Children

It is true, we do owe our children the “best”, sadly this is not what we give them.  Children across the globe are abused, abandoned, hungry, dying, lost, alone, enslaved.  We can do something about it, yet so often we do not, or we simply do not do our “best”.  One cannot go through life with disregard to the future, one cannot ignore the faces of children in need.  Find your cause, your passion, and act on it today…the children deserve it!

False promises…a new life, money, a job, security, food, and shelter, are all tools used to lure millions of woman and children into slavery. Millions more are violently kidnapped, or sold by various family and friends. Hidden among the dark streets, millions of children live as the prey to greed. Used as a commodity’s, their childhoods are stolen away before they even begin.

This week the fight to end human trafficking and slavery has been stepped up with a new UN initiative to fight human trafficking, which was launched in Delhi, India. The two-day conference, The Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (GIFT), South Asian Regional Conference on Human Trafficking, which which was held on October 10th and 11th, is expected to establish both a time frame, and specific goals to combat trafficking, for the next few years.

UN GIFT, is working towards a total of eight regional conferences, and “aims to mobilize state and non-state actors to eradicate human trafficking by (i) reducing both the vulnerability of potential victims and the demand for exploitation in all its forms; (ii) ensuring adequate protection and support to those who do fall victim, and (iii) supporting the efficient prosecution of the criminals involved, while respecting the fundamental human rights of all persons”.

India, has long since been a hotbed for human trafficking and slavery, and in many ways an epicenter for the trade which makes some $32 billion a year. India may be the largest democracy in the world, but they have yet to put an end to the archaic practices of the human flesh trade. Debt bondage plagues the countries rural areas, enslaving generations, young and old. Young children from neighboring Nepal and Bangladesh are being trafficked across the border for use in the sex trade and forced labor.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is at the core of a new global initiative to combat trafficking by bringing government officials, law enforcement agencies, business leaders and representatives from the media and entertainment industry together, so that they can share ideas and raise funds for the effort to end human trafficking (UN seeks end to human trafficking). One can only hope that these eight conferences will help governments, NGO’s, and citizens make the great strides that are desperately needed in the fight to end modern day slavery, in India and around the globe.

Across the globe millions of children are currently enslaved, held against their will and forced to work. Children who’s human rights have been stripped away with little regard for their future. In a world where freedom has become a word used to defend war, a word used to incite passion, and a word to treasure…it is also a word that some 29 million people only dream of, many of whom are children.

Forced to work in brick kilms in China, enslaved in debt bondage with their families in India, held as a sex slave in Cambodia, a child soldier in Uganda, 0n a coffee or coco plantation, or held as domestic slave in the US, children around the world live their lives in fear. A life of brutality, filled with mental and physical abuse, children endure a suffering beyond that which most of us can imagine.

Can we afford to ignore these children? No, we as individuals, governments and nations must work together to end the needless suffering of millions of children. We must work to become more aware of the signs of slavery and trafficking, understand the facts of the business of slavery, and work to eliminate the root issues, such as poverty. First one must open their eyes to see that this is a modern day problem, and it will not go away if we ignore it. Slavery will only continue to grow if we ignore the issues, and slavery is more than just the denial of rights and the free will of a child, or adult, it is the destabilization of entire economies and the loss of generations of children. Imagine a village where their are no children free to play, or go to school…a village that is entirely consumed by debt bondage.

While the problem of slavery will not go away overnight we can begin to eliminate it now. So how do you go about joining the fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking?

1. EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE ISSUES
2. INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT MODERN-DAY SLAVERY - SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED WITH YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, CHURCH AND COMMUNITY GROUPS. EVEN TELLING ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
3. SUPPORT A CHARITY OR GROUPS THAT WORKS TO END MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING - VOLUNTEER OR MAKE DONATIONS.
4. JOIN OR START YOUR OWN COMMUNITY ACTIVIST GROUP.
5. WRITE YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO PASS ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS LAWS
6. REPORT ANY SUSPECTED SLAVERY OR TRAFFICKING CASES
* Call the Department of Health and Human Services’ Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
* Information on how to recognize a potential human trafficking scenario and/or victim is available in the fact sheet “How Can I Recognize Trafficking Victims”.

While Washington D.C. - October 8-13th, 2007, has the greatest number of events, there are amazing events happening all over the United States:

Orlando FL - October 12th, 2007

Cape Cod - October 14th, 2007

Stevensville, MD - October 29th

See Dreams of Freedom for more information, and for event coming to your city soon, as events continue to be added!

Yesterday, October 4, 2007, marked a day to change the shape of the world, a day when the world was given a wonderful gift…a plan to end slavery. This historic moment is thanks to the dream, vision, passion and undying will of one man, Kevin Bales. Kevin Bales is the world’s foremost expert on modern slavery, he is the founder and President of Free the Slaves.

Bales has now given the world a definitive plan for ridding the world of slavery, once and for all, in his new book Ending Slavery. The book was launched in Washington D.C., at the United States House of Representatives, Rayburn Office Building. Those in attendance at the launch included numerous Senators, citizen activists, and fellow abolitionists. Speakers included: Senator and Presidential Hopeful, Jolene Smith Executive Director/Co-founder; Peggy Callahan Executive Producer/Director of Communications/Co-founder; Anti-Slavery International Director, Aidan McQuade; Sam Brownback of Kansas; and of course Kevin Bales.

Bales takes the culmination of decades of work, successes and failures, and puts them all down, in a plan to end slavery in 25 years. The international community; NGOs, governments, activist groups, and individual citizens, all have a role to play in the full abolishment of slavery. After 5,000 years; 200 since the abolishment of the African slave trade, and 142 years since slavery was legally outlawed in the United States. Bales work and backbreaking dedication, has lead him to give us this jewel amongst the dessert sand. A ray of light in the darkness Ending Slavery, gives us…the world a surefire way to rid the world of the plague that is slavery, in all forms.

Bales first book, Disposable People (1999), was groundbreaking and finally brought much needed public attention to the truth of modern day slavery. Bales follow-up book Understanding Global Slavery (2005) gives readers a clearer picture of the realties of the modern slave trade. Combined together, the three books combined are the essential must have to any abolitionist, or concerned citizen…they are truly tools to end slavery! This book is a must read for every citizen of the global world. The time to end slavery is now! With people like Kevin Bales, organizations like Free the Slaves, and this book, we have no excuses to let this tragedy continue to haunt our world.  Some 27 million people are enslaved around the world, many of whom are children, and while freeing all of them is no small feat, it is possible and it must be done.

Find out more about Kevin Bales, modern slavery, and what is being done to stop it by visiting Free the Slaves, and you can see more about Ending Slavery. Check the book tour schedule, to see when Kevin will be in your town. See what other’s have been saying about the book and get the Buzz on Ending Slavery. Most importantly, don’t forget to get your copy!

Photo from Children at Risk Foundation - CARF Brazil

Children should be the riches of all of mankind!

One should look to protect and ensure the future…children are the future!

As I have said before, and will say again and again, children are wise beyond their years.  I think wisdom, isn’t always something we gain with age, don’t get me wrong age and experience do obtain wisdom, however there is something to be said for the wisdom of youth.  Children have not seen all the pain in suffering in the world, nor have they endured the struggle that is life with all of it’s bumpy roads and dead ends, but they know what is right.  Ask a child about war, hunger, disease, hate, violence, etc., and I know that most of them will be quicker to tell you their view, than most adults.  A child needs no time at all to know that these things are wrong, and should not be inflicted on anyone, and they most often have a suggestion on how to end it, if you ask them.

Therefore I asked a 9 year old boy and 11 year old girl, what they though about children around the world and how they where treated different than in America.  The 11 year old girl was quick to jump in with, “I think its horrible that there is child labor.”  I assure you I had no part in this topic of suggestion!  The 9 year old was soon firing back with, “Yeah, how can we stop it?  Its so sad they make them do such hard work!”  Both children where now looking at me with much deeper eyes, and asking endless questions, about what children are forced to do in other countries.  I must admit answering their questions required much more thought than those of most adults, and they would not take a brush of answer of any sort.

The two then began to discuss the topic of child labor among themselves, as I watched with disbelief…their conversation was more productive and intelligent than most adults would have been.  It wasn’t just the nature of the topic that they where discussing, but how they would quickly come up with solutions to the problems.  There was no barrier between them, and a way to end such a practice of abuse.  Granted they did not understand the full nature of how their solutions would be carried out.  Then again they did not see why we as a society should be placing so many roadblocks in front of combating such an issue.  The fact of the matter was, its wrong, and therefore it should be stopped.  This approach is one we do not take so plainly in the real life world of international development, but maybe we should try harder to do so.

The solutions that these two children came up with included; punishing anyone who makes a child work (even the parents), giving children money to go to school, and if someone sees a child working they should just “go save them’.  The tow also suggested that we send the children lots of books and toys, so they could be more like them.  They even said that we (Americans) should give the children money so they would not have to work, since we have enough here that they do not have to work and can just learn and play.

The ILO recently published a study highlighting child labor in the mining industry. Not only are a million or more children continuing to be forced to work in mines, but the reports shows a great number of them are girls. Children who are forced into hard labor is never a subject to be taken lightly, however some may argue that this is its worst form. Using young girls to work in mines, placing them at risk for permanent injury from carrying heavy loads and nerve-damage from mercury exposure.

The ILO report, entitled Out of Sight - girls in mining, compiled research findings from Ghana, Niger, Peru and the United Republic of Tanzania. The report is the first of its kind to highlight the use of girls in small-scale mining. The ILO is now bringing attention to the issue, and for the first time publicly presented the issues at the Conference on Communities and Artisan; Small-scale Mining (CASM) held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on September 7-12, 2007.

The fact is that girls are often overlooked in all areas of development, and child labor, especially mining, is no different. Thus, these assumptions and gender roles in the small-scale mining communities, are now being challenged by the ILO. The ILO illustrates in the report that it is girls, not boys, who are given longer hours, larger work loads, and have an even smaller chance at obtaining an education. Girls are also more prone to withdrawal and recieve less rehablitation. The fact is that girls work in conditions that are just as dangerous as boys, and inside the mines gender does not permit you any favors.

“Poor understanding of the issue translates into poor intervention”, explains Susan Gunn, child labour expert for IPEC who commissioned the report. “Policies and action programmes that address small-scale mining issues ignore the fact that there are children working there exposed to the same or even greater risks than the adults… and that many of them are girls. Consequently, girls miss out on the benefits and social support that the programmes provide.”

Children who work in the mines are denied their right to an education, with no opportunity to attend school, life outside of mining looks bleak.However mining by young girls is not limited to the countries in the ILO report, and the use of girls occurs in some form in all counties with child labor in the mines.

Sudha, a young Nepalese girl, has worked as a stone crusher in a mine, since she was only 12. “She’d prefer to be at school, but now believes it is too late to start her education. When asked why she continues to do the dangerous work, she says simply: “There is no alternative.” (Lightening the Load of Child Miners).” Sudha, like so many other children is forced to work in hash and unbearable conditions, for a meager wage, just to help her family…a family which still remains impoverished, despite her toils.

Mini Gandhi’s Take To The Street To Celebrate His Birth

Children dressed as Mahatma Gandhi on celebration Monday, to perform as part of the celebrations in the northern Indian city of Lucknow. October 2 marks the 138th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, and a day of celebration for a free and democratic India. A national holiday in India, the day was also been declared the “International Day of Non-Violence” by the United Nations this June.

Those young and old, came out to celebrate the man known as the “Father of the Indian Nation,”! An independent India, peaceful protest, inspiration for generations…none would have been possible with out the man know as the “Great Soul”. Gandhi was instrumental in India’s struggle for independence from Britain and a devoted follower of non-violent protest and religious tolerance.