What a world to be born into

The recent the rape-cum-murder of 10-year-old Nurulhuda Abdul Ghani made more than a few people sit up and take notice. The government has indicated that rapists be accorded the maximum sentence while such crimes that end in the death of the victim to be tried as murder cases.

While I applaud fervour, one wonders what difference this would make. Someone who is willing to risk the wrath of public scorn, face the prospect of prison and possible abuse behind bars (yes, felons have sisters and mothers too) will probably not be deterred by some legislative changes. Impose the maximum penalty on a repeat offender by all means. And send the murderers to the gallows. But a proper resolution must take place before and not after the fact.

As a matter of fact, most rape cases go unreported. Yet it is the same offender who will ultimately go way over the line and contribute to another gruesome headline. And why not? The stigma attached to being a rape victim and the lack of professional intervention, especially towards the victim is reason enough to suffer silently. Better to forget and get on with life than to have your life probed and other people wondering if somehow you had contributed to the crime... protection and privacy needs to be accorded to the wronged.

In a few months' time, I will have welcome my baby girl into this world. It makes me shudder to think that I do not know where to draw the line between being protective versus overly protective. What kind of world will she be born into? Well to begin with, it will be one where I am willing to pay the ultimate price to ensure her safety... and that is perhaps the first step every parent should take.

Hunger in the New Millenium

In CNN's feature on "Hunger" African journalist Sorious Samura goes for five weeks without food as he investigates famine in a special documentary. It was an eye opener and reminds us that after the "We are the World" albums and "Live Aid" concerts, long after we pat our backs for doing our utmost for the starving in Africa, there remains a lot of people whose hunger and plight we can only imagine but never understand.

Here's my tapas - with the millions being raised each year in aid of hunger, I wonder what proportion of these reach its intended destinations? Is there a way to ensure that more of the aid finds its way to the hungry instead of the greedy along the by-ways? How can these aid be used to generate more wealth in a system that would offers more than short term relief? If middlemen are required to transport the food for example, why not make it mandatory for the company providing the service to hire at least largely from among those they intend to help? Surely they would be cheaper, and over time even more durable?

Let's go one step further, companies that maintain a high ratio will be given repeated business and sponsored programs to improve the quality of their workforce. Could the money be used with longer term strategic milestones in mind? I do not have the figures, but I am sure that pilferage and wastage would have accounted for a lot. Take this and multiply it along the supply chain and what proportion losses are we talking about? Could a part of the money, for example, be used by the relief centers to implement better inventory management using technologies like RFID for example?

I know the rationale mind will question the wisdom in diverting funds from their intended purpose, but that is taking a myopic view to the whole issue.

Apparently one billion people around the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Of this, one in hundred die. But as you read this, I am sure the statistics will occupy the lesser used realm of your minds... statistics is an inhumane way to view hunger.

Surely hunger is a poor excuse to die of, and yet the strained voices of the hungry go unheard in the hysterical night as those who are willing, fight a losing battle to stem the slow but dominant tide called death...