Children

A child in prison surely sounds like a superfluous statement, for unquestionably children do not belong in prison. The word prison is often synonymous with adult, yet sadly around the globe there are some 1 million children languishing in prisons, and most of these are not some special child prison or version of juvenile detention, but adult prisons.

According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child the imprisonment of a child to be used “only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time” and that the child “shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age”.

Poverty and war often lead children to the streets and they therefore often find themselves embattled in a life of petty crime, sex trafficking, begging, etc. Life on the streets for many children quickly leads them to be placed behind bars, such as in the Philippines.

In many countries, women who are placed in prisons who have children for which they cannot find relatives to care for, are often forced to take their children with them. Children are then imprisoned along with their mothers, where they often lack access to any form of education. The lack of education on a child can be devastating and in turn create a cycle of poverty. Such a case reached the media in May when in Zambia, Kabwe Social Workers Rescue Five Children From Prison. The five children, who’s ages ranged from 5 months to 4 years old, where placed in the care of local social services after they where discovered in the dire conditions of the maximum security prison. However the case in Zambia mirrors that of many other countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan and many other countries.

The issue of children in prison, or detention centers, does not even escape western nations such as the US. As discussed in the post Child Detainees, An International Crime?, children detained at the Hutto, Texas, center. Hutto was again brought to light again only today in The New Yorker article, The Lost Children: What do tougher detention policies mean for illegal immigrant families?,

Children who are either placed in prison for their own perceived crimes and those who are placed in prison along side their mothers, are not the only children affected by what many see as systems failing families, including in the US as was brought to light this month in the article, Women, children suffer from harsh prison policies, on women in detention. Many states in the US are now looking at alternative solutions including prison nurseries, halfway houses, and other programs which help mothers and children foster healthier and more substantial relationships, in order to brake the cycle of prison life in the family.

The issue of children in prisons and detention centers is complex and varied, but one thing is clear, all of these children are being denied a fundamental right to childhood! The denial of freedom has led these children to be denied the rights to education, the right to play and thus the right to a healthy and happy existence.
See former posts on children in prison and search for other countries and recent articles, including;

• Brazil’s Penal System Shows It’s Lawlessness as A Young Girl is Raped For Weeks
• Child Detainees, An International Crime?
• Haiti’s Children’s Prison - 2005
• INSIDE THE CHILDREN’S PRISON IN ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA - 2002
• SUDAN: Women and children in prison
• Children in Conflict With the Law: What is Done, But Rarely Told - 2006
• DRC: Children “languishing in Ituri prisons”
• CAMEROON: Two months after riots, children remain in prison
• IRAQ: Child prisoners abused and tortured, say activists

Anyone can look sympathetically upon a photo of someone crying inside their burnt out house, and feel the pain and grief that one would have, but imagine when it is compounded by a whole village. Now add death and rape into the mix, and the images are even more haunting, the images are the reality of Sudan’s genocide in Darfur, and of an international failure to end the continued suffering that has left millions dying in the wake of the conflict.

Tonight in DC a book signing and awareness event was held for, Darfur: Twenty Years of War and Genocide in Sudan, with editor Leora Kahn, who was joined by Scott Edwards Sudan Country Specialist for Amnesty International USA. The book features the work of eight prominent photographers covering three periods in the Sudan crisis, including images from:

• 1988: During this year, an estimated 250,000Sudanese died of starvation;

• 1992 and 1995: These photos capture the atrocities of a civil war, when hundreds of thousands fled their homes to other destinations in Sudan or left the country altogether

• 2005 to present: These images bring to light the severity of the humanitarian crisis underway, with the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias committing systematic violence on the people of Darfur.

The book leaves one haunted by the images of hate, violence, suffering and death; while also leaving one moved by images of courage and hope.

The book is more than a collection of shocking and amazing images, the pages of this work of activism is more than just imagery, as the photos are complemented by the work of leading writers and activists. Contributing writers include Jonathan Alter, Newsweek and NBC News journalist; Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA; Mia Farrow, an award-winning actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2001; and John Prendergast, writer and Senior Adviser at the International Crisis Group.

However while books and events like this clearly have an impact, they are sadly not striking deep enough, as the continuous suffering and killing in Darfur rages on. As one who attends many events on Darfur can see many of faces and core group of activists, and while they are making an impact and needed. Just as the people of Darfur can no longer carry the burden of genocide, the activist fighting tirelessly to end the suffering in Sudan can no longer carry this burden alone. As an international community we are failing the people of Darfur, and it appears that we have yet to learn how to deal with genocide, as Sudan mirrors many past failings.

How can you learn more and get involved? Learn more about the U.S.’s Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, and how at the Sudan Divestment Task Force. Join groups and campaigns such as; Save Darfur , Help Darfur Now, 24 Hours for Darfur, Darfur Peace and Development organization, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Amnesty International, Genocide Intervention Network, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and many others.

*All proceeds from the book will benefit the Genocide Intervention Network and Amnesty International USA.

Other eye opening images of the reality of Sudan can be found in The Devil Came on Horseback and Sand and Sorrow.
Please see previous posts such as; Sexual Assault and Rape Continue in Sudan, Despite Increased Aid Efforts We Are Still Failing the Children of Darfur, Attacks in Sudan Targeting Children, and The Children of Sudan.

Recent News on the Crisis in Darfur:

A report by the Darfur Consortium concludes that the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission is near to failing and has done no more since January to bring peace and stability to Darfur than its predecessor mission did (The Guardian (London)).

Sudanese diplomats have advanced on more than a dozen countries, both allies and enemies, in an aggressive charm offensive. Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir himself visited Darfur for the first time in a year, promising aid, commiserating over losses endured by the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission, and demonizing the International Criminal Court and prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. The public relations effort may be geared at convincing UN Security Council nations such as China and Russia, which have indicated they are sympathetic to the notion that an arrest would threaten the peacekeeping mission (Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, The New York Times).

Sudan’s leader indicted for war crimes, good or bad?

In the post Drug Trade Fuels Forced Marriages in Afghanistan, the looming drug culture was brought to attention, as the country drug market has only continued to fuel human rights violations and breed more suffering among the populous, especially children. A recent New York Times article written by Thomas Schweich, a former U.S. counternarcotics official, brought light to the issues as to why Afghanistan losing the battle against drugs. The main issue is that efforts to address Afghanistan’s massive poppy cultivation have been hampered by a seer lack of political will, as large scale corruption remains at every level of the Afghanistan’s political framework. Additionaly an absence of alternative solutions remain for local farmers, leaving them almost forced to continue poppy production. A multi-pronged strategy including pressure on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to cease protection of drug lords, more drug treatment centers and developmental rewards to provinces that become poppy free is needed.

Please also see the post The State of Afghanistan’s Children Almost Seven Years After the Invasion and The Struggle Continues for Afghanistan’s Children

In other news warnings that Afghan insecurity may result in humanitarian catastrophe
are being heard, as millions of Afghans are becoming increasingly insecure and slipping more and more into a state of imminent need. The increase of needy Afghans has increased with the rising attacks on aid workers, which is preventing aid deliveries and could lead to the possibility of a massive humanitarian crisis in the country, according to aid groups. So far this year alone 11 NGO employees have died in over 68 violent incidents involving aid agencies.

Burma (Myanmar) ratified a proposed international charter that includes controversial human rights provisions, a day after regional powers slammed the nation’s ruling junta for extending opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention. But question marks remain about whether Myanmar’s junta is willing to adhere to the principles of human rights and respect for rule of law enshrined in the charter. It was also unclear whether the proposed ASEAN human rights body, the details of which have yet to be hammered out, will have any substantive enforcement or monitoring power. (AP)

Sexual harassment of women in Egypt is on the increase and observing Islamic dress code is no deterrent, according to a survey published this week. The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) describes the problem as a social cancer and calls on the government to introduce legislation to curb it. The findings contradict the widely held belief in Egypt that unveiled women are more likely to suffer harassment than veiled ones. (BBC)

Some 150,000 children in Niger are set to benefit from a USD 1.2 million donation to the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) for school equipment from the charity Dubai Cares. Basic school kits will be supplied to children as part of the initiative, which will help increase the number of children enrolled in 600 schools around the country. In addition, the program will provide classroom furniture for 200 schools and building materials to construct 50 emergency learning centers. (UN News Service)

In Haiti children remain the target of kidnappings, killings, sexual violence and child trafficking, and they have also been active participants in recent public protests, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the impoverished Caribbean country reports. The latest report from MINUSTAH, covering the period from January to July this year and released this week, found that children continue to be affected by armed violence, despite the general improvement in the security situation in Haiti. (UN News Service)

Anti-malaria medication will be available free to children and pregnant women in the Republic of Congo. Malaria kills some 21,000 children under five each year, the UN says. But Health Minister Emilienne Raoul warned that the medicines were for the sick, and must not end up for re-sale on the streets or in other countries. Correspondents say theft and re-sale of medicines is a major problem in Congo. Treatment for tuberculosis, one of the infections linked to HIV, is already free of charge in the country. TB, malaria and HIV/Aids are the three top killers in Congo. (BBC)

In Brazil police arrested a 14-year- old boy who allegedly confessed to killing 11 people while working for a gang of drug traffickers in southeastern Brazil, A Gazeta newspaper reported, citing police officials. Two other teenagers, both 17, were also arrested for belonging to the criminal gang, Danilo Bahiense, the police chief in Vitoria overseeing the investigation, told the city’s newspaper. An adult with a long criminal record and wanted for escaping from jail was also arrested, Gazeta reported. Bahiense told Gazeta that the teenagers were part of a drug gang that carried out homicides, kidnappings and robbery in the metropolitan area of Vitoria. (Bloomberg)

A trio of independent UN human rights experts have voiced concern about recent actions and proposed measures targeting the Roma community and migrants in Italy which they deem as discriminatory. The Special Rapporteur on racism, Doudou Diene, the Independent Expert on minority issues, Gay J. McDougall, and the Special Rapporteur on the Human rights of Migrants, Jorge Bustamante, said they were extremely concerned about the proposal made by the Ministry of Interior to fingerprint all Roma individuals, including children, in order to identify those undocumented persons living in Italy. (UN News Service)

The Jonas Brothers’ Change For The Children Foundation Chooses Nothing But Nets as a Partner in “YOU DECIDE — YOU DONATE” The United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, a grassroots initiative to prevent malaria in Africa, announced today it is teaming up with the Jonas Brothers’ Change for the Children Foundation to engage young Americans in the fight against malaria, a leading killer in Africa. Nothing But Nets was chosen as one of five charities participating in “You Decide-You Donate,” an initiative of the Change for the Children Foundation. The Jonas Brothers, through their Foundation, will match the first $10,000 donated by their fans to each of the five participating charities, including Nothing But Nets, as part of their commitment to making a difference in the lives of children worldwide. Click here for more information from the United Nations Foundation.

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” - Unknown

Children truly are the teachers of life, they teach us how to laugh, how to play, how to enjoy the simple things in life. When you are around children one finds it impossible not to smile, and why? Because children see the truth and beauty that surrounds them. Even in the face of darkness children easily find the light, as they seem to see so much more clearly and see past the suffering.

Watch a child today and learn how to live and see how to take from life what one should. More often we should not only hear the voices of youth, but look through the eyes of childhood, and then we can work to live in a world that is more at peace.

Do you find yourself saying, I just don’t know how to help, or I just don’t have time. Well activism isn’t as hard as you may think, and it can be a lot of fun for adults and kids. So why not take on some sports activism. Yes, sports activism! No, I don’t mean you have to be a big star and use your image to get others to act, but why not take your consciousness to the next level and incorporate into your sports and activities. Buy fair trade, use fair trade, play fair!

One such group who is taking their cause and mission to the next level is the DC Stop Modern Slavery Group, who last hosted their first annual soccer game. The game was covered along with other vital slavery free issues in the post, “Free to Play”…The Fight Against Slavery Takes it to the Pitch! However the group didn’t stop there, as the event was so successful that they have now made it an annual event.

The 2nd Annual Fair to Play Soccer game will hit the DC Mall tomorrow, Saturday July 25th at 11:00am, so come out and join them on the pitch, cheer on the slave free team or just watch and have fun.

However Stop Modern Slavery’s sports activism doesn’t stop there as they are also planing to host their first annual volleyball match later this year.

Last years Stop Modern Slavery Organizer Becky Bavinger, who is now working as the Country Director in India with The Emancipation Network, stated;

“That we must realize how important it is to know where our products come from, since many do involve slave labor. It is sickening that Americans have the privilege of using soccer balls, for example, that are made by child slaves, who themselves never know the meaning of “play” or “game.” So we applaud everyone who comes out for the 2nd annual Free to Play soccer game!”

Please see Becky’s recent article in Peace Work Magazine; Modern Day Abolition: Acting on a Moral Imperative

Get you slave fee sports balls today, and start playing fair and free!

For more information please see my Fair Trade and Slave Free Links page, which includes many links including;

• RESPECT - Fair Trade Sports
• Global March Against Child Labor
• Equita - Essentials for Ethical Living - Fair Trade
• Fair Trade Resource Network
• Fair World Sports - Canada
• Etiko Sports -Australia and New Zealand
• Sweatshop Watch - Has a shopping guide
• KIDS and FAIR TRADE - A Teacher’s and Parent’s Guide

Please also see my other related resource pages:

• Human Trafficking and Slavery Related Movies and Documentaries
• Links for Abused Children and Parents
• Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Links
• Slavery and Trafficking Related Books

News of child suffering in hardly new in any country these days, and the Congo is no stranger to children’s rights violations and suffering. Years of war and economic instability has now lead the country is now find its streets flooded with children, as some estimate there are more than 3,000 street children in the country. The estimates on the actual number of street children in the Congo are most likely given with extreme conservatism, as many fear that they are only seeing more children on the streets.

Why are there so many children? The countries long running civil war, which ended in 2003, engulfed many child soldiers, of which many saw only rise in th past year, as seen in my previous post Child Soldiers in the Congo are Increasing. Many former child soldiers have now been led to the streets, many who lack the demobilization and reintegration support they so desperatly need. The war has also left many children orphans, in increasingly abusive homes and families impoverished, leading many to seek refuge and solace on the streets. Other children have literally been thrown out on the streets by their families and communities for the sins of witchcraft, as you can see more on in my previous post, Children Cast Into the Streets as Witches.

The trafficking of children in the Congo has also lead to an increased presence of children on the streets, as well as an additional burden of child abuses. According to a 2007 UNICEF report (volume one and volume two both in French) an estimated that 200,000 children are victimized by trafficking each year in the central and West African region’s alone. The children are primarily being trafficked from Benin, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Children like 16 year old Lucie find themselves toiling the streets day and night;

“My parents handed me over to an aunt a year ago. During the day I am here in the marketplace. In the evenings I sell cake on the main road,” she told IRIN. “If I complain about being tired or having a headache, I am accused of being lazy or stupid. Sometimes they hit me. I’ve realised I am not like the other children in the house. I am a slave.” (Tackling child trafficking)

While the government has been working to establish programs to curtail the growing problem of street children since 2004, when it introduced reintegration programs, however the continued brake down of the countries family and structure appears to be the leading cause of the growing number of children on the streets. Therefore it would appear that programs must be put into place to address those vulnerable families, who are struggling both economically and socially. If the needs of the family are not addressed the Congo will only see more children turned out on to the streets from abuse and allegations of witchcraft.

FGM tends to leave on thinking that it is a problem which plagues ‘other’ nations, however the eradication of FGM is not limited to African or Muslim nations, it is human rights violation that follows women and girls across the globe. Recent news has begun to shed a little light on a global fight, which in many ways is only in its infancy, against FGM.

Last month the New York Times ran an editorial, A Victory for Women, on three women from Guinea who won their appeal to a denied asylum claim in a Manhattan court. Under the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the panel of three judges ruled unanimously, that the Board of Immigration Appeals, the highest immigration tribunal in the country, committed “significant errors” and even ignored their own regulations. The granting of appeal was more than just a victory for the three women, but also a window of light for many women who have been victims of FGM. However glorious the win may seem it has showed a huge societal failure in viewing that FGM is a one time persecution that ends once the cutting is over. For women and girls who are victims of FGM the pain and torture of the procedure are far from a one time affair.

The issue of FGM has risen in other western countries in recent months such as in France where many West Africans are fighting female genital mutilation and their fight is not as small as one might think as, according to the French Institute of Demographic Studies, some 50,000 immigrant women in the country were registered as victims of FGM in 2004 alone. The study highlights the far reaching impact of FGM, and the need to educate and advocate against FGM amongst immigrant populations in the west.

“Immigrants have a tendency to cling to their traditions and customs – sometimes even more so than those who stay at home - for fear of losing them or of being socially rejected,” said Khady Koita, a Senegalese immigrant and president of a European network for the prevention of traditional practices harmful to the health of women and children, which operates in France.

Under French law FGM falls under Article 222 of the criminal code on violence, which can carry a prison sentences of up to 20 years for both those who preform the procedure and for parents.

Many countries where FGM has been common have passed laws to ban the practice, however laws have proven to be ineffective on their own, as often the practice is deeply rooted in the culture or history. Additionally laws prove futile without education and awareness, as many countries have discovered, only when its been at the high cost of death. Such as can be seen in the following posts; Egypt Makes Huge Strides in Putting an End to Female Circumcision and Girls Death in Burkina Faso Has Many Wondering If Laws are Enough!. However many FGM related deaths never make it into the media, nor are they often reported.

In Yemen many FGM; which was banned in 2001 in private and public health facilities, by the Ministry of Health, and is most often preformed on newborns; has left many FGM related deaths unreported. Thus the failure of laws alone to end the practice has led the government to seek additional strategies. Earlier this month in Yemen the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (SCMC), a government body moved to stem female genital mutilation (FGM). A national action has been composed to combat the long standing practice of FGM in the country, currently the plan is awaiting Cabinet approval. The plan is a huge step in the eradication of FGM in the country, and could lead as an example for other countries fighting to truly end FGM in all forms.

While rates of FGM have fallen in many countries, the fight to end the practice is far from over and efforts must not only continue in countries where the practice has a long standing history, but also in the West as the fight for gender equality and an end to sexual violence is global and will not be won without a united effort. FGM must be clearly seen as a human rights violation, and not a one time instance of abuse. Therefore education and awareness on the long term effects must be put into place, as should laws be established that address the severity of the crime, and in doing so on a global scale we can begin to see the end of this extreme form of gender-based violence.

Please see my previous posts on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)/Female Circumcision for more information and background on the issue. Please also see the World Health Organization (WHO) FGM Fact Sheet for more on the long term consequences of FGM.

Ban disappointed over Darfur, child soldiers
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep disappointment at the use of child soldiers and the lack of progress toward a political settlement to the conflict in Darfur in a report released Tuesday. Children were among the rebel soldiers captured after a recent attack on the Sudanese capital.

High fertility rates in Afghanistan lead to high mortality, future troubles
The UN Population Fund warns that Afghanistan’s extraordinarily high fertility rate — the average woman has between six and seven children — has implications for women, the environment, and the future of the nation. On its current track, Afghanistan’s population will more than double by 2050. The nation has the second-highest maternal mortality rate in the world.

Government planning to curb population growth
Yemen’s National Population Council (NPC), a government body, has said it has approved a plan to implement a national population strategy to reduce the fertility rate - one of the highest in the world. The plan aim is to reduce the current fertility rate from 6.1% to 4.0%by 2015, as at current Yemen’s population is increasing by 700,000 every year.

Slavery a problem for Mali
Thousands of Malians are living as slaves, despite the common perception that slavery does not exist in the country. Economic uncertainty, lack of legal prohibition, and cultural tradition are helping to perpetuate the practice, say rights groups.

Food crisis threatening nutrition of young children
Rising prices of basic food commodities have forced the Philippine government to scale down efforts to address malnutrition among children, putting the under sixes at nutritional risk.

Militants hampering anti-polio drive as new case confirmed
Pakistani health officials in the area say campaigns against vaccination teams by militants, and clashes between them and troops, have prevented some 50,000 of the Swat Valley’s 365,000 children under five from being vaccinated.

Pregnant women still struggle to prevent HIV
Larger numbers of pregnant women living with HIV in Swaziland can now access services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus, but activists and health officials say more emphasis should have been placed on quality rather than quantity.

Moving towards universal birth registration
Bangladesh, the world’s seventh most populated country, is moving to provide its over 150 million people with official birth certificates. Recent reports indicate that 40 percent of the population had received a birth certificate by the end of March 2008, while more than 30 percent had been registered and would receive their certificates soon.

New survey indicates family planning weaknesses
World Population Day on 11 July with its theme “Family planning, is a right, make it real” was a bleak reminder for Pakistani health practitioners of the precarious state of maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH).

“Pretty much all the honest truth telling there is in the world is done by children.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Writer (1809-1894)

‘Out of the mouth of babes’, they so often say when a child just blurts out the truth, and it appears that truth telling is something all too often left behind in childhood. As we grow older the colors of the world begin to fade, as children we see the world in a rainbow of colors, then suddenly as adults it all begins to appear in shades of gray. Yet, while children are the ones who remain so unclouded by politics, greed, and the trivialness of every day life; their truthfulness is mistaken for innocence and naivety.

When we seek guidance and incite into so many of our worlds dilemmas, one must really ought hear the voices of children.  How different our world could be if only we would listen to the children for whose future we work to protect!