Children

Most Afghan women prisoners jailed for being victims of rape
Two-thirds of women imprisoned in Afghanistan were jailed for illegal sexual relations, a category that includes infidelity and premarital sex but also punishes the victims of rape.  A newly formed consultant council, the Women and Children’s Justice Shura, hopes to draw attention to their plight while Western agencies are trying to improve conditions at the facilities where these women are jailed.

Russian Judge Rules to Allow Sexual Harassment
After a Russian woman lost her sexual harasment case after a judge ruled employers were obliged to make passes at female staff to ensure the survival of the human race. The judge stated that ”If we had no sexual harassment we would have no children,” the judge ruled. According to a recent survey, 100% of female professionals said they had been subjected to sexual harassment by their bosses, 32 percent said they had had intercourse with them at least once and another seven percent claimed to have been raped.

Rubber out-growers intensify campaign against child labour
The President of the Rubber Out-growers and Agents Association of Ghana (ROAA), Nana Asaa Kofi (III), has called on members of the Association, to adhere to the crusade against child labor in the rubber growing areas of the country.

UK pedophile was “librarian” for global abuse ring
A pedophile who acted as a “librarian” for a global Internet child abuse ring was jailed on Monday after one of the biggest undercover police investigations into online abuse in Britain. Unemployed Philip Thompson, 27, amassed nearly a quarter of a million indecent pictures of children, including thousands in the two most serious categories.

Palestinian refugees to benefit from nutrition programme
Difficult economic conditions triggered by high fuel prices have prompted the Jordanian authorities to extend their US$5 million school nutrition programme to include Palestinian refugees in schools run by the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA). The academic year, which starts on 17 August, will see about 70,000 students from 13 refugee camps benefit from the initiative, which provides students with a daily mid-morning snack containing essential vitamins that most of the children lack.

Many children still miss out on treatment
Experience has shown that it is possible to run successful paediatric HIV programmes in rural African settings, yet less than 10% of patients on life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are children, field officers of the international medical NGO, Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), have said. “Studies show that without treatment, 50 percent of children with HIV will die within the first two years of their lives,” Fernando Parreno, who has worked for MSF’s ARV programme in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city, said at the recent International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. “It is imperative that all children are diagnosed and started on treatment as early as possible after diagnosis, or too many children will continue to die.”

The sacrifice that some children make at such young age is hard for most to imagine, but across the world many young people sacrifice their education and future to support that of their families. War, natural disasters and poverty have left many families and children seeing little options for survival and prosperity, causing many to remove children from school to enter the workforce, or even worse literally selling a child, in order to support the family.

May Thet, a teenager in Myanmar, has become the only hope to earn enough money to provide food for the family and send her younger sister to school. The sacrifice for May Thet is her education, her future;

“I feel like crying when I see my friends going to school, but, I have to console myself. It’s my destiny. There are a lot of us who can’t go to school because we have to help our parents. …Earning the family income is much more important right now than going to school.”

May Thet is lucky in some ways, as her mother has made sure that she stays close to home, despite the lure of additional income by going to work in Yangon (Rangoon), the country’s capital.

“My mother said no [to my going to Yangon to look for work as a housemaid], because she was afraid I would be sexually assaulted or trafficked into the sex industry. I’m also afraid of being sold or raped. But my mother told me I cannot go there. I have to listen to my mother’s orders.” (IRIN)

Almost three years after an earthquake devastated the communities in Pakistan, many stories mirror that of May Thet’s, as child labor on the rise in quake-hit north. The issue of child labor in Pakistan is nothing new, however following the earthquakes devastation a substantial rise in the number of children out of school and forced to work has caused grave concern to NGO’s and local authorities. NGO’s estimate that some 30% of children in the region are working and the last known estimate of child labor in Pakistan in 1996 put some 3.3 million children in the labor force, while now those in the field say the problem has only increased.

Endless cycles of debt bondage, one of the widest used forms of modern slavery, leave children forced to work towards the families debt, such as in Afghanistan’s brick factories. A local NGO in Sorkhrod District of the Nangarhar Province, estimated that some 2,298 children, mostly under the ages of 15, work in the 38 brick-making factories, 90% of which are not in school (IRIN).

However child labor and low school attendance levels are not the only concern for many countries, as abuse, violence and trafficking are also at the heart of the problem. As seen after a shocking case of abuse emerged from Pakistan last month as a father of 6, clubbed 4 of his children to death. Abdul Salam, an out of work laborer, stated that he had killed the children who ranged in age from 18 months to 11 years old , as he could no longer feed them. Salam had attempted to kill all 6 of the children; however 2 of the children survived the vicious attacks. Salam told the local press that he had killed the children because he was “unemployed for 10 days and could not meet their demands”, and that there was insufficient food in the house and when he killed them they had gone to sleep hungry, he said (Lack of food prompting extreme actions by parents).

The stories of children denied an education and a future are endless, they cover the globe and while the names may change, the stories themselves remain much the same. The issue of child labor only bringing a global magnifying glass to a local issue, uncovering the root causes for the worlds some 27 million slaves. Looking through the glass one can see that sustainable solutions must be immediately put into place in communities hit by disaster to ensure that children are able to remain in school while the families are able to rebuild and recover, as well as to those communities which continue to struggle with poverty and economic hardship. Education and awareness must also be brought to both the short and long-term effects of child labor and debt bondage, in order to begin to break the cycle and see a development of sustainable and viable solutions in each community.

“A society in which adults are estranged from the world of children, and often from their own childhood, tends to hear children’s speech only as a foreign language, or as a lie…. Children have been treated … as congenital fibbers, fakers and fantasisers.”
- Beatrix Campbell, British journalist.

Do we hear the voices of the worlds children? If we are not listening, then we are not hearing the voices of the furture, and who has more input into the future than they who will inherit it.  Children often look at the world with more clarity than adults, they see not only the reality, but the posiblity of change.  Children look forward, while as adults we tend too often to look back.  If we are to make true and lasting change in our world then we must begin by listening to our children.

Many heard the buzz and outrage over China’s now infamous lip singing little girl at the opening ceremony. The 7 year old, Yang Peiyi, had won a national song contest to sing at the Opening Ceremonies, was replaced by 9 year old Lin Miaoke, who was deemed as more attractive, and suitable for the world to see.

So is the world more outraged over the lip singing, or the idea that a nation would deem one child more physically desirable over another? The sad truth is that many were equally outraged by both, but the reality is more than just a nation trying to put on face and give a ‘prettier’ image to the outside world. China remains in the hot seat over countless human rights violations and is under constant scrutiny as it holds firm to its communist ideals, however the news of the totalitarian regime going to vote on the idea of a child not being picture perfect. The decision to replace Yang Peiyi was reportedly made last minute by a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party (CPC). The Chinese claim that the move was made to see that both the best singer and best performer were showcased.

Regardless the debate goes on, one is left wondering what message does this sends to the already children already consumed by an overly image conscious world.

Yesterday, August 12th, was International Youth Day 2008, this year’s theme is; Youth and Climate Change: Time for Action. Climate change is an increasingly growing problem, which affects everyone, especially those who will inherit the mistakes of the past. It is essential that young people across the globe be given a voice in working to combat global climate change. The time to involve youth in all areas of global warming, including; preparedness, risk reduction, adaptation and mitigation, is now and thankfully the youth of the world are wasting no time in sharing their views and voice to both call others to action.

International Youth Day, not only gives the youth of the world an opportunity to share their voices, but also gives the world an opportunity to recognize the potential of youth. The world has the opportunity to celebrate and take pride in the achievements of young people around the world and work to see that they are given the opportunity to actively participate in government and the development of their communities.

To see more about what youth around the world are doing, including the Shoot Nations photo competition for which the photo in the post was part of, click here.

Russia has long seen itself as the designated protector of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, however the relative quite cease-fire was broken last Thursday as Russian troops once again asserted their might and hold on the region, catching innocent civilians in the wake.

It is estimated that some 100,000 people have been displaced since the fighting between Georgia and Russia began only 5 days ago, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Many women and children are making their way to the safety of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, any way they can, even walking. Only today news came that planes of aid finally began to arrive in Capital. Agencies many focusing on women and children, including UNICEF, Save the Children and World Vision, have appealed both sides of the conflict to provide save guarded passages for which they can deliver much needed aid. The welfare of the countries children is of grave concern to aid agencies;

“We’re concerned for the safety of thousands of children who have had to leave their homes and villages with their families, said Tom Vincent, Country Director for Save the Children in Georgia. “Save the Children operates a drop-in center for low-income children in Gori, which is now inaccessible and largely abandoned due to the recent fighting. The well-being of these children, who may be separated from their parents, is at stake, as well as thousands more caught up in this conflict.”

‘The security situation in Kutaisi, which is the second largest town in Georgia some 200 km west of Tbilisi, has deteriorated to such an extent that in the early hours of this morning, all of the children and their SOS mothers had to leave the SOS Children’s Village.’

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that Russia had suspended its military campaign, after being driven away from the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. However explosions continued in the Georgian city of Gori, where the brunt of the fighting has been felt, especially against civilians. In Moscow negations for a cease-fire are being led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, however no orders have been placed upon Russian troops to stand down, and Russia’s Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Putin, has not made any public remarks on any de-escalation in the militaries current activities.

What does this all mean for Georgia’s children of war?  The answers are not yet known.  What is know is that children have lost family members, parents, their own lives; children’s lives have been uprooted, their education halted and access to basic essentials has become limited.  Regardless of when peace comes and however quick the recovery and rebuilding of lives, the scars of conflict will remain deeply rooted in their childhood.  

 Please see the Russia blog for more information and view points on the conflict.

Child marriage question riles Saudi society
The issue of child marriages in Saudi Arabia has united an unlikely coalition of opponents including human rights groups, clerics, journalists and intellectuals who decry the practice as harmful to children. Saudi officials now find themselves under increasing pressure to legislate a legal age for marriage, something the kingdom does not currently have.

Agony of Burma’s dumped children
The devastating cyclone that swept through Myanmar also separated children from their families. According to aid agencies such as UNICEF, as many as 2,000 children in Myanmar are displaced. Reuniting fractured families is complicated by the lack of telephones in Myanmar, as well as the disorganized nature of the country’s refugee camps.

Pregnant women a priority for health services in Myanmar
In the aftermath of Nargis, the country’s worst natural disaster, the risk factors for pregnant women have increased. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the country has a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 383 deaths per 100,000 live births. Pregnant women are among those in the greatest danger during humanitarian emergencies, with poor nutrition and a lack of access to safe delivery options often having fatal consequences, he explained. Based on fertility estimates, UNFPA estimates that at any given time there are 35,000 pregnant women in the delta, and each month, 4,400 women will give birth; of whom 440 will experience complications, and 220 will require Caesarean sections.

Child mortality rate steady in Asia as income disparity climbs
China and India together account for nearly a third of all child deaths, according to UNICEF. Despite rapid economic growth, particiularly in India, Asian nations have not been able to lower infant mortality rates — owing to a large and increasing gulf between wealthy and poor. Reducing child mortality by two-thirds is one of the Millennium Goals set forth for 2015.

From rebels to soldiers - the SPLA’s transformation
At the new headquarters of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), some 10km north of Juba town, a large scale change is already underway.  “Now, with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the SPLA has been transformed into a conventional army … There is a tremendous change.”  The army, he added, is to create a new child protection unit in the coming weeks to ensure that no children are part of the SPLA’s ranks.

Zimbabwe’s Children follow shoppers to South Africa
Zimbabwean children are being drawn to South Africa to run errands and perform piecemeal jobs for shoppers from their own country - who are heading south because of the unavailability of basic goods in their own country. “Some of the children come in from Zimbabwe in the morning and return in the evening. They go through the border and no one seems to do anything to stop them from crossing,” said the guard, who declined to be identified. “I am worried about the little girls who enter the parking lot for the trucks, one wonders what happens in the dark, the girls can be raped.” A 2007 report by Save the Children (UK): Children on the move - Protecting unaccompanied migrant children in South Africa and the region, said the main pull factors for most of the unaccompanied migrant children living in South Africa stemmed from the belief that they had a better chance of finding work or other income-earning opportunities and going to school than if they remained in their home country.

In Zimbabwe Diamonds are Mutare’s best friends
Zimbabwe economy is in meltdown, with unemployment in excess of 80 percent and annual inflation officially at 2.2 million percent, forcing people to seek alternative ways of making a living. “Cases of children dropping out of school are higher in Marange, where the diamond fields are found,” said an official at the ministry of education, who declined to be identified. “The explanation from the children and their parents is that they see no need to pursue education when diamond panning can provide instant riches.”

UN to host rock band Rudely Interrupted
The six-piece Australian rock band Rudely Interrupted will play at the United Nations for International Day of People with Disabilities, on December 3, 2008. Five of the band members have physical or mental disabilities, ranging from autism to Down syndrome. “It allows us to show off to, well basically the whole world, what we are capable of,” said lead singer Rory Burnside, who is legally blind.

Yesterday, August 9, 2008 marked the first International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, The first event of its kind to take place, thanks to the landmark adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly in September 2007. The convention and the event seeks to promote the culture and rights of some 370 million indigenous men, women and children around the world.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, called for member states and indigenous people to work together to end the suffering of indigenous peoples around the world, which “includes some of the darkest episodes in human history”.  

Indigenous children are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups across the global, saddly they are often overlooked in development planning, as well as the safegaurding of their rights.  Indigenous children have lower school rates and higher mortality rates than non-indigenous children.  In addition indigenous children are less likely to recieve vaccinations and other key nutitional and medical support, therefore urgent global action is needed to ensure that both their rights and survival is protected.

The matter of indigenous people, has not been over looked by the youth of today as the UN’s 2007 Student Conference on Human Rights theme, Recognizing the Rights of Indigenous People, highlighted.  The conference concluded with a Student Plan of Action , for which their statements included that they were;

“Deeply concerned by the challenges that face Indigenous youth such as inadequate education, cultural discrimination, and other relevant areas.”

While the struggles of millions of indigenous children are far from over, one hopes that the establishment of a UN convention, will urge states and aid agencies to look for more sustainable programs and actions to ensure all of their fundamental rights are protected.

Some 2 million people die each year of AIDS, and around 33 million people around the world are infected with HIV.  A shortage of healthcare providers, access to treatment facilities, high cost and often unavailability of ARVs , and a lack of adequate education, has lead the disease’s spread to continue climb.  Therefore the HIV/AIDS epidemic of today is worse than was predicted and it has led leaders around the world to join forces to work towards sustainable solutions to combat the growing spread of the disease.

Yesterday, the XVII International AIDS Conference, came to a close in Mexico City, the conference, dubbed  AIDS 2008, ran from 3-8 August 2008.  The conference also included a Youth Program, which aimed to ‘empower young people, advocate for current and critical issues affecting youth worldwide, and further pinpoint current strategies for effective change’. The program also looks to target HIV-positive youth serving organizations. The conference also has its own site geared to children and young adults, please see AIDS 2008 Youth Site, for more information.

In the global fight against HIV/AIDS many children and young adults are being left out in the cold.  Linda Richter, of South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), told delegates of AIDS 2008 that;

“Children have been short-changed in the response to AIDS.  They are visible in the photo opportunities, but mostly invisible in the response.” (Children short-changed by AIDS response )

While mother -to-child HIV transmission can be significantly lowered with ARV, the number of children becoming infected with the virus remains too high, showing the urgent need for the global community to increase efforts to combat the disease through education and access to both adequate medical care and ARVs.  According to UNAIDS, an estimated 370,000 children were infected in 2007, of which 270,000 died. Two million children under the age of 15 are now living with HIV, which is an eight-fold increase since 1990. While access to ARVs has increased, it is mainly adults who are seeing the benefits, as an only an estimated 10% of children are given the drugs, while an estimated 30% of adults are given access.

The question of whether or not children and young adults are receiving proper education to prevent the spread of the disease has been raised and the answer is, no.  While sex education may have increased in many regions, it has failed to give the worlds youth a clear view of sexuality, sex and how to prevent the spread of HIV.  Prabha Nagarja, of the Indian organization, Talking about Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues, runs an anonymous helpline for young people, told delegates of AIDS 2008 that calls from young people show an extreme failing in the country’s sex education strategy.

“A new national curriculum on sex education tells young people what not to do sexually, without telling them why or explaining to them even the most basic things, such as how intercourse happens.  Callers who ask whether activities like kissing, eating lunch or sucking nipples can cause HIV demonstrate that despite awareness of the existence of HIV, they have no idea how to protect themselves from it.” (Sex education failing young people)

Not only are children and young adults not receiving adequate education on the facts of HIV/AIDS and given what they need to prevent the diseases spread, the use of ARVs, care and education in pregnant mothers is also severely lacking in many areas.In many ways the fight to combat HIV/AIDS has gained considerable momentum and made great strides, despite efforts to find a cure for the disease.  However while in many countries the fight against HIV/AIDS has been in the forefront for many years, other countries are literally falling behind. 

The fight against HIV/AIDS is long from over, and the fact that the years have led the global community to create such awareness days as World AIDS Orphans Day and World AIDS DAY only solidifies the growing need of the international community to join together to fight and support those who are both at risk and suffer from the deadly disease.  AIDS 2008, is a large step in the right direction, however the plight of children is significantly missed and must be increased if we are to see an end to HIV/AIDS.

Please also see my previous posts on HIV/AIDS.

Recent HIV/AIDS News:
“Terrifying” new HIV/AIDS laws could undermine AIDS fight
The female condom - the step-child in HIV prevention
MOZAMBIQUE: HIV-positive children still not getting treated
Breast is best, even for mothers with HIV
More education equals less teen pregnancy and HIV
US lifts travel ban on HIV-positive people

“Children find everything in nothing; men find nothing in everything.” 
- Giacomo Leopardi (1798–1837), Italian poet and philosopher, from Zibaldone Scelto.

It is true that as we grow our eye’s seem to change, we seem to lose the wide and open vision that we had in childhood.  Our eye’s no longer see everything with hopefulness, but begin to see things through the lens of doubt.

We must look out on the world and to the future as children do, with hope, if we are to see true change, prosperity and peace in our world.  Let us go and put aside our negative visions and see the world with the eye’s of a child…let us see a better tomorrow!