Today was National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day (NGHTAD) and the buzz against human trafficking was all about. E-mails and 24 hour campaigns were bustling around the Internet, while Facebook was exploding with chatter on what one could do on the day to promote the day.  People across the country were sharing resources and information on how to become more aware, and what one could do to be involved in the global fight to see an end to the enslavement of some 27 million men, women and children who are held by the chains of modern slavery.

However what I want to stress most about NGHTAD, is that this is not a day to be aware, but to get aware, stay aware and act! I hope that people took today, and this national awareness month to learn some of the facts, look into resources, but most of all take tomorrow and thereafter to use them. Sure having a nationally recognized awareness day is great, but it is useless if it just sits there on the books and the only ones shouting from the rooftops about human trafficking/modern slavery, are those who are already standing on the front lines. I can write, type, talk and shout till my fingers go numb and my lungs go dry, but it’s all useless if no one is on the other side listening and learning.

True, an awareness day and awareness month, is great but for those of us in the field every day, every month, every year, is a National and Global Human Trafficking Awareness day. Did I talk more about trafficking today than any other day, yes and no! Sure, I spoke to a HS in the morning, various citizens in the afternoon as I used the day as an opener to talk to people I came across at every corner; the metro, cafe, CVS, etc. and I posted flyers everywhere I could, blogged, twittered, and facebooked away. In the evening my awareness raising continued as I was asked on a radio show to speak about the day and what people could do, as I rushed doing half my interview driving to attended an anti-trafficking community group meeting to learn and share with other organizations and interested citizens.
Therefore while it seems like I was non-stop, and I was publicly so to speak, as were so many others in the field, but the reality is that most of us are non-stop every day. I am famed for my 4am bedtimes, and all too often have had a colleague at another organization say, “You should have called me I was up”. Thus weather you hear the voices of activist on the front line or not, they are there and they are strong.  Nonetheless the harsh reality is there are far fewer of us than there are victims and survivors to assist. It is for this reason that it is so vital that the fight to combat modern slavery is not that of a day, nor that of a month, but a year long global fight by each and every local and global citizen, that will not end until each victim is rescued and every survivor is in a sustainable and thriving life. It is a long hard road, but it is a fight we can win if we unite to do so.  We all have a role to play…the end to modern slavery is a giant puzzle, and each one of us holds a piece to that puzzle…the puzzle of freedom!

What can you do?

• Learn more; watch films, read books and websites about Human Trafficking.
• Tell others about Human Trafficking…your voice is powerful…write, blog, talk!
• Start or join a student or community organization to raise awareness and learn more.
• Volunteer or organize a fundraiser with a local organization that works on Human Trafficking or a related cause.
• Post awareness flyers/posters in your office/school/gym.
• Buy Fair Trade and Slave Free products as often as you can.
• Don’t remain silent! Report it! Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline if you suspect any potential cases of human trafficking. (Put the number in your cell phone NOW!): 1-888-3737-888

It takes all of us to build the bridge to freedom!

Today marks National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day (NGHTAD), as a resolution passed by the US Senate on June 22, 2007 has forever marked January 11th as a day of awareness and vigilance for the countless victims of Human Trafficking across the globe.

Take action today, be it via the internet or in your own city/town/village across the world to remember all those around the globe who have been victimized by modern slavery and who are unable to govern their own lives.

• There are some 27 million people held in slavery today across the globe. (bigger and bolder, could be placed separately, possibly centered?)
• According to 2009 State Department Trafficking in Persons Report over 80% of those trans-nationally trafficked are women and children.
• The US State department estimates that some 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year and about 80 percent of them are female and at least 50% are children.

• In 1850 a slave in the Southern United States cost the equivalent of $40,000 today. According to Free the Slaves, a slave today costs an average of $90.

If you suspect a situation or a potential victim, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-3737-888 now!  We highly recommend you take a moment to place this number in your mobile phones now.

*The flyer was provided via the Bridge to Freedom Foundation, for downloadable copies please see www.BridgetoFreedomFoundation.org

WHO: Substantial progress against malaria
Increased funding has helped slash the number of malaria-related deaths by half in a third of countries where the disease is endemic, the World Health Organization says in its World Malaria Report 2009. Funding increased from $300 million in 2003 to $1.7 billion this year, allowing for more widespread delivery of bed nets and anti-malaria drugs.

PEPFAR and population growth
Despite the successes reaped by ramped-up funding for global anti-AIDS initiatives during the administration of President George W. Bush, the restrictions on family-planning efforts might have spurred population growth and contributed to growing poverty, according to this analysis. “It was a huge missed opportunity to integrate HIV/AIDS and reproductive health in ways that made sense,” said Jotham Musinguzi, a doctor and NGO head in Uganda.

Clinton lays out U.S. human-rights agenda
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton articulated a human-rights agenda that emphasizes the need for change within countries and continued U.S. engagement of adversaries such as Myanmar and Iran to foster improvements. “We must be pragmatic and agile in pursuit of our human-rights agenda, not compromising on our principles, but doing what is most likely to make them real,” Clinton said.

Eritrean soccer team disappears after match
After suffering a loss to Tanzania at a match in Kenya, Eritrea’s 12-member soccer team disappeared — seemingly fleeing the increasingly paranoid regime and desperate conditions that have taken root there. Each year, thousands of Eritreans flee the nation, in particular young men, who face the prospect of open-ended military service after graduating from school. The families of the players might face punitive fines or jail time imposed by Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, according to this article.

Uganda bans female-genital mutilation
Human-rights groups applauded the decision by Uganda’s government to formally outlaw the practice of female-genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision. Though never officially condoned, the practice still persists in some rural areas — and might continue unless Ugandan officials enforce the law and increase awareness campaigns about the dangers that female-genital mutilation presents to women.

Guinea moves to counter polio resurgence
Guinea is conducting a countrywide polio-immunization campaign after the once polio-free country recorded more than three dozen new cases since April. More than 11,000 health workers will go door-to-door during the drive in an effort to reach every child in the country.

AFGHANISTAN: The tribulations of child-bearing children
Afghanistan has the second highest fertility rate in the world at 6.51 percent. For every 1,000 women in the 15-19 age-range, 121 give birth to one or more children, according to UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates for 2005-10.  Female life expectancy in Afghanistan is 44 - one of the lowest in the world. Afghanistan also has among the worst maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. About 25,000 mothers die every year during pregnancy, at child birth or after delivery, according to UNFPA (equivalent to 800 deaths per 100,000 women).  “Mortality and morbidity figures among mothers aged 15-19 are much higher than for women older than 19,” said UNICEF’s Nazery, adding that young mothers often lack awareness of the risks of pregnancy and child delivery. “Child mothers and their children are usually weak and vulnerable to diseases.”  Only 14 percent of births in Afghanistan are attended by skilled health workers, according to UNFPA.  Research by the German NGO Medica Mondiale in 2004 highlighted the negative effects of early marriages in Afghanistan: “It blocks [girls] from education and any possibility of independent work. It subjects them to pregnancy and childbirth before they have reached physical maturity,” it said.

GUINEA: Shoring up children’s health amid turmoil
Some 1.6 million children throughout Guinea are receiving vaccinations, nutritional supplements and mosquito nets in a bid by UNICEF and the Health Ministry to shore up children’s health, which experts say has been hit hard by unrest in recent years. After some progress in the late 1990s and early 2000s child health in Guinea has deteriorated in recent years, due in part to the socio-economic and political turmoil, according to UNICEF Guinea representative Julien Harneis.

Experts: AIDS cases stabilize, except in sub-Saharan
Despite growing infection rates in sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people worldwide with HIV has remained nearly unchanged during the past two years. Scientists estimate the global epidemic likely peaked in 1996 and that powerful anti-AIDS drugs have helped to stem its mortality. About 72% of the 2.7 million new HIV infections take place in sub-Saharan Africa.

China executes 2 men for producing, selling toxic milk
Two men were executed in China for their part in producing and selling milk and milk powder contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine. Six babies died and 300,000 children became ill last year from the tainted milk. Nearly two dozen companies were implicated in the scandal and 21 people were convicted.

Mass yellow fever vaccination drive launches in West Africa
Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone are witnessing the largest immunization drive in history as groups strive to inoculate 12 million people against yellow fever in West Africa. Health officials say some 30,000 people worldwide die each year from the disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

UN celebrates 20 years of children’s rights
Signed in 1989 by every UN member nation but the U.S. and Somalia, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees children to the right to life, education and protection from abuse. Since the advent of the treaty — which enjoys the widest support of any international treaty — some 30% more children live beyond 5 years old, while 80% more children attend primary school.

UN: Afghanistan tops the world in infant mortality
Growing insecurity, endemic childhood diseases and lack of access to medical services and water combine to make Afghanistan the worst country in the world to be born, UNICEF said on the launch of its 2009 State of the World’s Children report. Afghanistan has the world’s highest infant-mortality rate, and nearly half of the country is off limits to aid and medical workers.

Biggest child killers on bottom of global health agenda
Donor shifts toward funding efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria have diminished attempts to tackle the biggest killers of children younger than 5 years old. Diarrhea and pneumonia kill an estimated 3.5 million children a year, more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.

Indian girls reject child marriages
Working with aid agencies in some of the nation’s poorest regions, the Indian government is establishing schools for child workers to educate them on their rights regarding child marriages, an outlawed custom that still is widely practiced. Impoverished families avail themselves of the custom to alleviate the financial burden associated with children, among whom half of all girls are married before the age of 18.

SOMALIA: Mass exodus as militia takes control of southern town
Somalia’s Islamist Al-Shabab militia group has taken control of the southern town of Afmadow, 620km south of the capital Mogadishu, causing hundreds of families to flee in fear of violence. Conflict and drought have led to the worst humanitarian crisis the country has faced in nearly two decades. An estimated 3.6 million - almost half the total population - need aid, according to the UN. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that the numbers displaced in fighting between government forces and the two Islamist insurgent groups has reached more than 1.5 million.

Children around the world are forced into the sex trade, very often by their own families, mislead by promises of economic opportunity or pushed by desperation.  The commercial sex industry is fueled by poverty, but driven by demand and while the issue of poverty must be addressed, so must the those who prey on women and children such as through the sex tourism industry.

One of the many countries ravished by sex trafficking is Cambodia.  Organizations such ,  as UNICEF, ECPAT and Save the Children, estimate that there are anywhere from from 50,000 to 100,000 women and girls in the sex trade in Cambodia.  Of those in the commercial sex industry in the country many are children, some as young as only a few years old.  According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) “the majority (52.2%) of female sex trafficking survivors identified were under the age of 17 at the time of trafficking”.

As the global recession continues, children are increasingly vulnerable to sex trafficking.  In Phnom Penh, which has about a quarter of the countries sex industry, children who are begging and peddling are increasingly at risk.  Many children roam around the city’s Riverside were  pedophiles and human traffickers are also known to prey on their innocence.

Little girls who should be giggling and playing with dolls are offering sex in child like terms with happy smiles, “yum-yum, boom-boom”. The normality of it all what is more shocking as children, some as young as four or six, who know nothing other than a life of sex and exploitation. A child who knows more about sex than toys, who think that grown men everywhere desire little girls as their play things…this is the sad reality that is life for many children in Cambodia and across the globe.

In February 2008 the Cambodian government enacted a “Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation”, which was done mostly after years of pressure from the United States.   One such form of pressure coming from the US was the country’s low ratings on the State Departments notorious TIP Report, the 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, placed Cambodia on the Tier 2 Watch List.  Following  the country’s first step to use legal means to impact and deter trafficking, they imposed ban on foreign marriages, in March 2008.  The ban was enacted largely in response to a sharp increase in marriages between South Korean men and poor Cambodian women, many who were not destined to newly wedded bliss, but a life forced into sexual slavery. Since the law was enacted Cambodian authorities have conducted numerous raids and cracked down on street prostitution, however the crack down according to many non-profits, has done little to help the actual situation, let alone the victims.

For more eye opening incite into the Cambodian sex trade and those whom it takes as its victims in its unrelenting path,  see the following video:

Women and girls are not the only victims of trafficking and slavery in Cambodia,  nor is the sex industry the only exploitative industry the country has to a great deal of work to do in order to combat. One such area is labor, such as seen in the recent SIREN case analysis: Cambodian men and boys exploited on long-haul fishing boats, English PDF

Human trafficking is the worlds fastest growing industry, according to the 2009 State Department Trafficking in Persons Report over 80% of those victimized by transnational trafficking are women and children. According to the International Labor Organization (End of Child Labor Within Reach 2006), each year, some 1.2 million children are trafficked for the purposes of labor, while another 1 million are trafficked into the sex trade.

Do watch the news, read news articles, or my blog posts and question what you can actually do that will make a difference?  Feel you are stretched for time or don’t have any money to give?  Well there is something that you can do today to help end child trafficking.  Help those in the field, and other concerned citizens like yourself to pass the Child Protection Compact Act of 2009 (HR 2737).  The bill was introduced by Chris Smith, U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 4th District, a leader in the fight against modern slavery. However the introduction of the CPCA is only the beginning in what is often a long legislative process, one that can only be successful with a united voice of the American voter.

Now is your chance to use your voice and put your vote to the test, as when it comes down to it the voice that is heard on the hill begins with you. Members of Congress look to their constituents for direction and support, and we need you to take the opportunity now to let your representatives know what matters most not only in your district, but across the country. Therefore let us all unite together to urge Members of Congress to support the Child Protection Compact Act (CPCA)of 2009, and together we can see that we move one step closer to bringing an end to modern slavery.

What does the Child Protection Compact Act (HR 2737) mean?
This groundbreaking legislation seeks to eradicate trafficking in children by focusing on assistance and collaboration with eligible individual countries through the implementation of Child Protection Compacts.  Many countries have passed anti-trafficking, child labor, child marriage, and similar laws to combat modern slavery, however there is not always the means to enforce these laws.  The lack of enforcement of such laws continues to leave children unprotected.  The CPCA would help enforce anti-trafficking laws in targeted countries by providing them with technical assistance and training. These target countries are ones who have shown a level of political will to fight human trafficking, but have been without adequate resources, know-how, and the capacity to follow up with survivors.  Therefore if enacted, the CPCA will offer additional resources for the targeted countries law enforcement, victim protection services, and deterrence through the apprehension and prosecution of human traffickers.

SEC. 6. CHILD PROTECTION COMPACT.

(a) Compact- The Secretary, acting through the Ambassador, may provide assistance for a country only if the country enters into an agreement with the United States, to be known as a ‘Child Protection Compact’, that establishes a 3-year plan for achieving shared objectives in furtherance of the purposes of this Act.

(b) Elements- The Compact should take into account the national child protection strategy of the country and shall contain–

(1) the specific objectives that the country and the United States expect to achieve during the term of the Compact;

(2) the responsibilities of the country and the United States in the achievement of such objectives;

(3) the particular programs or initiatives to be undertaken in the achievement of such objectives and the amount of funding to be allocated to each program or initiative;

(4) regular benchmarks to measure, where appropriate, progress toward achieving such objectives, including benchmarks for each program or initiative;

(10) the strategy of the country to sustain progress made toward achieving such objectives after expiration of the Compact.

What can you do?
Get a meeting with, call, write, e-mail the Congressional Representative and,or Senators in your home state and district. Let them know how important it is to you that we abolish modern-day slavery in our time, and give a voice to children across our country that have been silenced by the invisible chains of modern slavery. This is essential in all 50 states as we work to get this bill to the next stage of life, and closer to being a reality.

If you have reason to suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline on 1-888-373-7888. Multilingual call specialists are on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.

Today, 16th June, is the International Day of the African Child, honored worldwide since 1991, the day is set in which to celebrate the life of an African child. The day was founded in remembrance of the massacres of the innocent children and adults  who participated in the June 16th  Soweto Uprising, in South Africa in 1976, when some ten thousand children marched in protest of the  quality of their education and demanding their right to be taught in their native languages.  During the Soweto Uprising hundreds of those children marching were shot, another hundred plus  people were killed and thousands injured over the following weeks as protests continued.  The day was thus established to mark not only the courage and sacrifice of those in Soweto, but to give a voice to the plight of all African child.  Thirty-three years later the day still gives continued awareness of the still vital need for the improvement of education for all African children.

Today’s major event is the 11th session of the Children’s Parliament, held in Cameroon. This years focus is on child and maternal mortality, according to the United Nations (UN) Millennium Campaign some 50,000 African children under five years old die from preventable and, or curable diseases. Yesterday the campaign called on all African states, civil society organizations and the private sector to not only tackle the issues of; child and maternal mortality, high school dropout rates and poor quality standards of Universal Primary Education. According to the campaign 38 million children of primary school age in Africa continue to remain out of school.

“Child survival, protection and development are not only universal aspirations enshrined in the MDGs; they are also human rights issues ratified in the International Convention on the Rights of Children and the African charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,” said the UN Millennium Campaign Communications Coordinator for Africa and Acting Deputy Director for Africa, Ms. Sylvia Mwichuli. “Investing in the health and education of African children and their mothers is a sound economic decision and one of the surest ways for a country to secure its future. Reducing child mortality and ensuring universal primary education requires strong political commitment.” (Day of the African Child: The Unending Plight of African Children)

Children of Africa’s 54 countries are all unique and diverse, nonetheless they share the same struggle for daily survival, as disease often run rampant, child labor and the use of child soldiers impacts most of the continent. Their diversity aside the children of Africa are more often displaced by force or urbanization than another continent, they suffer more than any other nations from HIV/AIDS, education is a right all too often missed, while child labor and trafficking often surpass it in demand.  The Day of the African Child leaves one to reflect on the often dire needs of children across Africa, and give focus on the need to increase equal access to suitable education, health, and the protection against abuses such as physical and sexual abuse, trafficking, the recruitment of child soldiers, child labor and child marriages.

While  children across the vast expanses of the Africa continent have received an international day of recognition, the true day of recognition has yet to be seen.  Recognition and value for the true worth of the African child will come only when their voices are truly heard and an investment in their collective future is seen; when one sees and end to gender inequality,  when their little bodies are no longer seen as disposable and an end to demand is seen for their use as tools of the sex trade, labor and weapons of war.  Until that day children across the continent of Africa continue to suffer unjustly, their abusers receive little recourse for their actions, and the majority of the governments sit idly by.  Therefore take a moment  today to share their stories of suffering and hope, for then tomorrow may be a better day for children around the globe.

For more information on the legal framework regarding child participation see Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes the right of the child to be heard and have his or her view given consideration in all judicial and administrative proceeding affecting him or her. For further information please see the African Charter on the Right and Welfare of the Child, for which article 4 states, how is in the best interest of the child and thus provides for the right of the African child to have his or her view considered in all proceedings affecting him or her.

Bound to tradition, some families, communities and leader’s around the globe, hold steadfast to the practice of child marriage.  One in seven girls in developing countries, with the exception of China, is married before their 15th birthday.  The practice of child marriages is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, however child marriage continues in other parts of the world, including South America, Middle East and among the Roma populations of Europe.

Child marriage has once again entered the media spotlight, as international uproar has stirred over the marriage of an eight year-old Saudi girl to a sixty year-old man.  The case has prompted Saudis ‘to regulate’ child brides , leaving the state to say it will now begin monitoring the practice of child marriages.  The Saudi government stated that the Justice Ministry desired to end the “arbitrary” way in which children are married, however they left no idea as to how they plan to work towards an end to the practice.

Last month attention was brought to the difficulties in ending the practice of child marriages in Burkina Faso despite efforts by the government and NGO’s, as the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has given some $7 million dollars to the fight since 2002, however NGOs have stated that that in 5 of the country’s 13 regions, child marriages continue in spite of efforts. To increase efforts against the practice the UNFPA, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the governmental National Population Advisory Council launched a two-year $1.6 million peer education, job training and health services project to bolster girls’ overall security- both before and after marriage in February 2009 (Child brides fight child marriage).

Thus is an end to child marriage in sight?  The end is undoubtedly not one we will see in the near future, however the end is a shadow in the horizon, which can be reached in time with increased efforts and sustainable initiatives.  The battle to end the practice of child marriage across the global is long, however it is not an impossible battle if the international community and individual states step forward to ensure that the rights of children, especially girls, are ensured and protected. Gender discrimination must be put on the forefront of the agenda in order to see an end to the cycle of abuse and poverty, that continue to fuel child marriages.  States must ensure that individual communities are adequately educated on the long-term effects of child marriage,and gender discrimination, and see that sustainable solutions are then put in place. Such solutions include; making a education a priority and ensuring girls have equal access, seeing families have alternatives to pay debts, and providing health education on HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

See previous posts for more on Child Marriage.

One doesn’t have to think hard about how difficult life can be when you do not have access to appropriate healthcare services and facilities. The developing world and countries at war are continually burdened and the ones who pay the heavy price for this strain are most often women and children. In many societies an added problem comes from gender inequality and a lack of adequate education on healthcare, in particularly female issues, including childbirth. On such preventable and treatable medical condition that thus plagues many women and girls is fistula.

Fistulas, is abnormal connection or passageway between two epithelium-lined organs or vessels which normally are not connected. The types of fistulas that most commonly are faced by women and girls are vesicovaginal and rectovaginal, which most often occur in the case of violent or gang rape, very often done with objects, such is so commonly seen by victims of the use of rape as a weapon of war. The second type is obstetric fistula, which develops when blood supply to the tissues of the vagina and the bladder, and/or rectum, is cut off during prolonged obstructed labor, this is most often due to the mother having a small or under developed (flat) pelvis, thus occurs frequently in the case of child mother and thus is most common in countries with a higher level of child marriages. Fistula which is caused when tissue dies, thus causing a hole to form from the vagina to the rectum, which then causes urine and/or feces pass through uncontrollably. According to the World Health Organization some 2 million women are living with untreated fistula, and around 100,000 women will develop fistula each year.

The effects of fistula are harsh on it’s victims both physically and psychologically, as victims are often abandoned and social ostracized. Many women and girls also suffer additional verbal and physical abuses by their husbands, families and communities. The main reason for such sever reactions from the condition are based on sheer misunderstanding of the condition, which has led to its continued silence. The first battle to be won against fistula is that the silence against fistula must be broken, for only then will the feeling of shame be lifted from the shoulders of 2 million women and girls and treatment for the condition be increasingly sought.  The second battle against fistula is to see that the 100,000 women and girls who are afflicted by this preventable condition are saved from the burden, by increasing education and awareness on women’s health and gender issues, increasing access to adequate healthcare facilities and services, and preventing gender based violence and rape warfare.  Thus gender equality is at the forefront in winning the battle against fistula, and freeing millions of women and girls from a life of needless shame.

Related News and Resources:
Campaign to End Fistula
The Fistula Foundation
Women’s health care in war zones neglected: Red Cross
UN campaign helping global South combat obstetric fistula receives award
The Info Project - Fistula
Education key to preventing fistula
Saving lives with trained birth attendants

YEMEN: Threat to legislation outlawing child marriage
Although Yemen’s parliament has agreed to set the minimum age for marriage at 17, there are concerns the decision may be rescinded as some members of parliament (MPs) say the amendments violate Sharia (Islamic) law.

AFGHANISTAN: Taliban forces students out of schools into madrasas
The closure of schools and continuing attacks on students in the southern Helmand Province forced Abdul Wakil’s parents to send him to a madrasa (Islamic school) in neighbouring Pakistan. “In the madrasa we were taught to sacrifice ourselves for Jihad in Afghanistan and were told to do suicide attacks,” the 14-year-old told IRIN in Lashkargah, centre of Afghanistan’s insurgency-torn Helmand Province.

Kenyan school offers Somali refugees a modern – and moderate – education
Hoping to preserve the peaceful tolerance and pragmatism of the Somali culture, the Fathu Rahman Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya, offers refugee children an alternative to radical Islamist schools. “This is a battle for the minds of Somali children,” said Principal Sheikh Mohammad Moallem Hussein, a moderate Islamic cleric.

Malaria: Spoonful of sugar could save thousands of children
A teaspoon of sugar allowed to dissolve under the tongue works as well as intravenous glucose to save the lives of children suffering from malaria-induced hypoglycemia, a French physician has found. Hubert Barennes tested the treatment in a pediatric department in Africa, where 800,000 children younger than 5 years old die each year of the disease.

SRI LANKA: Children suffering the most in conflict
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to guarantee the free movement of hundreds of thousands of civilians - including as many as 75,000 children - out of conflict areas in the north.

ISRAEL: New report highlights child abuse risks
Israel’s National Council for the Child (NCC) published a report on 8 February in which it said 309,141 children had been described by social services as being at risk of abuse.

ZIMBABWE: 94 percent of schools fail to open
About 94 percent of Zimbabwe’s rural schools - where most children are educated - failed to open this year, the UN Children’s Fund said on 10 February 2009. The education system, once viewed as the finest in sub-Saharan Africa, has become a casualty of the country’s economic collapse and political infighting.

BANGLADESH: Report blasts primary school education
Around 70 percent of children in Bangladesh who complete their primary education are unable to read, write or count properly, according to an internal report by the Department of Primary Education (DPE).