Ebola threat: Kolkata Sex workers asked not to entertain Africans

Sex workers in Sonagachi, Kolkata's largest red light area, have been asked not to entertain customers from Africa, who are regular visitors to the place, in the wake of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, a forum of 1, 30,000 sex workers in West Bengal, has warned the sex workers that they might come in contact with infected persons.

"We have requested the sex workers not to entertain people from African nations as it can be a life risk for them if they get infected by the highly contagious Ebola virus which is causing havoc in some West African countries," said a member of the DMSC.

Durbar is presently training and providing classes to sex workers to identify the signs of an Ebola-affected person.

"According to WHO guidelines, transmission of the virus requires close contact with body fluids such as sweat, saliva and the cough of an infected person, and also body contact. So we are training the sex workers on how to identify the symptoms," said Samarjit Jana of Durbar, who is looking after the training programme.

Mr Jana says that the training schedule forms a part of the regular training programme in which sex workers are instructed about sexually transmitted diseases.

Asked if the guideline applied to all foreigners who showed such symptoms, Mr Jana said, "This is for the sex workers to decide. We can request them for their own safety and we have told them to be careful."

According to the latest WHO update, 128 new cases of Ebola virus disease, as well as 56 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone between August 10 and 11, bringing the total number of cases to 1,975 and deaths to 1,069.

The Ebola virus is highly contagious, but is not airborne.

Mr Jana said that the training programme, which started this week in Sonagachi, would be extended to other red light areas in the city as well as the entire state, especially in port and border areas.

INSI ranks India, 4^th most dangerous country for Journalists in 2013

The Philippines tied with India in second place in the list of the “World’s Most Dangerous Country for Journalists” in 2013 that was topped by war-torn Syria.

The International News Safety Institute (INSI) reported that the Philippines and India each recorded the killings of 12 journalists and one media worker.

One hundred and thirty-four journalists and media support staff were killed while on reporting assignments last year, with India fourth on the list of countries with the most number of deaths, the London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) said on Tuesday.

 

Most of those killed were targeted deliberately.

Of these, 65 died covering armed conflicts - primarily in Syria, where 20 were killed, and Iraq, where the death total was 16 - while 51 were killed in peacetime covering issues like crime and corruption, and 18 died in accidents.

After Syria and Iraq, cited by the Institute as the most dangerous countries for journalists last year, came Philippines with 14 deaths, India with 13 and Pakistan with 9.

The total was down from 152 deaths recorded in 2012, but there was an accompanying rise in assaults, threats and kidnappings directed at journalists which largely go unreported, said the INSI study, "Killing the Messenger".

The institute, funded by major world news organisations including Reuters, has been issuing the report since 1996. Its main work is providing security training for journalists reporting in dangerous situations.

INSI said local journalists were the main victims, with 123 of the dead killed while covering their own country. Of the 20 who died in Syria, 16 were Syrian nationals.

"Most journalists were targeted, and shooting was the most common cause of death," INSI said. The report, compiled for INSI by the Cardiff School of Journalism in Wales, showed 85 of the victims were shot.

Others died in explosions, stabbings and beatings, under torture or by strangulation, or in accidents, according to INSI.

In 2012, 28 reporters died in Syria, 18 in Somalia, 12 in Nigeria, 11 in Mexico and 11 in Pakistan.

The 2013 total for the Philippines, which in past years has seen a mass shooting of reporters as well as individual assassinations, included five who lost their lives in natural disasters.

Written By: Pooja Karn

Title: INSI ranks India, 4th most dangerous country for Journalists in 2013 Description: The Philippines tied with India in second place..Read More Category: International, Social Date:19-02-14