LONDON: Aid charities have warned of rising destitution, child labor and early marriages, as well as declining security, if planned cuts to the UK’s foreign aid budget are implemented.
Last week, Britain announced that it would reduce its foreign aid commitment for the coming year from 0.7 percent of gross national income to 0.5 percent — representing a real-term reduction of around £5 billion ($6.975 billion) in spending.
Hundreds of charities have warned that the cuts would deliver a major blow to the world’s most marginalized people, many of whom are struggling to survive in dire humanitarian situations in the Middle East.
Charles Lawley, head of communications and advocacy at aid charity Syria Relief, told Arab News that even in the most optimistic scenario, his organization expects to see an increase in suffering among Syrians in the country as well as those who fled to neighboring Lebanon.
“The aid cuts will mean an 80 percent cut to WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects. Not only have 14.6 million Syrians had their access to clean water impacted by the conflict, but 7.6 million are in acute need of WASH humanitarian interventions,” he said.
“As impoverishment in Syria grows, with 90 percent of people now living below the poverty line, and the pandemic meaning that it’s more important than ever for everyone to have access to water, now is the time for the UK government to invest more into WASH projects in Syria, not slash its funding.”
The cuts, Lawley said, are likely to have far-reaching consequences, and could even impact British security.
“It’s likely that the cuts will mean a rise in poverty, a rise in negative coping mechanisms such as selling assets, child labor and early marriage. The most vulnerable in Syrian society will be exposed to even greater risk,” he added.
“A situation that creates desperation usually results in a poorer security situation. People could very well look for income through groups that do pose a threat to UK interests.”
Rami Shamma, operations director at World Vision, told Sky News that the daily mantra of people living in Lebanon is: “Let’s see what surprises we have today, and which part of our lives will be destroyed.”
She said Lebanon is enduring four simultaneous crises: Economic collapse, the Syrian refugee crisis, COVID-19, and the impact of last year’s Beirut explosion.
“UK aid has helped fund part of these projects working on child protection, education and cash for impoverished families,” she added.
“In the face of these desperate times, families are turning to desperate measures, of which children often suffer the worst.
“In Lebanon, 90 percent of households survive on less than the equivalent of £5 a day. Because of this, removing children from school, child labor and even child marriage have become coping mechanisms for survival.
“People are even turning to robbery just so they can feed their families. Without foreign aid, this will only continue to get worse, and the impact will be on all the programs that this aid is currently contributing to.
“To get things into perspective, the cut in funding of £500,000 will leave 10,000 families without food for a whole month.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “The UK remains a world leader in international development, not only through the impact of these financial allocations but also through the creation of the FCDO, integrating diplomacy and development to deliver greater impact.
“In 2020 we were the third biggest aid donor globally, spending £14.5 billion. We will still spend more than £10 billion this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.”
More child labor, less security if UK aid cuts go ahead: NGOs
https://arab.news/gjqnx
More child labor, less security if UK aid cuts go ahead: NGOs
- “A situation that creates desperation usually results in a poorer security situation,” charity tells Arab News
- Britain plans real-term cut of around £5bn to aid spending in 2021-2022
Bangladesh votes in world’s first Gen Z-inspired election
- Ousted PM Hasina’s Awami League party banned
- BNP, Jamaat in close race with big economic, geopolitical stakes
DHAKA: For years under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s opposition had little presence on the streets during elections, either boycotting polls or being sidelined by mass arrests of senior leaders. Now, ahead of Thursday’s vote, the roles have reversed.
Hasina’s Awami League is banned, but many young people who helped oust her government in a 2024 uprising say the upcoming vote will be the Muslim-majority nation’s first competitive election since 2009, when she began a 15-year-rule.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely expected to win, although a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami is putting up a strong challenge. A new party driven by Gen-Z activists under the age of 30 has aligned with Jamaat after failing to translate its anti-Hasina street mobilization into an electoral base.
BNP chief Tarique Rahman told Reuters his party, which is contesting 292 of the 300 parliamentary seats at stake, was confident of winning “enough to form a government.”
Analysts say a decisive result in the February 12 vote, instead of a fractured outcome, is vital for restoring stability in the nation of 175 million after Hasina’s ouster triggered months of unrest and disrupted major industries, including the garments sector in the world’s second-largest exporter.
The verdict will also affect the roles of rival regional heavyweights China and India in the South Asian nation.
“Opinion polls suggest the BNP has an edge, but we must remember that a significant portion of voters are still undecided,” said Parvez Karim Abbasi, executive director at Dhaka’s Center for Governance Studies.
“Several factors will shape the outcome, including how Generation Z — which makes up about a quarter of the electorate — votes, as their choices will carry considerable weight.”
Across Bangladesh, black-and-white posters and banners bearing the BNP’s “sheaf of paddy” symbol and Jamaat’s “scales” hang from poles and trees and are pasted on roadside walls, alongside those of several independent candidates. Party shacks on street corners, draped in their emblems, blare campaign songs.
It marks a sharp contrast with past elections, when the Awami League’s “boat” symbol dominated the landscape.
Opinion polls expect the once-banned Jamaat, which had opposed Bangladesh’s India-backed 1971 independence from Pakistan, to have its best electoral performance even if it does not win.
China’s influence increases as India’s wanes
The election verdict will also influence the roles of China and India in Bangladesh in coming years, analysts have said. Beijing has increased its standing in Bangladesh since Hasina was seen as pro-India and fled to New Delhi after her ouster, where she remains.
While New Delhi’s influence is on the wane, the BNP is seen by some analysts as being relatively more in tune with India than the Jamaat.
A Jamaat-led government might tilt closer to Pakistan, a fellow Muslim-majority nation and a long-standing rival of Hindu-majority India, analysts say. Also, Jamaat’s Gen-Z ally has said “New Delhi’s hegemony” in Bangladesh is one of its main concerns and its leaders met Chinese diplomats recently.
Jamaat, which calls for a society governed by Islamic principles, has said the party is not inclined toward any country.
BNP’s Rahman has said if his party formed the government it would have friendly relations with any nation that “offers what is suitable for my people and my country.”
Bangladesh, one of the world’s most densely populated countries with high rates of extreme poverty, has been hit by high inflation, weakening reserves and slowing investment, which has pushed it to seek large-scale external financing since 2022, including billions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Corruption is the biggest concern among the 128 million voters, followed by inflation, according to a survey by Dhaka-based think tanks Communication & Research Foundation and Bangladesh Election and Public Opinion Studies.
Analysts say Jamaat’s clean image is a factor in its favor, much more than its Islamic leanings.
“Voters report high intention to participate, prioritize corruption and economic concerns over religious or symbolic issues, and express clear expectations for leaders who demonstrate care, competence and accountability,” said the survey.
Nevertheless, BNP’s Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is seen as the frontrunner to lead the next government. But if the Jamaat-led coalition emerges ahead, its chair, Shafiqur Rahman, could be in line for the top job.
Mohammad Rakib, 21, who is set to vote for the first time, said he hoped the next government would allow people to express their views and exercise their franchise freely.
“Everyone was tired of (Hasina’s) Awami League. People couldn’t even vote during national elections. People had no voice,” he said. “I hope the next government, whoever comes into power, will ensure this freedom of expression.”
