross and the Indian Army

I was honored to co-author with  British High Commissioner to Kenya, Dr Christian Turner this opinion piece to mark Zero Tolerance Day to rnf Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya. On December 12, 2014, hundreds of young Samburu girls held a march in Maralal to protest against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Meanwhile, just a few kilometers away, a delegation of elders from Samburu came together to voice their total opposition to any efforts to end FGM in their community. Unfortunately, this remains a common refrain. Within many ethnic groups in Kenya, as elsewhere, FGM is a practice deeply embedded in traditional and cultural norms.  Here is the link. http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/national-strategy-finally-eliminate-fgm-kenya

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first Independence Day speech took on the topic of rape. He told parents, "to do a better job of raising their sons." As a culture, Indians continue to value their sons over their daughters. Boys are taught that girls are subordinate to them. They are shown that girls do not deserve the same amount of education, do not enjoy the same rights and do not matter as much as boys. My take in Huffington Post India: http://www.huffingtonpost.in/siddharth-chatterjee/two-years-after-the-delhi_b_6281156.html

Fear has gripped Kenya’s northeastern Mandera County.  On December 2, Islamic militants attacked a quarry near Mandera town and executed 36 innocent workers, just days after the  hijacking  of a Nairobi-bound bus outside the town and the killing of 28 passengers. As a result of the insecurity, public servants -- especially teachers and doctors, who suffered the brunt of the bus attack -- are leaving Mandera.  My OP-ED in Reuters http://www.trust.org/item/20141202164658-xlpzv/?source=shtw

When you Google images of "FGM girls" you would be shocked at the eye popping and stomach churning images. The brutality inflicted on young girls in tragic. Nashiru, a practitioner of female genital mutilation (FGM) in a Maasai community in Kenya, says, "Cutting girls is something our people have done for hundreds of years. No one can convince us that it is wrong".  But Kenya can change this and can serve as a model for other countries where the scourge of FGM continues. My take. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/female-genital-mutilation_6_b_5851806.html

My opinion piece togther with Dr Abbas Gullet, Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross. Advancing the maternal and child health agenda in Kenya requires collective action from the international development community, donors and local organizations and communities. Together we must ensure that mothers survive childbirth and ensure children have a safe and healthy start to life. Delivering on this agenda is within our reach --'no woman should die giving life' http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abbas-gullet/maternal-health-in-kenya_b_5228421.html

Starting on Monday, April 7, 2014 more than 800 million voters began to cast their ballots at 930,000 polling stations in the first phase of an election process that will last for more than six weeks. This arrives at the end of a particularly ugly campaign cycle where politicians have traded allegations and counter-allegations of corruption. It is clear that unless corruption becomes the most important election issue for the average citizen when going to the polls, things are unlikely to change. Indeed, it is our civil society and 'we, the people' who have to stand up peacefully and resist corruption. Here is the Link. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/corruptionan-epidemic-of-_b_5083293.html

March 8, 2014 was International Women's Day. It also marked the 39th year since the United Nations declared the year 1975 as the International Women's Year. This year's theme is, "Equality for women is progress for all." But what does this day mean for India's women? My take. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/international-womens-day-_15_b_4853058.html