Nebraska Guard Transitions COVID-19

Defense Feature              23rd July 2020 at 5:57 PM

Testing to Civilian Health Care Workers

23rd July 2020//By Army Staff SGT. HEIDI MCCLINTOCK

After months of support, the Nebraska National Guard is transitioning its COVID-19 testing mission to civilian health care workers throughout the state.

As of July 1, full Nebraska National Guard testing teams are no longer activated to provide testing throughout Nebraska, but a small group of soldiers and airmen is still activated to provide training and knowledge to hos pitals for the Test Nebraska campaign. Another small team is supporting the Omaha area.

A man puts on full body protective gear.

''The transition has been going very well,'' said Army Maj. Angela Ling, the coordinator between the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Resources and the Nebraska National Guard. ''The current process is: if a hospital/clinic/health department is interested in running a Test Nebraska site, they contact DHHS, and together they get a contract signed. Once the contract is signed, my team receives the contract, and we call the hospital directly.''

''When we call the hospital, we work out their training needs, test kit, and [personal protective equipment] delivery and scheduling plan,'' Ling added. ''Once these details are solidified, we send an update to the Test Nebraska team to get them loaded into the scheduling system.''

The transition was put in place after several hundred Nebraska National Guard soldiers and airmen were activated in late March to support testing teams that traveled across the state for weeks on end.

Three Nebraska National Guardsmen wearing face masks stand in grass.

''The civilian hospitals are doing a wonderful job with this transition,'' Ling said. ''They are eager to support this need for their communities.''

Over the past few months, the guard testing teams have been able to provide Test Nebraska sites wherever needed, including nursing homes, corrections facilities, meat processing plants, smaller towns and large cities alike.

The teams have helped to collect more than 80,000 samples for testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting 53 counties and all 19 health departments.

''It's been a great honor for the governor to entrust his confidence in Nebraska National Guard soldiers and airmen to provide the testing for COVID-19 these past few months,'' said Army Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska adjutant general. ''I couldn’t be more proud of the team we have had on orders to provide the support and capabilities for such an important mission. It goes without being said we have great soldiers and airmen in the state of Nebraska that are ready to respond at a moment's notice.''

A woman in protective gear stands next to a car.

Throughout the pandemic, the guard has always pushed to ensure the safety of the soldiers and airmen supporting the COVID-19 response missions as well as their fellow citizens.

''I have three directives: [to] preserve the health of the force, protect our families in our communities and stay ready,'' Bohac said. ''If we take care of everyone, we take care of the other two, and that’s the direction we’re following.''

As the mission begins to wind down, the soldiers and airmen know that their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed, and they are proud of their contributions during this time.

''Our team has enjoyed working with numerous agencies and filling a need for the state during this pandemic,'' Ling said.

(Army Staff Sgt. Heidi Mcclintock is assigned to the Nebraska National Guard.)

The brutal rape of a five-year-old girl in Lahore shocked

An Article from the Asian Human Rights Commission

PAKISTAN: Strict yet victim-friendly legal mechanisms are required to minimize 

sexual violence against women and children                                     -Amir Murtaza

The brutal rape of a five-year-old girl in Lahore last week has literally shocked the country, from the officials in the highest office down to the ordinary citizen in the street.

The tragic incident has sparked a nationwide debate and outcry against the lack of a safety mechanism in the country for women and children.

Certainly, women and child molestation cases are nothing exceptional in this part of the world; however, the coverage of the recent rape in Lahore in the electronic media and social networking websites has forced the concerned police officials to take immediate action.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has also taken notice of this heinous crime and ordered the provincial police officials to submit the case report.

According to reports the five-year-old girl was found unconscious and in critical condition near a crowded hospital in Lahore. Later, a medical examination confirmed that the victim had been raped.

The Punjab provincial law minister, while talking to the reporters stated that, "Those who have done this are not humans but beasts and will be arrested and prosecuted under the law and given exemplary punishments."

One can only hope that police will arrest the culprit or culprits of this heinous crime as soon as possible and that the presiding court of law will award the severest possible punishment to them so that it could serve as an example to other, like-minded perverts. This is desperately required in order to minimize the incidence of sexual violence against women and children.

Violence against women and children is quite common in male dominated South Asian societies, including Pakistani society. The research reports of child-focused NGOs suggest that violence against children has increased significantly although a large number of cases go unreported.

It is also a fact that the majority of violent cases against children are not reported by the parents or other family members for various reasons, including the low rate of convictions against the accused.

For example, in 2002 Mukhtaran Mai was gang raped, allegedly on the orders of a village council in the southern Punjab village of Meerwala. The incident shocked the country and people from all walks of life, notably the media and civil society organizations, supported Mukhtaran Mai in her efforts to obtain justice. However, finding justice for rape victims can be a difficult task in the country. It is shameful that all the accused in Mukhtaran's case were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Rape victims are severely stigmatized in Pakistani society and it is extremely difficult for the victim or her family to make a report in a police station and a court of law. In many such cases families try to sweep the matter under the carpet to avoid further trauma for the victim.

An unfriendly policing structure, cumbersome legal system and the secondary status of women in society have made women and children, particularly girls, even as young as five years old, vulnerable to all sorts of physical and sexual violence. Therefore, the perpetrators of such heinous crimes have little or no fear of punishment and the frequency of rape and gang rape is increasing.

The recent Lahore case has brought the issue of sexual violence to the national agenda. For once the media, civil society organizations, government ministers, police officials and the judiciary are in agreement that the perpetrators must be arrested immediately, tried and given exemplary punishment.

It is absolutely high time to initiate a national debate on the issue and build strict, yet victim-friendly legal mechanisms to minimize sexual violence against women and children in the country.

NGOs, CBOs and other social welfare organisations should also design different risk reduction programs for women and children. Furthermore, rape prevention programs for men are an urgent need so as to involve them in campaigns to diminish the prevailing gender inequalities and gender based violence in the society.

About the Author: Amir Murtaza is a senior researcher, analyst and writer on social development issues, especially pertaining to women, youth and children. He can be reached at amirmurtaza@hotmail.com

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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

Read this Article online

PAKISTAN: Killing of Ms Perveen Rehman

Sun, Mar 17, 2013 at 9:24 AM

A Press Release from Front Line Defenders forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

Perveen Rehman was a social and economic rights defender

On 13 March 2013, human rights defender Ms Perveen Rehman was shot and killed by armed motorcyclists, close to her offices. Perveen Rehman was a social and economic rights defender, working with communities in the slums of Karachi. She was director of the Orangi Pilot Project, one of Pakistan's most successful non-for-profit social programmes, which helps local communities escape from poverty. Perveen Rehman had recently been documenting the situation in villages close to Karachi, which are affected by land grabbers and religious extremists.

On 13 March 2013, as Perveen Rehman arrived at her offices in a car, armed men travelling on two motorcycles approached her and opened fire, shooting her twice on the face and once on the neck. The human rights defender was rushed to the local Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where she subsequently died of her wounds.

Perveen Rehman had previously reported being subjected to death threats. On one occasion, an armed man reportedly stormed her offices and ordered staff to leave.

On 14 March 2013, student and several civil society organisations, including Shirkatgah, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Awami Workers Party and Home-Based Women Workers Federation, held a protest against the killing of the human rights defender.

Front Line Defenders condemns the killing of Perveen Rehman, and believes it to be motivated by her peaceful and legitimate human rights work, in particular her work to defend the rights of marginalised communities in the village and slums of Karachi.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Pakistan to:

1. Initiate an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the killing of Perveen Rehman, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;

2. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Pakistan are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, including physical violence and death threats.

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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

A gift on women day

27-February-2013 18:49 IST
Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace 
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2013 Sexual Harassment of Women

Courtesy Photo

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2012 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 26th February 2013. Lok Sabha has passed it in September 2012.Sexual Harassment at workplace is a violation of women’s right to gender equality, life and liberty. It creates an insecure and hostile work environment, which discourages women’s participation in work, thereby adversely affecting their economic empowerment and the goal of inclusive growth. However, there is no domestic law to address this issue except a few provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Supreme Court Guidelines in the case of Vishaka vs. State of Rajasthan. The increasing work participation rate of women has made it imperative that a comprehensive legislation focusing on prevention of sexual harassment as well as providing a redressal mechanism be enacted.
The salient features of the Act are as follows:
(i)        It defines “sexual harassment at the workplace” in a comprehensive manner, in keeping with the definition laid down in the Vishaka judgment, and broadening it further to cover circumstances of implied or explicit promise or threat to a woman’s employment prospects or creation of hostile work environment or humiliating treatment, which can affect her health or safety.
(ii)       The definition of “aggrieved woman”, who will get protection under the Act is extremely wide to cover all women, irrespective of her age or employment status, whether in the organised or unorganised sectors, public or private and covers clients, customers and domestic workers as well.
(iii) While the “workplace” in the Vishaka guidelines is confined to the traditional office set-up where there is a clear employer-employee relationship, the Act goes much further to include organisations, department, office, branch unit etc in the public and private sector, organized and unorganized, hospitals, nursing homes, educational institutions, sports institutes, stadiums, sports complex and any place visited by the employee during the course of employment including the transportation.
(iv)      Definition of employee covers regular/temporary/ad hoc/daily wage employees, whether for remuneration or not and can also include volunteers. The definition of employer includes the head of the Government department/organisation/institution/office/branch/unit, the person responsible for management/supervisions/control of the workplace, the person discharging contractual obligations with respect to his/her employees and in relation to a domestic worker the person who benefits from that employment.
(v) The redressal mechanism provided in the Act is in the form of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and Local Complaints Committee (LCC). All workplaces employing 10 or more than 10 workers are mandated under the Act to constitute an ICC. The ICC will be a 4 member committee under the Chairpersonship of a senior woman employee and will include 2 members from amongst the employees preferably committed to the cause of women or has experience in social work/legal knowledge and includes a third party member (NGO etc) as well.
(vi)  Complaints from workplaces employing less than 10 workers or when the complaint is against the employer will be looked into by the LCC. A  District Officer notified under the Act will constitute the LCC at the district level. LCC will also look into complaints from domestic workers.
(vii) LCC will be a five member committee comprising of a chairperson to be nominated from amongst eminent women in the field of social work or committed to the cause of women, one member from amongst women working in block/taluka/tehsil/manicipality in the district, two members of whom at least one shall be a woman to be nominated from NGOs committed to the cause of women or a person familiar with the issues related to sexual harassment provided that at least one of the nominees should preferably have a background in law or legal knowledge. The concerned officer dealing with the social welfare or women and child development shall be an ex officio member.
(viii)  A complaint of sexual harassment can be filed within a time limit of 3 months. This may be extended to another 3 months if the woman can prove that grave circumstances prevented her from doing the same.
(ix) The Act has a provision for conciliation. The ICC/LCC can take steps to settle the matter between the aggrieved woman and the respondent, however this option will be used only at the request of the woman. The Act also provides that monetary settlement shall not be made a basis of conciliation. Further, if any of the conditions of the settlement is not complied with by the respondent, the complainant can go back to the Committee who will proceed to make an inquiry. 
(x)  The Committee is required to complete the inquiry within a time period of 90 days. On completion of the inquiry, the report will be sent to the employer or the District Officer, as the case may be, they are mandated to take action on the report within 60 days.
(xi) In case the complaint has been found proved, then the Committee can recommend action in accordance with the provision of service rules applicable to the respondent or as per the rules which will be prescribed, where such service rules do not exist. The committee can also recommend deduction of an appropriate sum from the salary of the respondent or ask respondent to pay the sum. In case the respondent fails to pay such sum, district officer may be asked to recover such sum as an arrear of land revenue.
(xii) In case the allegation against the respondent has not been proved then the Committee can write to the employer/district officer that no action needs to be taken in the matter.
(xiii) In case of malicious or false complaint then the Act provides for a penalty according to the Service Rules. However, this clause has a safeguard in the form of an enquiry prior to establishing the malicious intent. Also, mere inability to prove the case will not attract penalty under this provision.
(xiv) The Act has provisions for providing reliefs to the aggrieved woman in the interim period including leave and transfer during the pendency of the inquiry.
(xv) The Act prohibits disclosure of the identity and addresses of the aggrieved woman, respondent and witnesses. However, information regarding the justice secured to any victim of sexual harassment under this Act without disclosing the identity can be disseminated.
(xvi) The Act casts a responsibility on every employer to create an environment which is free from sexual harassment. Employers are required to organize workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for sensitizing the employees about the provision of this legislation and display notices regarding the constitution of Internal Committee, penal consequences of sexual harassment etc.
(xvii) An employer will be liable to a fine of Rs 50,000 in case of violation of his duties under the Act and in case of subsequent violations the amount of fine will be double together with penalty in the form of cancelation of his licence, withdrawal or non-withdrawal of the registration required for carrying out his activity.
(xviii) In case of domestic worker the procedure is different considering the nature of employment. A domestic worker can approach the LCC in case of any complaint. If the complainant wishes then conciliation may be carried out. However, in other cases if the complaint is proved prima facie then the LCC can forward the complaint to the police for registering the case and taking appropriate action under the relevant provision of IPC. 
(xix) Regarding monitoring, the Act provides that the State Governments will monitor implementation and maintain data for all State Government establishments as well as private establishments in their territory. For establishments of the Central Government this duty is cast on the Government of India.  All ICCs have to submit Annual reports to the employer who inturn will submit it to the district officer. All LCCs shall submit their annual report to the district officer. The district officers will submit the report annually to the State Governments.
(xx) The Central and State Governments are mandated to develop relevant IEC and training materials and organise awareness programmes to advance the understanding of the public on the provisions of this Bill.
(xxi) The Central Government will provide financial assistance to the States to meet the expenditure of fee and allowances payable to the members of the Local Complaints Committee. (PIB)  Sexual Harassment prevention Bill passed
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