Daily Times

Conflicts around the world have taken a devastating toll on the most vulnerable of society: children and women. In war torn countries, the situation is out of proportions and it’s the worst since World War II. Parties to conflicts are blatantly disregarding international laws designed to protect the most susceptible.

Children and women continue to suffer due to the ensuing wars and the greed of politicians around the globe. The bourgeoisie have took over and can’t seem to quench their thirst for material possessions. Their desires are endless and have absolutely negligible regard for the destitute in our society.

Children have become front line targets, are recruited to fight, used as human shields, killed and maimed. Rape, forced marriage, trafficked for sex and enslavement have become standard tactics in conflicts from Eastern Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, to Nigeria, South Sudan and Myanmar.

Children and women are targeted deliberately and are coerced into becoming a part of the conflicts taking place. Women are trafficked for sex, bought and sold like commodities, raped and murdered mercilessly. There are accounts where babies have been thrown into blazing fires, in Myanmar and women have been sexually assaulted and then set on fire in front of their relatives.

The atrocities committed in Myanmar lead to the question, ‘Are the mass killings and human degradation; on a scale so big that it is unfathomable in human history. Genocide or is it Ethnic cleansing?’ The killing of 8000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys, as well as the mass expulsion of about 25000-30000 civilians was termed as a genocide by several authorities including a resolution by United Nations General Assembly and German Courts (who took a wider interpretation of Genocide than used by international courts).

The International Court of Justice found the Srebrenica massacre(Bosnian Genocide) to be a genocide and the Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, was found guilty of genocide in Srebrenica and was sentenced to 49 years of imprisonment. The International Court of Justice has ruled that, in order for actions to be deemed as a genocide, there must be physical or biological destruction of a protected group and a specific intent to commit such destruction.

The system of democracy was created to foster equality,but it has led to great inequality and a new ruling class based on nepotism has emerged

Don’t the mass killings and rapes in Myanmar fall into the mentioned category? Why is the International Court of Justice quiet? And why isn’t the world paying heed to the atrocities? Are the lives of Burmese Muslims cheaper than those of people living in Western countries? Is a Muslim Burmese child who is snatched from his mother’s lap and thrown into a fire, whilst the mother screams and squeals with pain and anguish, of no worth to those who preach human rights and act as the champions of democracy?

Has democracy around the world failed? For it has only created inequality within societies. It was created to foster equality, but it has led to great inequality and a new ruling class based on nepotism has emerged. Democracy was supposed to give a say to the ordinary citizens and create a sense of belonging, but it has only managed to alienate the ordinary folks. It was meant to give ordinary people a control of the government,and become a part of the system, but that has not happened. With the fall of communism and fascism in the 20th century, this version seemed triumphant, but it has led to further imparity.

This game of power won’t last forever and there is going to be a period where the average people will stand up for their rights collectively. And when that happens, these politicians will not find a place to hide

The greed of politicians around the globe has led to wars. What has an ordinary human being got to do with the infighting and the politics these politicians play? What does a woman, who bears a child and dreams of a future for her child,got to do with the sham ideologies and gimmicks played by these politicians;who only make moves to further their personal interests? What patriotism is there to see your child get killed and your next of kin raped and murdered in the name of your country? It’s all a false ideology imposed on the masses by a certain segment of the society.

Human rights clearly differ when it comes to the destitute. Mass killings and ethnic cleansing around the globe needs to come to an absolute end. If their rights are not upheld, it’s only a matter of time that the people will say ‘enough is enough’ and devise a new system of governance. This game of power won’t last forever and there is going to be a period where the average people will stand up for their rights collectively. And when that happens, these politicians will not find a place to hide.

The writer is a corporate lawyer and an alumnus of SOAS, University of London. He can be reached at sami@samishahpartners.com

Published in Daily Times, January 24^th 2018.