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

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, an average of  92 women are raped in India every day . A survey compiled by the Thomson Reuters Foundation lists the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Somalia as the  five worst states for women’s rights  in descending order. The Indian armed forces instil powerful leadership skills in their ranks that don’t vanish on retirement, combined with a deep sense of honour and discipline. Moreover, veterans who have retired often still feel a sense of purpose and service that can be channelled into upholding the rights of women and girls. This then serves a dual purpose – that of furthering human rights and equality in India and that of providing ex-service personnel a sense of community and usefulness. They can add value by becoming champions by speaking up at the community level for the rights of women and girls, supporting and assisting local authorities in a massive advocacy campaign ...

As the UNDP Administrator,  Ms Helen Clark remarked , “Women are powerful agents of change – and empowering women benefits whole societies.”  A good place to begin is empowering Kenya’s youth, especially girls. The multiplier effect of girls’ education on several aspects of development is now well documented.  Education reduces high fertility rates, lowers infant and child mortality rates, lowers maternal mortality rates and increases labour force participation. Empowering, educating and employing Kenya’s women and girls  will launch our economy to new heights and ensure Kenya reaps a demographic dividend. His Excellency,  President Uhuru Kenyatta , has stressed that “Progress for women is progress for all …….”  For development to be sustainable and resilient, it must be inclusive and equitable, given that half of humanity are women, their empowerment is a must and not an option. My take: http://news.trust.org/item/20160412063631-p302r/ ...

The concept of “health as a bridge for peace” may be resonating in this county, which has seen the scourge of internecine conflicts and cross border attacks. In her paper  'Health as Bridge for Peace'  presented in Paris in 1997, Judith Large introduced the concept of health care as bridge for peace. In her typology of violence she coined the term structural violence. She argues that structural violence is not always synonymous with armed conflict. “The nexus between effective health services and security is now becoming clearer. An adequate and equitable health care system gives an essential form of security and we are quite optimistic that this project is the beginning of a new narrative for communities here,” says Mandera County Governor Ali Roba. According to WHO, it works even better when all actors get involved in post-war reconstruction. What happens is that health workers, a key pillar in delivering health programmes in conflict and post-conflict situations...

An incendiary and violent jobs reservation protest by young people from a community known as Jats in Haryana was close to bringing the capital of India, New Delhi to a standstill. Is this an ominous sign of social upheaval that looms in the horizon? Henrik Urdal of the Harvard Kennedy School  finds that globally, it is nearly all young men who fight in wars or commit violent crimes and found that a "youth bulge" made them more strife-prone. When 15-24-year-olds made up more than 35% of the adult population--as is common in developing countries--the risk of conflict was 150% higher than with a rich-country age profile. My take: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/indias-youth-a-blessing-o_b_9288120.html

When President Barack Obama made his  first visit to Kenya as US President last year , one of the poignant messages he left was an exhortation for communities to shun cultures that degrade women and girls.  “Imagine if you have a team and don’t let half of the team play. That makes no sense,” he said, referring to the denial of opportunities for women to fully participate in development. The president’s message could not have been more pertinent, coming as it did when the country, like most of Africa, is thinking how to reap a ‘ demographic dividend’  – or boost in economic productivity – from its declining fertility rate and growing youthful population. This occurs if the number of people in the workforce increases relative to the number of dependents. Countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong also called the “Asian Tigers” lifted millions out of poverty by lowering dependency ratio. Individuals and families were abl...

Mothers in northern Kenya with their children at a free medical clinic - photo credit Islamic Relief Kenya is one of the countries where maternal health is still lagging far behind.  It is ranked among the 10 most dangerous countries for a woman to be pregnant and give birth.  21 women die every day due to preventable pregnancy-related complications, while 1 in 19 children never live to see their fifth birthday. Kenya has a tremendous opportunity to do even more to help women and children have better healthcare, and so improve their lives.  That’s why at the beginning of December 2015, partners from Government of Kenya, the UN, civil society, private sector and development institutions came together for a workshop organized by the World Economic Forum, Ministry of Health Kenya, World Bank and UNFPA. The workshop was to forge a new way ahead to discuss a roadmap for partnerships that can  leapfrog  the health care services for improving the health stat...

Women in Meru county examine a Menstrual cup. Photo Credit: Wikimedia commons. The onset of menstruation is a landmark event in the life of a young woman. Yet many complications and challenges accompany such an event. One in 10 adolescent girls miss school and eventually drop out due to menstruation-related issues. As we celebrate a new year, the best gift we can give our girls is an action-plan backed resolution in 2016 that this will no longer be their lot.  Sanitary pads or  menstrual cups  must be priced reasonably.   There’s no force more powerful for transforming a society than an educated girl.  Any steps taken to eliminate circumstances that keep girls out of school can only be beneficial to our collective future. My take: http://www.trust.org/item/20160105072140-7w38h/?source=shtw