Children

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.

Child labor may seem like a thing of the past, a relic last left in the cloudy days of the Depression, sadly the use of child labor has never been erased and it has proved to be a stalemate in societies. In India, child labor proves hard to end, as millions of children continue to work to aid their families financial burden. The ‘old tradition’ of child labor has become an increasingly difficult cycle to brake, in spite of both government efforts and international pressure. The biggest hurdle in combating child is that in India it is not illegal, bar the work is not seen as “hazardous” for those children under 14 years old. According to the government there are at least some 12.6 million children out of school and engaged in labor, however NGOs put the true number as high as 60 million children.

India’s child labor includes girls like Jasmina, who was sent to work with her sister as maids, by her mother, after her father died. Jasmina revives 100 rupees, or $2.25, for her work each month. Abuse is ripe in the world of child labor, and stories like Jasmina’s are not unique:

“I get tired and forget things, so they hit me,” Jasmina said, her eyes cast down. “They want the shoes polished. If I don’t do it fast enough they hit me with a cooking spoon. They want to go to the toilet. If I don’t get the water fast enough I get a beating” (International Herald Tribune).

Children are not just forced into domestic work, as millions are found working in industry such as glass-blowing, fireworks, and more commonly, carpet-making factories. Children are forced to work long hours for little or no pay, often given little nourishment and no education; leaving a generation with no sustainable skills for the future, and leaving them ripe for abuse and exploitation. While societal pressure is increasing, the battle to end child labor in India is one that will not be won over night and it is blatantly clear that legislation alone will not end the suffering of millions of children. The root of child labor is deeper than just cultural backwardness, while it is a huge factor for change, the deeper root lies in the economic stability of families and communities.

Quarter of kids don’t meet vaccine schedule, as more than a quarter of American children do not meet the U.S. government’s recommendations for childhood vaccinations, according to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers.

Viral outbreak hits China province, as the deaths of 19 children and the infection of more than 900 people with enterovirus 71, which can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, have panicked residents of China’s Anhui province and pushed authorities to set up a daily reporting mechanism to track the virus’ spread. World Health Organization officials are urging parents to keep their children away from public places until the outbreak subsides.

Cambodian school food program faces suspension as the continual rise in global food prices are now endangering a World Food Program initiative supplying free breakfast to 450,000 Cambodian children at more than 1,300 schools across the country. In just under a month, the schools’ rice stocks will be gone and the breakfast program suspended indefinitely.

Radiohead song to raise awareness on human rights Pioneering rock band Radiohead has lent its song “All I Need” to an MTV campaign to raise awareness about sweatshop labor and human trafficking. The move builds on the British band’s previous efforts to highlight slave labor and environmental issues.

UNICEF: Climate change mainly hits poor children, according to UNICEF warned in a new report. Problems such as floods, droughts and malaria, which experts say are worsening because of global warming, already are taking a big toll on children in developing nations, the UN agency says.

HIV major factor in rising child deaths in South Africa as “every year 20,000 babies are stillborn and another 22,000 die within the first month of their lives. In total, at least 75,000 children die before their fifth birthday, while 1,600 mothers die due to pregnancy or childbirth complications, according to a report on infant, child and maternal mortality, released at a conference on perinatal care in Johannesburg this week.” The report, Every Death Counts, produced jointly by the Department of Health, the Medical Research Council and the University of Pretoria.

After police raids in June 2007 freed hundreds of child laborers working in China’s kilns, the government took steps to crack down on trafficking. Despite the government crack down, children are still routinely kidnapped from villages in China and pressed into labor in slave-like conditions (The Washington Post).

While Kosovo revels in it’s newly found independence from Serbia, many women and girls in the country find themselves enslaved in the sex trade and many others continually suffer from domestic abuse. It will be a challenge for this newly free nation to improve conditions for women (The Los Angeles Times).

A dangerous type of childhood meningitis has been virtually eliminated in Uganda in just five years after a vaccine was introduced this week. The vaccine could save the lives of some 5,000 children a year, according to a new report. “This is the first time we’ve seen this kind of impact, a 100 percent drop,” said Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt, executive secretary of the GAVI Alliance. The vaccine, known as Hib, protects against haemophilus influenzae type B, a bacterium that can inflame the lining of the brain or cause pneumonia. Each year, it kills 386,000 children globally (The New York Times).

In an effort to lead young men away from armed military groups, Turkey’s government is planning a broad series of investments worth as much as USD 12 billion in the country’s largely Kurdish southeast, in a new economic effort intended to create jobs and draw young men away from militancy, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The program is intended to drain support for the militant Kurdish group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, by improving the lives of Turkey’s impoverished Kurdish minority (The New York Times).

Sierra Leone maternity hospital’s have become a “last resort” for both patients, do to the shortages of staff and supplies. Sierra Leone has one of the highest levels of maternal mortality in the world because of underinvestment in health programs, malnutrition, and harmful cultural practices, UN children’s agency (UNICEF) Executive Director Ann Veneman told journalists in the Sierra Leone capital. “Child mortality in this country is the worst in the world at 270 deaths per 100,000 children born”.

In Somalia displaced families surviving on less than one meal a day. Large numbers of families displaced by the continuing violence are living on less than one meal a day and spending large proportions of that to buy drinking water, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Get more girls in school, activists say, “This is a situation that must change rapidly because the education of girls will shape the progress we want to see for Somalia in terms of peace and development,” Christian Balslev-Olesen, the representative for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Somalia, said on 7 March. Somalia has one of the worst overall child educational attendence rates in the world.

Senegal’s leading news agency reports on a newly minted peace deal between the leaders of Chad and Sudan, signed today in Dakar.Voice of America notes that several Chad-Sudan peace deals have failed in the past and it has many looking at theLatest peace pact to revive past failures.

A new report from the International Crisis Group previews Sudan’s 2009 general elections and a planned 2011 South Sudanese independence referendum and questions what the future of North-South relations might look like.

Reports that the head of Kenya’s election commission will face a public probe over the country’s heavily disputed December 27 vote. While some try to return to some form of normality in the face violence many

urban displaced still looking for a home. “My baby is 10 days old, I remain under this tarpaulin tent not knowing what the future holds,” Elizabeth Mueni, one of 263 IDPs camping at the Dagoretti district officer’s (DO) compound.

On October 7, 2001 allied forces invaded Afghanistan, and while the war is not at the forefront of most peoples minds, sadly the effects of the Taliban and the war are far from being distant memories. Thus it is children who ultimately pay the higher price for the conflict. While the north of the country remains relatively stable, the south continues in conflict, and while there is some improvement in many children’s lives. The mental scars of the conflict remain across the country and all areas of children’s lives are effected by continuing instability.

A new report, Taking Stock: Afghanistan Women and Girls Seven Years On, from the international rights group Womankind Worldwide says that Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be female. Seven years after the US and the UK liberated Afghan women from the oppressive Taliban regime, Womankind says life for most Afghan women and girls has not improved, and form many life has actually grown worse since the war. According to the report, 8 out of 10 women are affected by domestic violence; over 60% of all marriages are forced; and half of all girls are married before the age of 16. Maternal mortality rates (one in six women dies in childbirth) are the highest in the world alongside Sierra Leone. The report also states that Afghanistan is the only country in the world to have a higher suicide rate among women over that of men.

“Women in Afghanistan are working to tackle these issues by supporting individuals affected by violence and promoting legal reform — but they urgently need more support,” said Womankind Worldwide’s Director, Sue Turrell.

The report also states that laws which where introduced to protect women are not being properly enforced, and that the process of including females in the country’s social and political life has been unacceptably slow.

On March 26th children across Afghanistan will begin a new school year, and this year “the Education Ministry expects some 6.5 million children — some 35 percent of them girls — to attend schools across the country. Historically, that’s a record number of students, ministry spokesman Zuhur Afghan (RFE/RL).” However for many children this only serves to remind them of what they are missing, as the huge gap in opportunity, especially for women and girls in the country’s north and south are quite clear. The main reason for the large scale difference is the varying pace of improvement and stability from one side of the country to the other. In the last two years the Taliban’s influence and hold has been on the rise, leaving those in the south to lead their daily lives in fear of violence.

Many boys are now finding themselves amongst the ranks of the Taliban, leaving many to question if “Poverty is pushing youth into arms of Taliban?” With a weak infrastructure the Afghan government cannot cope with the shear numbers of those in need, and it is here that the Taliban has looked to reclaim the people.

“In our district many young guys join Taliban ranks for pocket money, a mobile phone or other financial incentives,” said Safiullah, a resident of Sangeen District in Helmand.

Afghanistan is also the worlds leading hotbed for opium production, in some regions, mostly rural, many mothers give children opium, some up to three times a day. Opium is used as a treatment for just about any illness, or to calm colicky children, and mothers remain oblivious to the health effects the drug has on their children’s lives. Sadly education and awareness, let alone drug rehablitation prorgrams and centers, are far and few in between.

In other recent news a stunning report, Love, Fear and Discipline: Everyday Violence toward Children in Afghan Families, issued on February 24, 2008. The report was issued by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), a Kabul-based think-tank, shows that the use of corporal punishment is seen as a mainstay of parenting. “Slapping, ear-pulling, verbal abuse, kicking, punching, beating with sticks or electricity cables or shoes,” are most common according to the report. The report recommended that programs to show alternatives be put into place and that such programs recognize that most families are aware of the negative consequences of violence to children, stating that “campaigns should therefore focus on informing people about alternative parenting skills”; of which few parents admit they are unaware of. In addition the report highlighted on the use of child labor in the country, illustrating the need for children to work outside the home is the only form of survival for many families; despite the long term effects of children having little to no access to education.

What is the fate of the children of Afghanistan? The answer appears to be marred in tones of grey, however large the divide among the regions one thing is clear, and that is that children must be given a higher priority by state and local government agencies. Awareness campaigns and education must be put into effect to ensure and safeguard the future of all children, as should efforts to curtail the growing insurgency in the south. For now one must look at Afghanistan with a watchful, but hopeful eye.

The number of vulnerable children in Nigeria is growing and is expected to rise to 10 million by 2010. However the news has not settled well with everyone, and has left others in fear. The Nigerian government issued a census survey census of “vulnerable children”, earlier this month which aims to take a closer look into the lives of children in poverty. However the survey upset many families, who fear they will be looked at unfavorable, or face reprimand child labor. Children who are born into impoverished families are often sent to work by their parents or guardians, at very young ages -some only toddlers. (BBC)

“Any child you see who is vulnerable is a direct reflection of the situation of his parents”

The Nigerian government is looking deeper into the problem of poverty and hopes this will give them better tools to fight poverty. While many families feel forced into sending children to work, due to their extreme economic hardships, many others see the use of child labor as no big deal.

A 2003 FOS/ILO National Child Labour Survey estimated that there are some 15 million children engaged in child labor in Nigeria. Children in Nigeria are forced to work as domestic laborers, become street hawkers, work in quarries and in the cocoa fields. In addition child trafficking, including sex trafficking, within Nigeria and across borders continues to remain a large scale problem.

The problem with the forced labor of children is that it in turns creates a vicious cycle of the same poverty that parents and families are seeking to escape. Children are receive little to no school and thus are These The use of child labor can therefore cause, or increase the socio-economic problems that forced them into work as a child laborer. Children regardless of age and socio-economic background have a say in their future, and should never be forced to endure labor in their youth, as should no child ever be denied an education. The denial of education, only denies children a key to their future, an opportunity to prosper. It is clear that the Nigerian government needs to look deeply and consider multiple sustainable options for those communities grappling with endless poverty to ensure the delivery of children from the grip of poverty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recently Uzbekistan has begun to receive some scrutiny over the use of forced child labor in the cotton fields, however for many its long over due. The use of children in the cotton fields dates back to the Soviet era, and as a signatory of The Convention on the Rights of the Child, Uzbekistan has received little if any repercussions by the international community over the years.

Uzbekistan is the worlds third largest exporter of cotton, and according to UNICEF some 1.4 million children, 22.6% of the population 5-14 years old, are forced to work in the exploitive government run industry. However the Uzbek government has repeatedly denied the forcible use of children in the cotton harvest.

In an open letter to the European Council, The US Administration, The International Cotton Advisory Committee, UNICEF, and the International Labor Organization (ILO), dated January 17, 2007, a group of some 100 Uzbek dissidents and activists abroad and 40 in Uzbekistan, say that use of forced child labor in the Uzbek cotton industry has become a “deliberate state policy” aimed at “acquiring extra profits.”

Nadejda Atayeva, a former schoolteacher, who was fired from her job in Uzbekistan for refusing to send sick schoolchildren to the cotton fields, now runs a Paris-based Association on Human Rights in Central Asia, stated the signatories are all Uzbek’s with firsthand experience of conditions in Uzbek cotton fields. Atayeva claimed that those who deny their accusations appear to have been deceived by the Uzbek government. “Our appeal is based on our concern over the fate of Uzbekistan’s children, who are deprived of a proper education at the expense of collecting ‘white gold,’” Atayeva says (Cotton Industry Targeted By Child-Labor Activists).

The letter directly followed the November 15, 2007, Call for Uzbekistan cotton boycott by a group of civil society activists from Uzbekistan. Following the call for the boycott the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) issued a letter, dated November 30, 2007, stating that a boycott of Uzbek cotton in international markets would be “highly impractical”, and .

The media revelations over the past year, including an eye opening expose by the BBC, of the abuses of children in Uzbekistan have promoted some companies to act, such as Swedish based H&M, Finland’s Marimekko, and Estonia’s Krenholm. The newest companies to join the boycott are the UK’s Tesco and Marks and Spencer, who announced this month that they will no longer purchase cotton from Uzbekistan. Tesco stated that they will now required all suppliers to identify the source of raw cotton.  While these efforts are a giant step forward, they are a long way off from freeing Uzbek children from the cotton fields. The true fate of the children lies in the hands of the Uzbek government who continue to deny and skirt the truth, and the international community who looks on with blind eyes.  Until both the Uzbek government and the international community on the whole act to make an honest industry of Uzbek cotton.

 

Related Links:
Please see my previous post, Child Picked Cotton…Central Asia’s Child Labor

The Curse of Cotton: Central Asia’s Destructive Monoculture
The Environmental Justice Foundation - Child Labour and Cotton in Uzbekistan
Focus on child labour in southern cotton sector
Elliott Cannell’s paper, ‘The Role of Children in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Harvest’, published at the SOAS confrence ‘The Cotton Sector in Central Asia: Economic Policy and Development’,

While the bruises of the body fade in time, the scars of child abuse never fade. Children are never the same again after an abuser has entered their lives, they loose not only the innocence of childhood, but also the chance at a normal future. One cannot erase the memories of abuse, they live in conscious and the subconscious, invading every aspect of ones life. Child abuse victims are given a life sentence, forced to live in the shadows of their abusers.