After touring the world as Miss Pakistan in 2005, Naomi Zaman, whom we covered in this paper earlier, went back to her first love - singing. Naomi is now working on her self titled Debut Album set to be released this summer and promising to be an exciting venture. Naomi has already released the first single of this album. The single is called “Rock Desi”. Fans can hear a taste of what to expect from the album. The song Rock Desi pulsates with Naomi‘s Hindi/English pop vocals and a futuristic metal throb.
Born on January 8, 1985 in Toronto, to Pakistani Christian parents, Naomi Zaman was raised in a Christian household and grew up in Ontario. Canada gave her a good understanding of both Western and Eastern Cultures. Naomi’s mother discovered her singing gift when she was 3 years old and she performed her first live show at the age 8 at the Brampton Civic Library where she wowed the audience with her self confidence and voice.

In high school Naomi was awarded Best Vocalist twice in a row and won Best Lead Performance at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Brampton. In 2001 she competed in and won the North American Abu Talib Temple singing competition and in 2004 she went on to win the Delta Idol Competition. Naomi also performed at various charitable events across Canada and won the hearts of many, as a rising star in the making.

In 2005, Naomi won the Miss Pakistan World. This award gave her the opportunity to shed light on her heritage, while promoting the culture of her native land. Naomi went on to compete in several international pageants including Miss Tourism Queen International 2005 and notably the Miss Earth pageant, one of the three largest pageants in the world. She won 2 international titles during her reign as Miss Pakistan World 2005. She won as second runner-up of Miss Disco Girl of the Year and Miss Best in Talent in the special events of Miss Tourism Queen International 2005. These marked the first two international special awards ever won by a Pakistani competitor. READ MORE

By James Varghese
In a country as diverse and complex as India, with 5,000 years of recorded history, it is not surprising to find that the people reflect the rich glories of the past, the culture, traditions and values relative to geographic locations and the numerous distinctive manners, habits and food that will always remain truly Indian.

But sadly, India has a dark secret which was recently revealed on 29 January 2010, when the Supreme Court of India said, “India is becoming a hub for large-scale child prostitution rackets.” The Court suggested the need to set up a “special investigating agency” to tackle this menace in the world’s second most densely inhabited nation.

According to the BBC, India is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation by 2050, while some countries will shrink by nearly 40%, according to new research. Sadly, despite all the incredible growth of the Indian economy, prostitution is currently a contentious issue in the country with child trafficking and prostitution rampant throughout the land.

In 2007, the Ministry of Women and Child Development reported presence of 2.8 million sex workers in India, with 35.47 percent of them entering the trade before the age of 18 years. The number of prostitutes has also doubled in the recent decade. More recent figures have reported that sex workers in India are now around 15 million, with Mumbai alone being home to 100,000 sex workers, the largest sex industry center in Asia.

Some infamous red light centers in India are Sonagachi in Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal State; Kamathipura in Mumbai (Bombay), Maharastra State; G. B. Road in the capital city of New Delhi, Reshampura in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh; and Budhwar Peth in Pune, Maharastra State, where often under-age minors ply their trade.

The majority of sex workers in India do so because they are lacking resources to support themselves or their children. Most do not choose this profession out of preference, but out of necessity, often after the breakup of a marriage or after being disowned and thrown out of their homes by their families. The children of sex workers are much more likely to get involved in this kind of work as well. READ MORE

In our last issue we highlighted the story of Pervaiz Masih – who sacrificed his life to save students from the Islamic University in Islamabad. After this story broke, a group of individuals in Canada took it upon themselves to raise funds to support the family of Pervaiz Masih. The group raised 1,431 US Dollars for the family. When exchanged into Pakistan rupees, it converted to 1 lakh and 20,000 Rupees.

A representative from this group, who wishes to remain anonymous, travelled to Rawalpindi to hand over the funds to the family. Here is part of his report.

Due to their family dynamics Pervaiz Masih’s wife Shaheen and 3 yr old daughter Dia live separately with her family in the a kachi abadi of Islamabad while his mother and sister live in their original home in Pindi area on Murree Road near the Pindi cricket stadium. With the help of local Christians, we got the addresses and directions and visited both the homes.

The money was divided into three envelopes and distributed as follows:
• Rs 50,000 to the Wife (Shaheen)
• Rs 20,000 to the Wife (for the daughter Dia)
• Rs 50, 000 to the Mother Khursheed (for herself and sister Parveen)
• Also gave a few clothes and toys for the daughter Dia.

Their living conditions are very poor and unhealthy, the mother is in deep mourning. Pervaiz was the youngest and therefore favorite son. The daughter Dia is subdued and scared and clings to her mother, afraid to lose her also. The only time she smiled and displayed her emotions when given the toy.
The Islamic University offered Pervaiz’s job to the wife Shaheen who could not take the job as their daughter Dia is still traumatized and cannot be left with anyone. So the job was given to the brother of Pervez Masih. The Pakistani government announcement of Rs10 lakh has not come through yet.