Children

All over Cambodia teachers’ demands for “informal fees” are forcing children to quit classes because their parents cannot afford to pay. Seng Hong of NGO Education Partnership, an umbrella grouping of Cambodian education organizations, says research shows sending one child to school uses up almost a tenth of the average family income. “This increases if the family has two or more kids to send to school,” he said. “Then they may reconsider which kids should go to high-grade education and which kids should stop.” (BBC)

A recent Newsweek International report over the a recent discovery and controversy surrounding reports of child abuse in a school founded by the talk-show host Oprah Winfrey has only served to highlight the prevalence of sexual abuse in South Africa.

Those children displaced by the ongoing conflict in Iraq are not receiving enough educational support and access, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), approximately half of Iraqi IDP’s, some 220,000 are school aged children. “Displaced children have a particularly hard time accessing schools, water supplies and medical care. Many move without proper papers, creating bureaucratic hurdles in their new areas,” Hajaj added. “Displaced families struggle to find work, push children into poverty and make them vulnerable to child labour or other harmful forms of exploitation. And some children even become separated from their families during their move.” (IRIN)

Also in Iraq the number of girls attending school dropping, say analysts and they now fear that a large gender gap will soon appear. “The fear of losing their children through violence has led many families to keep their children at home but the number of girls kept at home is higher because in addition to the security problem, they are being forced by their families to assist in household chores,” said Sinan Zuhair, a media officer for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The situation in Iraq is very similar to the one Pakistan is facing, as Education the first casualty in Swat, as violence continues. “If this situation continues, it is going to have an adverse effect on education,” Mohammad Iqbal, principal of the Degree College for Boys, in Mingora, the largest city in Swat district. However it is girls that are primarily being pulled from school due to the increased violence in the region.

In Zimbabwe it is the teachers that are leaving the schools, and forcing many students out of the classrooms. Schools close as hordes of teachers resign, and students are forced to transfer schools in the midst of preparations for end of year exams. Recession that has engulfed the country for some seven years, is the primary cause of the teachers exodus. “The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), the biggest grouping of educators in the country, said this week that 15,200 teachers had migrated to neighboring states, such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland, since the beginning of 2007.”

The stubborn military conflict in Afghanistan is posing growing risks to the country’s children, a UNICEF ambassador said Wednesday. Martin Bell says in his new report that progress made during the last few years, such as higher levels of school enrollment and lower child mortality, could be reversed due to the fighting unless more is done to protect young people (CBC.ca/Associated Press).

In Bangladesh the primary-school dropout rate rises to 47 percent. High dropout rates in Bangladesh are not uncommon, but according to a study conducted by 10 NGOs and the Commonwealth Education Fund, the rate is now becoming quite alarming. Primary school dropouts have increased from 33% in 2002 to 47% in 2006, while the enrollment of children between 6-10 years has also declined, from 97% in 2002 to 93% in 2005.

On November 7th, 2007, Priority Films, much anticipated film “Holly”, had its world premier at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Honorary Committee members include: Susan Sarandon, Sen. Hilary Clinton, Ron Livingston, Lisa Ling, Ally Sheedy, congressman Mark Udall and others.

The movie screening was followed by a reception to benefit the Somaly Mam Foundation. The foundation which is was founded by Somaly Mam, one of the most prolific activists in the fight against sexual slavery. Solmaly herself was sold into slavery when she was only 12 years old. Once free she made it her life’s mission to save and rescue victims, for which she created AFESIP. With the efforts of AFESIP more than 3,4000 women and children have been not only rescued, but rehabilitated, and reintegrated into mainstream society since 1996.

Film Trailer:

The film which officially opened nation wide yesterday, on the the 9th of November, is a must see film that will both open your eyes to the issue of modern slavery, and incite you to act.

I will give you more on this story of this film and full review of the movie shortly.

Many eyes and ears have been on Chad as the child trafficking case gets underway. The children, most of which proved to have family, the majority of which contained at least one parent, have been left in limbo. The children who have all been placed in protective custody of the Chadian Social Services, may have to wait months before they are returned to their families. Many of the ‘Kidnap’ children may not get home ever, as it is too difficult to determine their backgrounds.

Legal framework a hindrance in ‘child-trafficking’ case in Sudan and the Congo. Chadian and UN officials say the absence of a child trafficking law in Chad will hamper efforts to prosecute members of the French charity Zoe’s Ark, who were arrested in the country while trying to take 103 children to reported host families in France. The lack of a law may pose many issues in prosecuting this case, the largest being trying the case under a lower offence. The case which is to be tried as an abduction case, will be much harder to prove, than that of human trafficking.

“There are no other penalties in the abduction chapter [of the criminal code] stronger than the one we chose. Our penal code is limited. It doesn’t cover [many] infractions. There is a gap”, said Ahmad Daoud Chari, state prosecutor in Abéché, the eastern Chadian town where the members of the association were arrested.

The failure of the law in this case only highlights the need of so many states and countries to put into place specific laws against human trafficking and slavery. Four Chadian nationals have appeared in court in Ndjamena, charged in connection with the attempted airlift of 103 children to France. The four, officials from the border town of Tine, were charged with “fraud and complicity to kidnap minors.” Six French members of the charity Zoe’s Ark, three Spaniards and a Belgian are in jail awaiting trail. A French lawyer, Gilbert Collard, arrived in Ndjamena Nov. 6 to take charge of the charity workers’ defense (BBC). While release was given to the three French journalists and four Spanish airline stewardesses detained under suspected implication in the illegal evacuation of the 103 children.

The case has had the world watching and debating the question of international adoption, especially from Africa, which many have already been left with speculation of too loose of adoption laws. The case has now promoted many other countries to look at the situation in their own country. The Chad arrests prompt suspension of international child adoption, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “I have taken this decision as a precautionary measure,” Aimé Emmanuel Yoka, the Congolese minister in charge of justice and human rights, said on 1 November. A 2006 study, showed that approximately 2,000 children where victims of cross-border trafficking, conducted by the Congolese government, the justice and peace commission and the UN Children’s Fund.

While the children of this debacle sit in wait, the debate rages on, and we sit in astonishment and anticipation for the outcome of this case. What the outcome will be for the those accused of trafficking is still a long ways off, and one can only hope that this case will bring much needed attention to lack of laws against human trafficking and slavery.

The UN Human Rights Council has decided to appoint a Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, or a three-year period, to replace the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. This will include examining its causes and its consequences, the Special Rapporteur focus principally on aspects of contemporary forms of slavery which are not covered by existing mandates of the Human Rights Council. You can see the full meeting agenda here.

The UN has express deep concern as attacks on students, teachers are rising in conflict areas. In the last three years attacks on schools have only increased, prompting the UN to issues a study and report to illustrate how grave the situation is. While the report stated that there are no exact and adequate figures, “but there are specific figures for the number of incidents in particular countries and territories and they suggest that the worst-affected in the past five years include Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal, the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Thailand and Zimbabwe, and in all cases except Nepal the conflict is ongoing”. The UN has called for an increase in efforts to see that all children receive an education, the creation of a database of all attacks globally, and international pressure to prosecute those involved in the attacks.

The UN prepares to vote on death penalty stance next week, the General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution that would urge all governments to stop using capital punishment. To date there are 81 member countries, out of 192 members, in favor of the move against the death penalty. Resolutions made by the General Assembly are not legally binding, however they hold a great deal of weight in the international community and place pressure on offending countries.

The U.S. criticizes South Africa for blocking rape resolution, as the United Nations General Assembly works to pass a resolution to condemn the use of rape and sexual abuse by governments and combatants. The US alleges that South Africa has been strategically blocking the resolution. Baso Sangqu, South Africa’s Deputy Ambassador, said, “We are objecting to the resolution because it is politicized and singles out clear categories of rape. We want a resolution that is nonpoliticized and that looks at rape in a holistic manner in all its situations including rape by soldiers in detention centers and in situations of foreign occupation.” There are no countries named in the proposed resolution, however the use of sexual violence is prevelant in countries such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

I honestly didn’t want to write anymore about toxic toys, as I felt I had covered it well enough, and there a many other issues regarding children’s rights which need to be covered, however I am prompted to bring light to the newest discovery. The outcry over toy recalls has been from lead paint or small pieces which brake off, both ending up in the moths of small children and therefore causing a large scale threat. We seem to have seen a constant flow of toy recalls this year, but the newest recall has brought with it a whole new scare…drug consumption. I know you are shaking your heads in dismay right now, but this is no joke. the newest toy recalls from China came after it was discovered that they contained a chemical which metabolizes when swallowed into a “date-rape” drug

Australia announced a nationwide ban on November 7th for about 1 million Chinese-made toys, following an investigation which showed they contained a chemical which metabolizes when swallowed into a “date-rape” drug. The nationwide ban across Australia’s six states and two territories came after three children became severely ill after they swallowed the toy beads called “Bindeez.” Toy importer Moose Enterprise issued a voluntary recall of “Bindeez,” named Australia’s 2007 Toy of the Year, saying some batches of the beads failed to match the approved formula. (Reuters)

The United Nations Population Fund, will now benefit from the international communities efforts to make maternal health a global priority. Over the last 7 years the US has withheld funding for the agency, which was appropriated by Congress, amounting to $204 million. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) $34 million has been authorized in funding each year since 2002, an an amount Anika Rahman, President of New York-based Americans for UNFPA, says would have allowed the fund “to prevent 244,000 maternal deaths, help 68 million women delay pregnancy and prevent 2.4 million women from suffering adverse health effects during pregnancy and childbirth (Women’s eNews).

According to a new study released on today, November 8, 2007, the World Food Program says that approximately half of Laos rural children, some 255,000, suffer from chronic malnutrition. “The Government of Lao PDR and the donor community should give the highest priority to addressing child malnutrition as a critical aspect of national development,” said WFP Laos Representative Christa Raeder (Bangkok Post (Thailand)/Deutsche Presse-Agentur).

In Uruguay senators voted to ease the country’s tough abortion laws, although the president has vowed to veto any legislation that seeks to decriminalize the procedure. Currently in Uruguay, women are only allowed to have an abortion if they were raped or if the pregnancy endangers their lives. The Nov. 6 vote gives preliminary approval to a bill that would let women have an abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy on grounds including economic or social hardship or “circumstances linked to how the conception took place.” (Reuters)

Hope has now come for many refugees of the conflict in Sudan, who have been desperate for more substantial medical attention. Medair has now completed construction of a permanent Primary Health Care Center (PHCC), to be staffed with eight support staff and 12 health professionals, including clinical officers, community health workers, and nurse midwives, which will provide access to a wide range of health services for up to 50,000 vulnerable Sudanese. In March of 2007, Medair opened a temporary PHCC in Melut Town, in partnership with the Health Ministry and local community authorities. Large tents were set up, and over the course of 34 weeks, 13,000 patients were seen and treated. (Reuters)

More than 3,000 cases of diarrhea have been reported in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city, in the last two months, as residents struggle with water shortages. Since the outbreak was first reported in August, the city has experienced a 10-fold increase in cases, up to the second week of November. Low rainfall and an inability to keep up with the demands of a growing population in a depressed economic environment have left many of Bulawayo’s 1.5 million residents in the grip of water shortages and often having to obtain water from unprotected sources. (IRIN)

South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki remains an “AIDS dissident” - doubting the link between the HIV virus and AIDS, according to his new biographer, Mark Gevisser. Gevisser said Mbeki thinks he has “failed on the issue of Aids” and regrets dropping the debate. He also said Mbeki believes that anti-AIDS drugs, now distributed in South Africa, are toxic and doubts their efficacy. But the president’s spokesman refused to comment on the book’s claims, saying the cabinet and Mbeki were united. (BBC)

Please see Bill Hewitt’s Climate Change Blog for his recent post on Children and Climate Change and the recent report issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Under Article 37(a) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child executions are a clear violation of international law.

” [No] capital punishment… shall be imposed for offenses committed by persons below eighteen years of age”

Iran Revokes Death Sentence in Juvenile Case, as Dubious Conviction Based on Recanted Testimony Requires Re-Trial

” Makwan Mouloudzadeh faces death for crimes supposedly committed as a 13-year-old, which even his accusers admit never occurred. Ayatollah Shahrudi, the head of the Judiciary, needs to act now to ensure that his death sentence is revoked and Mouloudzadeh gets a new trial. ” -Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch

Mouloudzadeh, was accused of raping 3 boys, who at the time where also 13 years old, however he continuously claimed innocence. Mouloudzadeh also claimed he was coursed into his confession and that all the accusations against him where false, however the judge over the proceedings would not hear his statement. Sadly Mouloudzadeh is not alone in his fight against execution, as Iran is the worlds leader in death penalties for children.

According to Iranian law under Article 1210(1) of Iran’s Civil Code the age of criminal responsibility is 15 lunar years for boys, and nine lunar years for girls. According to Article 49 of Iran’s Penal Code: “Children, if committing an offense, are
exempted from criminal responsibility.” However in the case of Mouloudzadeh both international and Iranian law have been broke, with little regard.

“Iran stands virtually alone as a country in which child offenders - persons under 18 at the time of the crime of which they were convicted - are put to death,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme for Amnesty International. “It is high time that the Iranian authorities put an end to this shameful practice - for once and for all - and bring themselves in line with the rest of the international community, which has long recognized the obscenity of executing those who commit crimes while children.”

The international community must continue to put pressure on Iran, to end these blatant human rights abuses and violations against children.
You can find out more about child executions in Iran at Stop Child Executions, where you can also see a list of those who are awaiting execution.

Can a laptop really change the future of a child in the developing world? IT professor Nicholas Negroponte, believes so, and it was his vision 5 years ago, which has now begun production. One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), has it’s first order to fill, thanks to Uruguay, who ordered 100,000. Some are surprised that production has begun, as OLCP originally said they would not begin production until 3 million orders where received. Mongolia may follow in Uruguay’s footsteps with the purchase of 20,000 of the laptops ‘$100 laptop’ begins production -BBC( ‘$100 laptop’ begins production -BBC).

The XO laptop, which is nicknamed the $100 laptop, is actually $188, however OLPC eventually plans to sell them for $100. Nonetheless the XO is not just a laptop which could change a child’s life, but its a green machine, as it only uses 1 watt of power, while Energy Star-compliant laptops use no more up to14 watts idling.

The project has stirred up both excitement and a great deal of controversy. While no one disputes the value of education to any child, and there is no doubt that in an ever shrinking world, technology is a vital key to the future. However is a computer a pressing need for a child who can scarcely rely on adequate nutrition and healthcare?

“Children will suffer if governments divert scarce resources away from essential services. To avoid that outcome, professor Negroponte should channel his ingenuity into a product compatible with existing markets. Success will be achieved not by forcing technology on children, but by bringing children to technology” (Let Them Eat Laptops).

You can see Nicholas Negroponte in a 60 Minute interview taped earlier this year. In the interview he is asked about such ‘hurdles’ as lack of electricity, when providing children with a laptop. It is Negroponte’s view that we need to then go into that remote village and bring them power, to drop in satellite.  He claims the expense in the long run is cheap and worth it, but is it? Who is going to pay for the initial installation, and then who pays for the monthly expenses? According to Negropnte, say 300 children share the power, it could only run $0.30 per child, yet in some communities mere pennies is far from mere, and could be used for much needed food and water.

Other arguments against the OLPC project, have included a lack of training for teachers on how to implement laptops into their curriculum and use them as an educational tool. What do you think, are inexpensive laptops a good idea for children in the developing world, or should we be putting our money into other sustainable development avenues? Share your views with all of the FPA readers, and post a comment today!