Battle for Mali

This was the CNN banner headline a few days ago as a United Nations-mandated multi-national force sought to expel alleged Al Qaeda-allied Islamist rebels from this West African State. This is an exciting development which students of international geopolitics will certainly follow as the fall of Mali may lead to the establishment of a terrorist sanctuary in the heart of Africa. 

But this is not the topic I really wanted to take up.  Rather, if you pronounce the country’s name fast, it will sound like the Tagalog word for “wrong.” This came to mind amidst the continuing robust debate (but which degenerated to below the belt mudslinging) in the Senate on the uneven distribution of “Christmas gifts.”  

I thought that the original issue was fairly simple: Should the Senate continue with its “tradition” of using its savings as additional MOOE for its members which can then be liquidated by mere certification? Yes, there are lingering questions in respect of the legality or the equity of the partition (or even the alleged hypocrisy of the whistle blowers) but the main point is in respect of the “tradition’s” propriety particularly given the much publicized Senate investigations castigating how the military and the judiciary had bonused out their own savings in the past. And if this cloud is not cleared, it will certainly impact the institution’s credibility to conduct investigations on public corruption in the future.      

It is ironic that the dirty linen was displayed after the book “The Honor of the Senate: 44 Days of an Impeachment Trial” was launched last Tuesday. The good will generated by the latter is slowly dissipating. To help regain its stature, it must act fast, bearing in mind that the battle should not be for “Mali” but for “Tama.”

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Damini. The Hindi word for “lightning.” It is also the people’s moniker for the 23-year-old rape — and now murder — victim in New Delhi last December 16. In a shocking display of human depravity, her six attackers raped and tortured her with an iron rod which they inserted into her private parts, after first using it to beat her and a male companion senseless. They were then unceremoniously dumped on the side of the road. She died two weeks later in a Singaporean hospital.

Words will not provide solace to the grieving family of poor Damini, but perhaps Justice will help set her soul at ease. The suspects have all been caught and are currently undergoing trial. While the details regarding the case are kept strictly confidential, the potential penalty being faced is death by hanging. If this happens it will be only the second time India has imposed the death penalty in eight years, the first occurring two months ago when it meted a death sentence to the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Nothing can ever replace the hole Damini’s loss has left in her parents’ lives, yet should her attackers be convicted, I would hope that the latter would take some small comfort in the knowledge that these men may never again harm another woman the way they hurt her.

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According to its National Crime Records Bureau, there is an Indian woman being raped every 22 minutes. Cultural stigma and fear of social rejection have kept many victims from coming out against their attackers, yet as gender violence has gotten more prevalent the victims have begun to find their voice. In fact, according to recent statistics, the number of reported rapes in India had increased from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 out of 586,500,000 women in 2011. This translates to a ratio of 4 out of every 1,000 Indian women being raped.

In comparison, the reported number of rape cases in the Philippines in 2011 was 1,283 out of 50,853,887 women. This means that 3 out of every 1,000 Filipinas are victims of rape. However, the Philippine Commission on Women recognizes that the recorded statistics of rape victims is not an accurate representation of the abused as countless victims continue to choose to live silently in pain for fear of their tormentors, or to simply avoid the social stigma.

Since the attack against Damini, Indian women have begun taking up arms to defend themselves, with self-defense groups such as Invictus reporting a 40 percent increase in enrollments. Companies themselves have taken a more proactive stance in protecting their female employees thru week-long self-defense workshops, especially for those employees working late shifts. The need for services which cater to and protect women has sprung up in recent years, with a “women-only” taxi company “Sakha Cab Services” reporting an increase in number of cab bookings by 35 percent over the last month alone. But perhaps the most good would come from a cultural change of mindset. The burden of responsibility for rape needs to be shifted from the women to the men. Women should not be blamed due to the clothes that they wear, the company they keep, or the late hours they keep. A protester’s placard said it all when she wrote:  â€œDON'T GET RAPED.”

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Hope peddler: Cancer survivor and peddler of hope Anita Moorjani is in Manila this weekend holding back to back seminars at the RCBC Plaza today and Makati Shangri-La tomorrow both from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Moorjani is the author of the New York Times best seller “Dying to be Me” which chronicles her journey from cancer to near death to true healing. UCPB, the CIIF Oil Mills Group, Cocolife and UCPBGen have sponsored a limited number of tickets to be given to cancer victims and their family members or those going through a rough patch in their lives. Those interested in attending the seminar may SMS 0918-828-1000.

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Greetings: Birth anniversary best wishes to mega businessman Alfredo Ramos, Shangri-La Boracay marketing director Melissa Ledesma and multi-awarded broadcaster Ted Failon’s Ate Tess Reyes.

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“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

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