THE DOWNSIDE OF GLOBALIZATION

Almost all the things we own are the final result of a complex process known as globalization. Globalization has the potential to bring a higher standard of living to millions of people, but when left unchecked, it can fuel the ugliest trade known to man – modern slavery. There are presently almost 21 million people working in conditions of slavery. Many suppliers are exploiting the system - and people - to obtain monetary profit. 

It is said that “development must be above politics”. This may seem self-evident when the political questions have already been resolved in one’s favor, but to the people who are excluded by the process of modern development, this is far from true. 

In general, people’s opinions are not consulted in matters concerning their own development. The very idea of asking people their opinion on a certain project in their neighborhood sounds a bit absurd. In India, neither growth nor development is democratically regulated. Inputs by the supposed “beneficiaries” are conspicuously absent.

If development were genuinely participatory, it would represent real political choices of communities. Adivasi women, for instance, who must suffer the strain of longer walks to water-sources every year, have no say in water policies. No social group of laborers is consulted before policies of globalization are imposed on their lives and livelihoods, even though they have not asked to be globalized.

The transit from “machinofacture” to “manufacture” and “ecofacture” is an interesting challenge. Given the enormous (and growing) manpower in India, development needs to be employment-led instead of inequality- or export-driven, and led by the rural communities that are the heart of the country. Village councils would have to take decisions pertaining to local welfare and ecology in a sane, consensual manner.

Thanks to its unmatched diversity, resilient traditions and enormous size, India is one of the countries in the world where an alternative to self-destructive industrialization can still be forged. In finding solutions to the deleterious effects of globalization, India could serve as a pioneer, but in failing to remain true to itself, it will merely follow the West and the rest of the world into an easily predictable abyss. 

Sources: infochangeindia

             walk free

EMPOWERMENT: tailoring classes in Hadapsar slum

We wish to share the steps we are taking next to our-your beneficiaries with you, so that you will also feel the satisfaction of watching them move towards a better way of living.

Thirty women have been regularly attending the tailoring classes given to two groups of fifteen women each. The response to the classes was so overwhelming that a week after they began, thirty more women wanted to sign up, but due to time and staff constraints, we told them they would be enrolled in the second course that is about to begin. Our collaborating agency has provided five sewing machines for the classes.

These courses, like others we will inform you about, are the tools the people of this community need to become more able and self-sufficient individuals, which will have a beneficial effect on their lives and those of their families.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Human trafficking is extremely common in India. Young women are sold daily as pieces of flesh in the market and forced to accept their ‘fate’.

Sony wanted to start a new life away from the abuse of her alcoholic husband. The wages she got from working at the farm were not enough to feed her children, husband and in-laws. Though she gave her husband all of her daily earnings, he would often beat her and she didn’t dare complain.

 “City agents” -actually sex trafficking agents- found out about her situation and convinced her to work in the city. Without an inkling of what was in store for her, Sony left her old life behind with only her three children in tow. She dreamt of having a whole new life that would bring independence and happiness to her and her children.

At the train station, she overheard a phone conversation where one of the agents was being told where and how they should bring her. Train tickets in hand, they told her “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it; you’re pretty and will make a lot of money”. They added that her daughter would also be in the “market”, but would not start working until she was old enough.

Sony asked to go to the bathroom, took her five-year-old daughter Payal with her, and told her: “Where I’m going I don’t want you to come, now sleep here… I’ll come back for you”. Sony had to go back with the agents, as she couldn’t bear the thought of them handling her children. The train was about to leave and the agents hurried in with Sony and her two sons. They did not have time to think about Payal.

Five days later, Payal was found by in the train station by Hope of Glory Foundation. She was saved from sex trafficking thanks to her mother’s sacrifice and quick-thinking. Sadly, her mother had been trapped and probably sold afterwards. Payal’s relatives in the village were contacted, but no one wanted her back. Perhaps it was best for her not to go back to a family which was likely to offer her a lifetime of abuse and deprivation.

There are far too many women and girl children in Sony’s and Payal’s situation. Laws exist, but corruption runs rampant. Hope for them lies in the people who will put their hands, minds and hearts to work so that women can dare to envision a different way of living and have the tools to make their dream come true.

It’s time to get to work.

Source: hogfindia