In the Central African Republic, the devastating price women and girls pay for war - Central African Republic
BAMBARI, OUAKA PREFECTURE, Central African Republic – Not far from the airfield in Bambari is Aviation Camp for internally displaced persons, where dilapidated straw dwellings house people who have fled conflict that has plagued Ouaka prefecture. Some have been here since 2014, though the violence broke out two years earlier, its end nowhere in sight.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there are more than 14,000 displaced people in the Aviation and PK8 Camps in Bambari, the majority of them women and girls. Besides facing serious barriers to health care and food, they also face sexual violence used as a weapon of war.
Living in fear
One woman in PK8 Camp recalled encountering a man who emerged from the bush, machete in hand, demanding sex. “I fled, but he caught up with me and hit me with the machete in the face. He started to undress me, but I struggled and screamed with all my might. He hit me on the thighs, but I continued to scream and struggle. Finally, he left when he heard that the population would come running to help me. I was lucky, but it was not the case for other women who had already crossed paths with this man. I currently live in fear.”
In 2020, the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System – a monitoring system maintained by humanitarian partners including UNFPA – recorded 9,216 cases of gender-based violence countrywide, of which 24 per cent (or 2,281) represented sexual violence. More than a third of those brutalities were committed by members of armed groups; the rest were perpetrated by civilians. From June 2020 to May 2021, a UNFPA partner* documented 619 cases of gender-based violence; of 195 cases of sexual violence, 136 were committed against minors.
Some survivors know their attackers. Simone* is a 12-year-old girl at PK8 Camp who was raped by her uncle in June. She eventually returned to school; her uncle is now in jail.
Nema*, a 14-year-old also at PK8 camp, had been resisting the attentions of a 56-year-old man who wanted to marry her. “One evening, returning from the field, he had waited for me on the usual path I take and raped me. I never told anyone,” she recounted. “My dad found out after he drove me to the hospital because of the pain in my abdomen. I found out I was a month pregnant. My father filed a complaint against the man, who is currently in prison.”
While Simone and Nema’s perpetrators were punished, many roam free due to a dearth of prosecutors and courts to handle the sheer volume of cases. Some families of survivors take “revenge rape” on the other family. Other cases are settled between the perpetrator and the survivor’s family, especially when the survivor was a virgin and the family is desperately poor, for about $200 in compensation called “blood costs”. For others, any semblance of justice remains as elusive as peace. A father whose 10-year-old daughter was raped by a 40-year-old man filed a complaint but says the assailant bribed officials for his release.
Facilitating survivor support
Last year, in collaboration with partners including the Ministry for the Promotion of Women, the Family and the Protection of the Child, UNFPA distributed more than 9,000 dignity kits, which contain essential hygiene supplies including menstrual pads, and 52 post-rape kits countrywide, which helped to support 2,600 cases of rape.
And in response to the unrelenting wave of sexual violence, UNFPA and partner African Initiative for Development (AID) set up a help centre at the District Hospital of Bambari – one of 12 safe spaces for women and girls throughout Ouaka and four other prefectures – and deployed a mobile clinic in May, which distributes dignity kits to vulnerable women in camps and handles gender-based violence cases. In addition to identifying and treating survivors, the mobile clinic conducts sensitization sessions in the hope that wider education will help communities support survivors, not subject them to stigma, shame or discrimination. The communities, too, are casualties of an already cruel war.
*Names changed or excluded for privacy and protection
Petrol touches record high on July 12, breaches Rs 107/litre in Mumbai; diesel slips
A worker fills petrol for two wheelers at a fuel station in Ahmedabad. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Petrol and diesel price today: After remaining unchanged for a day, petrol prices were hiked on Monday, July 12, 2021, touching a record high across the country, while diesel rates dipped marginally. In the national capital, the petrol price rose 28 paise while that of diesel slipped 16 paise.
Following the latest price revision, petrol in Delhi is now retailing at Rs 101.19 a litre while diesel is selling at Rs 89.72. In the financial capital Mumbai, petrol price now stands at Rs 107.20 while diesel costs Rs 97.29, data available on Indian Oil Corporation’s website showed.
This marks the seventh increase in petrol prices this month, while diesel on the other hand has declined for the first time after being hiked four times earlier in July. In June, both petrol and diesel prices were hiked 16 times which followed the 16 hikes during May. Prices have been on the rise since May 4 after oil marketing companies (OMCs) resumed their price revisions ending an 18-day hiatus that coincided with the assembly elections in five key states. During this period, petrol price has increased by Rs 10.79 per litre and diesel has climbed by Rs 8.99 in New Delhi.
On Saturday, the petrol was increased by 35 paise to Rs 100.91 per litre, while diesel climbed 26 paise to Rs 89.88 a litre.
Following the hikes since May 4, the price of petrol has crossed the Rs 100-per-litre mark in at least 17 states and union territories including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Ladakh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Kerala, Punjab, Sikkim, Puducherry, Delhi and West Bengal.
Bhopal was the first state capital to have petrol hit the three-figure mark in May, followed by Jaipur and Mumbai. In June, Hyderabad and Bengaluru had also joined them followed by Patna and Thiruvananthapuram. Earlier this month, Chennai along with Delhi and Kolkata became the latest capital cities to hit the psychological landmark.
Petrol and diesel rates are at the highest in the country in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan where petrol comes for Rs 112.53 a litre. Diesel here touched the three-figure mark in June and currently is retailing at Rs 102.98 per litre, the Indian Oil data showed. In Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district, petrol today is priced at Rs 112.11 a litre and diesel at Rs 100.89.
Auto fuel prices in the country differ from state to state depending on the local taxation (VAT) and freight charges. Apart from this, the central government charges an excise duty on auto fuels.
OMCs revise rates of petrol and diesel daily based on the average price of benchmark fuel in the international market in the preceding 15-days and foreign exchange rates.
In the global market, crude futures slipped on Monday as concerns over slowing global growth outweighed the prospect of tightening supply after talks among key producers to raise output in coming months stalled, news agency Reuters reported.
Brent crude for September fell 15 cents (0.2 per cent) to $75.40 a barrel by 0411 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude for August was at $74.44 a barrel, down 12 cents (0.2 per cent), the report said.
Here’s what you pay for a litre of petrol and diesel in your city on Monday, July 12, 2021:
Nothing Ear 1 India Price Announced at Rs. 5,999, Ahead of July 27 Launch
Nothing Ear 1 price in India has been revealed on Flipkart to be Rs. 5,999. This is an unusual strategy by the new brand, which is backed by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, with the price revealed around two weeks prior to the official launch of the product on July 27. The company had also already announced that the Ear 1 will be available on Flipkart in India, and has showcased the design of the earphones. Furthermore, the Nothing Ear 1 will come with active noise cancellation, as per some details already revealed.
Nothing Ear 1 price in India
The company has gone with a strong pricing strategy for its first launch in India, with the Nothing Ear 1 set to be priced at Rs. 5,999 as per the landing page for Nothing on Flipkart. This follows shortly after the global pricing of the Nothing Ear 1 was revealed to be GBP 99 (approximately Rs. 10,200) by Nothing co-founder and CEO Carl Pei. The India pricing is considerably lower than the global pricing, which could be a smart decision given the competitive nature of the true wireless segment in India.
At this price, and considering that the earphones will have active noise cancellation, the Nothing Ear 1 will go up against options from brands such as Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus, along with some affordable options from brand such as Sony and Samsung as well. The feature set and design will give Nothing an edge, particularly the transparent casing which will be quite unique in a reasonably priced pair of true wireless earphones.
Nothing Ear 1 features
Not too much is known about the Nothing Ear 1, beyond the transparent design and the presence of active noise cancellation. However, Nothing has tied up with Swedish industrial design firm Teenage Engineering, and also appointed Manu Sharma, a senior executive with experience at Samsung, to spearhead operations in India.
The launch event is scheduled for July 27 where further details about the Nothing Ear 1 will be revealed, including specifications and other features. Although starting with true wireless earphones, Nothing reportedly has a wider range of products in the works, with the company having taken over smartphone maker Essential in early 2021.
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