Monthly Update February, 2007
PAKISTAN
Water: The affectees of Taunsa Barrage Remodeling Project in Southern Punjab started an indefinite hunger strike in front of the World Bank building in Islamabad, to protest against the Banks induced Taunsa Barrage Emergency Rehabilitation and Modernization Project (TBERMP) demanding the formation of an enquiry commission on the project that caused loss of livelihood, shelter, canals closure, river erosion and displacement in the name of resettlement.
Dozens of women, men and children from the affected communities including in-land Fisherfolk, indigenous people, and civil society accused the World Bank of backtracking from their commitment to give due compensation and a proper living to these communities forcibly displaced. They also accused the Irrigation Department of the government of Punjab of demanding bribe from them for providing them jobs and land for resettlement. The strike continued for five days and was concluded on a peaceful march followed by a press conference. Two dozen community members from Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts that have been violated by the project sat in the hunger strike camp and were supported by numerous social and political activists from the twin cities.
Women's Rights: The project for empowering home based workers established seven new cooperatives in addition to the four cooperatives working in the cooperative areas in Sindh and Punjab. There are some improvements in the lives of Home based women workers, some of them bring their work to the cooperative for example in some there is an element of collective community thinking on issues and struggle to find ways of dealing with their problems thanks to the leadership trainings conducted. They were happy to be members of the cooperatives as this was a place most of them found to relieve their tensions and vent their feelings. Some are greatly benefiting from community kitchen food, for them and their families food is bought at subsidized rates, which caters to 10-15 people a day. They are directly linked with investors through this cooperative and have been able to negotiate better rates with no interference from the middleman. Skill trainings are also imparted on a minimum fee as compared to the high market rates. Within the cooperative there is a working committee responsible for direct linkages with the market and factories and also a kitchen committee.
The women workers are benefiting from the community kitchen as one of the worker said that we can fight but poverty and price hikes in essential items makes us powerless, we want to demonstrate against rising prices. Some said that the regional conference in Islamabad has raised their spirits "at least some body is talking about our problems". The members are still struggling with their individual problems the community spirit is yet to be seen with time hopefully they will organize collectively.
Women in Pakistan are in initial stage of their participation in political and social fields and the ruthless murder of Ms.Zille Huma Usman Punjab Minister for Social Welfare triggered a huge wave of shock and terror in the country especially among the women folks. These violent and brutal killings can be a hurdle in this process because it is discouraging for women who are participating in all such fields. ActionAid organized a seminar to condemn such events and to encourage the women who are participating especially in political process. A healthy number of women and civil society activists participated in the seminar and discussed the situation and future prospects for women in the prevailing circumstances.
Education: ActionAid organized two Provincial Teachers Assemblies in NWFP and Sindh where teachers from Action Aid's network actively participated and raised their issues in education. The Provincial Minister for Education, NWFP participated in the NWFP Teacher's Assembly and listened to the issues raised by teachers, while Director Curriculum, Provincial Ministry of Education Sindh participated in the Sindh Provincial Assemblies where the curriculum was discussed at length and ideas were presented to improve the curriculum.
The teachers shared their issues such as , low salary package, no opportunity for on-job training courses, refresher courses, lack of due respect for teachers, from community as well as their own department, fear of violence on the way to school particularly for women teachers and students, high political influences especially at recruitment level.
ActionAid Pakistan also initiated a research study on Impact of IMF's caps on wage bill for teachers in Pakistan. The first draft of this research report has been submitted and in the process of being finalized.
