Reports of tourists treating the Jawara Tribe like animals on safari, in the Andamam islands, reached the British government recently. The story came to light as two disturbing videos emerged, in which members of the tribe were forced to dance for scraps of food. This is the height of disrespect, and constitutes a breach of human rights. What makes it worse, however, is that supposedly people of authority, such as policemen on the islands, have been involved.
The Andamam islands are an Indian Ocean archipelago lying in the Bay of Bengali. Most of the archipelago are Indian, but some are a part of Burma. The atrocities just described have taken place, mostly, along what is known as the 'Andamam Trunk Road', which has been operating, illegally, since 2002.
In the safaris, the tourists drive along the road, running right through the Jawara Tribe's territory, and then throw scraps of food out of their windows, demanding that the tribes people dance in return. One video of this occurrence, released by the Observer newspaper, proves that official involvement in the scandal by showing a seated police officer ordering two half naked girls to dance.
Needless to say, people are aghast that such events are taking place, and the British government is calling for immediate action on the matter. Not only are they calling for this atrocity to cease, but also for the Indian government to clamp down on the use of the Andamam Trunk road once and for all. If this road was inaccessible, the thought is that running illegal tours would at least be a lot harder.
Though these human safaris are humiliating, and should stop for that reason, it is also claimed that the continued use of the Trunk road will damage the tribe in other ways. The tribe have only been in touch with the rest of humanity for around 20 years, and so scientists expect that they will not be able to deal with many of the diseases that we carry.
The Andamam islands are an Indian Ocean archipelago lying in the Bay of Bengali. Most of the archipelago are Indian, but some are a part of Burma. The atrocities just described have taken place, mostly, along what is known as the 'Andamam Trunk Road', which has been operating, illegally, since 2002.
In the safaris, the tourists drive along the road, running right through the Jawara Tribe's territory, and then throw scraps of food out of their windows, demanding that the tribes people dance in return. One video of this occurrence, released by the Observer newspaper, proves that official involvement in the scandal by showing a seated police officer ordering two half naked girls to dance.
Needless to say, people are aghast that such events are taking place, and the British government is calling for immediate action on the matter. Not only are they calling for this atrocity to cease, but also for the Indian government to clamp down on the use of the Andamam Trunk road once and for all. If this road was inaccessible, the thought is that running illegal tours would at least be a lot harder.
Though these human safaris are humiliating, and should stop for that reason, it is also claimed that the continued use of the Trunk road will damage the tribe in other ways. The tribe have only been in touch with the rest of humanity for around 20 years, and so scientists expect that they will not be able to deal with many of the diseases that we carry.
