Bill and Melinda Gates increase vaccination funding
Bill and Melinda Gates have pledged $10 billion in a bid to save millions of lives during the next decade with vaccines. The funds will support efforts to provide vaccinations for diseases such as measles, diphtheria and polio, and develop new vaccines.

U.S. struggles over status for Haitian parents
U.S. officials are looking at how to address the plight of hundreds of Haitian parents able to come to the U.S. as escorts for their American citizen children but who received tourist visas upon entry. Under current guidelines, the parents do not qualify for protective “humanitarian parole” status given to Haitians already in the U.S. when the Jan. 12 earthquake struck, allowing recipients to remain legally and work.

Rotavirus vaccinations key to cutting diarrhea-related deaths
Vaccinating babies against rotavirus could save 2 million during the next decade, according to two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The vaccinations would cut deaths from diarrhea by 61% in Africa and by 35% in Mexico, the studies project.

Haiti’s children are left vulnerable after quake
Health, social, psychological and nutrition issues are mounting for the population of children left orphaned and homeless after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. UNICEF says it is concerned about the prospect some might press children no longer accompanied by adults into adoption, sex trade or domestic service. About 90% of Haiti’s schools have been destroyed, leaving children disoriented and in need of interim care — which UNICEF and other organizations are racing to provide.

Gates sees malaria vaccine in 3 years
Software mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates says a partially effective vaccine for malaria might be available in as soon as three years — with a fully effective vaccine achievable in five to 10 years. Gates, whose Bill Gates Foundation is active in fighting malaria and in other development and health issues, warned the effort shows developed nations should not sacrifice foreign aid and development budgets to tackle climate change.

Security issues compromise polio fight in Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s polio eradication efforts hinge on health workers reaching children younger than 5 years old in 13 districts where security and population movement issues remain serious challenges, World Health Organization officials say. More than 80% of Afghanistan has been declared polio-free, but the disease remains endemic in the southern provinces of Kandahar, Helmand and Farah.

Human Rights in Crisis

A selection of Pulitzer Center-sponsored works

When: February 1, 2010

Time:  6-8 PM

Where:  Hart Auditorium-Georgetown University Law Center

600 New Jersey Avenue, NW

Reception to follow

Screening and Q&A, with journalists

Welcome by Ann Peters (GULC, 94), Pulitzer Center

Featuring:

•    “Afghanistan Disabled,”  Don Duncan and Jessica Wanke cover the cultural impact of widespread disability in Afghanistan.

•    “Haiti’s Restaveks,”  Carmen Russell and Dane Liu’s report on the child slaves who comprise 10% of Haiti’s youth population.

•    “Jerusalem: War in My Land” by Arturo Perez, Jr., winner of the Project Report contest, a partnership between the Pulitzer Center and YouTube.

•    A selection of videos from William Wheeler and Anna-Katarina Gravgaard explores local efforts to alleviate South Asia’s water crisis.

•    “Violence and Venom,” Micah Fink, Gabrielle Weiss and Lisa Biagiotti investigate the impact of homophobia and stigma on HIV/AIDS in Jamaica.

•    “Troubles in the Congo,” Kira Kay and Jason Maloney’s report on ongoing instability in the Congo’s Kivu province. Sponsored and produced by the Bureau for International Reporting.

For more information contact:  cmr86 at law.georgetown.edu

or visit: www.pulitzercenter.org

As an activist and writer, one who focuses on issues that face children, but with a passion and concentration on modern day slavery, I live and work in a world that is full of stories of the worlds most heinous and shocking crimes against humanity.  Often I am asked how do you do it…how do you cope with the terrors of such violence.  Well first of all I am one of the lucky ones for the true heroes and ones to commend are those who live daily in the face of such violence and trauma.  However, it is true that working with survivors, researching and studying such violent trauma and the pressures to create change and assist those in need, surely takes its toll.  Nonetheless the stresses that come with such work, for myself, and anyone working in the field, are quickly overcome by the stories of empowerment, hope, success and often just inspiring another to work for change.

As the Founder and Executive Director of a newly established non-profit dedicated to the fight against modern slavery, one of my biggest joys comes from creating change.  I am lucky to have the opportunity to speak to people everyday about ‘my cause’ and share with them how they can make an impact and create change.  Recently I was asked to speak at a High School for National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day, however the highlight was not having the opportunity to speak to a group of students, but the fact that my young mentee was actually the one responsible for organizing the event.  Watching someone so young and so passionate, gives me endless hope for the future of the movement.  Of course while the whole room of students was not enthralled into listening to my presentation, a handful were beyond inquisitive, and their questions and comments, left me unable to do anything other than smile as they were both passionate and aware.

As a person who has work with countless young people, I am never dismayed to the power of youth to both create change and empower it.   Therefore when I came across the following, Independent Investigation - Transcript of an interview with Ina, a victim of human trafficking in India, on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which was conducted by Phoebe Lewis (aged 13).  Phoebe’s father, Gary Lewis, is the Representative of the UNODC Regional Office, South Asia, New Delhi, India.  Now while one may look and think Phoebe is at an advantage due to her fathers position, I must state that the decision and ability to work directly with survivors of any form of trauma is not an easy path and at 13 years-old to take an active role in a cause one feels such passion for is nothing less than commendable and a role more and more young people should be commended for.  Therefore regardless of the action taken, be it speaking at school, holding a fundraiser, etc., the youth of today can make a lasting difference in the fight against modern slavery, and any cause, so listen up they may teach you something!

UNESCO: Attendance not the only challenge to educating world’s poor
While school registrations have increased in poor countries around the world since the United Nations adopted “Education for All” goals in 1999, many children are not getting an education, according to a report from UNESCO. Unqualified teachers, lack of school supplies, absent educators and latent ethnic discrimination are among the many challenges that remain.

Most Darfur deaths related to disease
After a 2004 peak in violent deaths, nearly 80% of deaths in Darfur were because of diseases such as diarrhea, Belgian researchers reported in The Lancet journal.

U.S. airlifts 53 orphans from Haiti, expedites adoptions
The U.S. has airlifted 53 orphans from Haiti to Pittsburgh, the first of 900 children that had been matched and were in the midst of a three-year adoption process by U.S. couples. Visa requirements have been waived for the children, a first for the U.S. government.

New approach to malaria vaccine?
Scientists are working on a new type of malaria vaccine aimed at preventing mosquitoes from transmitting the disease instead of current efforts to protect individual people. While pesticide-treated bed nets and other initiatives have cut malaria rates in the developing world, scientists worry about the rising number of pesticide- and treatment-resistant cases.

Simple test could cut cervical cancer deaths worldwide
Wider use of a $2 test could help slash cervical cancer deaths across the developing world, British researchers say. Cervical cancer accounts for the deaths of about 300,000 women annually, with as many as 85% of them occurring in developing countries

As the aftermath of Haiti’s deadly hurricane continues to unfold, historic rescues are starting to be come less and less as hope for finding live victims in the debris and rubble has faded, as fear induced ciaos quickly followed in its path.  A country already teetering on the brink of disrepair, the future of Haiti has become even darker and and bleak as hope fades and pandemonium has begun to emerge as disaster and emergency relief efforts are in full swing.

Haiti’s has long been a country with grave concerns over child welfare, as 38% of population is under the age of 14, the impoverished country is historically know for child servitude and trafficking.  Living in dire poverty most families have no electricity or running water, and worry daily on how to feed their children.  Thus children are often, sold into slavery internationally and domestically, or sent to work as Retavek’s (servants).  You can see more on the country’s Restavek children in my previous posts; Haiti’s Enslaved Children and A Shocking Look into Child Slavery in Haiti Tonight on Nightline.

Before the earthquake Haiti was know as a nation of orphans, as some 40,0000 orphans were lingering in the shadows of hope, according to UNICEF.  The US State Department stated that some families who have been going through the adoption process and papers have been lost and many may now be put back some 2 years, however in the wake of that fear many adoptions would not happen, many have in fact been expedited.   The disaster has prompted a relaunch of operation Pedro Pan (Peter Pan). 

Operation Peter Pan (Operación Pedro Pan), was an operation coordinated by the United States government and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, for which more than 14,000 children were sent from Cuba to Miami by their parents, between 1960 and 1962. The operation was designed to transport the children of parents who opposed the revolutionary government, and place them with friends, relatives and group homes across 35 states.  However the Haitian relaunch is seeking to air lift children who are ‘true’ orphans.   The program is being launched by Catholic Charities along with immigrant rights organizations based in South Florida, who seek to airlift thousands of Haitian children orphaned by the deadly earthquake.

“We will use the model we used 40 years ago with Pedro Pan to bring these orphans to the United States to give them a lifeline, a bright and hopeful future,” Catholic Charities Legal Services executive director Randolph McGrorty said at a news conference in the offices of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart. (Miami Herald)

The move does spark controversy as many dispute weather the children can be 100% verified as orphaned, and if enough efforts are being done to ensure they do not have living relatives that can care for them.  Though concerns are ramped the children of Haiti have been left most vulnerable and significant steps must be made to ensure their safety and security, which includes a right to remain in their home country and preserve their culture as much as possible.

Please also see the posts, Haiti’s Disastrous Earthquake Hits Children Hardest and Haiti’s Children the Poor of the Poor.

We don’t all have a lot of money to send to Haiti to add to the countries harrowing disaster and relief effort and few of us have the needed skills, time and capabilities to volunteer to go over and help the country quite literally dig themselves out of the heartbreaking rubble that covers the impoverished nation.  However we are overcome with empathy and an extreme desire to do something to help, including children.

Children have a unique sense of uncompromisable sense of empathy when they hear of disasters, and especially wen they think of other children just like themselves in need, injured or without parents.  Sadly disasters are the perfect opportunity to teach children the true value of giving and ensure they maintain a sense of empathy and compassion that is not lost in daily life, and thus see how they can make a differnece.  Therefore it is crucial that we teach children about human rights and global awareness.

Ways Children Can Help:

1. Fundraise
   Unplug Your Kids has a great list of fundraising ideas for children to take part in and raise funds for Haiti.
2. Teach Your Children More about Haiti, Disasters and Poverty
   Talk to your children and look up resources to show your children what the country was like before and after the earthquake, and why their need is so great.  Learn more about the countries history and culture.  You can find satellite photos before and after the quake to show the extreme devastation, some can be found on The New York Times provides satellite photos from GeoEye.
3. Start a Family Collection Jar
   Have everyone, kids included, put their loose change in the the jar at the end of each day. Then discuss a charities working on Haiti relief and the needs that face children in the country and then decide as a family on which charity to donate to.
4. Make Something and Donate It
   The Etsy store, Craft Hope for Haiti is accepting and selling handmade goods to benefit Haitian relief efforts.
5. Host an Event
   Hold an event at school or church, anything from a Pancake Breakfast to a Donation Drive for needed items for an organization working on the relief effort. Please be sure that before collection items you speak to a charity to ensure what is needed and that they can logistically be delivered.

Regardless of how your children get involved in the Haiti relief effort, or any disaster effort or cause, encourage them and let them know how their impact will be felt.

A report that was released on January 7, 2010, by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), regarding the levels of sexual victimization within juvenile detention facilities leaves many shocked by the statistics.  The report, Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09, is part of a series of statistical reviews, which are required under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-79). The Act requires that the BJS to obtain data on the levels of prison rape from both adult and youth detention facility administrators as well as from detainees. As required by the Act, the juvenile facilities are listed alphabetically by state and list the estimated sexual victimization prevalence level, as reported by youths during a personal interview, and based on activity in the 12 months prior to the interview or since admission to the facility, if shorter.

The data collected from the 2008-09 National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC), was conducted in 195 juvenile detention facilities, using a study sample of more than 9,000 juveniles, between June 2008 and April 2009. The report provides national-level and facility-level estimates of sexual victimization by type of activity, including youth-on-youth sexual contact, staff sexual misconduct, and level of coercion. The report also includes an analysis of the experience of sexual victimization, characteristics of youth most at risk to victimization, where the incidents occur, time of day, characteristics of perpetrators, and nature of the injuries. Finally, it includes estimates of the sampling error for selected measures of sexual victimization and summary characteristics of victims and incidents.

Highlights include the following:

• An estimated 12% of youth in state juvenile facilities and large non-state facilities (representing 3,220 youth nationwide) reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another youth or facility staff in the past 12 months.
• This report represents 26,550 adjudicated youth held nationwide in state operated and large locally or privately operated juvenile facilities.
• 80% of the sexual abuse reported in the study was perpetrated by staff at the facility.
• 95% of all youth making claims of abuse say that they were victimized by female staff members.
• Non-heterosexual youth reported significantly higher rates of sexual abuse by other youth (12.5%) compared to heterosexual youth (1.3%).
• 91% of youth in these facilities were male; 9% were female.
• About 2.6% of youth (700 nationwide) reported an incident involving another youth and 10.3% reported an incident involving staff.

Please note that the 12% victimization rate only reflects that in which is reported, and the true numbers are significantly higher.   Many children in care or detention facilities will not report instances of abuse, especially on going abuse, out of fear and shame.   The report also does not look at the levels for which youth in the facilities may have been victims of abuse prior to their sentence in youth detention. Therefore this report only opens the flood gates to highlight the levels of abuse which have occurred, or may occur, within the juvenile justice system.

Amnesty International: Czech school system discriminating against Roma
Authorities in the Czech Republic must act to end systematic discrimination against Roma gypsy children that ensures they receive an inferior education, Amnesty International says. Roma-only schools use a less competitive curriculum than mainstream schools, perpetuating social exclusion and reducing Roma children’s ability to find future employment.

UNHCR launches appeal for growing Congo crisis
The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urgently needs about $25 million to manage a growing refugee crisis in the Republic of Congo, a UNHCR official said on Tuesday. Some 107,000 refugees have flooded the country, fleeing violence in the north west of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Study: Breastfeeding over 6 months might aid mental health
Children who are breastfed for longer than six months could be at lower risk of mental health problems later in life, according to Australian research. A study by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth looked at 2,366 children born to women enrolled in a pregnancy study in the state of Western Australia. Each of the children underwent a mental health assessment when they were aged two, five, eight, 10, and 14. The researchers found that breastfeeding could help babies cope better with stress and may signal a stronger mother-child attachment which could provide lasting benefits.

Freedoms suffered worldwide in 2009
Human-rights defenders and civic activists around the world faced increased repression in 2009, watchdog group Freedom House says in its annual report. Myanmar, Somalia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were among the most repressive countries, the survey found.

European governments look to promote healthier diets
Several European governments are examining legislative ways to trim the fat out of their national diets. Proposals include increased taxes on fast food in Romania and chocolate in Denmark, restricting the use of trans fats in Spain, and a ban on advertising sweets to children younger than 12 years old in Germany.

Report: Elderly will outnumber the young by 2045
The world’s number of elderly people is increasing three times faster than the total population, and the elderly are expected to outnumber children by 2045, according a report from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The shift will put increasing pressure on service providers and working-age people to support retirees, the report warns.

WEST AFRICA: Learning how to stop children dying
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) “accelerated child survival programme” in 11 West African countries did not save significantly more lives than in areas that were not targeted, says an evaluation published in The Lancet this week - but analysts say this does not mean UNICEF was doing the wrong things.

Plumpy’nut patent under pressure
Two US-based companies have teamed up to challenge the patents for Plumpy’nut, a widely distributed ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) registered in the US.

Photo: DerSpiegel

A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday, has now left us filtering through the flood of disturbing images that have begun to flood in from the country. The epicenter of the quake was located just 10 miles from Port-au-Prince, leaving entire sections of the city utterly devastated.

As rescue and humanitarian teams from across the globe began to assemble to aid the true toll of Wednesday’s devastating earthquake has only begun to emerge.  The homeless and wounded fill the streets, thousands missing, and bodies are continuing to mount, though the true number of dead is far from known, as estimates are ranging from 50,000 to over 100,000.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the impoverished country has already been continually devastated by successive hurricanes over the last two years alone, destroyed much of the already fragile and overburdened infrastructure in the most densely populated part of the country. A massive and immediate international response is needed to provide food, water, shelter, and medical supplies for tens of thousands of people.

Haiti appeals for aid; officials fear 100,000 dead after earthquake, however officials fear the numbers are much greater.

“Simply getting through the streets to collect the dead bodies is seemingly an impossible task,” CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported from the capital, where shooting could be heard in the background. “There’s hardly any heavy machinery to try and dig through the rubble — people are doing it by hand.

“The hospitals themselves — the destination of those patients who might survive — they’re nonexistent or have a terrible infrastructure,” Gupta said.

Photo: Der Speigel

As someone in the anti-trafficking news of the disaster in Haiti has my mind rushing to worrying thoughts on how the disaster will increase human trafficking in the country.  Such a large scale disaster will undoubtedly leave thousands and thousands of children, and their families, at an increased to be victimized by modern slavery.

Haiti’s Restavek system still has a tight grip on the community, leaving some 300,000 children in the country enslaved as domestic workers according to the UN.  It is these children who will continue to anguish and suffer the most in the shadows of the earthquake.  I think now of strained organizations, such as   Limye Lavil, who work daily to fight on behalf of the Restavek children.  Organizations which work tirelessly to address the economic and educational roots of the problem in Haiti are addressed, now are facing an even bigger challenge, to see that the plight of thousands of children are not victimized, revictimized, or lost in the shadows of the disaster.  You can see more on the country’s Restavek children in my previous posts; Haiti’s Enslaved Children and A Shocking Look into Child Slavery in Haiti Tonight on Nightline. Please also see the post, Haiti’s Children the Poor of the Poor.