Children

The poor southern African country of Malawi, is finally working to take a deeper look into the scale of child trafficking within its borders. Earlier this fall many, including over 200 school children, took to the streets to demand better protection for the countries children, and demand an end to child abuse.

“How is Malawi going to have educated future leaders if we don’t stop abusing children? How are we, children of Malawi, expected to thrive and excel in school when we continue to experience violence and abuse in the hands of the very same people who should be protecting us?” asked 16-year-old child parliamentarian Charles Kabera (Stop Child Abuse campaign asks for change at a policy level).

The country which according to a 2006 UNICEF report, has an estimated 30%, some one million, of its children between 5-14 years old in child labor practices. The high instances of child labor gives way to other indicators of children’s rights violations, such as having one of the regions highest school drop out rates. The countries high level of AIDS orphans, also gives substantial opportunity for exploitation and abuse, and thus the magnitude of child trafficking must not be over looked. Children are most often forced into labor, or trafficked to work in agriculture, with live stock, as domestic servants, and in the commercial sex industry. Last month a UNICEF launched a large scale investigative study in Malawi to determine the enormity of child trafficking in the country.

“We don’t have any data on child trafficking in Malawi and so we want to carry out a research to provide an indication on the magnitude of the problem,” Linda Kabwila-Kalenga, UNICEF’s Child Protection Officer in Malawi. (Child trafficking study in Malawi)

The Malawian government has made plans to increase child protection officers, by more than twice as much, however many argue this is not near enough to end the problem of child labor or child trafficking. The main reason for argument fails to the root of the problem, poverty and corruption, and its inability to be reached or effectivly monitored. Human rights groups also argue that there is not enough anti-trafficking legislation, and thus little prosecution ensues. Regardless the government is adamant about increasing the number officers assigned to monitor trafficking and child labor from 400 to 1,000.

“Their contribution towards combating child labour and human trafficking has been overwhelming. They work as frontline officers and report any suspicious cases of human trafficking to labour officers and social welfare officers in their respective districts throughout Malawi. The officers are deployed in all 193 constituencies represented in the national assembly, and are trained to recognise child labour and trafficking activities. “Each constituency has four child protection officers, but they are hardly enough. With funding from the National Aids Commission (NAC), we will be training additional officers,” Penson Kilembe, director of child development affairs in the Ministry of Women and Child Development said.(Government intensifies campaign against child labour)

The Malawian government has established control measures, such as requiring parents to apply for children’s passports in person and present proof of identity as well as proof of parental status, in order to detect and prevent the trafficking of children. The recently approved by the Cabinet the Child Care, Protection and Justice Bill, places a life sentence on those convicted of child trafficking, it is also anticipated to be tabled in parliament very shortly.

While the efforts of UNICEF and the government of Malawi are admirable, the harsh reality is that the solution is a long way off, and more efforts will have to be made in the areas of poverty reduction, education, and awareness if true and lasting solution is to ever be met.  Malawi is only starting to dig into this problem, and while we must uncover the true scale of the problem, more must be done to establish sustainable solutions at the village level.

In a press release issued on December 7, 2006 UNICEF, One Laptop per Child (OLPC) and Google announced the launch of “Our Stories”, a joint initiative to preserve and share the histories and identities of cultures around the world. Children are asked to record stories, of family, friends, or tell their own story. By sharing personal stories across the globe, the Our Stories project is looking to increase awareness of our global community, including creating a better understanding of cultures and key issues effecting ones daily lives, such as health, war, poverty, education and gender.

“Information technologies can help young people around the world learn more about each other,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “Our Stories will promote dialogue across borders and cultures and give young people a voice on a wide range of issues.”

The Our Stories website currently includes stories collected by Brazil’s Museum of the Person and stories recorded for UNICEF by young people in Ghana, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda. You can find stories like Edith’s, who spoke about the limited child participation in Ghana.
The project hopes to grow and collect stories from every country and every town, so encourage the children in your lives to share their story, or share your own.

Today is the 60th birthday of the International Declaration of Human Rights, which was ratified by the United Nations in 1948.  The International Declaration of Human Rights was established by the General Assembly with the view that human rights that should be guaranteed to all people.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is also the most translated document in the world.

“Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace”
(Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26.2)

The date of the 10th of December was chosen to honor the UN General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on the 10th of December 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  On 10 December 2004, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing), to advance the implementation of human rights education programmes in all sectors. You can see the full plan of Action for the first phase (2005-2009) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education for further details.

Today the UN launches it’s year long campaign in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The website of the campaign, Know Your Rights 2008, hosts a full virtual marketplace of information and ideas on how to protect and safeguard human rights.  Take a moment to learn more about your rights and the rights of children around the world, and what you can do to protect them.

According to the United Nations, Africa is the worst place to live, when looking at their table ranking of countries on human development, publish on 27 November. While Sierra Leone was last on the list, it was not the lone African representative at the bottom of the table, as all the bottom 22 countries on th list are in sub-Saharan Africa.

1. Senegal
2. Eritrea
3. Nigeria
4. Tanzania (U. Rep. of)
5. Guinea
6. Rwanda
7. Angola
8. Benin
9. Malawi
10. Zambia
11. Côte d’Ivoire
12. Burundi
13. Congo (Dem. Rep. of the)
14. Ethiopia
15. Chad
16. Central African Republic
17. Mozambique
18. Mali
19. Niger
20. Guinea-Bissau
21. Burkina Faso
22. Sierra Leone

“In 10 of these countries, two children in five will not reach the age of 40, said the compilers at the U.N. Development Program. Last year’s report said HIV/AIDS had had a “catastrophic effect” on life expectancy in the region (Reuters).

These countries, all of which fall into the “low human development” category, where gaged on 2005 figures for life expectancy, educational levels and real per capita income. The Human Development Report has published the human development index (HDI) since 1990, the report looks beyond GDP to form a broader definition of what is classified as well-being. “The HDI provides a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and enrollment at the primary, secondary and tertiary level) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income).” While the report is not to be seen as a fully comprehensive measure of human development, it does not look at specific key indicators such as; gender, income inequality, human rights or political freedoms.

I am often asked, “Where do you get you passion?” or “Why do you have so much passion…?”.  So I though I would take a brief moment to answer the question they best I can, but I must admit it’s not something I haven’t thought about too much, for me this is just the way I live. I think what comes off to most people as passion, for me is often nothing more than outrage, and at times I just wonder why more people are not as outraged as I am, and therefore I go one about it even more to make up for everyone else who remains silent.

The issues of human trafficking and slavery, are just inconceivable injustices inflicted upon countless innocent people, driven by greed and ignorance. And, yes it amazes me everyday how little the average person knows about the issues, or that slavery is far from dead and it is from this and what I have witnessed in my own travels that I know I can never look away. The use of rape as a weapon is increasing and as I woman I know the detriment it causes, leaving women as empty shells of themselves and murdering the innocence of children. I have been given a voice and I will use it in the best way I can to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

When it comes to genocide, “Never Again”, are meaningless failed words to me…words which continually fall on deaf ears. Maybe I am passionate about these issues just because I am a living being with a soul, or maybe it is in part because part of my own family has faced persecution in the past (no I’m not Jewish, but part Russian-German and Irish). In reality I think the reason is simply because I am a genuinely hopeful, honest and caring person, who cannot bare to see to continually watch needless suffering, continue decade after decade. A woman who can no longer stand the silence…no longer bare witness with the minority, no longer watch the fires of hate burn and burn without witness! Therefore if that is passion, then yes I am passionate. However I still look at the world and think I am never doing enough, and I know even on my worst days that there is someone who is suffering in a way that I could never imagine.

I only hope my so-called passion is an infectious energy that will carry over to you, and that you will pass along your own passions to others. If it takes passion to change the world, then we must share it!

Dream big sweet child,

Reach for the stars and beyond.

Nothing is out of your reach!

Children must be given room to dream, and freedom to express their dreams. Teach your children that no dream is ever too big or too small, that they can achieve anything if they truly put their minds too it. Dreams are the blueprints for the future, without dreams the world would be without leaders, inventions, artists, musicians, parents, humanitarians… Without dreams the world would be without hope!

As you Celebrate the Festival of Lights remember to give thanks for the children in your life, and prayer for those who are alone this holiday season.

Nes Gadol Haya Sham

(”A great miracle happened there”)

“Where there is no hope, one must invent hope.” - Albert Camus

Recently I have written a few posts on the situation in Sudan, and I was fortunate enough to attend the prescreening last night of Sand and Sorrow, which premiers on HBO on December 6th at 8pn ET. The event was held Monday, December 3, at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association Theater, in Washington, DC. HBO, in conjunction with Enough and Campus Progress, which is the student arm of the Center for American Progress.

Bodies scattered across the barren land, their outline remains long after they are gone. Blood red sand stained from the bodies who spilled their blood fighting for their land, homes, and futures. Scorched bodies lie like an invisible mass of death, a plague haunting only those who have been forced to bare witness. A plague with no cure in sight!

Images seared on your brain, in your mind, in your heart…They cannot escape your soul, forever etched in your memory, and this is exactly what the films producers want you to walk away with. The film does not gloss over the horrors that plague Sudan, but shows graphic images of the bodies of those who have been burned alive, the faces of those who still cling to life, and burned out villages among the arid land. The film tells the real stories of tragedy from those who have lived to bare witness to the acts of genocide and systematic rapes. For too long the cries of Sudan have fallen on deaf ears, and thus “Sand and Sorrow” “examines the international community’s ‘legacy of failure’ to respond to such profound crimes against humanity in the past.” “Never Again!”, are the words we have failed to live by time and time again. The films Director, Paul Freedman, said in response to our failures to act, even as the ten year anniversary of Rwanda unfolded, and our continuous failure to end the genocide in Sudan;

“We will do it slowly and we will call it Darfur.
Everybody knows, yet we don’t do anything….
we stand idly by and do nothing!”

Narrated by George Clooney, the film relies heavily on the powerful interviews of Samantha Power, John Pendergast and Nick Kristof. However in its brief 93 minutes the producers take you into an American High School, and Capital Hill, to give you some incite into the concern and frustration back home. In the film also follows a contingent of African Union peacekeeping forces in Darfur, which included Sabina Blay, an police woman from Ghana. Blay, organized a forum for rape victims at an IDP camp in Chad, seeing that many sought treatment for the sexual assaults that had been inflicted upon them. “What those children saw is something that human beings should never see”, Blay said with sadness in her eyes.

Burned bodies, utter carnage, terror and despair…that is the description of Darfur…the lives of millions of displaced children, many now without fathers, others the reminders of their mother violent attackers. But their suffering is far from over as those called to protect them are rendered helpless, only able to watch, video and document the horrors that continue to unfold before their very eyes. The innocent civilians of Darfur are far from safe, as under their watchful eyes the camps burn, and innocence continues to die.

Who will end the terror and sorrow in the sand? The US has condemned the acts in Sudan as genocide, yet still we sit sill, and no policies have yet been made. As South African President Mbeki said, “The solution doesn’t lie in making radical statements.” We can not condemn the crisis and then sit back and hope it will fix itself, for five years later we are only facing a new enemy of disease and hunger. Death and violence is common in every day life in Sudan, as IDP’s spend endless days in unknowing anguish, in fear and in hope, and day after day they wait alone and in silence.

“Human lives are heavy or light depending on where they are!” -John Pendergast

Following the film there was a Q&A discussion featuring John Prendergast, co-chair of the ENOUGH Project, and Director Paul Freedman, who also produced and directed “Rwanda—Do Scars Ever Fade?”. The discussion was moderated by Erica Williams the Issue Campaigns Manager at Campus Progress.

What do we do, well John Pendergast made a great statement which says it simply;

“There has to be a cost for committing Genocide…they want to be accepted internationaly . These guys change their behavior if pressured hard enough, lets pressure them!”

Campus Progress and Enough are encouraging people to have a Party with a Purpose . Gather your friends, family, students and classmates, then register your party and get discussion materials. Following the film you will have the opportunity to participate in ‘Join a Call’ with John Prendergast, Samantha Power and Nick Kristof after the film.

Related Articles and Links:
HBO buys Darfur docu ‘Sand and Sorrow’
Save Darfur
Smallest Witnesses

Have you been bitten by the gift giving bug this season? Was my last post, Holiday Wish List, not enough to keep you busy, or satisfy your unquenchable need to help underprivileged children. Well then here are 20 more ways for you to help make a child’s life better this year. Why not pick a few off the list, or pick one that you can make a year long project!

1. Donate new blankets to kids in homeless shelters at projectnightnight.org.
2. Shop or donate to thrift stores such as, Out of the Closet, which helps support the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
3. Before you shop online, go to goodshop.com. Then buy from participating retailers and the site donates a portion of your purchase to the charity of your choice.
4. Spend an hour or two a week helping an immigrant learn English (check out literacyvolunteers.org).
5. Donate old cell phones to victims of domestic violence for emergencies (go to ncadv.org and click “donate”).
6. Vaccinate 50 children around the world against deadly diseases such as meningitis, measles or polio with a $50 donation at doctorswithoutborders.org.
7. Provide a month of care for a child rescued from sexual slavery for just $30 at sharedhope.org.
8. Find projects that help children in your neighborhood at dosomething.org.
9. Make a $10 donation to freethechildren.org and a special matching-funds program will turn it into $100 worth of medical supplies for kids around the world.
10. Mentor an at-risk teen online at icouldbe.org.
11. Help an aspiring student pay for college at scholarshipamerica.org.
12. Send a DVD or video game to hospital-bound kids via childsplaycharity.org.
13. Helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing at 826national.org.
14. Look at your medical history, then donate to a cause that could help your loved ones, be it the American Heart Association (americanheart.org), Susan G. Komen for the Cure (komen.org) or another charity.
15. Train your dog to be a therapy dog for children in hospitals at tdi-dog.org.
16. Sell gifts you don’t need through eBay’s Giving Works program (givingworks.ebay.com), which earmarks a percentage of sales for the charities of your choice.
17. Give to donorschoose.org; a small donation can help create cozy reading nooks for underfunded classrooms.
18. Upgrade your laptop; worldcomputerexchange.org will send your old one to a child in one of 61 countries.
19. Give blood and save a child’s life at givelife.org.
20. Become a bone marrow donor at www.marrow.org, it could be a child’s life you save.