Children

It can make one wonder, who is watching the children today, when you hear stories such as this one out of the Netherlands. “Children played with a high-explosive World War Two shell at a playground in the Dutch town Barneveld for months before authorities were warned and removed it, Dutch police said Sunday. The police called in a unit specialized in clearing explosives, which detonated the shell in a safe area on Saturday” (Reuters)

The Dutch are hopefully counting their blessings on this one, as the tragic results of a explosion on a playground killing children, thanks to pure lack of attention of an entire community could have been detrimental. One has to question, where were all the adults minding the children who frequent the playground. Did no one question that the new toy was? It does leave you to wonder if we are really paying attention to our children.

Can one truly imagine the feeling of hunger, when they have not felt the desperation and pain that it causes a child. The prolonged agony of constant hunger drives children into desperate circumstances, and it drives many to get high in order to forget the hunger that rages in their young bellies.

In Nepal extreme poverty is driving children from their homes and onto the streets, many are children from rural areas, who left for Kathmandu for the promise of work. Sadly the children find themselves on the streets, hungry and desperate, for which they have begun to turn to sniffing solvents, such as glue for escape. “You know, this helps us to get rid of our hunger”, said 14-year-old Rajen Subba, who fled his home in Jhapa district in southeast Nepal due to grinding poverty and started to work as a rag picker (street children sniff glue to beat hunger pangs).

Street Children in Thailand Sniffing Glue

However the street children in Nepal are not alone in their suffering, or their addictions to sniffing glue to escape from the dark reality that is their daily lives. Street Children around the world haven falling into this world of glue sniffing, to escape the streets, if only for a moment. Russia, Kenya, Pakistan, Ukraine, Morocco, Brazil, Thailand, Romania…the list goes on and on. The abuse of glue sniffing is a substantial, and growing problem in Asia, and around the world.

Furthermore the problem that was once seen as a American phenomenon , and now many claim is an Asian phenomenon is truly a global problem, as the Advocacy Project in Kenya estimates that some “60,000 children live on the streets of Nairobi, and almost all are addicted to some sort of inhalant” (Glue Sniffing Ruins young Lives in Nairobi).  In the Pakistani city of Karachi alone there are an estimated 14,000 street children, an estimated 90% of which are sniffing sniffing glue or another solvent, according to Aksa Zainab, a social worker working with street children at a drop-in center run by the Azad Foundation in cooperation with UNICEF (Pakistan street kids plagued by glue sniffing).  It is estimated that 98% of street children in Morocco also participated in glue sniffing, thus the high percentages of street children sniffing glue, appear equally high globally (Child glue sniffing rises in Morocco).

The effects of repeated glue sniffing include; suffocation, long term mental/brain damage, fatigue, loss of weight, dehydration, exhaustion, liver damage, kidney damage, as well as blood and bone morrow damage, and death.  Abuse and intoxication, can also lead to anger anger violence, which can often lead to increased crime.Children turn to get high on glue to forget not only hunger, but the sexual predators they have been forced to face. Glue sniffing takes children from the the cold, hunger, desperation, loneliness, and violence of the streets. However glue sniffing sadly takes the children’s lives and minds, and it is for that reason that more efforts into the awareness and prevention of solvent abuse must be increased globally.  One step forward is to restrict the age of purchase on solvents, to limit the number of children purchasing them.  However restricting the purchase of solvents is will not be a main deterrent, and thus awareness and outreach problems for street children must be put in to place, and increased.  Working to elevate the root causes, such as rural  poverty and abuse, of children turning towards the street is also a must to end this growing cycle of abuse.

“Sergey Kushnir, 14, holding a plastic bag filled with glue for sniffing, screams in the sewer where he lives on the outskirts of Odessa, Ukraine, on Tues., June 6, 2006. According to the Ukrainian NGO “The Way Home,” there are more than 3,000 homeless children living on the streets of Odessa. Almost all street children use drugs.”
(Street Kids in Odessa)

Links and other articles of Interest:
Fact Sheet on Glue Sniffing Among Street Children in Nepal
Street Kids in Odessa
Pakistan street kids plagued by glue sniffing
Nepal: street children sniff glue to beat hunger pangs
Street Children In Morocco: An Analysis of the Situation

The Street Kids of St.Petersburg
Glue Sniffing Among Street Children In the Kathmandu Valley
Pakistan street kids plagued by glue sniffing
For Kenyan street kids, glue sniffing is a way of life

In Africa the WHO is predicting the worst meningitis epidemic in the last decade, an epidemic which is preventable and yet once which they are substantially unprepared for. It is estimated that some 80 million people, in 21 various countries, which form a region reffed to as, the ‘meningitis belt’, could need the preventative vaccine. Last year, there where only 7 million doses of the vaccine available throughout the region due to a lack of funding, and 53,000 cases of meningitis were reported and an estimated 4,000 people died across the region from December to May last year.

The meningitis scare in Africa, was forewarned, and yet the crisis appears to be inevitable. The WHO is fighting to keep the crisis to a minimum, nonetheless the fight against meningitis is an ongoing battle, many fear to loose. The current epidemic is feared to endure for some three years, while supplies of the vaccine look to remain low. The main cause of the low production in vaccines is in short related to a lull in production in the past year, and the now use of one supplier, which is due to manufactures lack of interest in producing for the developing world over the developing.

The WHO’s weekly epidemiological record released on 9 March 2007, revealed that if a major epidemic where to occur in the next few years, that the estimated need of vaccines could be as high as 52 million doses. “An epidemic wave will have an enormous impact on the countries’ morbidity and mortality and will add to the already heavy burden placed on their health services,” the report said (Fighting meningitis is a race against time).

The WHO is urging $13.8 million in donations, so that some 12 million doses of the vaccine can be purchased, to eliminate or substancially curb the crisis in Africa.  In addition WHO officials would like to see an additional 500,000 vaccine doses stocked in each of the countries of the meningitis belt.

In South Africa the battle against HIV/AIDS looks not to be a battle won, but a battle lost. UNICEF’s South Africa representative Macharia Kamau said that infection and death rates in the are outweighing the rate of treatment. The ones paying the highest price for this lost race, are the children whose parents are rapidly dying of Aids, therefore leaving a devastating image for the futture. Kamau said if this trend continues, some five million orphans may plauge South Africa by 2015. (BBC)

For the first time the World Food Program (WFP) has been forced to air drop food in Uganda following the worst flooding in 35 years. In a statement issued on October 16, the WFP said the operation was a desperate last resort to help tens of thousands of people after flooding washed away vital roads. The agency said it urgently needs around USD 20 million for food and trucks to transport September rations to around 250,000 people. (Reuters)

Suspected pedophile targeted has been arrested in Thailand, the Canadian was targeted in global manhunt, thanks to efforts to unscramble digital images. The arrested was Christopher Paul Neil, a schoolteacher who was under suspicion of sexually abusing Cambodian and Vietnamese boys. The capture of Neil was in thanks to both to border guards in Thailand and neighboring countries, who remained on high alert, after immigration cameras captured Neil arriving at Bangkok’s international airport last Thursday from South Korea. (AP)

The Lebanese government must do more to alleviate the miserable conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon who are treated like “second-class citizens,” Amnesty International said on October 17. In a report “Exiled and Suffering: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon,” the London-based human rights group said the refugees face discrimination in education, jobs, health care and housing. More than half the 400,000 registered Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in 12 cramped, squalid and often unsanitary camps scattered across the country. (Reuters)

-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944), French aviator, author. The Little Prince, ch. 1 (1943).

Children while they are continually learning, are also the worlds greatest teachers.

I need not tell you that the situation in Sudan is grave, and that for countless children their lives hang in a fragile limbo, while the world at large looks on. Hunger, disease, and violence is taking the lives of more and more children every day. Some 4 million people have been affected by the war in Sudan, according to UNICEF , more than half of which are children.

War is never kind to the children in its path, but when violence reaches out to children, we have gone past war. The situation in Sudan, is not a war but a full scale genocide, which is preying on the innocence of millions of children.   The children in Sudan, walk a tight rope each day, as they are under the constant threat of military violence, food and water shortages.  These are children at extremely high risk for exploitation and abuse, children also have little or no healthcare or education.  As an international community we cannot sit idly by any longer, we have already waited too long…we have already let too many children die.

Recently in the Southern town of Muhajiriya, attacks have taken the lives of 45 people died and have caused thousands flee their homes. The attacks where aimed mostly at women, children and the elderly, according to a rebel faction.

“The government moved forces into the town two days earlier,” Mohammed Bashir, spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), said from Khartoum, the capital. “With air cover, they attacked the town, burnt down half of it and killed mainly children, women and the elderly.” (Darfur attack “targeted women and children”)

Using children, woman or the elderly as primary targets in this violent crisis, must not be allowed to continue.  As an international community we must ensure, safe and adequate refugee facilities, food security, education, suitable healthcare services, and most of all we must hold the those involved and the government of Sudan accountable.  When we look to aid those children who have been caught in the Sudanese violence, we must ensure that child centered programs are created and adhered to.  Programs, must meet the immediate needs of children, but also focus on their long term needs.

Save Darfur, has a great news archive on all news concerning the crisis and region, as well as other valuable resources and ways to help.

(2004 16 year old suicide bomber in Israel)

“The Taleban said God himself would ignite the vest. I did not have to do anything.”- Farman Ullah

A recent Times article, There is no defense against these children of death, by Robert Baer. The article was run in addition to the UK Channel 4’s airing of the Cult of the Suicide Bomber, which left many in a heated debate, or simply questioning the true end to what Baer calls “the cult of the suicide bomber”. Baer is a former CIA intelligence officer, who served in the Middle East, in counter-terrorism. The story was about a 17 year old Pakistani boy, Farman Ullah, who is the world’s first remotely detonated human bomb. Honed with a remote controlled detonator, Farman, was to kill the pro-Western Governor of Jalabad. Armed with dreams of Paradise the 17 year old was nothing more than a remote controlled bomb, misguided and misled…and luckily for the Governor he was captured, before he could be detonated. But the debate for many as ensued over the question of labeling Farman, and his fellow child suicide bombers as killers or victims.

Therefore what do we do to stop children around the world from becoming suicide bombers? According to Baer, “it is that silent army of fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers who are the only real weapon against another generation of Farmans. …this an ideological battle that will be won, or lost, at the local mosque, at the family dinner table or between friends across the Islamic world. Suicide bombing will be defeated not by a gun or a fancy scanner but by the religious principles of Koran itself.”

Personally I have to agree with Baer on this one, in many aspects, only I wish it was as simple as it sounds. As with all types of youth violence and hate crimes, it must be dealt with at the root and very core of their young existence…at home, school, in church/temple/mosque, etc. Nonetheless, in order for this fight to be won at this level, other issues such as education/literacy, poverty, healthcare, etc., must be addressed. For a child to to grow up in such an environment, where his parents teach their child nothing other than the salvation that will come in death, and death alone…a parent who has raised a child for no other purpose, and dresses their child as a suicide bomber, what is the future? The lives of these children are far from our grasp, and we must address all the issues that surround, and fuel the “cult of the suicide bomber”!

Please see my previous post on child suicide bombers.

For those of you who are unaware CNN is doing a special series on everyday hero’s, many of which work directly with, or touch on the lives of children around the world. CNN Heroes

The series will end on Thursday, December 6, 2007, with a special live global telecast, which will air at 9pm ET / 6pm PT / 2am Dec. 7 GMT. The show will be hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper with Christiane Amanpour, and looks to honor viewer-nominated heroes, which where chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of world leaders and luminaries.

I encourage all of you to look at each weeks nominees in one of the six categories, which include: Defending the Planet, Medical Marvel, Fighting for Justice, Community Crusader, Championing Children, Young Wonder.

Have your children go on and look at the Young Wonder category, and see the amazing work these five kids have done to impact our world for the better. Seeing what a child can do, leaves most of us adults with little recourse to say the old adage, “what can I do, I’m only one person.” These five “wonders” include: Zach Hunter, 15 whose campaign, Loose Change to Loosen Chains, has raised more than $20,000 to help free slaves around the world. Ryan Hreljac, 16, who created Ryan’s Well Foundation which has built 266 wells in 12 developing countries, bringing clean water to more than 435,000 people. Savannah Walters, 14, who started “Pump ‘Em Up,” a non-profit organization that has distributed 10,000 tire gauges to convince motorist to waste less gas by simply keeping their tires inflated properly. Ana Dodson, 15, who started Peruvian Hearts, raising nearly $40,000 for orphans. Pat Pedraja, 12, a leukemia patient, traveled the country to encourage minorities to register and donate much needed bone marrow.

I do apologize for announcing this after voting has culminated for the first two categories. The current set of hero’s, Fighting for Justice, has 5 everyday heroes who are working against human trafficking, and as many of you know this is a cause which has embattled, and enslaved millions of children.

The Irish government announced legislation on October 11 that they will now make it make it an offense to bring an adult or child into the country for sexual or labor exploitation. The new Criminal Law Human Trafficking Bill 2007, has now made Ireland compliant with EU, Council of Europe and UN human trafficking tools and with various criminal law/law enforcement aspects.

Brian Lenihan, the Minister for Justice, said “While there is no evidence of a substantial human trafficking problem in Ireland, any level of this despicable crime is deplorable”(Human Trafficking Bill Announced). Amnesty International has welcomed the the step, “however, Amnesty Director of Advocacy Rosalind McKenna has also pointed out that the proposed legislation does not include victim protection measures” (Independent).

The passing of this legislation is a second major step for Ireland, as on October 3, 2007 A major anti-trafficking operation called Pentameter II was launched in the UK and Ireland. The joint country operation links Garda in Ireland and UK Police forces together with various NGOs and agencies to fight sex trafficking using a victim centered approach .

For someone who used to live in Ireland, and still calls it my second home, the move seems long over due. Although this is a great step in the right direction, it leaves many to questions the governments strong opinion that there is no substantial proof of human trafficking, or modern day slavery being a problem in Ireland. No country is unaffected by the human trade, and one does not see the extent of a problem until it is too late, and the world of human trafficking lives very much underground and out of sight for many, but it still exists!

Both the bill and joint task force, are both positive steps in the right direction for Ireland, however victims services and support must clearly be increased. Specialized services for children must be increased, and the governments efforts to ensure that children’s rights are protected, and victims are treated as such and not criminals, must also be a priority. Overall this is a positive and substantial move for the Irish government, and the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. One can only hope that these efforts will allow some light to be shown on the issue, and establish a deeper look into the realities and extent of the situation in Ireland.

Nigeria is fighting a rare outbreak of a vaccine-derived form of polio, says the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO). It says 69 children in the north have caught the paralyzing disease from others who had already been immunized. The WHO says such rare outbreaks have occurred where immunization campaigns did not reach enough of the population. In 2003 Islamic leaders brought a temporary halt to the vaccine campaign in the north saying it was a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim women. (BBC)

The first 100 Palestinian families returned on Oct. 10 to Nahr al-Bared, a refugee camp which was largely destroyed in 15 weeks of fighting between Lebanese troops and Islamist militants, witnesses said. The army took control of the camp in northern Lebanon in early September after defeating al Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam militants. A convoy of buses took the families from Beddawi to Nahr al-Bared, where they were given relief packages containing bottled water, canned food, bread and dates. (Reuters)

A factory producing low-cost drugs to treat HIV/AIDS and malaria has opened in Uganda. The factory is a 50-50 partnership between privately owned local manufacturer Quality Chemicals and Indian pharmaceuticals giant Cipla. Quality Chemicals’ marketing director George Baguma said the drug may cost less than USD 15 a month. Baguma said the factory was an entirely private sector initiative and is expected to turn a modest profit. But he added that it would seek support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (Reuters)