[Mitai-announce] CG photo exhibit in Lobby 10 plus Movie and Panel 10/10

[Karen Li]

Hey guys, check out these events by AID:


      _Away from Home: Faces of the Conflict in Chhattisgarh_//


      /Violation of human rights anywhere is violation of human rights
      everywhere!/

Traveling Photo Exhibits, Panel Discussions, Petition Signings, Movie 
and Documentary Screenings... US wide!!!

*Boston: Oct 2-11*
* MIT Lobby 10
77 Mass Ave, Cambridge
MA 02139*

Please come out in solidarity with the people of Chhattisgarh, who are 
caught in the crossfires of a civil war!

*And then on October 10:*
*Movie Screening:
 /"_Development flows from the Barrel of the gun_/**/", /
by filmmakers **Biju Toppo & Meghnath *
*(from 5 to 6 pm)*


*Panel Discussion:*
***Guest Speakers:** Ana Zambrano (Colombia Vive),* *Biju Mathew (FOIL, 
YSS, NYTWA)*
*together with other panelists*
*(from 6 to 8 pm)*



This series of events is in order to support the right of displaced 
Adivasis (indigenous people) to return safely to their homes and lives 
in the long run in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The photos in the 
photo exhibit were taken by photo-journalist Javed Iqbal, who traveled 
around extensively in Chhattisgarh, and these are some of the most 
close-to-the-ground images from the region that we will ever get. We 
hope that the exhibit will bring to light the current crisis situation 
in this central province of India.


Here is the facebook link: 
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30818907&id=1210868207#/event.php?eid=164867827587&index=1
<http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30818907&id=1210868207#/event.php?eid=164867827587&index=1>
For more about the conflict, and to sign the online petition, please visit:
http://aidindia.org/main/content/category/9/292/422/


http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs278.snc1/10524_257929775429_728935429_9055419_3648878_n.jpg
__________________________________________

Here is a brief description of the crisis in Chhattisgarh.

Historically, Chhattisgarh has been one of the most neglected regions of 
India, where even the basic Government facilities like schools, primary 
health care, public distribution system, etc have been mostly absent 
since forever. Such a regime of social deprivation had led to this 
region evolve into a breeding ground of anti-State Maoist rebels. In 
order to tackle these violent armed militants, the Government decided to 
raise its private army, called Salwa Judum. People from the local 
villages were formed into groups and provided with arms and ammunition 
aimed towards “sanitizing” the area of Maoist rebels. But as is natural 
in such situations, this doling out of arms to the civilians has 
resulted in a civil-war-like situation in these regions. Instead of 
terminating Maoist rebellions, Salwa Judum has only resulted in 
provocating more and more people to join Maoist camps. People have been 
murdered, women raped, villages burnt, foodstocks plundered, and all of 
this has been given the name of “Encounters of alleged Maoists”.

Since the promulgation of the Salwa Judum in 2005, violence from both 
the Salwa Judum and Maoist Rebels has escalated, and hundreds of 
thousands of Adivasis have fled their homes in Dantewada and Bijapur 
districts out of fear for their lives. There has been mass exodus of 
people from the state into the neighboring states like Andhra Paradesh, 
etc. Those who have dared to stay back are living under constant threat 
of life, either from the Salwa Judum or the Maoists. The camps run by 
Salwa Judum in the name of “protecting” people from Maoist attacks have 
turned into concentration camps where rapes, beatings, and psychological 
torture has become routine, leading to the destruction of the social and 
economic constitution of the entire population.
Over the last 12 months, we were encouraged to see that with the support 
of civil society groups such as Action AID, Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (VCA) 
and Agriculture and Social Development Society (ASDS), some families 
have gradually begun to return to their villages and are resuming 
agriculture and other forms of livelihood. However, recent threats, 
arson and murder in the vicinity of the rehabilitated villages has 
spurred further displacement, and deterred those who were planning to 
return to their homes. In particular the recent surge in violence in 
Bijapur and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh is threatening to cause 
a major setback to the ongoing rehabilitation. We sympathize sincerely 
with the families of the victims of such violence.

Given the widespread displacement of Adivasis from their land as a 
result of this violence, we urge informed citizens to pledge to support 
efforts that aim to rebuild confidence amongst Adivasis, and help them 
return to their lands and resume their lives with a sense of dignity.

We appeal to the government of Chhattisgarh to facilitate the process of 
rehabilitation of displaced communities as per the Directives of the 
Supreme Court, as well as the recommendations of the National Human 
Rights Commission, by doing the following:

-Make immediate arrangements for food, water, seeds, and implements to 
enable ploughing so that the villagers may sow in this critical period 
of the farming season.

-Provide rations and employment through NREGA (National Rural Empolyment 
Guarantee Act) which will make food and daily wages available to the 
villagers until their crops come to harvest Provide compensation with 
which to rebuild and sustain their livelihoods.

-We appeal to the government of Chhattisgarh to take firm steps to end 
the vicious cycle of violence in the region through de-militarization, 
clearing security forces off schools and hospitals, and withdrawal of 
the Salwa Judum.

-We also appeal to all parties - the Maoist Rebels, the Government and 
the Salwa Judum - to refrain from any activity that adversely affects 
the return and stay of the rehabilitated Adivasis in the villages of 
Chhattisgarh.

AID has been working with Agriculture and Social Development Society 
(ASDS), Rekhapally, Khammam district in their repatriation and 
rehabilitation efforts for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who 
have taken refuge in Andhra Pradesh, a state neighboring Chhattisgarh by 
means of both monetary and non-monetary support.

While earlier in the spring we received hopeful signals from the 200 IDP 
families who moved back to Chhattisgarh and were able to sow this 
season, we also have to prepare for the thousands of families who face 
an uncertain future and continue to live as refugees. ASDS work in the 
past year has helped people make enormous strides in affirming their 
identity to stand up and be counted as Koya refugees and to speak out to 
claim their rights to ICDS and NREGA services. Some have also secured 
these but it is still a small fraction of the total. They are also 
working with people to assess long term plans for rehabilitation either 
in AP or by returning home to Chhattisgarh, working with APVVU 
(agricultural workers' union) to acquaint people with the labor market, 
etc.

While supporting the rehabilitation and rights process, ASDS plans to 
continue to provide relief till 2011. We would sincerely urge you to 
support us in these efforts of relief and rehabilitation.

-- 
www.otherindia.org <http://www.otherindia.org>