Charges over genital mutilation of minor girls in Australia

Sydney: Many cases of female genital mutilation likely go unreported in Australia, a state minister said on Friday after four people were charged over the alleged circumcision of two girls aged 6 and 7.

Two men and two women were charged on Thursday over their involvement in the alleged mutilation of the girls in Sydney homes over the past 18 months.

New South Wales state Minister for Family and Community Services Pru Goward said the practice was difficult to detect.

"The pretext that is often used is that it's a religious custom, and it wouldn't be the first time that religion has been used to mutilate or damage women," she told ABC radio.

Goward said it was likely that many cases in New South Wales, the country's most populous state, went unreported.

"It's just anyone's guess," she said.

"We have probably got the most diversified community in Australia and many of them are from countries where this is practised."

A 68-year-old retired female nurse who allegedly carried out the offences was charged in what is thought to be the first time that anyone has faced the law over the offence since legislation was introduced in NSW in 1994.

A 56-year-old Sydney sheik, reportedly from a community that follows the Dawoodi Bohra sub-sect of Islam, was charged with being an accessory after the fact and of hindering the police investigation.

Two other people, a man and a woman, were also charged. Police would not say whether they were the girls' parents.

Police, who were alerted after an anonymous tip-off, have alleged that the mutilation was done for cultural reasons.

"The children are still with their parents. I can stress that, despite this procedure, they are good parents," Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec told reporters.

"Contradictory as it may sound, it's a procedure that they believe in their own culture is appropriate."

US firm sued in India over pictures of Buddha on shoes

CHANDIGARH: Haryana police has registered a case against a US-based shoe manufacturing company for hurting the religious sentiments of Buddhists by promoting a range of shoes with Lord Buddha's images.

The case against California-based Icon Shoes was registered in the Rewari police station on Friday on the complaint of a wildlife activist. Rewari SP Abhishek Garg said the case was registered only after taking a legal opinion.

"We have registered the case after taking legal opinion from the district attorney. The company is accused of hurting the religious sentiments of the Buddhist community the world over," said Garg.

Besides sections 295, 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Rewari police has also added section 66 of the IT Act as the company sells its products online too.

Naresh Kadyan, the complainant, has sought action against the company and its promoters and has also urged the police to ban the marketing and publicity of the products with immediate effect.

"Nobody has any right to hurt the religious sentiments of a community. We have got letters of protests from residents from across 36 countries of the world wherein they have either lodged criminal complaints or have approached their governments to penalize and ban this company," said Kadyan.

When contacted, Dr Satyapala, former head of department of Buddhist Studies, Delhi University, said it's a shameful act.

"The company should immediately withdraw its products and ad campaigns and should tender an unconditional public apology. We have already brought this to the notice of National Commission for Minorities. At the same time we have also urged the central government to take up this issue at international platforms," Dr Satyapala said.

'No Indians or Asians' job ad triggers outrage in Australia

Melbourne: A contractor of Australia's supermarket chain Coles has come under fire for publishing a job advertisement, which barred Indians or Asians from applying.

"Store requires no Indians or Asians please. Must speak English (sic)", read the online ad posted on Sunday.

The ad on the Gumtree website sought cleaners for a supermarket at Eastlands Shopping Centre in Hobart, according to local media reports.

It triggered outraged on social media sites, with people calling for a boycott of the store.

Local newspaper The Mercury reported that the ad was later removed from the site.

A Coles spokesman yesterday admitted the ad had been posted by a contract company responsible for cleaning its Rosny store.

"The ad was placed without Coles' knowledge and we were extremely concerned to learn of the ad and its contents," spokesman Jim Cooper said.

Tasmania's Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Robin Banks was qouted as saying that she wanted to track down the cleaning contractor to pursue possible legal action.

"It's unlawful to blanket preclude a person because of their race," she said.

Banks said she often received complaints about job ads that discriminated against particular races.

She said both the company offering the position and the publisher of the advert could be subject to legal action.

"Gumtree is probably in breach (of the law) as well because the Act says you can't publish, display, etcetera, material that is discriminatory," Banks said, adding "I've had other ads in print form and other sites brought to my attention, which I've followed up with the publisher. That tends to result in it getting pulled very quickly."

From: NDTV