Children

“Street children…are prey to anything and they know things children should not.” - Nevine is 18, has lived on Cairo’s streets for 4 years (Still dreaming of a better future : a Cairo street girl recounts her traumatic experiences).

The issue of street children is nothing new on the international children’s right radar, however in Egypt the issue has only become more substantial in recent years. There is estimated to be some one million street children in Egypt, many of whom have left rural areas to look for work in the city, or who are looking to escape abusive homes. Once on the street, children find themselves working shining shoes, collecting rubbish, begging, cleaning and directing cars into parking spaces, and selling food and trinkets, in order to survive. Children living on the streets are more pron to violence, more susceptible to disease and malnutrition, and are prime victims for traffickers and pedophiles.

According to UNICEF, the results of a study in 2000, showed 86% of street children stated violence was a regular issue, while another survey showed 50% had been exposed in some manner to rape (Egyptian Street children: issues and impact -UNICEF).

I have come across a few videos this past week, which I think you will find both very interesting and heartbreaking.

Living in a cemetery (IRIN video) - Near one million poor people live in ‘the City of the Dead’, one of Egypt’s largest cemeteries, located on the outskirts of the capital, Cairo. Many of the residents are families with children.

Girls forced to sleep rough in Cairo (IRIN video) - 10-year-old Sayyida, has been living on the streets of Cairo for at least two years, this video shows many of the battles she faces nightly on the dangerous city streets.

Links and Articles:
Egypt: Street children and substance abuse
Human Rights Watch - Egypt
Hope for Street Children

The unwitting victims of war are the children, often caught in the crossfire and used a pawns, however the risks effects of war linger on for children. The war never ends the day the news cameras quit rolling and the troops pull out. The images of war remain forever etched in a child’s mind, shaping their future and molding the roles they will take to lead the next generation. However it is not just the mental scares that linger and haunt children, it is the continued threat of looming violence and fear of the unseen killers that line the streets and cover the field…the mines.

ISRAEL-LEBANON: Israel must reexamine use of cluster bombs, committee says - Israel’s use of cluster bombs during the July 2006 war in Lebanon violated international law with regards to protecting civilians, an Israeli committee of inquiry said a year and a half after the end of the conflict between Israel and the armed wing of the Lebanese political party Hezbollah. Since the formal end of the war on 8 September 2006 at least 30 people have been killed and 200 injured by unexploded bombs. “It’s disrespect for human life - it cannot be justified by military means,” said Amnon Vidan, from Amnesty International in Israel.

IRAQ: Government plans massive mine clearance operation - Iraq is planning a huge mine clearance operation in a bid to rid itself of some 25 million unexploded mines in some 4,000 minefields, Environment Minister Narmin Othman said on 3 February. “According to global statistics, Iraq has about 25 percent of the world’s unexploded landmines due to the wars it was involved in”.

SRI LANKA: Claymore mines used to lethal effect, claymore mines are an explosive device that uses a heavy metal sheet backing to project the blast in a certain direction. The presence of Claymores and IEDs is so widespread that troops with fork-like iron prongs now regularly comb Sri Lankan roads, looking for the tell-tale wires that are sometimes used to trigger the devices. On 29 January, 20 civilians, including 11 children, were killed when the bus they were traveling in was hit by a mine explosion near the sacred Madhu Shrine inside Tiger-held areas in the northwestern Mannar District, 240km from Colombo.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE: Relentless rocket attacks take psychological toll on children in Sderot , As it is estimated that some 75% of children between the ages of 4 and 18 years old in the southern Israeli town of Sderot suffer from post-traumatic stress, including sleeping disorders and severe anxiety, new findings published in January say.

SYRIA: UN research indicates high levels of trauma among Iraqi refugees in Syria are suffering from extreme levels of trauma, far higher than among refugees elsewhere from other recent conflicts, according to new figures released on 22 January by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). “It explains why we’re seeing so many children not attending school, why we’re seeing so many families that are going through problems, marriages that are not working out, increased domestic violence - all the worst consequences of trauma,” said Wilkes.

Please stay tuned for in depth postings on the growing situations in Kenya and Chad.

Let us then forget not to seek and search for truth and see the beauty in all that surrounds us. The truth is the key to the future, beauty is the knowing and seeing a peaceful future for all the worlds children.

No one needs to tell us that children who have proper diets of nutritious food from an early age will have opportunities at a more prosperous life than their malnourished counter parts. Nutrition directly relates to a child’s health, but what about a child’s future wealth?

According to a recent study in The Lancet, a leading British medical journal, economic growth is directly related to a child’s access to nutrition from an early age. A study of boys in four villages in Guatemala, showed that those receiving atole (a cereal made of skimmed milk powder, sugar and vegetable protein), up to the age of two had 46% higher earnings than those who received atole in their first three years earned 37% higher wages on average, while those who’s diet did not contain atole until after the age of three had no economic benefits as adults.

According John Hoddinott, lead author of The Lancet’s article and a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the research is the first to show direct evidence of the effects of early childhood nutrition programmes on adult economic productivity and incomes…Until the Guatemala study, “substantial, but indirect, evidence from previous research suggested that providing infants and very young children with healthy, nutritious food is a long-term economic investment for developing countries” (Good early nutrition can make you richer).

“The findings provide a strong argument for countries in Africa and Asia to increase investment in child nutrition programmes ‘as they drive long-term economic growth by leading to healthier and more productive adults.’”

Poor nutrition is directly related to a child’s development and other related diseases.  For example iron deficiency in infancy can lead to permanent loss of IQ.  Both iron deficiency and anemia can cause shortened attention span, irritability, fatigue, and difficulty with concentration.  Therefore the corelation between nutrition and a child’s ability to learn is well established, and it must be seen as a key factor in a countries long term development strategy.

Regardless of the studies results it appears an obvious that adequate nutrition should be a number one priority for both the international communities at all levels, as not only the building blocs of a child’s future, but of a nations future. Healthy children equal a healthy global economy and future for all. Sadly while it appears obvious that the solution to sustainability and prosperity lie in the early stages of child development, conflict and instability, poor government and aid infrastructures, and political will continue to hinder the development of millions of children on a daily basis across the globe.

The issue of HIV/AIDS among children is not a new one, especially as the virus continues to blight the continent of Africa, and many other developing nations. Millions of children have been given a death sentence at birth, millions more are left to suffer their dark fate alone as orphans.

The number of mother to child transmissions has decreased significantly thanks to the use of antiretroviral drugs, which are given to the infected mother in labor and to her baby at birth. The use of antiretroviral drugs has saved countless lives, giving children a chance at hope. Sadly only an estimated 9% of pregnant women infected with the virus in low and middle income countries in 2005 received antiretroviral drugs, this is an increase from 3% in 2003. While progress is worthy of celebration, it is not the end for many, as despite progress many HIV/AIDS free infants only escape their fate for a short time. Many uninfected infants become infected through the breast feeding process, due to the contamination of the mother’s milk. While many campaigns have been been put into place to educate on the risks of infected mothers breast feeding, this issues continues to be of grave concern as almost half of infections among infants occur due to transmission during the breast feeding process. While the solution may seem simple, it is complex in areas where issues of poverty, lack of clean water and adequate nutrition over shadow the long term effects of the virus.

In a recent group of studies researchers have discovered a substantial reduction in the transmission of the virus to breast-fed infants who’s antiretroviral drug courses where extended for periods up to six months.

“Breast feeding has proved to be a major stumbling block in preventing further H.I.V. transmissions from mother to child…if independent analysis of the findings from the new studies hold up, as expected, they could serve as the basis of a new standard of care. The next series of studies will need to determine the optimal time for treating mothers and infants,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NY Times: Longer Drug Regimen Found to Help Babies Avoid H.I.V.).

While the years have lead the international community to continual progress both scientifically and socially, it is clear by the staggering numbers of new HIV/AIDS cases each year that much still needs to be done. Politics and funding play a substantial role in many not receiving antiretroviral drugs, and other need medications, while culture and lack of adequate education have also heavily contributed to the spread of the disease, especially in more rural populations. If the findings of this study prove to have significant effects, then much needs to be done to secure both funding and education, to ensure that the antiretrovials are properly and adequately administered to all those in need.
UNICEF issued a report earlier this month, “Children and AIDS: A Stocktaking”, in which is showed some 530,000 children under 15 infected, mostly through mother to child transmission, in 2006 alone, almost half would die before the age of two.

“There is an urgent need to help children impacted by HIV/AIDS… Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS is focused on ensuring treatment for HIV-positive children, prevention of mother-to-child transmission and assisting children who have been orphaned by AIDS. We must build momentum to achieve positive results for children.” UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said (UN reports progress in ending mother-infant HIV transmission but urges more action)

Please read my related articles on children and HIV/AIDS

Teen terror suspect argues that current international law regarding to the use of child soldiers, rules out over the the governments efforts to prosecute him as a war criminal. Omar Khadr, was only 15 years old when he was captured and detained by United States military forces in July 2002, for throwing a grenade which fatally wounded a U.S. army sergeant.

Khadr, who is a Canadian citizen, and who’s father was a financial supporter of Osama bin Laden, appeared in court today at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Khadr’s defense lawyers argue that their is not substantial legitimacy of the military commission, which was created by the U.S. Congress in 2006. The defense argues that the commission was never intended for the trial of child soldiers, as it has no provisions for their rehabilitation, despite popular standing for rehabilitation. Additionally the defense team argued that international law specifically prohibits the trial of children as war criminals.

The United States has ratified a U.N. protocol calling for the rehabilitation of child soldiers and has given education support to former child soldiers in Afghanistan. however the International Criminal Court (ICC) has a statute making the conscription, or enlistment, of children or using them to participate actively in hostilities a war crime, however the statute is specific to children under the age of 15.

Regardless of the outcome the case has drawn international attention, and will set precedent for future cases, both within domestic and international courts, as sadly the number of child soldiers, and, or terrorists continues to blight the future.

Please share your thoughts and comments on this story with all our readers!

Related News Articles:
PM pressured as U.S. blocks Khadr experts
Khadr team seeks dismissal of charges
Railroading a Canadian child-soldier
Secret document casts doubt on Khdar’s guilt
The Unending Torture of Omar Khadr
Trial Watch - Omar Khadr
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. OMAR AHMED KHADR
Amnesty USA: Who are the Guantánamo detainees? Case Sheet 14: Canadian National: Omar Khadr
Human Rights First - The Case of Omar Ahmed Khadr

In a release issued on January 29, 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged that he United Nations impose sanctions against those countries that partake in the use of child soldiers. Ban’s statement was largely related to the Children and armed conflict Report of the Secretary-General, which was issued on December 27, 2007. The report, which recommendations also included;

“…that the Security Council give equal weight to all categories of grave violations, including not only the recruitment and use of children, but also the killing and maiming of children, rape and other grave sexual violence, abductions, attacks against schools or hospitals and denial of humanitarian access to children.”

According to UNICEF estimates, last year alone some 250,000 children served as soldiers, however other NGO’s, such as HRW report figures as high as 300,000. Child soldiers continue to be used in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR), Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, the Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Uganda.

Ban also asked the Council to refer violations against children in armed conflict to the International Criminal Court (ICC). in order to set “precedent” in an effort to put and end to the impunity of such unspeakable crimes against children. The ICC currently has arrest warrants issued for five senior heads of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), including LRA leader, Joseph Kony.
In addition Ban has also urged the Security Council to tackle the issue of cluster bombs, air-dropped or ground-launched munitions which launch a number of smaller submunitions (”bomblets”), which can cover large areas of land. The use of cluster bombs have been used since Vietnam, and continue into the Iraq war, and continue to kill thousands of civilians, many of which are children.

“binding instrument that prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.”

“Norway has led an effort to craft a treaty banning the weapons. Campaigning groups say nearly 100 countries support a ban, but munitions-producing nations the United States, China and Russia — all with vetoes in the Security Council — are resisting” (Reuters).

There is no denying that the use of child soldiers, must be taken seriously and that a heavy hand must fall upon those who continue to steal hope and childhood from the innocent. For these children are stolen from their parents arms, then forced to kill them, and that is only the beginning of a long road of fear, violence, and unspeakable horrors. As an international community we must take a stand, and we must not back down, but sanctions alone will not end the torture of the millions of child soldiers around the world, we must initiate peace and reconciliation, education, awareness, and rehabilitation and support programs in place. We cannot work just to prevent, but we must heal the wounds of the past, and rebuild the lives of everyone effected by war in order to build a better future for tomorrow…a future without war and child soldiers.

An international study into the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) shows that each month 45,000 die from the consequences of war, disease and malnutrition. The fighting has cost the country 5.4 million lives in the last ten years, more than half of which where children, the largest death toll since World War II.

Makers of a nutritionally valuable snack Plumpy’nut are being encouraged to expand distribution to the consumer market in Niger, where half of the population is susceptible to malnutrition. Plumpy’ nut at current is only supplied to aid agencies for distribution, and many believe wide supply could help prevent malnutrition. The UN estimates that more than 50% childhood deaths of children under five in Niger are caused by malnutrition. MSF estimates only 3%, 600,000, of children with severe acute malnutrition have access to any kind of ready to use food (Reuters/IRIN).

In Afghanistan some 60,000 children are scrapping a measly living on the hard streets by begging, or selling cheap goods like gum (National Public Radio (text and audio)).

The issue of child labor in the diamond industry, has been of grave concern to many consumers, especially since the release of the movie “Blood Diamond” . Efforts to move the industry towards ‘conflict free’ or ‘fair trade’ diamonds has been growing since the establishment of the Kimberly Process in 2003. The newest to join the fight is Tiffany & Co, who has now provided Funding for TransFair USA to Explore Feasibility of Fair Trade Certified(TM) Diamonds.

Children look to us, the adults for guidance and inspiration, they look to us and they see their future. Therefore it us up to us to give them images of hope, leadership, strength and justice.

We give our children two options, violence and hate or peace and love. One only has to look at the images below to see the option we should be giving our children.

These are the results of our failings to our children not the images of children who have been lead by examples of peace and love, but the imitations of violence and hate. What future have we given these children, what misfortunes are their fate?

The face of peace and hope rings true in these children, in their eyes their is a future. Yet all of these children where born into the same world, with the same ability for peace, yet they where not all given the same chance, as their examples to follow where not the same. Let us learn from the error of our ways and give children only examples of peace, love, hope, leadership, strength and justice to imitate!