Press releases

4.5 Million People have been affected by the recent floods in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab provinces of Pakistan – Bradford based International Charity Basic Human Rights team is on the ground

Once again deadly floods have hit major parts of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab provinces, while people have not fully recovered from the effects of the 2010 and 2011 floods which had affected over 20 million people across the country, mostly in the same areas. According to the UN reports 4.5 million people are affected, 1.09 million acres of crops damaged and 13,465 villages are partially or fully damaged. The government has notified six major districts which are badly hit by the floods that include Jaffarabad and Naseerabad in Balochistan; Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh in Punjab; Jacobabad and Kashmore in Sindh. According to the Government, the floods have damaged or destroyed 275,720 houses, making shelter one of the major needs of the people.
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The Killing of the Innocent Rohingya People Has to Stop:

Since World War I the Rohingya Muslims of Burma have faced oppression and atrocities, first by the British Colonial Rule and then by the new formed Burmese State from 1948 onwards. With the establishment of Citizenship Law, the Burmese Government considers the Rohingyas as illegal migrants, claiming that they are in fact Bengalis and therefore not one of the 135 “national races” of Burma, branding them as stateless people. As of 2012, 800,000 Rohingya live in Myanmar. According to the UN, they are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

Due to this status, the Rohingyas have been stripped of citizenship rights, most significantly freedom of travel, the right of owning land and family planning, as they are required to sign a commitment to have not more than two children.

Most worryingly, it is not just the Arakan Buddhists who are carrying out these crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International report that the Burmese security forces, whose purpose is to protect society, also commit unlawful killings, rape, physical abuse, destruction of property and mass arrests against Rohingya Muslims. Such a clear abuse of power and disregard for the value of human life and basic human rights cannot be tolerated and needs to be stopped immediately.

“Basic Human Rights strongly condemns these atrocities. The killing of the Rohingya people has to stop and the international community need to take action against the cruelty of those killing innocent Rohingya people.
It is heartbreaking that the innocent Rohingya people are killed in their own country by their own people. They are denied their rights as the citizen of the country. Those who manage to flee their villages and make it to cross the border to the neighbouring countries are denied protection, they are denied the status of a refugee and forced to go back to their country where their lives are at risk. It is discrimination, denial of those people’s basic rights. This is unacceptable, we will protest till the day the international community takes some serious steps in providing protection to the Rohingya people” said Anjum Tahirkheli.

The Rohingya people suffer severely from human rights violations and atrocities and many tried to flee to neighbouring countries, especially Bangladesh. However, the Bangladeshi Government refuses to grant asylum to its own Muslim neighbours. An estimated 300.000 Rohingyas have crossed the border over the last 30 years, living now in refugee camps near the border. The Bangladeshi Government recognizes only 29.000 of these as refugees, leaving the rest as stateless, illegal immigrants without citizenship rights.

All of these refugees live under inhuman conditions, e.g. child labour and trafficking, extortion, violence towards women, detention for illegal presence in the country. As they are treated as illegal immigrants, they lack the same rights as in Burma, including freedom of travel, permission to work etc.

International Bodies as well as NGOs are trying to provide drinking water, food and medical care for as many Rohingyas as possible. Without this help these Refugees would not survive due to starvation and diseases.

In June 2012 conflicts increased between the Rohingyas and the Rakhine Buddhists in which an estimated 80 people were killed and more than 90,000 displaced and trying to flee the country. So far the International Community did not intervene or tried to raise awareness of this serious issue.

On August 4 2012 the Bangladeshi Government prevented three major NGOs from providing aid to people, leaving the refugees without assistance and support to survive.

BHR has initiated its campaign to raise awareness and support for the Rohingya people. For further information or to make a donation please visit www.basichumanrights.org.uk or call us on 0844 482 2108

- END –
Niyaz Muhammad – Media & Communications Manager – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – 0753 401 6444
Notes for the Editors:
BHR is a Bradford based international charity registered with the charity commission for England & Wales – Reg.No. 1133308
The Founder, Trustee and CEO Anjum Tahirkheli will be visiting Myanmar in the coming weeks

Pakistan slum children to be helped by Bradford charity

A Bradford humanitarian charity is helping to set up a cricket academy aimed at bringing street children in Pakistan out of poverty. Basic Human Rights, based in Sunbridge Road, is working with the Al Zarooni Foundation and Customs Cricket Academy in Karachi to hold a five-year Sports and Education Scholarships Programme. It will initially run as a pilot, with cricket trials for children from the slums of Karachi and rural parts of Sindh, leading to the selection of 20 children who will be supported through five years of education and training. According to Basic Human Rights there are 1.2 million children on the streets of Pakistan’s major cities and urban centres.
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£18,000 Bradford appeal to buy ambulances

A Bradford-based human rights charity is launching an £18,000 appeal to buy two ambulances for Syria. Basic Human Rights (BHR), in Sunbridge Road, is working with Syrian doctors and nurses to provide life-saving medical care and relief inside the conflict-stricken Homs district. Over the past 15 months, the UN estimates at least 9,000 people have died in violence, thousands have been injured and tens of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes looking for safety inside Syria and neighbouring countries.
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BRADFORD CHARITY LAUNCHES FUNDRAISING APPEAL TO BUY AMBULANCES FOR SYRIA

International charity Basic Human Rights says women and children suffering the most in Syria conflict
A Bradford based international human rights charity is launching a fundraising appeal this week to buy two ambulances for Syria. Basic Human Rights located on Sunbridge Road in Bradford City Centre is working with Syrian doctors and nurses to provide life saving medical care and relief inside the Homs District of Syria, one of the worst affected conflict areas.
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Earthquake Tsunami Survivors in the North East of Japan Need Help

The earthquake and Tsunami in Japan has resulted in a large number of casualties and brought immense destruction. Whole towns have been wiped out and thousands of people are still missing. Many survivors are now desperately looking for their loved ones, but losing hope - looking at the devastation it seems impossible for a human being to have survived. Thousands of survivors are living in difficult conditions and need immediate help.
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CEO of International Charity Anjum Tahirkheli is Visiting Libya

The world is going through a lot of change, in particular in the Middle East where the general public has taken things into their own control to bring the change they have been waiting for decades. Yet, the price they are paying for this change is enormous. Women, children, elderly persons and the disabled - the most vulnerable groups - are the ones suffering most. There is hardly any safe access to food, emergency medical care and, on top of all this, people fear for their safety. They are badly traumatised and need help to get over the trauma they are going through.
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Migrant Workers’ Families Safety and Protection is Our Utmost Priority and an Area of Concern:

While Libyans are steadfast in their quest for freedom, soldiering on to bring an end to forty one years of human rights violations. The political landscape in the Middle East is undergoing colossal historical change. Inevitably, whether through disease, conflict or natural disaster, children are the most vulnerable citizens of the World. Many thousands of migrant workers are trapped - some with families at the Libyan borders fleeing for their lives. Recent reports indicate that people have been without basic food, water and medical aid for over four days. The situation is untenable, every human being should have access to their basic human rights - food, water, shelter and protection.
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Yorkshire Charity BHR Organising a Valentine Evening to Raise Funds for the Children of Pakistan Floods

H-Dhami and some other Bollywood singers and dancers have joined hands with Basic Human Rights a UK based international relief and development organisation to help raise funds for the organisation’s Appeal mainly focused on malnourished children. H-Dhami and others will be performing at the Valentine Evening a charity event on the 13th February 2011 at the Baracoa Luxe Bar Leeds from 6pm to midnight. Funds raised will be spent on providing high nutrition food to the malnourished children, shelter, blankets, plastic sheets, clean water and medical aid to thousands of women and other vulnerable people. It has been over six month since the disaster struck the country, one of the worst floods in recent history the size of Italy submerged, causing total devastation to so many innocent people, amongst them women and children.
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Boxers to Help BHR Raise Funds for the Children of Pakistan Floods:

On Dec 6th some of the most famous professional boxers; including Andrew Facey, Junior Witter, Adnan Amar, Tasif Khan, Keli Brook, Ehsham Pickering and Donovan Smillie; from the UK will join hands with Basic Human Rights a Bradford based international relief and development organisation to help raise funds for the organisation’s “Winter Survival Appeal”.
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UK Charity Basic Human Rights in Partnership with IOM Distributing Transitional Shelters and Relief Items as part of its Floods Emergency Response among the Flood Affected People in Sindh

The floods that devastated a significant proportion of Pakistan brought widespread destruction and severely impacted the lives of over 20 million people, who are now struggling to cope with the harsh realities of winter. According to UN agencies, the relief phase is ongoing, as there are increased dangers in the aftermath of the flooding as the weather worsens and food and healthcare shortages continue.
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Two Day Football Tournament to Raise Funds for the Children in Flood Affected Areas for their Survival During Winter

It has been over three months now since the floods affected a large area and population of Pakistan; a country that has suffered already much from natural and man-made disasters. The catastrophe has affected nearly 20 million people, of which approximately 8 million are children. Those most vulnerable, including women, children, the elderly and disabled, are suffering from the magnified conditions of winter, will get extremely harsh in coming days.
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