Children

Children in Africa are faced with a plethora of human rights violations in their daily struggles for survival. Parents and children in the west often take our freedoms, health and educations for granted, while on the continent of Africa diseases of the past still run rampant, child labor and the use of child soldiers impacts most of the continent. The 54 countries of Africa are diverse in numerous ways, but regardless of geography, economics, politics or ethnicity, one thing that links these countries together…children! The children of Africa are more often displaced, by force or urbanization than another continent, they are suffering more than any other from HIV/AIDS, while education and poverty are immense issues for most nations, as is the issue of child labor and trafficking.

Today, Saturday June 16, marks the sixteenth International, Day of the African Child. This years Day of the African Child is theme is dedicated to combating child trafficking, many believe that child trafficking effects over a million children in Africa. The first step in the fight to combat child trafficking is education and awareness, and thus this month in honor of the Day of the African Child, numerous events will take place across Africa to combat child trafficking.

Video by AFRUCA on Child Trafficking in Africa

Organizations such as Plan International, have organized events across Africa today to increase community awareness and to educate children about their rights. Events include a televised concert, ‘Child trafficking – Africa don’t waste your future’, in Senegal; A blog to allow children to voice their views on child trafficking and child labor, Day of the African Child: stop child trafficking; essay competitions in Ghana, and in Togo there are exhibitions to help people understand the need for child participation.(Day of the African child on 16 June: Angola: Malteser International protects mothers and children from infection with HIV/AIDS)

Right To Play worked with government agencies and other children’s organizations in Uganda to honor the day with events, such events included; The Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development and National Council for Children, is organizing public dialogs on: Child Slaves, “The Problem of Child Trafficking in Uganda” (Uganda: Right to Play - Day of the African Child). The issue of child trafficking and the use of child soldiers in Uganda has remained a serious problem, mostly with Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), who is known for it’s abductions of children. The LRA in uses children as soldiers, agricultural and other types of forced labors, and girl’s are often forced into sexual servitude and often marriage.

Video on Child Soldiers in Africa

In a special press release issued to honor the International Day of the African Child, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, tells the stories of three victims of child trafficking in Africa.

“13 year old Eva is pretty and skinny and the way she carries her 4 months old baby shows the burden of her suffering. She was abducted on her way to school, gang raped, subject to forced nudity, and used as a sexual slave by a dissident armed group in Eastern Congo for more then 2 years. After several attempts, she managed
to escape and she realized that she was pregnant. Stigmatized and rejected by the communities, she roamed from one village to another before finding shelter in the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu. The Center takes care of her baby while she goes to school but when you ask her about her future, she bends her beautiful face. ‘Her silent
answer and her whole story is the most heartbreaking one that I have ever heard’, commented Ms. Coomaraswamy after meeting with her during her visit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

The children in Africa have received an international day of recognition, however the true day of recognition will come when their voices are truly heard. Until that day children across the continent of Africa continue to suffer unjustly, their abusers receive little recourse for their actions, and the majority of the governments sit idly by. If we take today as an opportunity to share their stories of suffering and hope, then tomorrow may be a better day for some of the children in Africa. Do your part to increase awareness about the issues children face in Africa, especially regarding child trafficking, write your congressman and join forces with one of the many organizations working for the children.

Links:

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

The Office of the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict

The African Union

Malteser International

Plan International

Plan USA - Ways you can help International Day of the African Child (includes links to children’s video shorts)

Right to Play

AFRUCA

Stop Child Trafficking

Fear not the power your words have on your children, you are their teachers, idols and role models. Whether a parent or not, their are children out there looking up to you for guidance, be open, be honest and most of all allow children those same rights as they express their own ideas and thoughts.

With a third of the population in the European Union being Children, it’s about time their voices where finaly getting a platform to be heard on. The European Commission recently issues three press releases concerning their efforts to increase their protection of children in the EU, aiding in the prevention of human rights violations.

On June 4, 2007 in Berlin, the European Forum on the Rights of the Child was established. The forum involves children, ngo’s, governments and other parties to share and exchange information and ideas, to aid in the protection of children’s rights. The forum came from the efforts of the EU strategy on the rights of the child, which was adopted by the Commission on July 4, 2006. These are the first step in working to effectively implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and set the framework for adhering to children’s rights across the globe.
This May 25th the Commission also celebrated its third recognition of International Missing Children’s Day. Vice-President Frattini, EU Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security said:

“The rights of children and the protection of children against violence and sexual exploitation are a priority for …the European Commission. …in the framework of the G8 Justice and Interior Ministers Meeting…I will discuss the means to combat sexual abuse of children, in particular, prosecuting sexual offenses committed abroad and stepping up international efforts to fight child pornography”.

Sexual explotation, including sex tourism and trafficking, are major issues in the EU, and will continue to increase as the borders widen. Efforts to track predators, enforce laws, and successfully prosecute international sexual predators is a constant battle, that seldom ends with a great number of successes. Therefore the European Commissions commitment is the first step of many in putting an end to the sexual exploitation of children around the world.

Press Releases:

25 May 2007 – International Missing Children’s Day- Commission steps up efforts to better protect children in EU

Context of Commission’s work in area of protection of children rights

European Forum on the Rights of the Child created to look to the future

The Soviet Propaganda poster above, translates to say, “Keep your tongue behind your teeth” or Keep quiet, which to me has always summed up what we have done about communism and the victims to whom it befell. Since it’s Bolshevik infancy, the world has watched with silent eyes and still tongues, as it took hold of countless victims.

Today, June 12, 2007, marked a poignant day in our collective histories, as for the first time the victims of communism around the world have received an international memorial of their own. 16 years after the fall of the USSR, 18 years after the collapse of the Berlin wall, 48 years since Castro took Power, 31 years since the death of Mao…communism is just history to many.  However for some it is the nightmare that still haunts them long after its last breath, and for so many others it is still part of their daily lives, as they can not escape it’s hold.

Associated Press Photo

Excitement was in the air for so many when it was announced that the memorial would be completed and placed in the nations capital, the center of world political influence to many, but the unveiling, though groundbreaking, was for some only a small step in the right direction. The statue stood before you, and regardless of its beauty one could not escape noticing its size was not at all grand, its placement was not prominent, and its effect was still unnoticed to the masses. As before the victims of communism still go unnoticed by the general populous, just ask most anyone walking down the street how many victims of communism there where, or if Stalin purged more than Hitler, and you will see instantly that there is much work to do to honor the victims of communism, and to aid those who continue to fight against its relentless grasp.

The memorial dedicated was opened by President George W. Bush, the date chosen was the 20th anniversary of President Ronald Reagen’s speech to tear down the Berlin wall. The Victims of Communism Memorial dedication service included Represenatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.). Other events later in the day include a roundtable discussion with Richard Pipes, Paul Hollander, and Harry Wu; and a dinner with William F. Buckley and Elena Bonner (Andrei Sakharov’s wife).

Joseph Stalin once said, “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.”, ironically true and we humans by nature pay little attention to large numbers, with the exception of the Holocaust, but are often moved by the story of one man.  And thus for Stalin little attention was paid to the massive number of his victims, and to this very day the statistics on his killings are nothing more than a number, a number that most don’t know exist, or a number that in their minds is seriously deflated.

Please note the memorial is not the only memorial to victims of communism, but the only international memorial to all victims of communism. One objective of the memorial is to educate children of the realities of communism, both past and present. Children suffered, and continue to suffer a great deal under totalitarian regimes, as communism effects all aspects of children’s rights. A child may receive an education under communism, but an education under an isolated regime is not a true education. Millions of children under communism were ripped away from their families, endured forced famines, forced into harsh child labor, denied use of their native languages, and where removed from their homes.

Links and Related Articles:
Victims of Communism Memorial
White House: President Bush Attends Dedication of Victims of Communism Memorial
Memorial Day: Honoring the Victims of Communism
Bush opens victims-of-communism memorial: Reagan anniversary
Bush Pays Tribute to Victims of Communism

The obvious answer to many would, be a definite yes, however in Mexico tradition often out ways, ones obvious reasoning.

In the latest issue of Time, the article, In the Ring with The World’s Youngest Bull Fighter, covered a story on child matadors, in Mexico. For ten year old Rafita Mirabal, who began preforming when he was only 8, preforming the corrida, bullfighting is a daily job, for he is highly sought after in his native Mexico. Rafita and a few other child matadors, or toreros, have actually brought a reemergence in the sport. ‘The fashion for young bullfighters in Latin America started in the 1990s, but is thought to have taken off in 1997 with the arrival in Mexico of one of Spain’s biggest matadors, Julian Lopez Escobar, or “El Juli”. He was just 14.’ (Goring of 14-year-old exposes child toreros’ perilous lives)

Many in the country have been embattled in a heated debate as to whether the sport is part of Mexican heritage, or an inhumane and ‘barbaric’ sport, that has no place for children. The debate grew stronger when on April 17th a 14 year old matador in Mexico was ‘gored by a 900 pound bull . “The bull’s horn pierced his chest, opening a 3in (8cm) gash and carrying him through the air for more than 10ft.” (Bullfighting in dock after 14-year-old matador is badly gored). The injured matador was, Jairo Miguel Sanchez of Spain, once known as the youngest, when he started bull fighting at the age of 8, he has been competing since he was 12. Jairo is now recovering with his family after his near fatal injury.

While the debates rage on Rafita Mirabal is looking forward to the day when he will kill his first bull in the fight, his courage already outweighing his age and size. In Spain the minimum age for a matador is 16, and 18 to kill a bull, Jairo Sanchez has already killed over 1,000 bulls in Mexico. In France and California, a non-lethal form of bull fighting is allowed, while other countries favor the art of killing the bull and all of its precision. In bullfighting schools one learns how to kill the bull with one stroke of a blade, and a crowd may disfavor a fighter who takes two attempts with his sword. In Mexico, Portugal, France and other Latin American countries, such as Columbia, there is no minimum age for bull fighters.

What prompts a parent to allow a child enter into such a dangerous sport? For many it is simply family tradition, as many
children come from a long line of bull fighters. For others they are purely prompted by money and fame, as fighters can earn thousands of US dollars per fight, and net more than 100,000 a year.

“Children, many from poor families, are seduced into the world of bullfighting by promises of fame, glory and above all money,” she said. “What happened to Jairo Miguel is lamentable but it is the result of laws which allow children to take part in bullfights.
(Bullfighting bends rules for fresh new face)

With it’s linages dating back to ancient Rome, bull fighting, looks to remain a public controversy for decades to come, as both children’s and animal rights activists, continue to lobby against the sport. In the meantime bullfighting, remains deeply rooted in ones culture, and matadors of all ages will continue to demonstrate a fearless skill and graceful confidence over their beastly and brutal competitors.

Video from Jairo Miguel Sanchez’s near fatal bullfight:

Links and Related Articles:

http://www.stopbullfighting.org/

Haunted by the Horns

At 13, he can kill a bull - but he still sits on mum’s knee

Detailed information on the sport of Bullfighting

At only of five, Om Prakash Gurjar, was he was taken away from his parents and then held as a slave for the next three years. Om was forced to work in the fields, attend to cattle and even work with hazardous pesticides. Om was one of many victims of bonded labor in India, he was taken for his family to pay off the debt of his grandfather, who was unable to pay or work off the debt.

After years of suffering abuse, harsh living conditions and malnurishment, at the age of eight, Om was rescued, by workers from the charity Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA). a charity working to free children from child labor and give them a safe environment in which to receive an education.

Since being rescued Om has been campaigning for free education in Rajasthan, where he grew up, and has worked to help establish “child friendly villages”. The “child friendly villages” of Om’s dream are safe places where children’s rights are are ensured and child labor is a thing of the past. Om has also worked to see that children get birth certificates, a common right in the west, the lack of birth certificates is a door opener to exploitation.

On November 19, 2006, at 14 years old, Om received the International Children’s Peace Prize, which also comes with a $100,000 cash prize to be used on a children’s project. At the time of his award Om, had been reunited with his family, but as his family is still to poor to support him, he has continued to live in the home for rehabilitated child slaves.

Related Articles:

Om’s Children’s Peace Prize Bio

Victory at last: Child ’slave’ gets peace prize

On a Mission Against Bondage

International Recognition for 14 Year Old Boy’s Struggle Against Slavery

Indian Boy Wins World Peace Prize

Photo by Time

No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. Convention on the Rights of the Child, article 37(b)

Detention centers rarely look different than prison, and for a child the effects of spending time in such facilities can be detrimental. The complex nature of seeking asylum often leaves children and their parents, often single mothers, in limbo for weeks and sometimes more than a month. The effect that the feeling of isolation and on any person can be extremely hard to handle, but for a child isolation is mixed with fear and confusion, as their is no way to clearly explain that they have done nothing wrong to deserve the restrictions and lock-up they now face.

Holding child detainees in immigration detention centers is of growing concern, and now the subject of much debate on both sides of the water. Just last week grave concern was raised in Brittan about Yarl’s Wood, as many children have been being held at the facility for more than four weeks. The British government admits that detaining children is not ideal, however they see it as the only way. The Minister of Immigration, Liam Bryne, went so far as to place a majority of the blame on the parents, saying the lengthy time in detentions was due to parents stalling the deportation process. However, for the parents and children looking out of locked doors in Yarl’s Wood the view is quite different. One mother of two, who has been detained twice, said:

“The Children found it very upsetting. They kept on asking me if we are in a prison and whether we had committed any crime. They still have nightmares, they don’t sleep, they think about detention.” (BBC: Young are too Long in Yarl’s Wood)

In the United States Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services have been conducting interviews and visits with families who are being held in a detention centers in Texas. The two groups claim that based on their findings the center in Hutto, Texas should be shut down, as children are living in ‘jail-like conditions’, which in the Texas facility is exactly that, a jail! The groups also found that children where not receiving adequate education, if a child is over five they are separated from their parents at bedtime, threats to separate families where used on both children and parents. These conditions are obviously detrimental to the welfare of children and serve little purpose in adding the immigration progress. Both groups recommended that that families holding no criminal or security threat be released, and alternatives such as parole, electronic bracelets and shelters run by nonprofit groups, be used in replace of penal facilities. “The Homeland Security Department defended the centers as a workable solution to the problem of illegal immigrants being released, only to disappear while awaiting hearings.” (Group Seek Shutdown of Immigration Center) That said it is presumptuous of the government to assume all will run, and surely the suggested use of ankle bracelets and a house arrest situation would suit all concerns of flight risk, while allowing children a sense of normality in their daily lives.

In the report, The Detention of Children in Member States’ Migration Control and Determination Processes, the authors looked at the increasing use placing children in detention centers by EU member states. Recommendations in the report included The report concluded that: immigrant minors rights be monitored by the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) , statistics on the detention of minors be composed by all states for report to the FRA on an annual basis, a report be produced annually highlighting each countries when detaining children in regard to the mentioned recommendations, the placement of health care in all detention centers, legal representation for all children before detention, an automatic right for independent judicial review for all children regarding their detention, the use and adherence of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and for all member states to use ‘detention only as a last resort’.

Australia has been in the spotlight, regarding the detaining of children in facilities which have been seen as inadequate and prison like. Concerns have been raised publicly for a number of years, especially over the use of facilities that are mandatory for all asylum seekers, including children, that are deemed by many, as worse than the prisons of the country. The detention of children in Australia is of serious concern, as children do not receive an adequate education, are at risk for mental illness and abuse. In the article, The impact of detention on the mental health of detainees in immigration detention, and the implications for failing to deliver adequate Mental Health Services: Who Cares?, Claire O’Connor researches the mental health effects that are caused by such prison like conditions for asylum seekers, and the governments failure to recognize, treat and prevent these grave health concerns.

The case of unaccompanied children is far more difficult than that of children detained with their families, as children who seek asylum independently face a far more difficult time in obtaining assistance. Children who are alone are also at a greater risk for abuse and often disregarded as nothing more than runaways or delinquents, their rights are then seen as something secondary to their unknown crimes. The Harvard Review of Latin America published an article, Children Seeking Asylum, highlights the grave concerns that have emerged in the immigration and deportation process in a post 911 world, including an increase in children applying for asylum independently. “In the U.S. separated children who seek asylum are regularly and routinely detained, often for months on end. A third of the 5000 children detained each year are locked up in secure jails, alongside juveniles convicted of criminal offenses; they are subjected to handcuffing and shackling, and other intrusive and punitive measures… Refugee advocates report that children seeking asylum are used as baits to find, detain and eventually deport undocumented parents already in the country.” The article also highlights how many children are detained, and many times even deported, due to their parents illegal status, even though they are US citizens.

The use of detention centers for children appears to be a clear violation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as the best interest of the child are not being met. Therefore we must take efforts around the globe to see that new regulations, procedures and facilities are established, for all detainees, especially children. While the process of asylum is underway, a child should never be denied his or her human rights.

CHILDREN CONFINED- Immigrant Detention at Hutto
d movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/HBCAgSCGM04" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Links:
Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children

Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service

Immigrant Detention and Human Rights

Chill Out: Children out of Detention

More Than 2,000 Children of Asylum-seekers Detained

A Last Resort

(Photo by Edward S. Curtis - circa 1899)

“They are the true Human Beings.”

-American Indian Proverb