Imfihlo Egcinwe Kahle
“Akukho muntu oyokwenziwa isigqila: ubugqila nokuhweba ngezigqila kunqatshelwe ngazo zonke izindlela.”—Universal Declaration Of Human Rights.
NGOKUZAYO uma uthela ushukela ekhofini lakho, cabanga ngoPrevot waseHaiti, owathenjiswa umsebenzi okahle kwelinye izwe laseCaribbean. Kunalokho, wathengiswa ngamaRandi angu-50.
UPrevot uphakathi kwezinkulungwane zabantu bezwe lakubo abayizigqila, abaphoqelelwa ukuba bavune umoba izinyanga eziyisithupha noma eziyisikhombisa behola imali encane noma bengaholelwa nhlobo. Laba bathunjwa bavalelwa ezindaweni eziminyene nezingcolile. Ngemva kokwephucwa impahla yabo, banikwa ocelemba. Kufanele basebenze ukuze bathole ukudla. Uma bengazama ukubaleka, bangase babhaxabulwe.
Cabangela indaba kaLin-Lin, intombazane yaseNingizimu-mpumalanga Asia. Wayeneminyaka engu-13 lapho kushona unina. Inhlangano yezemisebenzi yamthenga kuyise ngamaRandi angu-2 940, imthembisa umsebenzi okahle. Imali athengwa ngayo kwathiwa “iholo elikhokhwa kusengaphambili”—okuyindlela yokuqinisekisa ukuthi ngeke aphunyuke kubaphathi bakhe abasha. Kunokuba anikezwe umsebenzi ohloniphekile, uLin-Lin wayiswa endaweni yezifebe, lapho amakhasimende ekhokhela umnikazi wale ndawo amaRandi angu-25 ngehora ukuze alale naye. ULin-Lin uyisiboshwa, ngoba akanakuhamba kuze kube yilapho sesikhokhiwe isikweletu sakhe. Lokhu kuhlanganisa izindleko zokumnakekela zomnikazi wendawo yezifebe kanye nenzalo nezinye izindleko. Uma uLin-Lin enqaba ukuhambisana nezifiso zomqashi wakhe, angase ashaywe noma ahlukunyezwe. Okubi nakakhulu ukuthi uma engazama ukubaleka, angase abulawe.
Inkululeko Yabo Bonke?
Abantu abaningi bacabanga ukuthi ubugqila sebaphela. Ngokuqinisekile, ngemva kwezivumelwano eziningi, iziphakamiso nemithetho, emazweni amaningi kuye kwamenyezelwa ngokomthetho ukuthi benqatshelwe. Ubugqila bubhekwa njengento enyanyekayo kuyo yonke indawo. Imithetho yezwe iyabenqabela ubugqila, futhi ukuqedwa kwabo kuye kwasekelwa yimithetho yamazwe ngamazwe—ophawulekayo yisiPhakamiso 4 seSimemezelo Somhlaba Wonke Samalungelo Abantu sango-1948, esicashunwe ngenhla.
Nokho, ubugqila buyachuma—nakuba kwabathile buyimfihlo egcinwe kahle. Ukusuka ePhnom Pehn kuya eParis, ukusuka eMumbai kuya eBrasília, izigidi zabantu—amadoda, abesifazane, nezingane—ziphoqelelwa ukuba ziphile futhi zisebenze njengezigqila noma ezimweni ezifana nezezigqila. I-Anti-Slavery International ezinze eLondon, inhlangano endala kunazo zonke emhlabeni eqaphe ukugqilazwa kwabantu, ilinganisela ukuthi inani labantu abayizigqila libalelwa emakhulwini ezigidi. Ngokuqinisekile, kungenzeka ukuthi kunezigqila eziningi emhlabeni namuhla kunanini ngaphambili!
Kuyavunywa ukuthi ubugqila banamuhla abusabonakali ngezinto ezivamile njengamaketanga, iziswebhu nezindali zomphakathi. Ukugqilazwa kwabantu, imishado yobugqila, ubugqila bezikweletu, ukugqilazwa kwezingane, kanye nobufebe ngokuvamile kumane kungezinye zezinhlobo ezaziwayo zobugqila banamuhla. Izigqila zingase zibe izancinza, abagibeli bamakamela, abahlahli bomoba abenzi bokhaphethi, noma abakhi bemigwaqo. Yiqiniso, iningi alithengiswa endalini yomphakathi, kodwa liyefana nezigqila zakudala. Kwezinye izimo liphila ukuphila okudabukisa kakhulu.
Obani ababa yizigqila? Kwenzeka kanjani ukuba babe yizigqila? Kwenziwani ukuze basizwe? Ingabe ukuqedwa kobugqila ngokuphelele kuseduze?
[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 4]
BUYINI UBUGQILA BANAMUHLA?
Lona umbuzo ngisho neZizwe Ezihlangene ezihlulekayo ukuwuphendula ngemva kweminyaka zizama. Enye incazelo yobugqila yaqanjwa kuyi-Slavery Convention ka-1926, eyayithi: “Ubugqila buyisikhundla noma isimo somuntu ophucwe wonke amandla okuziphatha.” Noma kunjalo, leli gama lingachazwa ngezindlela eziningi. Ngokwentatheli uBarbara Crossette, “ubugqila buwuphawu olusetshenziswa ezisebenzini ezihola imali ephansi ezimbonini zaphesheya ezithunga izingubo zokugqoka nezemidlalo kanye nasezimbonini ezifukuzisa izisebenzi emadolobheni aseMelika. Lusetshenziswa ekulahleni imboni yobulili nokukhandlwa kwezisebenzi zasejele.”
UMike Dottridge, umqondisi we-Anti-Slavery International, ukholelwa ukuthi “njengoba ubugqila bubonakala bushintshashintsha—noma njengoba leli gama lisetshenziswa ezimweni ezihlukahlukene—kunengozi yokuthi incazelo yalo izodungeka noma ize inyamalale.” Unomuzwa wokuthi “ubugqila bubonakala ngokuphatha noma ukulawula ukuphila komunye.” Kuhlanganisa ukuphoqelela nokulinganiselwa kwenkululeko—iqiniso lokuthi “umuntu akakhululekile ukuba azihambele, noma ashintshe umqashi.”
Lapho ebhala kuyi-New York Times, u-A. M. Rosenthal uyaphawula: “Izigqila ziphila impilo yobugqila—umsebenzi obulalayo, ukudlwengulwa, indlala, ukuhlukunyezwa, ukululazwa ngokuphelele.” Wanezela: “Isigqila sithengwa ngama-dollar angu-50 [amaRandi angu-300], ngakho [abaniniso] abanandaba ngempela ukuthi siphila isikhathi esingakanani ngaphambi kokuba isidumbu saso siphonswe emfuleni.”
[Umthombo]
Ricardo Funari