Expanding paternity leave in Southeast Asia

Source: Shutterstock

• 16 Jun 2019
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 STATUTORY rights to maternity leave are available to working women in 185 countries, but only 78 offer statutory rights to paternity leave. Nordic countries set the global benchmark for policies that support men’s involvement in parenting, but paternity leave is fast becoming a hot topic in Southeast Asia.

Among other countries in the region, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia have each instituted paternity leave policies of varying durations, wage replacement rates, funding sources and eligibility requirements.

The Philippines first introduced national paternity leave legislation in 1996, providing married fathers employed in the private and public sectors with seven working days of paid leave at full pay for up to four children.

In 2019, changes to the Maternity Leave Act came into effect allowing any female worker entitled to maternity leave to transfer up to 7 of her 105 days of paid leave to the child’s father, regardless of whether they are married or not. This new policy means men are eligible for up to 14 paid leave days and makes the Philippines a pacesetter in the region.

SEE ALSO: Keeping it in the family: Southeast Asia’s powerful political dynasties

Mandatory, state-sponsored paternity leave paid from social insurance came into effect in Vietnam in 2016. Employed, married fathers are entitled to paid paternity leave for between five to 14 days. The duration of allowed leave depends on the type of birth, number of children born and if the child is adopted.

Meanwhile in Myanmar, employed fathers have been entitled to 15 days of paid paternity leave since 2012. To be eligible, fathers are required to have made at least six months of social security contributions in the 12 months prior to the child’s birth.

Indonesia introduced paternity leave paid for by employers in 2003. The policy provides employed, married fathers with two days of paternity leave at full pay for the birth of a child or a miscarriage. Male public servants in Indonesia are eligible for one month of paternity leave during which they receive their basic pay.

International interest in paternity leave has also seen a number of corporations operating in Southeast Asia develop their own paternity leave policies. Unilever Philippines has extended paid paternity leave to 20 days, with same-sex partners eligible. Global tech firm Accenture, also in the Philippines, provides 30 days of paternity leave — more than double the entitlement available to working fathers under the 2019 legislation.

A Malaysian father and daughter plays together outside their new house. Source: Shutterstock

The benefits of paternity leave extend to parents, children and business. When fathers take paternity leave, mothers benefit through increased childcare support, additional time to heal after childbirth, additional emotional support, a reduction in stress and a smoother transition back to work.

Fathers benefit from stronger relationships with their children and partner. A survey of more than 6000 men across South and Southeast Asia linked fathers’ involvement in the care of young children with lower levels of intimate partner violence.

Paternity leave has also been found to deliver health benefits to fathers including lower levels of depression and reductions in levels of smoking and alcohol consumption. In addition, paternity leave has been linked to the increased involvement of fathers in unpaid household labour, leading to a shift in gender norms and stronger relationships.

Paternity leave delivers significant benefits to children’s health as it can positively affect a mother’s decision to breastfeed. Children’s health and development have also been found to improve through more on-time immunisations, better emotional, physical and cognitive development, lowered infant mortality, and longer breast-feeding. Increased involvement of the father in a child’s early years has been linked to better family relationships, which often translate to higher school performance.

SEE ALSO: The road to gender reform in Vietnam is long but necessary

The business case for paternity leave is also compelling. Paternity leave policies signal more supportive corporate cultures and lead to increases in commitment from employees. Businesses benefit from men taking paternity leave through improved attraction and retention of staff, which leads to productivity gains. Because paternity leave supports women’s attachment to the workforce, it can also assist governments in achieving their targets for improved female workforce participation.

Yet in spite of the benefits, research on paternity leave in OECD economies show that men may be reluctant to take leave, fearful that they will be stigmatised in their workplaces. This is also a concern expressed by men in Southeast Asia. But evaluations of paternity leave show that supportive organisational cultures and generous wage replacement rates can play a significant role in enhancing men’s uptake of the policy.

Periods of ‘non-transferable’ leave and additional incentives paid to fathers who take paternity leave have been shown to improve uptake in Nordic countries and could be considered by Southeast Asian countries.

Another barrier to paternity leave in Southeast Asia are high rates of employment in the informal economy. Extending paternity leave to fathers working informally is a challenge for governments. The exclusion of informal workers from paternity leave eligibility leaves a significant portion of families without the household, economic and societal benefits that it provides.

Interest in fathers and care is rapidly gaining traction around the globe, including in Southeast Asia. Despite the obstacles of cost, the informal economy and stubborn gender roles, paid paternity leave will lead to positive spin-offs for parents, children, business and the community at large.

Marian Baird is Professor of Gender and Employment Relations at the University of Sydney.

Elizabeth Hill is Associate Professor of Political Economy at the University of Sydney.

Lisa Gulesserian is a graduate research student at the University of Sydney.

This article is republished from East Asia Forum under a creative commons licence.  

G-20 urges ‘voluntary action’ on marine plastic crisis but fails to agree on common approach

© IMAS/JENNIFER LAVERS Garbage on Henderson Island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Simon Denyer-

16Jun 2019

, Japan — Environment ministers from the Group of 20 on Sunday recognized an urgent need to tackle the marine plastic litter that is choking the world’s oceans, but failed Sunday to agree on concrete measures or targets to phase out single-use plastics.

 

More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans every year, equivalent to a garbage truck’s worth every minute, and by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans by weight than fish, scientists predict.

But agreeing on a common approach to the problem has proved problematic, with the United States blocking demands to set a global target to significantly reduce or phase out single-use plastics.

‘‘Marine litter and especially marine plastic litter and microplastics, is a matter requiring urgent attention given its adverse impacts on marine ecosystems, livelihoods and industries including fisheries, tourism and shipping, and potentially on human health,’’ environment ministers from the G-20 said on Sunday.

The ministers said they were ‘‘determined to drive measures to resolve this issue.” But they failed to agree on any firm commitments, talking only of ‘‘encouraging voluntary actions’’ by G-20 members ‘‘in accordance with national policies.’’

The issue of marine plastic pollution has become an increasing hot diplomatic topic over the past year, and there have been calls for collective action at G-20, Group of Seven, and United Nations forums.

The European Union aims to phase out single-use plastics by 2030 and make all packaging reusable or recyclable.

Countries at a UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi in March pledged to significantly reduce the manufacture and use of single-use plastics by 2030 — apart from the United States, which spent two weeks watering down the proposals before signaling its rejection of the declaration on the final day.

Myanmar: UN threatens to withdraw aid over 'policy of apartheid' against Rohingya

Exclusive: Body says it will withhold support ‘beyond life-saving assistance’ in internally displaced persons camps
The UN has had a presence in internally displaced persons camps in Myanmar’s Rakhine state since 2012. Photograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

Emanuel Stoakes and Hannah Ellis-Petersen, -Mon 17 Jun 2019 01.27 BST

The United Nations in Myanmar has warned it will withdraw support in Rakhine state to avoid complicity in a government “policy of apartheid” for Rohingya Muslims.

A letter seen by the Guardian, sent from UN resident coordinator, Knut Ostby, to the Myanmar government, relayed a decision by the UN and its humanitarian partners to withhold support “beyond life-saving assistance” in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, unless fundamental changes occur.

UN agencies have worked continuously in camps for Muslim communities displaced by violence in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine state seven years ago

The letter, dated 6 June, said that from now on, UN assistance could only be provided when it was “linked to tangible progress made on the fundamental issue of freedom of movement”. Currently, Ostby said, the policy by the Myanmar government “risks entrenching segregation”.

In 2017, the Myanmar government vowed to begin closing the IDP camps, where 128,000 Rohingya and Kaman Muslims have been forced to live in squalid, insanitary conditions with their freedom of movement severely restricted after their homes were destroyed in violence in 2012.

The government agreed to follow recommendations of a commission led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan which called for the displaced people to be rehoused in a voluntary and consultative manner, where possible, near their original villages, and with access to livelihoods.

However, internal UN reports seen by the Guardian, and accounts from humanitarian agencies on the ground, have demonstrated the reality of the “closures” is that the living conditions for the relocated Rohingya remain dire and virtually unchanged, with their basic human rights, particularly freedom of movement and access to livelihoods, almost entirely denied.

The letter, sent to Dr Win Myat Aye, Myanmar’s minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement, pointed out that those in the old “closed” camps or newly built camps were still suffering the same indignities, with no access to “basic services” or “livelihood opportunities”. Even the location of the camps has remained virtually unchanged.

Explaining the decision, a senior UN official in Myanmar, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The government plan to build permanent housing on or next to the camps makes it very clear that the apartheid-like separation will be permanent and therefore crosses a red line for continual support to the camps.”

The Rohingya have long been one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in Myanmar. The 2012 violence, which saw hundreds of thousands of Rohingya homes destroyed, was followed in October 2016 and August 2017 by security operations that drove around 800,000 people over the border to Bangladesh. About half a million are estimated to remain in Myanmar.

This is the first attempt by the UN to adopt a tougher policy on camp closures, following months of warnings contained in a series of damning internal assessments on the government’s actions and the risk of complicity in abuses if international agencies continued to provide assistance.

A UN document written in September 2018, noted that “the only scenario that is unfolding before our eyes is the implementation of a policy of apartheid with the permanent segregation of all Muslims, the vast majority of whom are stateless Rohingya, in central Rakhine.”

“The government’s current strategy would essentially formalise and entrench a system of segregation that would perpetuate human rights violations for years to come,” it added.

Laura Haigh, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher, said: “Rakhine has been an apartheid state for years”.

“The international community remains paralysed,” she said. “The status quo cannot continue, and unless we see concrete progress towards restoring Rohingya rights, those providing support or assistance in Rakhine – aid agencies, donor states, or others – risks being complicit in the state’s enforced segregation and crimes against humanity.”

The Guardian understands that the UN has for months sought to bring government policy on camp closures in line with international standards. It’s believed the Myanmar government on some occasions refused to meet with Ostby to discuss camp closures and that his robust stance on some human rights issues behind closed doors contributed to the government’s resistance to a renewal of his contract as the UN resident coordinator.

As a result, Ostby is stepping down in the coming months. The Guardian understands that the new Myanmar UN resident co-ordinator will be Ola Almgren, current resident co-ordinator of the Philippines.

Soe Aung, deputy minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement, said that the government had not seen Ostby’s letter as a warning for the withdrawal of UN support and that the correspondence had instead demonstrated “the willingness and readiness of UN Agencies and its humanitarian partners to support the government of Myanmar in implementations towards reintegration in camp closed sites.”

“UN Agencies in Myanmar and our ministry communicate very closely and we discuss openly and frequently about the collaboration in humanitarian assistance, peace, stability and development,” said Soe Aung.

When contacted by the Guardian for comment, a UN spokesperson confirmed that it had “sent a letter on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team to the government on 7 June 2019,” but declined to comment on its contents.

“We wish to reiterate our commitment to implementing durable solutions for the IDPs in central Rakhine in cooperation with the government and in accordance with international principles,” they added.

China Is Winning the Solar Space Race

The United States should be leading on the energy of the future — but it keeps blowing its chances.

The sun sets at the Summer Palace on October 8, 2005 in Beijing, China. GUANG NIU/GETTY IMAGES

BY RAY KWONG-JUNE 16, 2019, 11:53 AM

Every disaster movie starts with the president ignoring a scientist. But humanity’s survival isn’t a movie. If any U.S. president in the last five decades had had the foresight to take space-based solar power technology seriously, the incoming man-made climate disaster could already have been averted with a clean, constant, and limitless power source that costs less than burning fossil fuels—and the United States could be leading the field.

Today, if reports are accurate, China is at the forefront of the technology, which is basically solar power as you know it, except on steroids: It can collect energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. And instead of taking up millions of acres of land on the ground, space solar farms would be located in geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles above sea level—far above pesky things like clouds, rain, and the cycle of day and night that make peak terrestrial solar power so intermittent. China plans on putting a commercial-scale solar power station in orbit by 2050, an accomplishment that would give it bragging rights as the first nation to harness the sun’s energy in space and beam power down to Earth.

 

And that’s where things start to get prickly. First, China’s space program is part and parcel of China’s military program, according to a recent report from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. This means that the army oversees China’s space activities, with “most of China’s ostensibly civilian space activities [having] dual-use applications.”

Second, China’s space ambitions are all about the money—and an integral part of the country’s national economic rejuvenation and development goals. So if the space-based solar power demonstrator the Chinese Communist Party plans to have online as soon as next year is successful, more countries could potentially be enticed into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign-policy venture, the Belt and Road Initiative. This cheap, emissions-free power would be hard for many countries to turn down and would dramatically deepen China’s political leverage—if not give Beijing de facto control of countries that buy it—advancing China’s goal of creating the world’s first global electrical grid.

Meanwhile, the United States has been sitting on space-based solar power technology since 1968, when NASA advisor and Apollo 11 project manager Peter Glaser published his concept of a solar power satellite as a means of harnessing solar energy for transmission to Earth in the journal Science. To top that off, Isaac Asimov, one of the most celebrated and prolific science fiction writers of all time, had predicted the idea in 1941, writing about a space station transmitting energy collected from the sun to planets here and there using microwave beams. In 1983, Asimov wrote again about solar power stations, predicting that they would be up and running, oops, by 2019.

It’s not like NASA hasn’t tried to get the space-based solar power ball rolling, providing various presidential administrations with development and evaluation reports and feasibility studies, and even suggesting it as the primary power source for a first-generation, continuously occupied lunar base. “One of the most significant challenges to the implementation of a continuously manned lunar base is power,” researchers wrote in the latter report. “Using an orbiting space based solar power station to generate electrical power and beam it to a base sited anywhere on the moon should therefore be considered. The technology to collect sunlight, generate greater than the estimated 35 kilowatts of [continuous] power [required for the lunar base], and beam it to the surface using microwaves is available today.”

Still, for a variety of reasons—most, if not all, having to do with a lack of money—there are no active space-based solar power missions on NASA’s books, much to the consternation of hundreds, if not thousands, of NASA engineers and scientists past and present who see space-based solar power as the project of their dreams.

One of these scientists is John Mankins, a former NASA physicist known for his work on space-based solar power and a man of considerable patience. He not only spent 25 years at NASA and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory advocating for space solar with nothing to show for it, but he also recently wasted hours walking me through the McCain National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019 to find any sign of space-based solar power that might be buried in that bureaucratic monstrosity. Mankins and others have recalibrated their thinking and are confident that space-based solar power costs are no longer absurd.

That said, aside from China, the space agencies of Japan, the European Union, and India are working to get their own space-based solar power programs off the ground as well. Japan’s JAXA deserves an extra shoutout. Mankins said JAXA is currently working on a new and improved road map for its program; this in addition to working on everything including space elevators, space junk removal, looking for water on asteroids, and building motor home-sized moon rovers. And at the end of May, the governments of the United States and Japan, both major partners on the International Space Station, agreed to further cooperation in space that could include flying Japanese astronauts to the moon.

But it’s China’s interest in space-based solar power—and the United States’ apparent disinterest—that hold the most geopolitical implications. Energy plays a decisive role in global geopolitics and international order. It has buttressed the rise of great powers, propagated the genesis of alliances, and, too often, sparked the emergence of conflict and wars. Bottom line? In the worst case, the country that first harnesses the power of the sun from space wins, hands down. While earthbound renewable energy is largely a private sector thing, space-based solar power, at least in this scenario, would be a single-source, state-based game-changer that could easily be exploited for geopolitical gain. China’s steady pursuit of militarizing commercial space technologies only makes things more complex—or ominous, depending on one’s perspective.

 

Being the first mover, of course, doesn’t give China a categorical or insurmountable advantage. For all we know now, their space-based solar power technology is straight from the NASA open-source playbook. But that means that the United States has to act quickly—not only to counter inevitable technology evolution, but also to at least keep pace with the energy market evolution brought on by the climate crisis.

To be sure, getting the current U.S. administration to buy into and commit to space-based solar power is an iffy proposition. As it stands, NASA has to grovel for funding, even as the White House accelerates major mission dates. (Curiously, though, it gets money for things it doesn’t even ask for, like an extra $125 million to develop nuclear rockets.)

That puts the United States at a critical moment. Will a 2020 U.S. presidential candidate latch onto space-based solar power as a way to make the Green New Deal a global endeavor? Maybe.
Will commercial companies—American or otherwise—along with countries already working on it, partner up in the name of big science to work together to make it happen? Perhaps. Or will China’s space-based solar power play result in an extraordinary hegemonic shift in global dominance? It’s looking that way—and that keeps me up at night.

 

India aims to provide clean water to all rural houses by 2024

A woman fetches water from an opening made to filter water next to a polluted lake in Thane, India June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Prashant Waydande

Nidhi Verma-JUNE 15, 2019

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that piped water will reach all homes in the countryside by 2024, setting a tough target at a time when hundreds of millions don’t have access to clean water.

Water is typically scarce in the summer months, but the situation has been particularly grim this year in western and southern states that received below average rainfall in the 2018 monsoon season.
In his second term as prime minister, Modi last month clubbed various water ministries into a single portfolio to deal with related issues, including polluted rivers and the shortage of clean drinking water.

About 200,000 Indians die every year due to inadequate access to safe water, and 600 million face high to extreme water stress, the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog said in a report last year, citing data by independent agencies. Modi is the chairman of NITI Aayog.

At a meeting of NITI Aayog’s governing council on Saturday, Modi said India needs to prioritise and make appropriate interventions to solve its water problems, according to a government statement.

He said water conservation and irrigation both require a massive effort, based on public participation.

“The poor bear the brunt of insufficient water conservation efforts,” the statement cited Modi as saying.

India’s water demand is projected to be double its supply by 2030, and eventually shave 6% off gross domestic product, NITI said in the report.

Asia’s third-largest economy is already seeing a slowdown in industrial output and manufacturing growth, slumping car and two-wheeler sales, drops in airline passenger traffic and sluggish fuel demand growth.

Modi said the goal of turning India into a $5 trillion economy by 2024 was “challenging”. The economy expanded 5.8% in January-March, its slowest pace in 17 quarters - falling behind Chinese growth for the first time in nearly two years.

Output in India’s agricultural sector dropped 0.1 percent in the March quarter from a year ago.

Modi on Saturday announced the creation of a high-powered committee on reform in agriculture. As India depends on monsoon rains for the irrigation of most of its vast farmland area, Modi called for steps to tackle droughts.

About 54% of India’s groundwater wells are declining, and 21 major cities are expected to run out of groundwater as early as next year, posing a threat to food security, according to the NITI Aayog report.

Modi last week wrote a letter to village heads urging them to join hands to construct check dams and embankments along river and streams, and building reservoirs among other measures to tackle the water crisis.

NITI Aayog report: bit.ly/2HTNonZ

Australia's refugee policy is out of step with global standards and breaks international law: report

BY MAANI TRUU-14 Jun 2019

A world-leading research centre on refugee law says no one thought about how offshore detention of refugees and asylum seekers would end when it was introduced almost 20 years ago. Now, a plan has been released to pave the way towards a more sustainable and humane future.

The government needs to take several steps to bring Australia's refugee policyin line with other countries around the world and to comply with its international obligations, a leading research centre on international refugee law has found.

The University of NSW's Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law has on Thursday released a "non-partisan, fact-backed refugee policy agenda" which outlines how Australia can develop a more sustainable and humane approach to refugees going forward.

Director of the centre, Professor Jane McAdam told SBS News that Australia was currently breaking international law in it's approach to refugees.

Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton is responsible for Australia's refugee and asylum seeker policy.

AAP

"Australia is violating many of our international obligations and it is really out of step with what other comparable countries are doing," she said.

"Every person has a right to seek asylum. As a matter of international law people who come here in search of protection have not broken the law. Australia is actually breaking the law by not offering people protection when they are in need of it."

The report coincides with Manus Governor Charlie Benjamin calling on the Australia government to remove the remaining asylum seekers from Manus Island, according to ABC News, amid an unprecedented spike in suicide attempts and self-harm following the federal election.

In the wake of this news, Dr McAdam said the principles have been released at a time when a long-term vision for Australian refugee policy is desperately needed.

"When offshore processing was re-introduced no thought was given to how it would ever end," she said.

"And so after six years, there are still refugees sorely in need of international protection that simply don't have an answer. What our principles seek to do is to show a pragmatic as well as a principled way forward."

Protesters are seen during a Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children rally in Melbourne.

AAP

The document, which will be launched by UNSW Chancellor David Gonski AC on Thursday evening, drew on the refugee policies in other countries and Australia's own past to develop seven key priorities.

The first principle, according to the report, is that Australia must live up to its international legal obligations regarding the treatment of people fleeing persecution. In order to do this, the report states a series of sections of the Migration Act 1958 must be repealed; and human rights treaties accepted by Australia must be incorporated into domestic law.

Another key finding is the need for the abolition of mandatory offshore detention, which the report claims is contrary to international law as it is by definition "arbitrary".

"Australia’s offshore processing arrangements with Nauru and Papua New Guinea are unsustainable," the document reads.

"They exact an extraordinarily high human, financial and reputational cost and in many cases fail to provide durable solutions for those transferred."

More than the immense financial cost of keeping people in detention indefinitely, Dr McAdam said mandatory detention does not act as a deterrent to asylum seekers coming to Australia.

Kaldor Centre UNSW@KaldorCentre

"A successful #refugee policy not only manages national borders but also protects people who need safety, and demonstrates leadership in meeting the global challenge of displacement." @profjmcadam #auspol https://bit.ly/2F6X3ZV 

12

7:08 PM - Jun 12, 2019

See Kaldor Centre UNSW's other Tweets

"When we know it doesn't work, it doesn't seem at all sensible to continue it," she said.
"By way of comparison, most other democracies do not detain people for any length of time and they certainly don't do it on an indefinite basis like we do."

According to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who is responsible for Australia's immigration and asylum seekers policy, however, the Coalition's strong border protection measures have stopped asylum seeker boats coming to Australia.

"Under the Morrison government, the re-elected Morrison government, our policy on boats have not changed," he told reporters last month.

"There will be no softening of our border protection measures and people will be returned to their country of origin as we have demonstrated."

According to government data, 33 asylum seeker boats have been turned back from Australian waters between 2013 and 2018.

Other recommendations in the report include providing better conditions for detained asylum seekers, the creation of a transparent and efficient processing system, an aim to keep families together and the need for Australia to take on a regional leadership role in refugee policy.

In terms of the most urgent step that needs to be considered, Dr McAdam said asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru need to be removed immediately.

The Kaldor Centre's 'Principles for Australian Refugee Policy' has been shared with key policymakers in the hopes that they will take the immediate concrete steps outlined in the report.

Music festival lighting 'can trigger epileptic fits'

12 June 2019

Strobe lighting at music festivals can increase the risk of epileptic seizures, researchers have warned.

The Dutch team said even people who have not been diagnosed with epilepsy might be affected.

Their study was prompted by the case of a 20-year-old, with no history of epilepsy, who suddenly collapsed and had a fit at a festival.

The Epilepsy Society said festivals should limit lighting to the recommended levels.

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain. There are many types, and it can start at any age.

Around 3% of people with epilepsy are photosensitive, which means their seizures are triggered by flashing or flickering lights, or patterns.

The Health and Safety Executive recommends strobe lighting should be kept to a maximum of four hertz (four flashes per second) in clubs and at public events.

'Life-affirming'

The researchers studied electronic dance music festivals because they often use strobe lighting.

They looked at data on people who needed medical care among the 400,000 visitors to 28 day and night-time dance music festivals across the Netherlands in 2015. The figures included 241,000 people who were exposed to strobe lights at night-time festivals.

Thirty people at night-time events with strobe lighting had a seizure, compared with nine attending daytime events.

The team, led by Newel Salet of the VU Medical Centre in Amsterdam, writing in BMJ Open, said other factors could increase the risk of seizures.

But they added: "Regardless of whether stroboscopic lights are solely responsible or whether sleep deprivation and/or substance abuse also play a role, the appropriate interpretation is that large [electronic dance music] festivals, especially during the night-time, probably cause at least a number of people per event to suffer epileptic seizures."

They advise anyone with photosensitive epilepsy to either avoid such events or to take precautionary measures, such as getting enough sleep and not taking drugs, not standing close to the stage, and leaving quickly if they experience any "aura"effects.

Mr Salet told BBC News: "If a person has no predisposition for epilepsy, then factors like strobe lighting will not have any effect. However, most people are unaware of this predisposition they might have: more than a couple of cases explicitly reported this to be the first time they experienced an epileptic fit."

Clare Pelham, chief executive at the Epilepsy Society, said: "The festival season has become something of a rite of passage. We would encourage festival organisers to at least warn visitors that they are using strobe lighting so that festival-goers can decide whether it will be safe for them to attend before buying their tickets.

"But it would be really life-affirming, in these days when we aspire to inclusivity, if organisers could do the responsible thing and keep the strobe lighting at a rate that should not pose a risk.

"The festival season is all about having a good time, but that should include everyone together, in a safe and supportive environment."

Four Batticaloa ilmenite protestors arrested

16 June 2019

Four Batticaloa residents who took part in a protest against the acquisition of Tamil land for ilmenite mining were arrested on Thursday and released on bail later that day.

Vakarai police said the four had been arrested following complaints from the ilmenite factory’s staff that the protesters had damaged its entrance and had rioted within the premises.

Locals gathered in front of Vakarai police station demanding the arrested individuals be released, following which Sri Lanka navy and army personnel were deployed to the area to disperse the crowds.

The Valaichchenai magistrate judge granted the four bail with a bond of 100,000 rupees each and the case was adjourned for further trial on September 11.

Related Articles: 

13 June 2019 : Batticaloa residents protest against ilmenite mining

Political columnist Kusal Perera under threat

(Lanka e News -15.June.2019, 6.35PM) The Organised Crime Division is reported to have moved Colombo Magistrate Courts against journalist Kusal Perera and the Daily Mirror to investigate a complaint against his article on 17 May in the Daily Mirror on developments after Easter Sunday tragedy titled "From Islamic terrorism to marauding Sinhala Buddhist violence" being interpreted  as him flaming religious rivalry. He is therefore made liable to be arrested under ICCPR Act No.57 of 2007.

All through his long career in both print and electronic media, Kusal Perera has stood against all forms racism and has written extensively against extremism and terrorism while publicly stating so. He is internationally known for his very strong anti racist stand. He is accepted by all as an independent political critic. He was a regular political writer for the Sunday Lakbima too. Was often invited by Lankadeepa to write the Thursday political analysis. International media too seek comments from him as an independent political commentator.

On Friday afternoon police officers had visited the Daily Mirror news paper office to have statements from editorial staff, we learnt. This is the first instance a reputed senior journalist and a respected political commentator who publicly stand against racism and extremism is being investigated under the ICCPR Act that is meant to curb racism.

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by     (2019-06-15 13:14:16)

Jayampathy Exceeds Chairmanship Mandate In PSC Questioning Of Hizbullah

Jayampathy

JUNE 16, 2019

 Wickramaratne, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) inquiring into allegations against former Governor of the Eastern Province M L A M Hizbullah, has violated established protocol related to chairing such inquiry by both the content and tone of questions directed to the respondent.

Wickramaratne showing lack of restrain in voice and body language, accompanied by sarcastic facial expressions badgered Hizbullah about Arabic design elements in the controversial so-called Shariah University being set up in Kattankudy.

The PSC is inquiring into funds received to build the so-called Shariah university, funding sources and whether or not monies obtained were used for purposes they were solicited for.Hizbullah in response said that design preference is a matter of personal choice. When Colombo Telegraph enquired from Wickramaratne if it was appropriate for the Chairman of a PSC to ask such questions in that manner, he responded thus: ‘When he (Hizbullah) was asked why Arabic architecture, Arabic sign boards and date palm trees were used in Kattankudy, his answer was that it was to attract Arabic tourists. I asked him the reason for using Arabic architecture in an educational institute. In view of the answer he gave earlier this was a very relevant question.’

The design element, in any event, is extraneous to the issue at hand, Colombo Telegraph notes, observing the important hospitals such as the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital and the Sri Jayawardenepura Teaching Hospital had elements heavily drawn from traditional Japanese architecture.

In the past, many buildings donated or funded by foreign nations have had their total architecture or elements of it influenced or inspired by the donor culture. Example are, some buildings of the Peradeniya hospital (Japanese), BMICH (Chinese), Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (Japanese), Nelum Pokuna theatre (Chinese).

A political observer commenting to Colombo Telegraph stated “it’s inappropriate for Jayampathy Wickramaratne to behave the way he did. Not only the questions he posed, but also his facial expressions of sarcasm bordering on sardonic demeanor takes away the impartiality expected of a chairperson of a Parliamentary Select Committee – a body that is so significant and powerful to challenge even the statements made under parliamentary privilege. Like an impressionable teenager he is giving in to the social media populism and an insecure need for validation. He has no electorate to back him and unlike the legends of yesteryears who went to parliament from the National List, such as Lakshman Kadiragamar, Wickramaratne is a non-entity to the people. He is looking for cheap popularity by swinging with the social media tide. In the current racially tense political environment, the shortest cut to cheap popularity is to appear to ‘give a piece of one’s mind to the Muslim politicians’ at the PCS. If you ask rude questions from Muslim politicians and react to answers given by Muslim witnesses in a rude manner it instantly boosts your social medial popularity. Also if a witness before the PSC is blunt, disrespectful and practically bark back racist answers at the PSC, he too becomes an overnight social media celebrity. Both the insecure politicians and public servants are after cheap popularity and the social immunity it provides”. 

A chartered architect commenting to Colombo Telegraph stated “how can Jayamapthy Wickramaratne ask such an imbecilic question such as ‘why Arabic architecture was used in the design of an educational institution? This is the sad state of uncultured politicians without finesse. They travel the world on tax payers’ money but they do not have the intellectual sophistication to appreciate cultures and societies. They do not know that our built world is influenced by different cultural traditions. Arab architecture, Moghul traditions of design, all stemming from Islamic civilizations have historically contributed to worldly beauty. All around Europe, east and south Asia, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa, Islamic architecture has left its mark. A crude mind is unlikely to understand such nuances. What’s next? Crude parliamentarians are now going to dictate to us how to design spaces, which artistic traditions to be influenced from? Are we to fear our imagination and only design ‘Sinhala Buddhist’ buildings when designing educational institutions”? 

The political observer, in his parting remarks stated “throughout the questioning of the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, MA Sumanthiran MP repeatedly asked if the Secretary was aware of the Grade 3 syllabus. He enquired if the Secretary did not know that different nationalities wore different kinds of clothes. May be Sumanthiran should ask from the chairman of the PSC Jayampathy Wickramaratne: “did you pass Grade 3? Didn’t you learn for Social Studies that different buildings in different geographies reflect different cultures? Don’t you know that architecture differs, even within a country? All these politicians should get off their high horses” he commented.

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40,000 children working as child labourers

• Children should work on their dreams, not on fields, says ILO

 Saturday, 15 June 2019

The World Day Against Child Labour was marked each year on 12 June. This year’s theme was ‘Children should work on their dreams, not on fields’. The International Labour Organization (ILO) sets the yearly tone based on a priority focus, which helps to spotlight global attention and create awareness on the campaign. This aims to create public discussion and policy action around ending child labour in every country.

Sri Lanka is doing well in terms of a relatively low prevalence of child labour in its agricultural sector. Decades ago however, school attendance of children of plantation workers was weak and children were working in the tea and rubber sector. The Government worked with local and international partners to tackle the issue responsibly, and today child labour incidences are rare. Sri Lanka is as such unique. Children elsewhere around the globe continue to be vulnerable to hazardous forms of labour – from hazel nut farms to tobacco cultivations or heavy-machinery use on family farms.

As the Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations Ravindra Samaraweera has said, “The serious issue of child labour is not widespread in Sri Lanka. We are doing far better than some of our neighbours are. The Ministry of Labour has been working with dedicated partners such as the ILO to achieve a future of zero child labour. As a self-declared pathfinder country, Sri Lanka is committed to attain this goal by 2022 – ahead of the year 2025 global target set in the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Simrin Singh said: “The child labour situation in Sri Lanka is not staggering but one that offers a ray of hope. Some 40,000 children are working as child labourers, which is about 1% of the school-going child population. In other words, one out of a hundred children in Sri Lanka are in child labour, mostly hazardous forms. However, with commitment and drive, Sri Lanka can show the world that it can reach the much coveted one-in-a-million statistic.”

Child labour and non-attendance in regular schooling is relatively high in Sri Lanka’s rapidly urbanising city centres than in rural areas. There is an established pattern of child labour –predominantly in the teenage category, engaged in the informal services sector. Their numbers are highest in the districts of Kurunegala, Gampaha, Colombo, Monaragala, and Batticaloa, with many other urbanised localities not far behind.

A large proportion of soon to be young adults are engaged in child labour within the broader ecosystem of the informal services sector: such as in tourism, transport, petty trading, and care giving. A majority of these children are boys. A large number also work in boutiques, tea kiosks, eateries, and other informal trades, in low-wage and precarious employment.

Strong coordination among stakeholders will help maintain an effective referral system to deal with cases found: education authorities and divisional officers or probation units, and social welfare and monitoring officers must actively liaise to assess and follow-up on low school attendance, dropouts and re-enrolment. The greater gain will be made with effective prevention systems at the community level: supporting households in vulnerable situations, so that children do not drop out of school and fall into exploitative and dangerous work.

The demonstrated commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka will gather impetus in being part of Alliance 8.7 – a coalition of 200+ countries and organisations around the world, united in their determination for a world where children only work on their dreams for a brighter future. Sri Lanka’s pathfinder country status enables it to tap in to global resources, as well as offer its own experience, to achieve its goal of eradicating child labour by 2022.