Sri Lanka: Rulers Commemorate Women Rights!

( March 8, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) “We are in unanimous agreement that the sustainable existence of the humankind depends on the strength of the empowered women. That is why the sustainable development goals of the United Nations Organization prioritize the plan to empower all women and female children within the next 15 years,” President Maithripala Sirisena in his message to mark the International Women’s Day states.

The message states, “Sri Lanka recognizes the motherhood as precious. However, the recognition does not provide sufficient protection to the entire feminine community. Therefore, the government in its endeavour to achieve the sustainable development, has to implement pragmatic programme to ensure the identity and the protection of Sri Lankan women and to give them an opportunity to engage in the development process,” the President states.

“It is a matter for satisfaction that the women in Sri Lanka, comprising more than half the population of Sri Lanka, have achieved development indicators to the level of the developed countries in the world.

The Sri Lankan women is ahead of her male counterpart in literacy and life expectancy. Today, the Sri Lankan women are taking the highest burden of our economy.

“It is our objective to further expand the steps taken by our government during the last two years to enhance the women’s contribution in the management and the political decision making machinery, in order to empower the multiple roles of Sri Lankan women.

“I expect the intervention and the contribution of women’s organizations, women activists and all relevant parties in this regard.

“I wish the programmes on the International Women’s Day which are organized under the theme “She Envisions Past, Present and Future – Victorious Thorough Efforts,” with the objective of establishing the respectful position of the Sri Lankan women every success. I commend all those who make relentless efforts to achieve the goals of the International Women’s Day.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a message released for International Women’s Day that falls on March 8, said he hoped Sri Lankan women would find the strength to successfully overcome challenges and ‘emerge as a confident stakeholder of Sri Lanka’s common future.’

The full text of the message is reproduced below:

‘Although in Sri Lanka, women are significantly empowered in many ways than their counterparts in the rest of South Asia, their role in domestic and household work has resulted in limitations being imposed on their contribution to the economy.

While being conscious of her role as a wife and a mother, it goes without saying that the woman of today has the capacity and the potential to play a greater role economically, socially and spiritually.

As a nation, we must be able to set the stage for her to be accepted, acknowledged and recognised within a wider context; one in which we can truly assure her of an equal position and the rightful place in our society.

It is the obligation of the society and the government to ensure that women in Sri Lanka are able to aspire to the kind of empowerment women all over the world have experienced in modern times.

My hope is that the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day will encourage and facilitate the Sri Lankan woman, towards truly fulfilling the role required of her within a greater economic and a social framework at a national level.

This International Women’s Day, may every Sri Lankan woman find the strength within her to successfully overcome challenges and emerge as a confident stake holder of Sri Lanka’s common future.’

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader of Parliament R. Sampanthan sending a message to mark the International Women’s Day stated the contribution of women to the nation has been invaluable.

However, unfortunately, women continue to face routine discrimination, harassment, and maltreatment in every corner of our society, he said.

The Opposition Leader stated that women were also the most affected as a result of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. “For instance, the war snatched away the lives of their loved ones, leaving many widowed and without livelihoods. Still more, thousands of women continue, to date, to search for their family members who disappeared during and after the war. This matter requires urgent attention and action as it continues to make these women vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and impairs them from moving on with their lives,” the Opposition Leader said.

“As we celebrate the role of women and remember their contribution to our nation, my hope is that we would also, as a people, resolve to ensure gender equality and equity, and safeguard the dignity of all women in Sri Lanka. As such, my hope is that the new constitution would reflect these aspirations, ensuring greater protection and empowerment of all women in all spheres of society,” Sampanthan said.

“As we enter a landmark period in the history of our country, I also wish to affirm the importance and call upon the government to ensure the full participation of women in reconciliation and transitional justice processes. Finally, while recognizing the extraordinary efforts of women towards the prosperity and progress of our nation, I call upon all women to continue to strive hard towards the development of our country,” stated the Opposition Leader in his message.

WOMEN’S DAY 2017:WOMEN CAN PLAY A GREATER ROLE IN REALIZING SOUTH ASIA’S POTENTIAL

Image: The suburban train system in Mumbai is used by millions of women and men everyday, who rely on safe transport to access education and job opportunities.(Annette Dixon’s picture)

BY Annette Dixon, Co-authors: Joe Qian-08/03/2017

Last week, I took a journey on Mumbai’s suburban train system, which carries a staggering 8 million women and men, equivalent to the entire population of Switzerland, every day to where they live, work, and spend time with family and friends. Although stretched, the system has reduced mobility constraints and increased independence for millions of women who rely on safe transport to access education and job opportunities; contributing to the city’s dynamism and growth. There are similarly inspiring examples from all countries in South Asia.

As we mark International Women’s Day, we celebrate the progress made in improving women’s inclusion and empowerment, while seeking to better address continuing challenges, which are estimated to cost South Asian economies $888 billion, through devising and implementing solutions that will bridge remaining gaps.

Much to be proud of­—a lot more remains to be done

South Asian countries have seen encouraging increases in greater access and gender parity in education. At the same time, the region has achieved substantial decreases in maternal and child mortality. Countries have made great strides in healthcare access through training more female healthcare workers while providing affordable care for mothers and children. The region also boasts many inspiring female leaders and role models, as well as the countless individuals positively contributing to their communities and societies against difficult odds.

However, much more needs to be done in order to nurture all women and men to realize their potential. As South Asian countries become more prosperous, their growth trajectory will be less assured if hundreds of millions of women remain excluded from education and employment opportunities. South Asian countries will need to substantially expand their workforce in order to meet their economic growth goals and, at the same time, adequately support their increasingly large populations. Studies show that only around 1 out of 4 women in South Asia participate in the labor force, about half of what is typical in middle-income countries in other regions. Too many women face restrictions in decision-making, mobility, public safety; and far too many experience gender-based violence—the most egregious cases making headlines around the world. What can help bridge these gaps?

Investing intelligently in health and education

Countries have an opportunity to invest more in health and education, as underinvestment puts a disproportionate burden on women and girls, whose lifelong learning and productive abilities can be stymied by receiving inadequate, reduced opportunities to complete their studies, and under-utilization of their education. Programs could include helping girls successfully transition from primary to secondary school, coupled with providing greater adolescent sexual and reproductive health knowledge. Building on these foundations, education programs should enhance linkages between what students learn and the skills that employers seek.

Fostering greater economic empowerment opportunities for women

More women in the workplace would help realize the potential to accelerate South Asia’s growth and development. To achieve this goal, countries should foster more conducive conditions for women to seek and grow in their employment. Measures could include improving skills training and reducing occupational segregation to open up more jobs to girls and women; investing in the care economy to help women with their disproportionate share of household responsibilities, and overcoming barriers to women’s land and asset ownership. Other policies should seek to enhance greater access to finance by more female account holders and also ensure that rural laborers receive compensation.

Providing women greater voice and agency in their lives

Increasing the share of women in local leadership positions can ensure that women’s and girls’ perspectives are better taken into account in community investments and decision-making. Authorities have the responsibility to enact and implement laws that allow greater decision-making for women, such as through enforcing laws to prevent child marriage, increasing attention to the prevention and response of gender-based violence, and ensuring safe access to public transportation and spaces by, for example, providing women-only spaces on buses and trains , requiring gender-sensitivity training of all transport personnel, recruiting more women police officers, and actively addressing male gender and masculinity issues.

To turn these ideas into reality, our South Asia Regional Gender Action Plan is guiding our work with the people and governments of each country in South Asia to help integrate sound gender practices into their economic, social, health, and education policies and programs, based on current and proven evidence-based data and recommendations.

For South Asian countries to reach their development potential, it will require everyone—both women and men—to contribute to their full capabilities. This is the only way that South Asia will realize its promise as a part of the Asian Century.

Women, International War Crimes & Impunity: A Feminist Critique Of Traditional Approaches To Justice

By Dinushika Dissanayake –March 8, 2017

Dinushika Dissanayake

2017 appears to demonstrate all signs of a year of reckoning yet again for Sri Lanka. The Universal Periodic Review, the performance of Sri Lanka against specific treaty obligations specifically the conventions against all forms of discrimination against women, the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights are some of the important mechanisms that will monitor the human rights landscape of this country in the current year. In this context, the progress of the state especially in relation to its commitments before this array of international mechanisms as well as before the Human Rights Council looms large. The resistance shown explicitly and implicitly to several calls for accountability disturbs the hopes that were ignited when this Government came into power. Alarming trends include the step motherly treatment meted to the report of the Consultative Task Force on Reconciliation, launched in January of 2017. This task force which was incidentally appointed by this very government, conducted wide consultations and womens’ concerns appear at the forefront of many of its recommendations. The lackadaisical reception of the report,causes more and more concern for those committed to ensure accountability for crimes perpetrated by both state and non state actors in Sri Lanka.

Women are often the victim on multiple levels in all these narratives. Quite apart from the illusory nature of justice even now, as women and men await a mechanism to dispense justice, this article argues that the very international criminal law regime itself is skewed against women. This provides double connotations for ensuring gender considerations in transitional justice, and any type of criminal law mechanism that the state considers in relation to its international and domestic obligations and commitments vis-a-vis human rights guarantees.

The feminist critiques of traditional approaches to trials and special courts to try international crimes during times of war is an important consideration in any discussion of issues that a transiting society must consider when drawing its first caricature of post-war justice.

While the feminist political project of urging explicit recognition of rape as a war crimes has its own weaknesses, and in fact may be further alienating the alternative stories of women that go beyond traditional victim-survivor narratives, it is still important to recognize that sexual violence is one of the important aspects of gender inclusion in criminal prosecutions for crimes emanating from conflict. While this short article cannot delve into the post modernist feminist discourse on this issue, it is important to recognize that the fixation on sexual violence alone is in-itself problematic- but nevertheless an important victory for women on many fronts.

One significant feminist critique of trials is that the traditional prosecutorial approaches fails to comprehend the widespread nature of sexual violence in many conflict situations. A criminal Trial, with its individualized approach to justice, places the perpetrator and the victim in individual roles. This ‘stage’ then applies also to gender based cimes, where an individualized approach to criminal prosecution, in the context of widespread, multiple violations. In some gender based crimes during conflict, the crimes are pre-meditated, and depending on the circumstances, may in fact be with the objective of attacking the community as a collective by attacking its women and men through sexual violence. Therefore in such instances, and individualized approach to prosecutions fails to comprehend the full enormity of the crime in question.

A second critique is the very elitism present in international criminal justice which identifies and aligns with understandings of the global north, of the notion of justice. Such understandings may be rarely grounded in the context and socio cultural milieu of the global south. This focus on the individual ultimately also works against the victim, causing social consequences for survivors who are willing to testify to the atrocities suffered by them and other women during war. Their return to the community and the village post-prosecutions may be fraught with social stigma, especially where support measures for victims and witnesses are not in place. Such support measures, to be effective, must not only include economic and livelihood support but also psycho-social support for the individual and the community. Psycho-social support is essential especially in relation to social acceptance and re-integration of women and men who have been victims of sexual crimes.

In 2008, the United Nations declared by Security Council Resolution (1820), that rape is a war crime. It was followed by UNSCR 1888 in 2009, in a similar vein. In 1995, the ICTY similarly found that rape and sexual enslavement were crimes against humanity. However, the length of time taken to achieve these hard-won gains is also significant; 17 years for ICTY (60 convictions in 17 years as of 2012), 45 cases in 17 years for the ICTR (as of 2012). The funds available to support survivors is also limited. Prosecutions, in Sierra Leone, in Rwanda, on former Yugoslavia, are all predicated on the understanding that perpetrators of widespread sexual violence during war can be held accountable through holding individuals accountable- the collective responsibility for widespread war time sexual crimes becomes much less visible.

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Ministers unite to prevent 25% female quota

 Mar 08, 2017

One of the biggest victories Sri Lanka achieved in enhancing gender equality is last year's legislation ensuring that women receive a quota of 25% in local councils.

However we now celebrate women's day amidst attempts by several Ministers and MPs to roll back this victory. What is ironical is that a number of MPs from Colombo and the hill country, who were elected by marketing the sufferings of women, are leading the campaign to reinstate the proportional representative system that is directly linked with reduction of female representation, CaFFE executive director Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon said.

"Sri Lankan women were able to vote long before women from some European countries. We were able to elect the first female Prime Minister. But now less than 5% of total elected representatives are women. In 2016 we celebrated world women's day pointing at the 25% quota, a year later there are no elections and attempts are rife to repeal the legislations," Tennakoon said.

He added that there were a number of proposals to increase female political representation during the discussion on 20A to the constitution. But those proposals were stifled by some male political leaders who insisted on 'broad constitutional reforms'.

Tennakoon stated that a number of mainstream political parties are attempting to prevent women receiving a 25% quota in local government bodies. "Apparently some political parties can't find women who are willing to contest. How are these parties representative of the communities they claim they represent?" he said.

CaFFE Executive Director added that detractors claim a 25% female quota will increase the number of representatives in local councils, leading to an increase in expenditure. "Of course this will lead to an increase of representatives. Did these people not realize this when they supported this legislation last year? Of course they knew, what these people want is to keep on delaying elections," he said.

Gender equality is the fifth sustainable development goal. Sri Lanka has seen the most significant widening of the gender gap between 2006 to 2016 and male dominated policy making is the main reason for this.

"Holding election under the PR system will ensure that women will not get a 25% quota. Some political parties that cant find female candidates are attempting to constantly drag Sri Lanka away from sustainable development goals. The PR system distanced women from the political system leading to a vicious cycle. Those who want to hold on to the PR system are those that benefit from this vicious cycle," he said.

http://srilankamirror.com

In the Driver’s Seat: Lakshi Sajintha Hewa Halpage

RAISA WICKREMATUNGE on 03/08/2017

As March 8 is International Women’s Day, Groundviews will be featuring women (and men) who through their work challenge gender stereotypes, in keeping with this year’s theme, “Being bold for change.”

Our first profile is of Lakshi Sajintha Hewa Halpage, the first female expressway bus driver in Sri Lanka.

Lakshi Sajintha Hewa Halpage never thought she would become a bus driver. It remains an unusual career choice, given that it is a predominantly male-dominated profession in Sri Lanka.

Lakshi was not unfamiliar with the mechanics of driving. In fact, she was exposed to it at quite an early age as her father ran a garage and was used to driving several different vehicles, from trishaws to motorcycles. After graduating, Lakshi drove a school transport service for several years, before leaving to help her father with his garage.

However, it was when she decided to take over from her brother, who drove a bus on the Maharagama-Matara expressway, that she became a symbol of something much larger. She became the first female in Sri Lanka to do so.

Her life was not without challenges. Lakshi was driving the Expressway bus on a temporary route permit. The National Transport Commission Chairman promised that he would provide her with a permanent permit, if she purchased her own bus. Lakshi decided to take him up on his promise. However, after purchasing the bus, the Chairman told her that he couldn’t issue her the permit she would need to drive on the expressway.

Lakshi was at her wit’s end. The bus cost a total of Rs. 46 lakhs, or Rs. 4.6 million, and she had leasing payments to make of Rs. 263,000. She had had to sell off portions of her brother’s land in order to make the initial payments.

“I had a huge struggle to figure out how to make these payments. I couldn’t afford it, and I couldn’t run the bus without a permit,” Lakshi said.

Lakshi protested and demanded a permit, as was promised – and also demanded a proper time table.

At that time, many people advised her to simply give up and sell the bus, in order to recoup her losses. But Lakshi didn’t want to give up. It gave her daughter’s great joy that Lakshi had embarked on a journey towards self-sufficiency; the mother of two didn’t want to let her daughter down.

Her family told her not to lose hope. They suggested that she run a staff service. And so Nilani Travels began – a staff service running from Radampola to Colombo. “In those early days, I would have just 6 or 7 passengers. I would drive all the way to Colombo, wait and go back [in the evening],” Lakshi said.

Yet soon the word spread about Lakshi’s service, and more and more people began using it. “Now there are around 40 people who take the service, most of them women. And they enjoy coming on this bus,” Lakshi said.

Lakshi’s run-ins with the Transport Commission did not end, however. She says the Chairman continued to pressure her to stop her staff service as well. In fact, she was arrested last year after confronting him at his office in Narahenpita.

However, she overcame all these obstacles and continues to run her bus. Her days starts as early as 2 or 3 am – the time varies according to the time-table – and she is often in Maharagama just after 6 am. She then drives her bus to a public parking lot just under the Lotus Tower, and remains there until it is time to drive back in the evening. To pass the time, she eats at a nearby canteen and chats with the other drivers – she is by now a familiar figure.

Although Lakshi says she does not blame the Government as a whole, she says the National Transport Commission could have done much more to support her, given that she was the first woman to take up the career. “Unfortunately people often try to set obstacles in the paths of people like us – they don’t allow us to move forward.”

“However, I overcame those obstacles, and I am the stronger for it. I can face any challenge now,” Lakshi said. She attributes the support of her family, who backed her even when luck – and bureaucracy – turned against her. “I have my family behind me. They give me strength.” Her husband’s support too has been vital, particularly as she has two daughters. Yet he has encouraged her to pursue her career. “Every day before I leave for work, he tells me to drive safely,” she says. “He knows that I can handle the challenges.”

“I think I did the country a great service. When someone sees me driving, it could inspire someone else. There is nothing that women can’t do in terms of making a living, in my opinion. People will always face obstacles, no matter what. The key is to face those struggles with courage,” Lakshi says.

7 things Sri Lankan consumers say

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Whilst the world is experiencing volatility fuelled by the drastic decisions taken by US President Donald Trump, Sri Lanka is grappling with fiscal, political and corruption issues that are tainting the good work of the current Government.

The two drastic decisions by President Trump that shocked the world were the executive order to move away from the TPP agreement and the decision to ban visitors from eight countries into the US, which is a violation of the very principles of the UN charter on freedom of travel.

But the good news is that the US, accounting for almost 20% of the 72 trillion dollar world economy, is growing at 1.9% with unemployment at a commanding 4.8% performance whilst the Dow Jones has crossed the 21,000 mark which is good not only for the US but also for the world.

SL 2016

A tough year experienced. Q4 GDP dropped to 2.5% in 2015 whilst in 2016 Q1 it picked up to 2.7% and bounced back to 4.1% in Q2 2016. But the reality is that if an island economy like Sri Lanka does not grow over 7%, a typical consumer cannot feel it.

7 things SL consumer say

In this backdrop we see that the Sri Lankan consumer is challenged on many fronts as per the latest Nielsen consumer insight report. Let me pick up the key aspects:

1) Consumer confidence flat

Overall consumer confidence dropped from a commanding 87 way back in October 2015 to a low ebb of 46 as at July 2016. However by December 2016 it picked up to 54 but January 2017 remains flat which is worrying. 

Meanwhile, 80% of consumers say that job prospects will not get better in the next 12 months whilst 90% say that personal finances will be unsatisfactory and 92% state that their purchasing power will deteriorate in the next 12 months. This clearly depicts the overall consumer sentiments in homes and it normally connotes the feeling towards the Government in power. Research reveals that when the stomach of a Sri Lankan consumer is challenged, the government in power loses its popularity.

2) Increasing food prices 

In the backdrop of the overall poor consumer confidence if one does a deep dive the Sri Lanka consumer is stating that the increasing spend on children’s education and increasing food and utility bills is affecting the home affairs of a Sri Lankan consumer as per the Nielsen report.

If one does a deep dive almost 46% say that they do not have spare cash whilst it is up 13% on a quarterly basis, savings in children’s education dropping by 10% which are indications of the drastic changes we see on the household side of Sri Lanka.

Latest research reveals that people are moving away from using personal care products like shampoos on a regular basis, reducing the ‘usage’ of the product, whilst in some categories like sanitation and hygiene the penetration going down indicates the pressure on the purse. In the months of January and February, FMCG companies struggling to achieve their budgeted numbers is a result of these underlying issues.

3) Top three national issues

Consumers say the top three issues of the country are economy, politics and corruption. If we examine what ails the economy of the country similar to the last 10 years there are many factors that will emerge such as shrinking global markets, debt payment issues, etc. But the issues faced politically are very worrying given that on a daily basis there are protest campaigns which is in essence the agitation of different segments of people.

A multilateral organisation states that the Government loses 100 million due to a single protest in the streets of Colombo. The Coalition Government at play adds to the pressure of pursuing reforms in the economy which further reduces the competitiveness of the nation.

Many thought that the Yahapalanaya promise would eradicate corruption but sadly the breadth and scope has only increased and I guess in the next nine months it will only increase further, given the provincial government elections being planned. This also inhibits private sector participation with the public sector given the many statutory bodies set up to curtail corruption legally. 

4) Top three

consumer issues

In the backdrop of what consumers say nationally, from a consumer point of view the key three issues are political stability, increasing utility bills and the increasing costs of children’s education. Sadly one cannot see a breakthrough on these fronts given the drought extending to 14 districts and that the basics like rice, dhal, sprats, cowpea and sugar are all imported and given the currency fluctuations the prices of such products will only increase. This adds to the woes of the Sri Lankan consumer sadly.

5) Moving away from supermarkets 

An interesting insight. While in most markets consumers are moving towards convenience, which means supermarket behaviour is expanding, in Sri Lanka the reverse was at play in 2016. From 23% of shoppers purchasing products from supermarkets in 2015, in 2016 the number has dropped to 19%. On the other hand grocery shopping has increased from 46% to 53%, which is a significant jump. This clearly indicates people are becoming more rational in their purchasing habits. I guess FMCG companies will have to re think the distribution and partnership strategies for the balance part of the year.

6) Local companies grow

Another significant trend seen is that from the incremental sales experienced in the Sri Lankan market, 67% of this comes from local companies as against the 55% registered by multinationals. This means that people are moving away from power brands to local brands whilst one must also state that the quality parity is mitigating to the extent that local brands are gaining ground. This bodes well for Sri Lanka just like what has happened in India. 

7) Internet is increasing 

Given the changing consumer dynamics like the use of smart phones we see that internet usage has increased to a penetration of 32%. What is more important is that the investment by companies on digital media communication has increased proportionately. Even though the national budget increased the cost of data usage, the behaviour has not yet changed. In fact this is the future and this budget proposal is against global trends which is strange.

Conclusion

Given the challenges in the macro economy, with Sri Lanka having debt payment challenges, we now see the issues related to a typical Sri Lankan household increasing. Whilst policymakers are grappling to manage the situation, IMF stipulations mandate that the people must pay for the increasing costs. The issue is, how much can one stretch without affecting the political equilibrium in the process?

(Dr. Rohantha Athukorala is an award-winning marketer and business personality who has worked in top British multinationals for almost 20 years and can be contacted on rohantha.athukorala1@gmail.com.)

Duminda admits to paying Rs.21 Mn a month for building still unoccupied

2017-03-08

Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake has admitted that his Ministry has been paying a monthly rental of Rs.21 million since April 2016 for the new building in Rajagiriya though still unoccupied.

   “Since April last year, we have been paying a monthly rental of Rs.21 million and have informed the Technical Committee to hand it over to anybody who was in a position to complete the construction work as soon as possible, the minister said in an interview with Daily Mirror.

 However, when asked what is the reason behind this transaction, the minister said “Let me give you an example; say that you are giving out a house on rent and I’m interested in renting it out from you, I would tell you that it would take another three months to get the furniture ready. We talk about this transaction in January and then I ask if I may start paying from March since I have to get the furniture done. Would you agree or not? The person giving out the building doesn’t care about when the building would be occupied. I have to change it to suit the needs of an office complex and this would only be possible once I have actually rented out the building.”(Kamanthi Wickremesinghe)

Parliament thrown into turmoil: Dinesh suspended

By Saman Indrajith-March 8, 2017, 11:08 pm 

Joint Opposition Parliament group Leader Dinesh Gunawardena

MEP and Joint Opposition Parliament group Leader Dinesh Gunawardena who fought for the National Freedom Front’s right to function in the House as a separate party has been suspended for one week from parliament on grounds that his conduct was against dignity and decorum of Parliament yesterday.

Parliament thrown into turmoil.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

French learners in Gaza take matters into their own hands

Ahmad Kraira started a French language club that meets weekly.Mohammed Asad

Mousa Tawfiq-8 March 2017

Ahmad Kraira is a self-confessed Francophile.

Sparked by an interest in soccer – he is a fan of the French national team and former great Zinedine Zidane – he decided to study French literature at 18. It was a “risky choice,” he said.

“I had never studied French, but I couldn’t resist learning more about the culture and the country,” said Kraira, now 21, and in his final year at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University.

Learning French is unusual for Palestinians in Gaza. Just two universities offer courses: Al-Azhar, which combines English and French literature in one major, and Al-Aqsa University, which teaches French as part of its faculty of education courses.

Only a fraction of government-run secondary schools offer French as an optional subject and the focus is very much on English, leaving limited options for people like Kraira.

Not only are the educational options slim for those seeking to learn French, but Palestinians in Gaza also suffer the usual restrictions, from an inability to travel to take up scholarships to a chronic lack of funds and resources.

In addition, politics also reared its head to make matters more complicated.

Kraira’s teachers urged him to go seek help at the French Institute. The French Institute – the official cultural exchange and language institution associated with French embassies worldwide – offers French learners a chance in Gaza to broaden their range and exposure with native French speakers and a library full of French books and movies.

But spending time there proved unexpectedly risky.

In 2014, the institute was attacked twice, once in October and once in December. Jund Ansar Allah, a small Jihadist group, claimed responsibility, citing French participation in airstrikes on the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. The attacks caused little damage, but succeeded in closing down the institute.

“The closure of the institute notably affected our students,” said Ihab Abumallouh, head of the French department at Al-Azhar University. Students were cut off, he explained, from one of the few resources available to them outside their university courses.

Self-reliance

As in practically everything else in Gaza, necessity has proved a spur to innovation. Shorn of the obvious way to practice and improve, students began to create their own learning environment.

“We had no choice, but to invent our own methods,” Kraira said.

A group of 10 students, all from Al-Azhar, created Facebook groups to discuss academic and non-academic issues in French. They began to meet before and after lectures for conversation or to exchange books and movies.

Soon the idea of a French club came up and the students approached Gaza Sky Geeks, a startup accelerator and tech-hub group in Gaza City.

“They generously agreed to give us a meeting room once a week,” Kraira said. “We were just 10 students. We tried to focus on academic issues related to language and university.”

Then last April, the French Institute reopened its doors. Students re-registered and Kraira’s French club participants decided the institute would be a “better frame” for their activities. The club moved to the institute’s library and began attracting new students.

Abdulrahman Abu Khussa, a third-year student at Al-Azhar University, was one of the first students to join the club. The 20-year-old already speaks Russian and Arabic and has good English. A budding tourist guide, the choice was between German and French.

“I chose French because France is full of tourist attractions. And I like Charles Aznavour’s songs.”

Abu Khussa’s experience of the club – which now boasts more than 25 members – is as an eclectic talking shop.

“We choose our topics, which are very varied now, and distribute tasks on Facebook” before the two-hour meetings held in French. “It’s all about improving our conversation skills.”

The location at the French Institute library helps in other ways too. When the club meets on Mondays, there is also the opportunity to talk to native French speakers, those who work for international organizations and the consulate.

Conversations about daily life and the cultural differences between Gaza and France ensue. A fruitful exchange occurs in which guests correct errors and enjoy a cultural interaction, while students enjoy “the experience of speaking with French people” as Inas Mekki, 21, a third-year student at Al-Aqsa University, put it.

Success is hard earned

As much as students have taken matters into their own hands, some difficulties remain out of their control.

Every year, says an official at the French Institute, between three and seven scholarships are offered to students in Gaza to study in France. Travel restrictions, however, mean that taking advantage can be difficult even with a scholarship in hand.

Mahmoud al-Banna is a case in point. The 24-year-old worked hard to secure a scholarship in order to pursue theater studies in France.

“I was very active on social media, especially during Israeli aggressions on Gaza. Posting and tweeting in French helped me create friendships with Francophone people. Those relations helped me improve my language in turn and improve my understanding of French society.”

But his dream to study in France almost turned sour. The Rafah crossing controlled by Egypt is opened only intermittently, while getting permission to travel through the Israeli-controlled Erez checkpoint is very difficult.

Along with Rula Mattar – who was waiting to take up a postgraduate scholarship in international business management at the Université Paris-Est Créteil, UPEC – al-Banna saw the date for the semester to start in September pass without being able to leave Gaza.

Mattar, 24, described the period as one in which her life had “completely stopped … I had to reject work offers as I had a scholarship. Meanwhile, I wasn’t sure when and how I would leave Gaza,” she told The Electronic Intifada.

Eventually, the opportunity to leave Gaza materialized for Mattar and al-Banna.

While al-Banna wound up nearly two months late for his studies, he is determined to make up for lost time at the Université de Franche-Comté in the city of Besançon.

Al-Banna is seizing the delayed opportunity. “With my French friends and colleagues, I collected stories from people I know in Gaza [during the 2014 war]. And we will turn these texts into theater shows,” he said.

Mousa Tawfiq is a journalist based in Gaza.

UK government demands secrecy for high-profile torture case

Two Pakistani men detained without charge for 10 years in Guantanamo say the UK's role in rendition must be revealed in the courts

Camp Delta, the secretive US facility at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay, where the claimants were held for a decade without charge (Reuters)

Richard Norton-Taylor-Wednesday 8 March 2017

Britain’s defence ministry and secret intelligence service (MI6) are insisting that claims made by Pakistani and Iraqi citizens alleging complicity in torture must be heard behind closed doors, the high court in London heard this week.

It is the first time a British law allowing civil cases to be tried in secret has been used to prevent the public from knowing how British soldiers and intelligence officers were involved in rendition operations – the seizure and handover of terror suspects to prisons where they say they were abused and tortured.

Yunus Rahmatullah and Amanatullah Ali, two Pakistani nationals, were captured by British special forces in Iraq in 2004 and handed over to US troops soon afterwards.

They are believed to have been held first at Camp Nama, a secret detention facility at Baghdad airport that British troops helped to run.

They were later transferred to Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib jail before being rendered to the Bagram "black prison" in Afghanistan.

They were released without charge ten years later, in 2014.

Abdul Razzaq holds up the identity card of his brother, Amanatullah Ali (AFP)

Their capture and transfer to US forces was initially kept secret from British ministers, and only disclosed to the House of Commons in 2009 by then-defence secretary John Hutton.

Successive British governments have for years tried to prevent their cases, together with the better-known one of Abdel Hakim Belhaj, former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, from being heard in court.

This January the British supreme court unanimously ruled that the cases involved allegations of the most serious abuses, including torture, and dismissed the government’s claims that since the operations involved agents from the CIA and other foreign states, no British court should be allowed to hear the case.

“The critical point in my view,” ruled Lord Mance in the lead judgment, “is the nature and seriousness of the misconduct alleged.”

He added: “English law recognises the existence of fundamental rights.”

• READ: Tortured Libyan dissident wins right to sue UK government

The consequences of that ruling for the Belhaj case have yet to be tested in court.

But on Tuesday and Wednesday in the British high court, lawyers for Rahmatullah and Amanattullah - as well for a group of Iraqi civilians who are suing the British authorities - said their cases must be heard in public.

“Justice must be done and seen to be done,” said Maya Lester QC, who is representing Rahmatullah, describing the attitude of lawyers acting on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the British Foreign Office (representing MI6) “troubling”.

'National security' grounds invoked

Lawyers acting for the government had seized on the 2013 Justice and Security Act, which allows a judge to rule that “sensitive” material relating to “national security” can be heard in secret in civil cases.

The act was brought in after the government paid millions of pounds in compensation to British citizens and residents rendered to Guantanamo Bay, in an out-of-court settlement that meant the state's role in the operations would not be revealed.

British government lawyers insist that questions as to whether Rahmatullah and Amanatullah were members of the extreme Sunni group Lashkar-e-Taiba must remain secret, as well as the nature of their capture and interrogation, which British military units were involved and British knowledge of US treatment of terror suspects.

Lawyers for the Pakistani and Iraqi claimants argue that much of the information about British and US military operations in Iraq, including the fact that the UK was aware that the US was sending suspects to “black prisons,” has already been made public.

"The government is trying to cover up false intelligence, riding rough-shod over long-established principles of open British justice"

Omran Belhadi, human rights lawyer

Phillippa Kaufmann QC, representing the group of unidentified Iraqi civilians, told the court that British government lawyers were claiming that “sensitive” information had to be kept secret for reasons of “international relations”.

It is clear, though this was not argued in court, that the government does not want to admit that British special forces were involved in the operations.

The Ministry of Defence has obtained a court injunction preventing Ben Griffin, a former SAS soldier, from disclosing his activities in Iraq.

Though much has been written about the state's activities in Iraq, they have never been officially admitted.

Activists protest over the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay protest outside the US embassy in London (AFP)

'Secrecy piled upon secrecy'

The case was heard before Mr Justice Leggatt, who on Wednesday said he would reserve judgment.

Omran Belhadi, a lawyer at the human rights group Reprieve, which is also representing the Iraqi claimants, said: "This is secrecy piled upon secrecy.

"The government is trying to cover up false intelligence, riding rough-shod over long-established principles of open British justice.

"With a torture apologist now in the White House, it’s more important than ever that the full truth about Amanatullah's and Yunus' ordeal comes out. We hope the court will ultimately reject ministers’ attempts to shroud the case in secrecy."

Andrew Tyrie, a senior Conservative MP and chair of the British all-party group on extraordinary rendition, said on a related case: “The idea that former detainees received compensation to prevent the disclosure of sensitive material is a red herring…

"These measures – where the government can bar the other party, their lawyers, and the public from court – damage the tradition of open British justice.”

Tyrie added: “In fact, there are long-established ways to stop sensitive information being released. For decades, the courts have been able to decide on a document-by-document basis whether the public interest is best served by disclosure or concealment, through a ‘Public Interest Immunity’ test.

"When the new rules were proposed, the majority of security-vetted lawyers – who are in the best position to know – said that they had not seen any cases in which the existing measures could not do the job.”

A 'public immunity test' has been used to determine such cases for decades (AFP)

Years without daylight

British officials and their "servants and agents" were "recklessly indifferent to the illegality of their actions," Rahmatullah's lawyers told the high court in earlier hearings. 

Rahmatullah has described in detail his torture and abuse, in a 60-page document drawn up by his lawyers.

He says he was beaten unconscious when he was captured by British special forces in Iraq in early 2004.

Soldiers cut his clothes off with a pair of scissors until, he says, he was "completely naked". 

He was locked in a solitary cell with rats and cockroaches.

Alongside other Bagram detainees, he was exposed to daylight in 2006 for the first time in two and a half years. 

After going on hunger strike, he says he was subjected to force-feeding on six separate occasions.

Apart from limited communication with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives, he had no contact with the outside world, including his family, until 2010, after six years in detention.