Thirty Years Later Victims of Worst Industrial Disaster in World History Still Wait For Justice

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Managing Editor, Impunity Watch

NEW DELHI, India – During the middle of the night on December 2-3 1984 large quantities of the deadly gas methyl isocyanate was accidentally released from a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant located in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The ploom of gas spread over the city as About 30 metric tons of methyl isocyanate) escaped into the atmosphere in a span of about 45 to 60 minutes. Leaks had occurred in the plant before and the poor condition of the plant was known by its operators were aware that many of the plant’s safety systems were not working and its operation valves were in poor condition. The disaster would claim more than 25,000 lives and leave more than 40,000 people permanently disabled making the event the worst industrial disaster in world history. After the disaster the Union Carbide company, whose parent company is Huston based Down Chemical Company, abandoned the planed without cleaning any of the toxic waste it left behind. Today illnesses related to acute toxic poisoning are still reported in local hospitals.

Safreen Khan (aged 20) is amoung those calling for justice. Her mother Nafisha (aged 40) was taken away with the dead the night of the disaster, but was brought back home by her father Zabbar Khan when someone noticed she was still breathing. (Photo courtesy of Newsweek)

On the wake of the thirtieth anniversary of the Bhopal industrial disaster Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty called on the government of Narendra Modi led  should raise issues pertaining to the Bhopal Gas tragedy with United States President Barack Obama during the President’s visit to India in January next year. “It is time to give victims and survivors the compensation they deserve. It is time to clean up the site and toxic wastes. And it is time to ensure justice and bring Dow Chemicals and Carbide to book,” he said.

A new film staring Indian American actor Kal Penn and directed by Ravi Kumar address the Bhopal disaster, exploring the events that led to the deadly release of toxic gas in 1984. The film “Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain,” opened in New York City last follows the story of Dilip, a former rickshaw driver who gets a job at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal in the early 1980s. Dilip, played by Kal Penn, and his co-workers become increasingly concerned by the lack of concern for safety around them.

“The Bhopal tragedy is one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, period,” Penn said. “There was such a multitude of other factors at play: corruption within government, lax safety standards, lack of enforcement or oversight, intimidation, the need for jobs, and of course corporate legal loopholes.”

The film also depicts Warren Anderson, the American CEO of Union Carbide who was arrested as he headed to India after the accident, although he was eventually allowed to leave the country without facing a trial. Said his team reached out to Anderson while writing the script to get his side of the story, but were unable to speak to him. “F or three decades, Union Carbide has used USA as a safe haven from criminal charges to dodge culpable homicide. The Bhopal Chief Judicial Magistrate has called Union Carbide six times but because of their consistent no show, has called it an ‘absconder’,” Shetty said.

“We know that the safety standard in the West Virginia plant of Union Carbide was much higher than Bhopal. It is time to right these wrongs,” Shetty said. “On behalf of Amnesty International, I am here to say the victims and survivors of the worst industrial disaster of our times can’t be asked to wait any longer. 30 years ago about 20,000 people died, up to half a million affected. They can’t wait any longer,” he said.

After the disaster Dow Chemical and Union Carbide simply abandoned Bhopal and even worked to create an illusion that time has healed Bhopal’s wounds. Today the rusting pipelines and burst gas tanks remain at the site tangled with lush green shoots. Fishermen fish the toxic waters of the plant’s abandoned evaporation ponds, families graze their goats on long grass and children play in the shadow of the chemical plant where a fine coating of chemical powder from the chemical leak can still be seen. No real cleanup has occurred, and despite the continued exposure of local families to chemical poisoning, no one has been brought to justice for the worst industrial disaster in world history.

For more information please see:

Amnesty International – Thirty Years On From Bhopal Disaster: Still Fighting For Justice – 2 December 2014

Newsweek – 30 Years On, the World’s Worst Industrial Disaster Continues To Blight Bhopal – 2 December 2014

International Business Times – Bhopal Disaster 30th Anniversary: Facts about the World’s Worst Industrial Tragedy – 1 December 2014

NBC News – Kal Penn’s New Film Dives into Bhopal Disaster, 30 Years Later – 7 November 2014

ICTJ | In Focus: Ending Violence Against Women

Today, November 25th, ICTJ joins the global observations of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the start of the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign.” On this day, we recognize the ongoing efforts to protect women from violence in different parts of the world.

It is also a time to reflect on the many ways this deeply complex and often culturally entrenched problem is being addressed in countries reckoning with past human rights abuses. For women who have been victims of sexual or other forms of violence during armed conflict or repressive rule, peace treaties or regime change doesn’t necessarily bring an end to their suffering, or guarantee justice for crimes committed against them.

In ICTJ’s work where widespread violence has disproportionately affected women, we’ve seen how challenging it is for victims of gender-based violence to seek justice or redress: the myriad of obstacles facing women in the justice system often deter them from telling authorities about crimes in the first place, preventing any future efforts to see justice done.

Public institutions—including police forces and the judicial system—have a key role to play to ensure women are protected from abuse and that gender-based violence does not go unreported or unpunished. Even simple reforms of police at the basic level, such as ensuring victims can speak to a female officer at a police station, or covering the cost of basic medical exams, can make a huge difference to make victims feel secure. Police officers who are implicated in incidents of sexual violence should be thoroughly vetted, and those taking statements from victims—including police officers, lawyers or other legal authorities—should receive detailed training on how to conduct the interview without risking re-traumatization.

While changing the ways of bureaucratic systems can be cumbersome, without such change other progress to protect women’s rights is at risk. Citizens’ trust in public institutions forms the foundation for society’s transition to peace and the rule of law.

Spotlight: Reforming the National Police in Kenya

Kenya is still dealing with the repercussions of post-election violence that erupted across the counrty in 2007 and included many cases of rapes and sexual assaults. Kenyan police officers were widely implicated in incidents of sexual violence, either by sexually assaulting women or failing to fulfill their duty to investigate such cases during the crisis and up until now. However, not a single case has been prosecuted.

The disturbing impact of police attitudes towards sexual and gender-based violence was reflected in a recent ICTJ report, The Accountability Gap on Sexual Violence in Kenya: Reforms and Initiatives Since the Post-Election Crisis. Of the 48 women interviewed, only nine had reported their sexual assault to the police.

Endemic corruption and a culture of tolerance towards violence against women combine to protect these officers from accountability. And many victims are afraid to come forward, as they fear social stigmatization and additional abuse from police.

Those who did not report to the police attributed their inaction to the hostility they expected from police officers. For example, one woman reported:

“The police in Molo were harsh and cruel. It was also shameful, being an old woman . . . I was embarrassed to tell my husband, and my daughters were also raped. They left for Nairobi and have never returned.”

ICTJ’s Gender Justice Program is assisting the National Police Services Commission of Kenya and the country’s civil society to reform police practices. The police vetting process offers the best chance to remove perpetrators from the forces, as well as those at higher levels who tolerate sexual violence.

In June and October, ICTJ held training workshops to enhance public awareness of Kenya’s police vetting program and how to engage with it, as well as to provide concrete recommendations to improve its capacity to reveal police misconduct related to sexual violence.

Read more about ICTJ’s work in Kenya in the latest ICTJ Program report here

Photo: A woman looks into a polling station before voting in a general election in Ilbissil, Kenya, March 4, 2013 (AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale)

Flash Report about Massacres in Raqqa‎

Policy Change Regarding Blood Donations By Gay Men Under Review

By Lyndsey Kelly

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

 WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America – A series of hearings that many expect will ease the blanket ban on gay men donating blood is set to begin this week. A U.S. advisory panel recommended for the first time in 31 years, that a ban preventing gay and bisexual men from donating blood be partially ended. Such a reformation will put the United States’ policies in line with other countries.

A series of hearings will be held this week to evaluate the current policy regarding blood donation by gay males (Photo courtesy of Washington Times).

The nation’s current policy bars men who have had sex with other men anytime since 1977 from giving blood in the United States. This policy dates back to the AIDS crisis in 1983, due to concerns that the virus could be transmitted through blood transfusions. According to the FDA’s website, the risk of getting HIV from a blood transfusion is about 1 per 2 million units of blood transfused. Groups such as the American Red Cross say that the risk of HIV transmission in this manner is infinitesimal in many cases, and does not justify a full ban on blood donations by gay men. If the current ban was to be completely eliminated, which does not seem likely at this point in time, 360,600 men would probably donate approximately 615,300 pints of blood a year. This would then aid 1.8 million people, according to a study done in September by the University of California.

On Thursday, the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood & Tissue Safety & Availability will hear results from studies on how MSM might respond to a change in blood-donation rules and current risks of transfusion-transmitted viral infections. Doctors and advocated who advise the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services voted 16-2 on 29 November, suggesting that men who have had sex with other men should be able to donate blood only after being abstinent for one year. This will compensate for the 11-day window that current HIV tests have in which the virus cannot be detected.

While there is an agreement among experts that the current policy needs to be addressed, there is no consensus on how to change it. Recommendations of various advisory committees will be considered by a group of advisors to the Food and Drug Administration on 2 December. However, the FDA is not compelled to follow the recommendations.

 

For more information, please see the following:

BLOOMBERG – Blood Donations By Gay Men Gain Support In U.S. Panel Vote – 13 Nov. 2014.

FOX NEWS – FDA to Weigh Lifting Ban on Gay Men Donating Blood – 28 November 2014.

WASHINGTON POST –Government could Ear 31-Year-Old Ban On Blood Donations From Gay Men – 29 Nov. 2014.

WASHINGTON TIMES – Gay Blood –Donor Ban Under Review – 12 November 2014.

World Food Programme Suspends Food Services to More Than 1.7 Million Syrian Refugees

By Kathryn Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

DAMASCUS, Syria – The World Food Programme (WFP), The United Nations’ food agency, has announced that it is suspending its food Programme which serve more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees because the agency has run out of money to fund the Programme. On Monday, The World Food Programme that it “immediately needs” at least $64 million in December alone to support the Syrian refugees who have fled the deadly conflict in Syria and are now living in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. Since the Syrian Civil war began in 2011 more than three million people have fled the country and are now living as refugees. The World Food Programme is the world’s largest agency dedicated to ending world hunger and is a critical source of food for refugees struggling to survive around the world.

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides basic staples to refugee families and provide vouchers allowing families to purchase much needed food in local shops, however the funding crisis facing The World Food Programme (WFP) threatens the future of refugees as they head into the harsh winter months. (Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera)

“A suspension of World Food Programme food assistance will endanger the health and safety of these refugees and will potentially cause further tensions, instability and insecurity in the neighboring host countries,” said World Food Programme Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, in an appeal to donors. “The suspension of WFP food assistance will be disastrous for many already suffering families.”

World Food Programme uses a voucher program that allows refugees to buy food World Food buy food for themselves and their families in local shops. The United Nations provides basic staples like flour, cooking oil and sugar directly to refugees. The Programme also gives vital food vouchers to pregnant and nursing mothers. According to the United Nations, “without WFP vouchers, many families will go hungry. For refugees already struggling to survive the harsh winter, the consequences of halting this assistance will be devastating.”

The funding cuts could be devastate both Syrian refugee populations and internally displaced families still living in Syria. Every month, the United Nations feeds more than four million people inside Syria, and more than a million more now living as refugees in other countries.

Muhannad Hadi, the United Nations coordinator of the food Programme, said “It’s definitely a catastrophe.” He added, “if we cannot deliver the food voucher, they simply would not be able to eat.” The World Food Program is asking the world to help address this international crisis and as Syrian refugees face a harsh winter ahead, the consequences of being forced to suspend critical food services due to lack of funding could be devastating for those who depend on the agency for their survival and the survival of their families.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – UN runs out of money to feed Syrian refugees – 1 December 2014

BBC News – Syria conflict: WFP suspends refugee food aid scheme – 1 December 2014

The New York Times – World Food Program, Short on Money, Says It – 1 December 2014

The Wall Street Journal – United Nations’ Food Program Halts Aid to Syrian Refugees – 1 December 2014