Latest news with #BreakingtheSilence
Hans India
4 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
FICCI FLO Bengaluru Launches FLO Santé – A Game-Changing Platform for Women-Led Brands
Bengaluru FICCI FLO Bengaluru, the women's wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), proudly announces the inaugural edition of FLO Santé — a one-of-a-kind initiative spotlighting women-led brands across sustainability, wellness, and purposeful enterprise. Spearheaded by Dekyi Yangtso Chawla, Chairperson of FICCI FLO Bengaluru, FLO Santé is not just an event — it is a powerful movement transforming the traditional marketplace into a vibrant ecosystem of conscious consumption, commerce, and community. The platform will debut on Friday, 18th July at Anantya, Gate 9, Palace Grounds, with over 130 women-led brands showcasing offerings across sustainable fashion, artisanal food, wellness, homegrown beauty, and lifestyle. Entry is free and open to all. A key highlight is The Wedding Edit Pavilion, a curated space that reimagines India's booming $50-billion wedding industry through the lens of sustainability and women-led innovation — seamlessly blending couture, wellness, gifting, and beauty. This initiative aims to provide direct market access for women entrepreneurs, moving beyond tokenism and charity to deliver tangible commercial outcomes. Adding to the day's experience are immersive sessions, including a fashion masterclass by designers Shivan & Narresh, a wellness talk by Marzi, and live music performances that celebrate Bengaluru's creative soul. The event also walks the talk on sustainability — featuring reusable totes, tetra pack water stations, a pre-loved fashion swap, and even a pedal-powered installation generating electricity on-site. 'FLO Santé is not just about showcasing brands — it's about building markets, visibility, and commercial value for women entrepreneurs,' says Dekyi Yangtso Chawla. 'We're here to create access to real customers and real sales, placing women-led brands at the heart of India's growth narrative.' Under Dekyi's leadership, FLO Bengaluru is redefining women's entrepreneurship — turning purpose into progress and ensuring inclusion is backed by opportunity. The vision continues next month with Breaking the Silence — a Mental Health, Art, and Short Film Festival aimed at fostering safe conversations around emotional wellbeing. FLO Santé is a bold step toward a more equitable and empowered future, where women-led businesses are not only supported — but celebrated.
Sinar Daily
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
Experts urge stronger laws to protect Malaysian athletes as Safe Sport Code falls short
A dedicated Safe Sport Act, similar to laws enacted in US is urgently needed to address systemic failures and provide athletes with the protection they deserved. Photo for illustration purposes only. SHAH ALAM - Malaysia's Safe Sport Code, implemented two years ago, has proven inadequate in safeguarding athletes, as it lacks enforcement and legal safeguards to protect those who report abuse. Former national gymnast and Safe Sport Malaysia founder Sarina Sundarah Rajah said a dedicated Safe Sport Act, similar to laws enacted in the United States (US) was urgently needed to address systemic failures and provide athletes with the protection they deserved. "I've been advocating for the Safe Sport Act since 2015. Although Malaysia implemented it two years ago, it's still not enough because it's just a diagram and it doesn't come with legal enforcement," she said during the "Breaking the Silence: Exploring the Impact of Sexual Harassment in Sports and Beyond" forum. Sarina, who has spent over 30 years in the gymnastics industry, shared her extensive experience handling abuse cases. She stressed on the limitations of the current code, calling for an independent body to oversee safeguarding measures and enforce mandatory reporting. She added that numerous cases of abuse reported by survivors were often ignored, dismissed or mishandled by the very institutions meant to protect them. "Having a Safe Sport Act means to protect athletes, establish an independent commission, mandate safeguarding education, enforce mandatory reporting and ensure physical protection," she said. Photo for illustration purposes only. Drawing comparisons to the US, Sarina noted the impact of the Safe Sport Act introduced in 2018 following the USA Gymnastics abuse scandal. "The US legislation not only addressed systemic failures but also led to the Athlete Protection Law in 2020, which built upon the Safe Sport Act to ensure stricter enforcement and accountability," she said. Meanwhile, National U19 Women's Football player Lauren Hoh Ruyi echoed Sarina's concerns, sharing her experiences of fear and silence within the sporting community. "Growing up in the Malaysian sports scene, I've seen that silence isn't always neutral. Speaking up often comes at a cost and fear keeps many athletes, especially women, silent. "Over the past couple of years, I've seen cases where my friends and I would discuss our frustrations, but whenever I brought up the issue to a coach or staff member, they would often say they didn't want to risk anything, risk a spot on the team and that it wouldn't be worth it. "I think that those kind of moments really stuck with me because it made me realise what kind of culture we are embracing and where self-preservation comes at a cost of not speaking your mind and the fear that holds you back," she said. Therefore, she urged the need for open communication channels for athletes to voice their concerns without fear. "I think it's really important to start creating channels where young athletes can speak freely, have the right tools and guidance and most importantly, someone to talk to about these sorts of things," she said. More Like This
The Journal
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
'Hatred and fear and rage': A former Israeli officer on why some soldiers oppose the occupation
BEFORE HE MOVED to Israel in 2011, Joel Carmel grew up in the Orthodox Jewish community in London, where defending Israel was seen as both an obligation and a calling. These days he's part of a group of former Israeli soldiers speaking out about the realities of the military occupation of Palestine, and the ongoing war against the people of Gaza. The advocacy director of Breaking the Silence, a group of Israeli military veterans opposed to the occupation, visited Dublin this week on a trip organised with Christian Aid and Trócaire. He sat down with The Journal to discuss the events that led to his own change of heart, why some soldiers feel compelled to speak out, and what the consequences are for those who do. Exploited trauma Many of the soldiers who have given testimony about their recent experiences in Gaza had previously spoken to Breaking the Silence and had decided never to return to military service in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. That was until Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups launched their unprecedented attack against Israel from Gaza on 7 October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people – mostly civilians – and the capture of 251 hostages. 'People really felt at that moment that there was a need to fight for our survival as a country,' Carmel said. For some, that impetus did not take long to fade. 'It became very clear, quite soon into the war, that this wasn't about the objectives that the government said it's about,' Carmel said. 'It wasn't about bringing home the hostages and it wasn't about eliminating Hamas either, because they have not done a good job on either front.' It's about controlling larger and larger parts of the territory. 'And from the point of view of some very influential people in our government, it's about paving the way for building new settlements.' More than 600 days into the retaliatory war on Gaza, Israel has killed more than 55,000 people and been accused of genocide in a case at the International Court of Justice. Carmel said those soldiers who answered the call in 2023 and have since come back from Gaza with new testimony for Breaking the Silence, returned with 'a deep disappointment in the mission and in the exploitation of people, of Israelis, in order to carry out this mission, which is so obviously a political war'. 'It's a war for the survival of this government.' The trauma inflicted on all Israelis by the 2023 attack, Carmel explained, was a gift to the extremist members of the current coalition government in Israel, exemplified by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. 'It's horrible to say, but for the more extreme right-wing elements of this government… they saw 7 October, probably with sadness and shock and so on, but they saw it as an opportunity.' In May, Smotrich said Gaza would be 'entirely destroyed' and that the people who live there would 'leave in great numbers to third countries'. 'Hatred and fear and rage' According to Carmel, who left the army in 2015 and joined Breaking the Silence in 2019, the experiences that spur members of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to come out against the occupation are varied. In his case, what first led him to question the logic of Israeli occupation was the sight of terrified children he encountered on a 'mapping mission' in the West Bank. At the time, he was an officer in COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories), the branch of the military that oversees the administration of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, but on this occasion he was accompanying combat soldiers. Mapping missions in the West Bank, which has been occupied since 1967, are ostensibly carried out to produce sketches of Palestinian homes in case the IDF ever invades the area. The soldiers arrived at a house in the middle of the night and the unit commander banged on the door to wake up the family inside. 'I think the image that really caught me was just seeing the family. It was just a normal family,' he said. 'There were kids there, and I remember looking at them and thinking, no one's told them it's going to be okay. 'I wanted to somehow communicate to them that it was going to be okay,' he said. But he doesn't speak Arabic and wasn't a member of the unit. 'It was a bit difficult to know what to do and I just decided that I was going to smile, you know, that was the only thing I had. They looked at me with a stare of hatred and fear and rage. 'I think that was the moment that made me think, there's something very deeply wrong about what we're doing. 'The way that I was brought up, in the community I was brought up in, but also in the training that I got in the IDF, you're told that everything that we do as soldiers is for the purpose of keeping our friends and our families safe. It's all about security. 'And then something about this image was it became so clear that there's nothing security-related about this.' Carmel later learned that not only was this a 'very soft' mapping mission, but that once the sketches of the homes are complete, soldiers often simply throw them away. Advertisement The real purpose of these missions, he explained using IDF language, is 'to make our presence felt' and show Palestinians 'who's in charge here'. Human shields One account from a former soldier who returned from Gaza stands out to Carmel as particularly powerful. It has been widely reported, including in testimony provided to Breaking the Silence, that Israeli combat units in Gaza use Palestinian civilians as human shields, sending them into buildings ahead of them in order to trigger any potential booby traps. 'You're in this really high-adrenaline kind of environment, and you're always scared,' Carmel said. 'You're going into all sorts of places where you're risking your life and then you have the downtime between missions that you go out on. 'During that time, they, the human shields, the Palestinians, were with them, and they were basically handcuffed and blindfolded and stayed with them in the houses that they were occupying in Gaza, which they turned into makeshift posts. 'And then, in order to go to the toilet, because they're handcuffed and blindfolded, the soldiers needed to take down the zipper and take down their trousers. 'And he said there was something about the aesthetics of that that was so shocking.' Carmel said that when news of the IDF using human shields came out in Israel, a common retort was 'This is nothing, Hamas uses human shields all the time'. Israel consistently accuses Hamas of using human shields in Gaza by embedding in built-up areas and digging tunnels beneath civilian infrastructure, something Carmel has 'no doubt' they do. He also makes a point of noting that the Israeli military headquarters is in a residential area in the centre of Tel Aviv. Unwelcome points of view Speaking out publicly about the harsh reality of the occupation and blowing the whistle on crimes committed during wars does not go down well with much of Israeli society, and the government especially. 'So there are various people who have distanced themselves from me, that's for sure,' Carmel said of the personal consequences that have come with taking up the anti-occupation cause. I'm lucky to have a supportive family. I'd say at least my nuclear family are very supportive. 'A lot of my cousins on my mother's side are settlers, or they come from settlements and they live in other places now, but they are settlers and yeah, it's very uncomfortable.' All the same, 'we found a way to live'. For Breaking the Silence, Israeli society is a hostile environment. 'I think, in terms of our organisation, it's very difficult for the government and for the State of Israel to have us, because we are speaking truth to power and we're doing the work of the opposition,' Carmel explained, 'because our opposition is very, very weak in Israel.' 'So we're kind of the extra-parliamentary opposition and so part of the attempts by the government are to make it harder for us to do our work. 'This has been going on for years, and there's been all sorts of rounds of different kinds of measures they've tried to take against us. In 2018, the government introduced the Breaking the Silence law, which was designed 'to distance us from schools so we wouldn't be able to talk to young people', Carmel said. He described this as 'amazing' because 'when they turn 18, they go to the army, but no one wants to tell them what they're going to be facing'. Israeli citizens – with few exceptions – have to do mandatory military service. The latest round of hostility towards the organisation is a bill that would impose heavy taxes on donations to NGOs from abroad. The proposed law would impose an 80% tax on NGOs that receive the majority of their funding from foreign entities, but the finance minister would be able to exempt some organisations. Carmel described this as an attack on left-wing organisations because they receive money from abroad that has to be publicly declared. 'But the right also get their funding from abroad, but from private and often very shady sources which don't have to face any kind of transparency regulations,' he said. 'Whereas we get a lot of our funding from state backed donors, like Trócaire, which gets its funding from Irish Aid.' This kind of funding needs to be declared publicly because governments want to know where their money is going, Carmel explained. The hostility from the state towards NGOs mirrors that of some European countries, like Hungary and Georgia, and Carmel says Israel is often compared to Russia in this regard. 'Basically our lawyers are telling us if this (bill) goes through, the best way to deal with it is basically to move everything abroad. 'But we don't want to be like the Russians, we don't want to be dissidents working from outside of Israel. The whole point is that we believe in working with Israeli society. 'We believe in working with the international community too, but we want to change from within and without, and we want to be connected to what's going on on the ground, because we're former soldiers, we're part of the system. 'So we believe that we need to be in conversation with Israelis all the time, and that's exactly what the government is trying to prevent.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Leaders
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
Israeli Troops Systematically Use Palestinians as Human Shields
Israeli forces are systematically using Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as human shields, according to a report by the Associated Press (AP). Several Palestinians and Israeli soldiers told the AP that Israeli troops force Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, using them to check for explosives or militants in buildings and tunnels. Shocking Testimonies In its report, the AP spoke with seven Palestinians, who said they were used as human shields in Gaza and the West Bank, and two Israeli soldiers, who said that the practice has become widespread since the eruption of the Gaza war, following the October 7 attack on Israel in 2023. Ayman Abu Hamadan, a 36-year-old Palestinian whom the Israeli forces held for 2 and a half weeks in August 2024 and used as a shield in northern Gaza, recalled when he was forced into houses, dressed in army uniform with a camera fixed to his forehead. His mission was to inspect for tunnels, explosives and gunmen. 'They beat me and told me: 'You have no other option; do this or we'll kill you,' he told the AP. Abu Hamadan added that Israeli soldiers waited behind him until they made sure the buildings were clear. Then, they damaged or destroyed them. After he finished his mission, they sent him to a dark room to spend the night until the next morning to do it again. Mosquito Protocol One Israeli officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that orders often came from top commanders and that most Israeli platoons use Palestinians to clear locations. Moreover, two Israeli soldiers who spoke to the AP – and a third one who spoke to Breaking the Silence organization – said that commanders knew about the use of Palestinians as human shields, with some of them giving orders to do so. The practice was dubbed as 'mosquito protocol' and Palestinians involved in this strategy was referred to as 'wasps' and other humiliating terms, the soldiers said. They also said that this practice has become widespread by mid-2024. The officer who spoke to AP said they received orders to 'bring a mosquito' via radio and acted upon the orders of the commanding officers. 'Once this idea was initiated, it caught on like fire in a field,' the officer said, adding that by the end of his 9-months service in Gaza, every Israeli infantry unit used a Palestinian to clear houses before entering. Israeli Military Response The Israeli military denied the allegations, stressing that it prohibits using civilians as human shields. It also added that it bans forcing civilians to participate in such operations, according to a statement to AP. Moreover, the Israeli military said it was investigating numerous cases claiming the use of Palestinians in operations as human shields. In October 2024, the CNN reported that Israeli soldiers were forcing Palestinian civilians to inspect dangerous places in Gaza. The report drew on the testimony of an Israeli soldier and 5 civilians. It showed that this practice was prevalent across northern Gaza, Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah. In response, the Israeli military said in March 2025 that it was conducting an investigation on the allegations of using Palestinians as human shields, acknowledging for the first time that there was 'reasonable suspicion' to believe soldiers forced civilians to participate in military operations. 'In several cases, the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division opened investigations after reasonable suspicion arose regarding the use of Palestinians for military missions during the operations,' the Israeli military said in a statement at the time. Moral Collapse Right groups have accused Israel of using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza and the West Bank for decades. Although the Israeli Supreme Court prohibited the practice in 2005, right groups continued to report violations. The recent allegations raised the alarm across right groups, which warned that this practice has become a standard procedure during the war in Gaza. In the light of this, the Executive Director of Breaking the Silence, Nadav Weiman, said: 'These are not isolated accounts; they point to a systemic failure and a horrifying moral collapse.' Breaking the Silence is a non-governmental Israeli organization of veteran Israeli soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories since 2000, aiming to 'break the silence' on Israel's military activities. Short link : Post Views: 1
Yomiuri Shimbun
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Israeli Use of Human Shields in Gaza Was Systematic, Soldiers and Former Detainees Tell the AP
Breaking the Silence via AP This photo provided by Breaking the Silence, a whistleblower group of former Israeli soldiers, shows two soldiers behind Palestinian detainees being sent into a Gaza City-area house to clear it in 2024. TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The only time the Palestinian man wasn't bound or blindfolded, he said, was when he was used by Israeli soldiers as their human shield. Dressed in army fatigues with a camera fixed to his forehead, Ayman Abu Hamadan was forced into houses in the Gaza Strip to make sure they were clear of bombs and gunmen, he said. When one unit finished with him, he was passed to the next. 'They beat me and told me: 'You have no other option; do this or we'll kill you,'' the 36-year-old told The Associated Press, describing the 2 1/2 weeks he was held last summer by the Israeli military in northern Gaza. Orders often came from the top, and at times nearly every platoon used a Palestinian to clear locations, said an Israeli officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Several Palestinians and soldiers told the AP that Israeli troops are systematically forcing Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for explosives or militants. The dangerous practice has become ubiquitous during 19 months of war, they said. In response to these allegations, Israel's military says it strictly prohibits using civilians as shields — a practice it has long accused Hamas of using in Gaza. Israeli officials blame the militants for the civilian death toll in its offensive that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. In a statement to the AP, the military said it also bans otherwise coercing civilians to participate in operations, and 'all such orders are routinely emphasized to the forces.' The military said it's investigating several cases alleging that Palestinians were involved in missions, but wouldn't provide details. It didn't answer questions about the reach of the practice or any orders from commanding officers. The AP spoke with seven Palestinians who described being used as shields in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and with two members of Israel's military who said they engaged in the practice, which is prohibited by international law. Rights groups are ringing the alarm, saying it's become standard procedure increasingly used in the war. 'These are not isolated accounts; they point to a systemic failure and a horrifying moral collapse,' said Nadav Weiman, executive director of Breaking the Silence — a whistleblower group of former Israeli soldiers that has collected testimonies about the practice from within the military. 'Israel rightly condemns Hamas for using civilians as human shields, but our own soldiers describe doing the very same.' Abu Hamadan said he was detained in August after being separated from his family, and soldiers told him he'd help with a 'special mission.' He was forced, for 17 days, to search houses and inspect every hole in the ground for tunnels, he said. Soldiers stood behind him and, once it was clear, entered the buildings to damage or destroy them, he said. He spent each night bound in a dark room, only to wake up and do it again. The use of human shields 'caught on like fire' Rights groups say Israel has used Palestinians as shields in Gaza and the West Bank for decades. The Supreme Court outlawed the practice in 2005. But the groups continued to document violations. Still, experts say this war is the first time in decades the practice — and the debate around it — has been so widespread. The two Israeli soldiers who spoke to the AP — and a third who provided testimony to Breaking the Silence — said commanders were aware of the use of human shields and tolerated it, with some giving orders to do so. Some said it was referred to as the 'mosquito protocol' and that Palestinians were also referred to as 'wasps' and other dehumanizing terms. The soldiers — who said they're no longer serving in Gaza — said the practice sped up operations, saved ammunition, and spared combat dogs from injury or death. The soldiers said they first became aware human shields were being used shortly after the war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, and that it became widespread by the middle of 2024. Orders to 'bring a mosquito' often came via radio, they said — shorthand everyone understood. Soldiers acted on commanding officers' orders, according to the officer who spoke to the AP. He said that by the end of his nine months in Gaza, every infantry unit used a Palestinian to clear houses before entering. 'Once this idea was initiated, it caught on like fire in a field,' the 26-year-old said. 'People saw how effective and easy it was.' He described a 2024 planning meeting where a brigade commander presented to the division commander a slide reading 'get a mosquito' and a suggestion they might 'just catch one off the streets.' The officer wrote two incident reports to the brigade commander detailing the use of human shields, reports that would have been escalated to the division chief, he said. The military said it had no comment when asked whether it received them. One report documented the accidental killing of a Palestinian, he said — troops didn't realize another unit was using him as a shield and shot him as he ran into a house. The officer recommended the Palestinians be dressed in army clothes to avoid misidentification. He said he knew of at least one other Palestinian who died while used as a shield — he passed out in a tunnel. Troops unsuccessfully pushed back, a sergeant says Convincing soldiers to operate lawfully when they see their enemy using questionable practices is difficult, said Michael Schmitt, a distinguished professor of international law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Israeli officials and other observers say Hamas uses civilians as shields as it embeds itself in communities, hiding fighters in hospitals and schools. 'It's really a heavy lift to look at your own soldiers and say you have to comply,' Schmitt said. One soldier told the AP his unit tried to refuse to use human shields in mid-2024 but were told they had no choice, with a high-ranking officer saying they shouldn't worry about international humanitarian law. The sergeant — speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal — said the troops used a 16-year-old and a 30-year-old for a few days. The boy shook constantly, he said, and both repeated 'Rafah, Rafah' — Gaza's southernmost city, where more than 1 million Palestinians had fled from fighting elsewhere at that point in the war. It seemed they were begging to be freed, the sergeant said. 'I have children,' one man says he pleaded Masoud Abu Saeed said he was used as a shield for two weeks in March 2024 in the southern city of Khan Younis. 'This is extremely dangerous,' he recounted telling a soldier. 'I have children and want to reunite with them.' The 36-year-old said he was forced into houses, buildings and a hospital to dig up suspected tunnels and clear areas. He said he wore a first-responder vest for easy identification, carrying a phone, hammer and chain cutters. During one operation, he bumped into his brother, used as a shield by another unit, he said. They hugged. 'I thought Israel's army had executed him,' he said. Palestinians also report being used as shields in the West Bank. Hazar Estity said soldiers took her from her Jenin refugee camp home in November, forcing her to film inside several apartments and clear them before troops entered. She said she pleaded to return to her 21-month-old son, but soldiers didn't listen. 'I was most afraid that they would kill me,' she said. 'And that I wouldn't see my son again.'
