Human rights lobby mulls taking police to courtBy Rose Mwalongo
16th November 2011EmailPrintComments
Elias JohnThe Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) has written to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNM) requesting a medical report for Elias John (28) from Vijibweni, Dar es Salaam, who accuses the police of injecting his eyes with a liquid suspected to be acidic, leading to permanent blindness.
A legal officer at the LHRC’s Kinondoni legal aid clinic, Jeremiah Mtobesya, told The Guardian yesterday in an interview that the move had come about due to the expiration of a 90-day notice filed by the LHRC on July 17, this year.
“LHRC has already requested a medical report from the hospital before we prepare a plaint to demand compensation as indicated in the notice,” said Mtobesya.
The Guardian managed to talk to John’s brother who admitted to have received the letter, saying he had already sent it to MNH.
“I have just come from the hospital and they have told me to return tomorrow (Thursday),” he said.
On July 17, this year, the LHRC filed a 90-day notice to the government, demanding 493.4m/- compensation for John who is accusing the police of injecting a liquid suspected to be acidic into his eyes causing him permanent blindness.
The notice, a copy which was seen by The Guardian, was directed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and copied to the Attorney General and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
An advocate handling the case at the LHRC’s legal aid clinic confirmed that the legal officer had already handed over the copies to all parties and that they had all signed to confirm receiving the notice.
In the notice, John demands compensation for the psychological and physical torture which he sustained when he was in the hands of the police.
John alleges in the claim that he was arrested when he was fishing as his means of livelihood, something cannot do anymore.
He further sought compensation for medical and transport costs incurred in pursuing the case ever since he was blinded as well as for being permanently blind, the food sent to him at the time he was in prison, as well as a daily income he used to earn while fishing until an age he would have retired at 60.
In its notice, the LHRC sums up with the message: “Take notice that unless the total amount (493,423,500/-) being compensation for damages suffered by our client herein above demanded within the 90 days’ notice from the date of the service of this notice, our next step will be to institute legal proceedings for recovery of the same.”
The move has come after John sought legal assistance at the clinic claiming that on February 9, this year, police officers arrested him and six others and took him to Kilwa Road Police Station and later on to Minazini Police Station where they tied and handcuffed him before they injected his eyes with a liquid laced with acid leading to his permanent blindness.
“On February 19, last year, they took me to the Temeke District Court where I complained about the acid liquid incident but no one paid attention to me. I was taken to Keko remand prison and the following morning they took me to Temeke District Hospital for treatment,” John was quoted as saying.
He said doctors at the hospital said his eyes had been destroyed and referred him to Muhimbili National Hospital where he was admitted.
“They removed all my eyes because they were incurable and I was sent back to Keko. I was released on July 27, this year, after being found not guilty by the court,” he claims.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
www.ippmedia.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Urambo struggles to end child labour
Urambo struggles to end child labourBy Gerald Kitabu
13th November 2011EmailPrintCommentsThey work long hours spraying pesticides and carrying heavy loads on the farms and handle dangerous tools. The tasks affect development leading to realising their full potentialities.
They are trapped in this pitiable condition of child labour because of abject poverty of parents in Urambo District and Tabora Region as well as poor learning infrastructures.
As a result, and due to the fact that the schools in the district do not provide food, some children have gone to work on tobacco farms, hoping at least to be able to get something to eat.
“Tobacco farming is labour intensive, it requires huge man power, so in order to maximise profit, plantation owners go for cheap labour; so they ‘import’ as many young children as possible from other areas but the latter are not paid until tobacco purchasing time,” he said.
Urambo is a leading tobacco growing district in Tabora Region, which is also the biggest producer of the crop in the country. In 2008/9, it produced 16 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth Sh41 billion and the following season it produced 23 kilogrammes worth more than Sh66 billion. Estimates for 2010/11 stand at 31 kilogrammes worth Sh71 billion.
Work on tobacco farms is pulling many children away from school. Worse still the working environment is bad.
Justus Molai is the Urambo District Executive Director. In a recent exclusive interview with The Guardian on Sunday, he says they are currently struggling to rescue children employed on different plantations in the district. “For the past three years we’ve rescued about 1,600 children out of more than 3,000 and the work is still going on to make sure that child labour in tobacco farms is eradicated,” he said.
Authorities say the child labourers originate mainly from Singida and Kigoma regions. Despite working in very risky environment, they are paid very low wages or are not paid at all.
Molai says his district has embarked on sensitisation campaigns against child labour and making sure that there is good learning environment for students including school feeding programmes to keep students in schools.
For her part, Vice-President of Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco growing areas (ECLT), which is working with local organisations in Urambo and Sikonge districts, Barbara Martellini said they have realised that at least one out of eight children involved in labour on the tobacco farms is an orphan.
ECLT is a multi-stakeholder initiative of unions, growers and companies in the tobacco sector, which work together to reduce child labour in the world.
Martellini says child labour in tobacco growing is wrong because it denies children education opportunities, learning about the world and preventing them to develop skills needed to get through life and fulfill their potentials.
She explains that ECLT has worked in Tanzania since January 2004, partnering with several non governmental organisations under ILO coordination in Urambo district on two projects, covering a total of 36 villages. “In the course of working in the districts, we have prevented hundreds of children from entering child labour… 450 families were supported to set up additional income generating activities, 27 schools and one dormitory for girls were built.
“Saving centres were created, health and sanitation structures were provided. Extension services were trained to address child labour and a monitoring system was implemented,” she explains.
Mary Kibogoya, Acting Director of the PROPER, a project supported by ECLT says from July 2011 to December 2015, her project expects to withdraw nearly 6,000 children from child labour while a further 1,800 will be prevented from entering child labour.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
www.ippmedia.com
13th November 2011EmailPrintCommentsThey work long hours spraying pesticides and carrying heavy loads on the farms and handle dangerous tools. The tasks affect development leading to realising their full potentialities.
They are trapped in this pitiable condition of child labour because of abject poverty of parents in Urambo District and Tabora Region as well as poor learning infrastructures.
As a result, and due to the fact that the schools in the district do not provide food, some children have gone to work on tobacco farms, hoping at least to be able to get something to eat.
“Tobacco farming is labour intensive, it requires huge man power, so in order to maximise profit, plantation owners go for cheap labour; so they ‘import’ as many young children as possible from other areas but the latter are not paid until tobacco purchasing time,” he said.
Urambo is a leading tobacco growing district in Tabora Region, which is also the biggest producer of the crop in the country. In 2008/9, it produced 16 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth Sh41 billion and the following season it produced 23 kilogrammes worth more than Sh66 billion. Estimates for 2010/11 stand at 31 kilogrammes worth Sh71 billion.
Work on tobacco farms is pulling many children away from school. Worse still the working environment is bad.
Justus Molai is the Urambo District Executive Director. In a recent exclusive interview with The Guardian on Sunday, he says they are currently struggling to rescue children employed on different plantations in the district. “For the past three years we’ve rescued about 1,600 children out of more than 3,000 and the work is still going on to make sure that child labour in tobacco farms is eradicated,” he said.
Authorities say the child labourers originate mainly from Singida and Kigoma regions. Despite working in very risky environment, they are paid very low wages or are not paid at all.
Molai says his district has embarked on sensitisation campaigns against child labour and making sure that there is good learning environment for students including school feeding programmes to keep students in schools.
For her part, Vice-President of Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco growing areas (ECLT), which is working with local organisations in Urambo and Sikonge districts, Barbara Martellini said they have realised that at least one out of eight children involved in labour on the tobacco farms is an orphan.
ECLT is a multi-stakeholder initiative of unions, growers and companies in the tobacco sector, which work together to reduce child labour in the world.
Martellini says child labour in tobacco growing is wrong because it denies children education opportunities, learning about the world and preventing them to develop skills needed to get through life and fulfill their potentials.
She explains that ECLT has worked in Tanzania since January 2004, partnering with several non governmental organisations under ILO coordination in Urambo district on two projects, covering a total of 36 villages. “In the course of working in the districts, we have prevented hundreds of children from entering child labour… 450 families were supported to set up additional income generating activities, 27 schools and one dormitory for girls were built.
“Saving centres were created, health and sanitation structures were provided. Extension services were trained to address child labour and a monitoring system was implemented,” she explains.
Mary Kibogoya, Acting Director of the PROPER, a project supported by ECLT says from July 2011 to December 2015, her project expects to withdraw nearly 6,000 children from child labour while a further 1,800 will be prevented from entering child labour.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
www.ippmedia.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
