Children

News of the global food crisis is increasingly inescapable and as the price of food continues to skyrocket around the world, those most effected are women and children. Those children who are already most vulnerable are now placed in even more danger as the food crisis continues without any visible signs of curtailing.

What is the food crisis? Are the figures really so detrimental? Globally, rice prices have more than doubled over the last year and wheat prices have risen more than 130%. Therefore at each food staple percentage point of increase, the number of persons affected by will increase by 16 million, thus leaving some 1.2 billion people chronically hungry by 2025, according to UNICEF.

Malnutrition itself is dangerous as it increases the risk of disease and early death, for example protein-energy malnutrition, is a leading cause in half of all under-five deaths in developing countries according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Severe forms of malnutrition include marasmus (chronic wasting of fat, muscle and other tissues); cretinism and irreversible brain damage due to iodine deficiency; and blindness and increased risk of infection and death from vitamin A deficiency. Malnutrition also increases the likelihood of one acquiring various infectious diseases and result in the inability to recover from such infectious diseases.

Even mild malnutrition, when combined with other diseases, can lead to death. Malnutrition is implicated in more than half of all child deaths worldwide, and thus the pending malnutrition of millions more children must be deemed as a large scale international humanitarian crisis, as the stability of many countries teeters in the balance. While many countries are scampering for new food sources amid the rising prices of rice, it is the children who are suffering most. Children are not just suffering from malnutrition, but also a lack of education, as many families are pulling children from schools, due to the inability to pay for school fees. Other families are keeping children out of school and placing them into the labor market to supplement the families income.

While the food crisis may seem like a distant cry, it is truly an emergency of immense magnitude, so much so that the World Food Program (WFP) is calling it a “silent tsunami.”

Related news:

• U.S. food waste could feed millions - The U.S. throws out the equivalent of one pound of food per person a day even as millions of families around the world are unable to put any food on their tables. U.S. authorities believe recovering even just a small fraction of the waste could feed millions of people every day.

• Global food crisis hits Horn of Africa - Several nations in the Horn of Africa are teetering on the brink of famine, according to a UN adviser. Drought, poor harvests and soaring commodity prices have created chaos in Somalia, Ethiopia and the Sudan. Aid efforts have been compromised by conflict with aid workers, banditry and overall regional instability.
  

• Research funding cuts exacerbate food insecurity for poor - Years of budget cuts to food and crop research institutions in Asia, Africa and Latin America have left scientists with the knowledge of how to protect the integrity of crops, but without the means to achieve it. Despite the growing need, The New York Times reports, budgets continue to be cut.

• UNFAO: Food inflation may be peaking

U.S. holding 2,500 juveniles among detainees, according to a report filed with United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. The report indicates that some 2,500 detainees are under 18 years of age are among the many detainees being held as “enemy combatants” in facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The report was made public by the American Civil Liberties Union, a U.S.-based group.

An Indian village proud after double “honor killing”, after five armed men burst into the small room and courtyard at dawn, just as 21-year-old, 22-week pregnant, Sunita was drying her face on a towel. They proceeded to beat Sunita and her unborn child, then as her boyfriend raced to help they too killed him, leaving the honor killing with three victims in total. In the village of Balla Sunita’s own father has confessed to the killing, however the town remains behind him and boasts the murders as a “good thing”.

Angry and split, Palestinians mark Israel’s 60th, as some Palestinians mourned Israel’s 60th birthday with protests, sirens and black balloons on Thursday, May 15th.

China says quake toll could rise above 50,000, from the massive earthquake according to state media reports on Thursday, May 15th. Rescuers continue to struggle to help survivors and hope has begun to fade for the thousands who remain buried under rubble.

Rain lashes Myanmar cyclone survivors, as it continued to pelt down on the homeless cyclone survivors in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta on Tuesday, complicating already slow delivery of aid to more than 1.5 million people facing hunger and disease.

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.”
-Walt Streightiff

Children truly see the world through unclouded eyes, in everything they see beauty and hope. It never ceases to amaze me what the eyes of a child see that the eyes of adulthood cannot, as they have become so blinded by the tediousness of life. The world would be a better place if only we could all look upon it through the eyes of a child.

In childhood we forget not the simple things, one finds joy for hours in a simple box. Yet somehow with time we soon notice not the box an eagerly tear at it to see what is inside, never to be fully satisfied with what we find. Our lives spent searching for what does not exist, while in childhood we search to find everything that exists just so we may see it and learn from it.

Maybe if we say the world with pure wonderment one would find less poverty and suffering, and more simple joy.

The gang world has always been viewed through a predominately male lens, however the gang culture seems to be in the midst of a feminine revival. Many Central America countries have spent decades fighting gang wars on their streets, leaving most with the view that it is boys who make up this violent subculture and that girls are merely victims to the violence. However girls are not only the victims, but they are increasingly becoming the predators. Gangs today are ruling many of Central America’s streets, especially in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and increasingly the members are female.

In Guatemala’s gang girls give and take abuse, including those girls joining the Mara Salvatrucha or other criminalized gangs. Girls in the gangs are increasingly committing acts of violence, however girls continue to experience high levels of abuse, including sexual attacks from fellow gang members. Beatings are also not uncommon in the the gang underworld and those do not stay in line with the gang soon find themselves in a world of abuse.

Many girls join the gangs to fill the void of love and acceptance that they do not receive in their own families, looking to the gangs to essentially replace them. Sadly the gangs bring little love, and only inflict more abuse and brutality on already vulnerable girls;

“I thought it would be like my family,” Benky said of her reason for joining the gang, asking that her full name not be used. “I thought I’d get the love I was missing. But they’d hit me. They ordered me around. They told me I had to rob someone or kill someone, and I did it.” (Abuse Trails Central American Girls Into Gangs)

For now it looks like Central America’s girl gang culture will continue to rise, as girls search for acceptance from abusive homes and lives. The girls of the street need acceptance, but the gangs look to only bring more heartache and abuse, thus much needs to be done to increase gender focused youth outreach on the streets to see that girls issues are addressed. Prevention and support programs for domestic abuse may look to help limit the numbers of girls joining gangs, however it is not enough as the gang culture is deeply rooted in many communities, leaving many young people to see it as their only option and way out.

India’s child malnutrition and stunted growth problems are on the rise, and as food prices across the globe continue to rise there appears to be no sign of a slow down. India continues to come to grips with one of the world’s highest child malnutrition rates, with one third of the worlds malnourished children. The current rate only looks to increase as over 1.5 million more children are now at risk due to rising food prices according to UNICEF. The high malnutrition rate has resulted in stunted growth in about half of all Indian children under the age of five, the UN children’s agency said.

Stunted growth is not only brought on by malnutrition in early childhood, but also in the fetal development stage when the mother is malnourished. The effects of stunting are most always permanent, and stunted children may never regain the height lost as a result. In addition most children will never gain the corresponding body weight, and stunting can also lead to premature death, as vital organs are never fully developed during childhood.

News of India’s large scale child malnutrition problem is not new, as was reported in the the 2005 UNICEF report, “Childhood Under Threat”, which not only reported that; 53% of Indian children are chronically malnourished, but that 63% go to bed hungry. The report also showed that some 77 million children do not use drinking water from a tap, 85 million are not immunized, 27 million where severely underweight and another 33 million have never been to school. In 2007 the National Family Health Survey reported, the survey when compared to the same survey in 2000 only saw a marginal drop in child malnutrition rates, leaving India behind Sub-Saharan Africa.

It is all to clear that India, the worlds largest democracy, is not doing enough to save its children and safeguard their future as they continue to remain worse than that of it’s African counterparts. And with rising rice prices heavily effecting the country the severity of malnutrition across the country is only becoming more grave and harder to ignore. Many fear that school feedings, which are often the only viable source of proper nutrition for many children, will not increase as needed.

In a climate of increasing insatiability the threat of increased child labor follows closely behind malnutrition fears, and India is no stranger to child labor. Therefore it is clear that the government and aid agencies must make maternal and child malnutrition a top priority as food prices continue to rise and following food shortages ensure that malnutrition rates remain high. Thus feeding programs alone are not enough, agricultural investments and training programs must follow, especially in regards to small scale farming programs, if we are to see a significant drop in malnutrition across the state of India.

Related News:
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Reuters
BBC

Happiness is…

Being able to share your love with a child you created out of love.

To hold a life in your hands, and know it needs you and loves you unconditionally.

Nothing more could you ask for than to see eyes shine and smiles brighten as you enter the room.

Happiness truly is to love a child…

Happiness is to be a Mother!

This year Saturday, May 10th marks World Fair Trade day, the theme of the year is “Fair Trade for the Planet, for the People”, which follows last years theme of “Kids Need Fair Trade”. For more information see the World Fair Trade Day 2008 Official Website.

Fair Trade is everyones issue, it is more than looking at the world through a lens of more organic and healthy food, it is more than a fair wage for farmers…Fair Trade is the way to a sustainable future for all of the worlds children.

This year in the United States the World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break will take place at noon Pacific time and 3:00 Eastern time, with events across the countries coasts. Join the fight for all the worlds people and our planet, and join your global citizens for coffee with a cause! The events are set to establish solidarity for the movement and where incited by the Fair Trade Resource Network.

Take the opportunity to learn about Fair Trade with your children and go on a few of the great sites out there that have games and resources for kids, such as Oxfam’s Cool Planet and Kidz @ Work . Please see my Fair Trade and Slave Free Links for more information.

Save the Children has released it’s 9th Mother’s Day Report Card: The Best and Worst Countries to Be a Mother, this year’s list leaves Sweden as the best place for motherhood and Niger as the worst. The United States Ranked 27th out of 146 countries.

“A mother’s well-being is connected to her children’s well-being,” said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children. “It is not surprising, then, that in the worst places to be a mom, both women and children die young. There is a great divide between the status of mothers’ health and well-being in rich and poor countries. In rich nations, where women have access to basic health care, giving birth is usually a time of joy. But in poor countries, where there is little or no access to skilled health workers, it is typically tragic. Every woman in the 10 worst countries is likely to suffer the unbearable loss of a child in her lifetime,” added MacCormack

The Report Card is based off of findings in the 2008 State of the World’s Mothers Report, which highlights that some 200 million children under 5 years old around the world do not receive basic healthcare. These neglected children are in the world poorest countries, and the international aid that is directed at the problem is severely lacking in comparison with the need. Save the Children estimates that closing this gap in healthcare need would save some 6 million children each year.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Children are the light of the future, let us care for them today, so that we may see clearer in the future.

Afghanistan has yet to find a strategy to cope with the growing practice of “loan brides,” young girls traded into marriage as a result of the opium trade. While traffickers get rich by loaning money to impoverished poppy farmers, the families are often are unable to pay the debt. Families are thus forced to give their daughters over as a form of repayment for the debt they have incurred. The instability of poppy farmers is ever growing as efforts to eradicate Afghanistan of the opium trade push on, however one battle over good has now only lead to another battle for the countries mainly poor and illiterate rural poor. It is estimated that some half a million families in the country survive off of poppy farming, and as efforts to introduce other crops continue to fail.

The opium brides of Afghanistan not only leave families shammed and torn apart, but blight the nation with the lasting scars of a generation of lost girls. Girls as young as infants have been know to be promised in marriage over debts, others are teenagers who where looking hopefully towards the future until they where ripped away by the drug trades increasing hold on the countries struggling families. Families such as Shah who has now given his 9 year old daughter Khalida in exchange for a debt off some $2,000 which he was unable to repay after a government crop-eradication team destroyed the families two and a half acre poppy field. ” Now the family can only wait for the 45-year-old drug runner to come back for his prize. Khalida wanted to be a teacher someday, but that has become impossible. “It’s my fate,” the child says.”

In Afghanistan reports from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and UNICEF, claim as many as 60-80% of marriges in the country are forced and 57% of marriages involve girls under the age of 16, which is the legal age for marriage in the country. The Afghan government put a new 15-page formal marriage contract, the ‘Nikah Nama’, in to place this past March. “The new marriage contract is a strong legal instrument that will end child marriages and will empower women’s legal status after marriage,” said Nibila Wafiq, a women’s rights programme officer for German NGO Medica Mondiale (IRIN).

Child marriages are not just a social and gender problem, but also a health problem as they lead to higher instances of domestic violence and early pregnancies, which leave girls at high risk for death in childbirth, complications, and low birth weights. Please see my other posts on Child Marriage