New year, old politics

Over decades, the ethnic Hazara Afghans have found themselves at the deadly crossroads of political, ethnic and religious conflicts, causing endless suffering.

In a brazen terrorist attack claimed by the so-called Islamic State in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday, up to 50 Hazara Afghans – all civilians and all young boys and girls – perished, leaving behind agonising tales of persecution on one end and exploitation on the other.

The community has been on the hit list of the IS militants for their alleged role in fighting along the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria and Iraq against the group. The group has claimed a number of similar attacks on Shia mosques in the Afghan capital. The first such a major attack in this regard was a twin-suicide attack at a political rally by the Hazara community in July last year, killing more than 80 people. This was followed by at least four back-to-back suicide attacks at Shia community mosques in Kabul and Herat in August, September and October, killing close to 200 people.

As far as the IS militant group is concerned, it has no shame in claiming responsibilities for attacks aimed at innocent civilians. The other complicit force equally responsible for the miseries of the Hazara Afghans is the one dragging them in deadly geostrategic conflicts that in return invite the wrath of terrorists. According to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has recruited thousands of undocumented Afghans living in the country to fight in Syria since at least November 2013.

Iran is equally, if not more responsible for the persecution of this marginalised community. Regardless of the significant role the IRGC’s has in countering the influence of IS in Iraq and Syria, exploiting an already marginalised community of a third country for geostrategic goals of Tehran in disguise of religious duty, is condemnable to the least.

Among all the mothers of Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood who lost their loved ones in Thursday’s brazen attack, hardly any could understand the reasons behind the destruction of yet another center of the community by IS militants. But, the so-called leaders of the community – who continue preaching the importance of blind loyalty towards Iran to poor Hazara Afghans at such Tehran-funded cultural centers – know the risks attached very well, hence they never send their own children to such ‘soft targets’.

For me, a government that has failed to provide the most basic of human rights to its citizens – shelter – is a failed government. Just a few days ago the Liberal Democratic party in the UK has released figures from over 200 councils across the country, showing that in 2017 45,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 have required help with homelessness, (with over 100 councils refusing to publicise information the real figure is predicted to be over 70,000.)

There seems to be a kind of cycle to the general awareness around homelessness; it correlates with the seasons. As though the soaring temperatures are a major factor in the aid applicable to those who find themselves struggling to keep a roof over their head. This very approach is in desperate need of shifting. Come winter or summer, no one should experience the shame and trauma of losing their home; “because one person sleeping rough is always one too many” to quote London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Since 2010 both the figures of homelessness and rough sleepers have doubled. In London alone, on every given night, 2,659 individuals tuck into their makeshift bed in an attempt to create a home on the streets of the city – closing their eyes on the hard concrete pavement, alone and with no one to help them.

Under Boris Johnson, London’s former Mayor, emergency shelters were set up when sub zero temperatures remain for three consecutive days – allowing the city’s rough sleepers a place of refuge from the biting cold. Khan however, has just announced that he will shift the scheme to provide shelter on every given night where temperatures surge below zero.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter – a charity working to tackle homelessness in the UK – expressed the destruction of the prospect of losing a home. She said, “At the very point when young people should be full of hope and looking forward to starting out in life, many are instead threatened with homelessness.”

There are numerous innovative homeless charities springing up in lack of governmental support. As Khan continues to reform schemes such as No Second Night Out that provide advice to first time rough sleepers, it’s crucial initiatives continue to grow and flourish. Crack + Cider is a charity that supplies essentials to rough sleepers through online donation for example. But in order to tackle homelessness in our societies we need to reestablish empathy; because every single person who finds themselves without a home is a person in need of help, no matter the temperature, season or reason.

Photo: The Connection at St Martin’s

This Christmas, Catalonia was awash and adorned with the colour yellow, a symbol of solidarity with the Catalan political prisoners who are spending the festive season in Spanish jails.

Thousands of Catalans have protested the unjust situation of former Vice-President of the Catalan government, Oriol Junqueras, former adviser Joaquin Forn, and the two independence leaders Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sánchez, in an aim to show their support to those incarcerated by displaying ribbons, scarves or any piece of clothing in the colour yellow. Despite the public demonstrations, the release of the independence leaders, currently facing potential sentences of up to 30 years for the crime of rebellion, seems far from becoming a reality. On the contrary, they could soon be joined by other separatist leaders, including the sacked president Carles Puigdmont, currently exiled in Brussels.

Regardless of fierce criticism, the Spanish Government continues to reject the tag of "political prisoners", claiming that they are simply "imprisoned politicians". Nevertheless, for most Catalans it is well known that Junqueras and his comrades were pre-emptively arrested not for committing crimes, but for their political ideas. They claim that if Spain admits the existence of political parties and organisations with an ideology of independence, it cannot prosecute those who pursue this conviction.

As justification for the preventive detention, the Spanish Public Prosecutor pointed to an "explosion of violence" committed by the accused. However, this standpoint is barely defensible, given the peaceful nature that has characterised the independence movement in recent years. In stark contrast, the Spanish state reacted to the referendum that took place on October 1st through excessive police violence that injured more than 800 people who simply wished to cast their vote at the ballot box.

At the same time, the conservative government boasts that Mariano Rajoy has "decapitated" the Catalan independentist parties. The statement by Vice-President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría reveals the Spanish Government’s tight grip on the courts, calling into question the crucial separation of powers from the rule of law. More worryingly, the terminology used by the ruling right-wing Popular Party has been previously associated with ETA, the separatist Basque group, similarly described as "decapitated" when their military leaders were sent to jail. It is highly inappropriate for the Spanish Government to blur the lines between the peaceful Catalan movement with terrorist attacks carried out by ETA during its bloody, decades-long struggle for Basque independence.

Whether or not there is vast support for Catalan independence, the legitimate right to pursue this political objective should not be repressed by Rajoy’s central government, which echoes the dark times of the Franco dictatorship. Methods used by independence leaders could be questionable, as they advanced unilaterally without popular support exceeding 50% of Catalans. However, the consequences of their actions should be limited to political and non-judicial spheres.

By punishing those heading the independence project, Madrid is also criminalising the ideas shared among about 2 million Catalans. Therefore, instead of pursuing criminal proceedings, the Spanish State should listen to the demands of the Catalans who, in the elections held on December 21, gave another absolute majority to the independentist parties.

If the central government wishes to keep Catalonia within the Spanish state and calm down the constitutional crisis, they must take the path of dialogue and negotiation in order to ensure the continuation of coexistence, tolerance and peace in Catalan and Spanish societies.

It is an unfair planet. Resources are harvested and protected for the use of the few, while many suffer; wealth belongs to a tiny elite, while the majority live in relative or extreme poverty; humans damage and exploit the environment, leaving plant and animal life to die. It is a very unfair planet indeed.

It's tempting to perform a marketer's trick here, to turn the above description around, with a single, sly phrase: 'and yet...', and then provide a litany of human virtues: charity, good will, resistance efforts, care and compassion. However, although all of these things are of immeasurable value in and of themselves, I'm not convinced that they have the power to change the status quo all that much.

We exited 2016 with an abiding sense of dread: European institutions were failing, the American experiment had produced a terrible result, right wing populism was on the rise and concern for both the environment and refugees looked set to plummet. In 2017, this sense of dread has been realised, with the traditional world order failing, the Middle East in more disarray than at any other time in the last half-century, a genocide against the Rohingya people, and continued tensions between extreme populisms. But there have also been other, more unexpected turns, such as the tax-breaks for the wealthy, currently being finalised by the American government (which will have global consequences, much like anything in America does, either in political or symbolic terms), and conversely, the defeat of certain right-wing parties in Europe.

Despite these vicissitudes, the team at fairplanet, and many other organisations around the world, believe it's important to not pin one's hopes to events. Rather, to remind ourselves why we point out injustices in the world – because it is a deeply unfair planet, and we believe everyone deserves a chance at a good life, free of persecution, violence and harassment.

It might be a little sentimental to do this at Christmas, but if there's one time of year to remind ourselves of fundamental values, it's right about now. Let's continue trying to make this unfair planet a little more tolerant, equitable and free.

Image: Trump signing bill before Christmas 2017, CNN

Afghanistan, Pakistan and India are three neighbours that differ from each other in many aspects, but when it comes to how they treat women and girls within their societies, they share myriad reasons to be ashamed of their policies and cultures.

This of course doesn’t necessarily mean they are inferior from the rest of the world, yet the men in those countries, more often than not, have no respect for the opposite sex. After all, it was the son of this soil, Abdul Ghafar Khan also known as Bacha Khan, who once said: “If you wish to know how civilised a culture is, look at how they treat its women”. The question remains: despite very clear understandings around women's rights within some members of society, why do we continue to witness shocking atrocities – with no respite – towards women and girls?

A 12 year old girl was discovered by the police in Ghor province this week, with more than 100 marks of torture on her body, including on her genitals. The young girl was married off three years ago, at the mere age of 9, and her in-laws used to feed her together with the dogs they had to look after the livestock, officials said.

In Pakistan, two months ago, so-called village elders forced a 14 year old girl to walk naked in the Dera Ismael Khan district of the country. This is, unfortunetaly, just another incident of a girl or woman used – or dare I say sacrificed – by the men to settle a dispute. She was ‘punished’ for an extramarital affair her brother had.

Now, in India, a country regarded as the largest democracy in the world, and with one of the world’s most praised constitutions that guarantees many basic rights for the citizens. Earlier this week, a 20 year old woman from West Bengal's Bolpur region succumbed to her injuries after she tried setting herself ablaze, following blackmail and alleged rape by a construction worker. While the capital, New Delhi, has already earned the title of ‘rape capital of the world’.

These are not a handful of rare incidents, but a systemic issue that has been going on for too long, exposing the apathy of the governments and people alike. The women’s rights movement in these countries is mostly centered in urban areas where the argument is mainly on for empowerment, and lacks the flare to intensely call for an end to such violent and oppressive behaviour towards women and girls in the countryside, hence there seems no end to this savagery in sight.

The struggles for healthcare and basic treatment services in developing countries, mainly across South America and Africa, do not only include a lack of medical practitioners and facilities, but stretch far wider: into a dark and morbid field of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

It seems that – with a basic chemistry-meets-DIY knowledge – almost anyone can mix together chalk, or starch or even flour into a pill shape, only to be sold on the market to those who need it most, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. According to a 2015 estimation from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, each year sees 180,000 deaths from counterfeit or substandard malaria tablets in Nigeria alone.

The trading of substandard or altogether false medical drugs on the markets of low-income countries has been on the radar of the World Health Organisation for years, and recorded in a global monitory system set up by WHO since 2013. Yet a report released by the organisation on November 28th showed the scope of this issue: 1 in 10 medical products circulating in the countries are fake.

But as incomprehensible as it may seem to make profit from the theft and exploitation of the vulnerable, it’s believed that the real damage is caused not by false pharmaceuticals, but by substandard medicine instead.

The production of under quality medicinal drugs is a human rights crime on every level; a crime against humanity in fact. It costs the lives of between 72,000 and 169,000 children who are dying of pnemoniya as a result of taking the drugs, and countries $30 billion a year, according to the report. Unfortunately, “the penalties for the crime are not strong enough to deter criminals” said lead researchers Gaurvika Nayyar and Joel Breman in a June 2012 report on poor-quality drugs, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases. In fact, Interpol Uganda – the international police organisation – reported only numerous counterfeit drug traders have been caught, and each charged with $520.

Polluting the pharmaceutical market, and with that endangering and exploiting the lives of thousands who are seeking medical aid, is a crime on all accounts. It is a reality that should be tackled by governments and pharmaceutical companies as a matter of urgency. Introducing harsher criminal consequences and a securer quality check is a first and last step. For every purchase of falsified or substandard drug, we all fail time and time again.

When she took office in November, Iceland´s new Prime Minister, 41-year-old Katrin Jakobsdóttir – leader of the country's Left-Green movement – she promised to expand Iceland's health care and education systems and to “go further than the Paris Accord” in fighting climate change as well as striving for increased gender equality.

In Iceland, it is not unusual to see a woman ascend to the most senior posts of political power, not only because it has been achieved by the first openly lesbian woman (Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir), but also because the country heads the world rankings on gender equality.

On the Nordic island, women are represented in the labour force at a similar level to men. Thanks to mandatory quotas, 44% of parliamentary seats in Iceland are occupied by women, who also have a strong presence in company boardrooms.

Such commitment to improving the status of women in society, which has been emphasised in recent decades, means it comes with little surprise to see Iceland ranked number one in the world in closing the gender gap, according to the United Nations.

For the ninth year in a row, the World Economic Forum ranked Iceland the most equal country in the world, followed by other Scandinavian nations: Norway, Finland and Sweden. Also, the Economist named it the world's best place for working women.

Such success, however, hasn´t come about by accident and is the result of a collective political determination, which has been fundamental to the power sharing of men and women in decision-making. Legislation, gender budgeting and quotas have played a vital role in the Nordic country's achievements.

That is why Iceland is preparing to take a further step in one of today´s most important issues. Even though Iceland's statistics favour considerably better than most other countries, the pay gap between men and women is still at 16%. Consequently, the country is now preparing to tackle the gender pay gap with the “world's toughest law”.

The recent bill, that will be effective from January, prohibits any form of discrimination, not only gender but also on grounds of race, religion, disability, occupational disability, age or sexual orientation. For the first time in the world, a law will require public and private businesses to provide equal pay for employees, with companies facing heavy financial penalties and possible closure if they fail to comply.

Around the world, there has been progress in this field, but significant gender inequality persists. Today, only 23% of the world's politicians are women and progress has been far too slow. That's why the leadership of Iceland must be followed worldwide.

The One Planet Summit saw over 60 leaders and hundreds of environmentalists, company bosses, ministers and opinion leaders gathered in order to keep tabs on the progress of the Paris Agreement. With two years since the accord was inked, it is perhaps one of the greatest pointers to the level of commitment world leaders are demonstrating on the threat of climate change, in conjunction with looking at proactive ways of turning the promise of the Agreement into a global reality.

But even with the commemoration of such a juncture, which aims to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, the last two years have become increasingly unbearable, particularly for the rural poor, a majority who earn a living from one of the most affected sectors of the economy: agriculture.

While the gathering at One Planet sought to marshal public and private investments to reduce the gap between current commitments and what is needed to remain in temperatures that would avoid catastrophic climate change. Bold but laudable decisions by institutions like the World Bank that has pledged to quit upstream oil and gas projects after 2019, and the declaration by French insurer AXA and Dutch Bank ING to accelerate their divestment from fossil fuels all indicate that the war on climate change requires a top down, multifaceted approach to succeed.

Pledges by governments in developed nations, multinationals and NGOs to channel greater funding to build resilience and mitigation – especially among the most vulnerable – is the ultimate fulcrum in addressing biting 21st century problems including food security, health and migration. The summit has rubberstamped that a green economy is possible and remains the only sure bet to a sustainable global population. In the words of the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, "those who fail to bet on a green economy will be living in a grey future.”

It's the time of 'reviews', 'best ofs' and 'of the year'. Which means organisations basically announce what the year was about through meaningless awards – 'football manager of the year', 'best movie of the year', '2017 in review', the list goes on. All of it is essentially a meaningless filler to spread hope once again; with vital events of the year often overlooked, such as massacres and environmental devastations. But the Oxford English Dictionary has given us something to talk about. It has announced its word of the year: Youthquake.

Don't be surprised if you've never heard of it – basically no one uses it. Yet, it has apparently surged in its use since last year, by 401%, and describes some kind of mass cultural and political movement coming from the youth. It is mainly being applied to left-wing movements, such as the rise of socialist-leaning political groups in the UK, such as Momentum – the group backing Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party for government; but curiously, it's not being applied to the explosion of young far-right-wing groups which are becoming more and more prominent around the world: from India to Austria, it is young people who are driving the rise in hate.

There's been a far-right youthquake in the US and the UK, in Germany, in Turkey, in Russia and so many other places, that we may be looking at a youthquake whose seismic effects are felt for a couple of decades: a place in which far-right governments are kept in power by young voters, and policies of austerity that drive those voters to ever more extreme positions on 'undesirables'.

It's a bleak picture – but the word of the year, which no one uses might actually be worth looking out for.