Children

“There are few more challenging places to have a healthy childhood than Haiti!”

-Adriano González-Regueral, UNICEF’s Country Representative
(UNICEF Press Release: Survival is Greatest Challenge for Haiti’s Children ).

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti truly is a country in crisis, plagued by poverty, disease, infant mortality, high illiteracy rates, human trafficking, violence and abuse among high numbers of street children and hunger.

A recent AP article showed the gravity of hunger that Haitians are reduced to…eating mud. Mud cookies, which are made from dirt, salt and vegetable shortening, are many children’s only source of food some days, and are now a staple of a large number of Haitians diets. Increasing food prices, which are mainly due to increased oil prices and hurricane’s, have hit many already fragile Haitians hard. Haiti is a nation which relies on 40% of its food from imports for survival, but rising prices in a nation as poor as Haiti, have only burdened those who cannot carry what has already been placed upon them.

In 2006 UNICEF issued a Child Alert Report for Haiti, highlighting the increased need for support and action in the country and internationally. Haiti has the highest infant mortality rate in the world for children under 5 years old, with diarrhea, respiratory infections, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are the leading causes of death. However this is not the only large scale issue facing Haitian children. According to UNICEF; Some 60% of Haitians lack access to basic health-care services. Some 19,000 children are infected with HIV/AIDS. At least 2,000 children are trafficked every year to the Dominican Republic, forced to work as child labors. Less than half of the children attend school, with less than 2% finishing secondary school. In Haiti some 1,000 children are forced to work as messengers, spies and even soldiers for armed gangs in Port Au Prince, in addition there is an estimated 3,000 children enslaved as domestic workers.

The long term future for most Haitian children is one of continued struggle.

Related Links and Articles:

Haiti’s President-elect René Préval pledges to put children on top of political agenda

Haiti: Grim reality for street children

Last week, on February 12th, UNICEF issued a press release urging donors to give some $856 million to aid women and children and women who have been victimized by such emergencies as the conflicts in Chad and Kenya, to natural disasters such as the floods in Mozambique. Launching its Humanitarian Action Report 2008, UNICEF stated that the funds are to be used to provide urgent assistance in the areas of health, education and nutrition.

There are a number of countries in urgent need of assistance including; Kenya where there are some 150,000 children, half of the estimated population that have been driven from their homes in the recent violence. In Chad there is an estimated 30,000 of those forced from their homes, some 52,000, who are vulnerable, many of which are children and in need of immediate assistance. Other countries with considerable needs are the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), the CAR (Central African Republic), Pakistan and the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea.

However the greatest needs still remains in Sudan, where sexual and gender-based violence remains an immense concern as the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) continues to rise. There are some 2 million IDPs in Sudan, leaving camps stretched beyond capacity and aid agencies battling to meet the needs of those displaced as the conflict continues after nearly 5 years.

In reaction to the 230 page reports release, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, stated in a message to the Governing Council of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome on February 13th that efforts must be greatly increased to tackle poverty, especially in the realm of agriculture.

“This must be the year the international community renews its commitment to the needs of the weak, the disadvantaged, those who have been excluded from the mainstream of global society.”

Repeating his request that 2008 be the year that the international community seriously and effectively seeks to address the plight of the “bottom billion”, the poorest of the world’s poor.

A recent report published on February 5th, by the World Bank has found that those countries in the Middle East and North Africa need drastic improvements and repairs to their education systems in order to meet the demands the global world. “The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa”, takes an in depth look into the two regions, giving a very detailed and comprehensive economic analysis of the impact of education investments on the region. The report highlights that the last 40 years of educational investments have now closed the gender gap in the primary schools, thus resulting effects have been an almost universal education. Nevertheless, the regions face continued challenges due to globalization and the “increasing importance of knowledge in the development process.”  Both regions continue to lag behind East Asia and Latin America in both literacy levels and the average number years of school attendence among those 15 years and older.

“Since education is the main source of knowledge creation, the task is clear,” the report says. “The education systems must be changed to deliver new skills and expertise necessary to excel in a more competitive environment.”  In todays shrinking global world education is the key, but the key must fit more than the domestic lock…it must be a universal key to open all global doors.

Human rights organization Amnesty International has called for an end to forced evictions in Cambodia. Thousands of families have already been moved from their homes in the center of the capital Phnom Penh, and more evictions are set to follow. The authorities say this is a necessary part of Cambodia’s development. But in its report Amnesty disputes this, and says there has been a lack of accountability and consultation with local communities. Members of threatened communities from across Phnom Penh are fighting on, although their homes may soon be reduced to rubble. (BBC)

Hundreds of schools closed, roads were empty and shops were shuttered in districts in Nepal’s southern plains on Feb. 13 at the start of a strike by ethnic Madheshi groups to press for regional autonomy. Violent ethnic protests in the region last year claimed at least 45 lives, throwing a shadow over Nepal’s peace process after a decade-long civil war with Maoist rebels ended in 2006. Three Madheshi groups, saying they represent the dominant ethnic community of the fertile Terai plains, have called the indefinite strike aimed at blocking roads to Kathmandu and other hilly areas of landlocked Nepal. (Reuters)

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply concerned about the growing number of civilian casualties, including children, resulting from the deteriorating security situation across Sri Lanka. Since the beginning of this year, the ICRC has observed an increase in the number of civilians killed or injured in targeted and/or indiscriminate attacks. In the first six weeks of 2008, more than 180 civilians were reported killed and almost 270 injured in a series of attacks on civilian buses, railway stations and individuals in Colombo, Dambula, Kebhitigollewa, Madhu, Okkampitiya and Welli Oya. (ICRC)

An independent UN expert Feb. 13 hailed progress in Saudi Arabia on advancing the status of women but urged more action to prevent gender-based violence and raise their profile in public life. “Women of Saudi Arabia, in full respect of their societal values, appear ready to embark on a new stage of engagement in contributing to the advancement of their society and that of the coming generations of women and men,” the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, Yakin Erturk, said in a statement after visiting the country from Feb. 4-13. (UN News)

Severe flooding caused by weeks of heavy rain is now known to have left 48 people dead and some 40,000 families homeless, authorities in Bolivia say. Two rivers in one of the worst-hit provinces, Beni, have broken their banks and are threatening to cut off the main city in the region, Trinidad. The government has declared a state of emergency and launched relief efforts. Among the worst-hit areas are the eastern provinces of Beni and Santa Cruz as well as Cochabamba in central Bolivia. Several thousand people have been moved from areas at risk in Beni. (BBC)

Sexually transmitted diseases have spread so widely in some Aboriginal communities that mass treatment without individual testing, even for children as young as 10, is the only way to fight the problem, according to a medical paper published Feb. 4. The authors of the paper in The Medical Journal of Australia, Dr. Frank Bowden and Dr. Katherine Fethers, contend that the traditional method of screening and treating people individually is not working because patients often move on before their test results have been returned and because of a lack of resources. (NYT)

More than a city that is pro-child we must work to see a world that is pro child, a world where children no longer have to live in fear. A world in which children are not the pawns of war, the heartless victims of political roulette, the unwitting legacies of ruthless leaders…the children for which childhood has no meaning. For the world in which children are allowed to be children is the world in which we will find peace.

Take the time this Valentines day to show kids in need that they are loved!

Save the Children’s Campaign - Sharing Your Love for Children on Valentine’s Day
Click to Give - Send a Valentines and help hunger or child’s health

Suicide bombers have become a mainstay in today’s modern warfare, we have become hardened by their continual actions and rarely does one become shocked to see headlines like, “suicide bomber kills 11″. Modern suicide bombing began in the 1980’s during the Lebanese Civil War, and has since spread to more than 12 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Palestine and Israel, with attacks in some 30 countries. The use of suicide bombers has dramatically increased since its modern beginnings in the 198o’s which saw an average of 4.7 attacks a year to 180 attacks a year in the first half of the 2000’s (The Moral Logic and Growth of Suicide Terrorism Fig. 1, p.128).

While suicide bombing incidents are now steadfastly becoming a weapon of modern warfare, these human bombs are most often not the sound and hungry disciples that their leaders and trainers portray in their rhetoric. Just this month two suicide bombers in Iraq where discovered to be mentally disabled, as following the deadly attack both bombers where revealed to have Downs Syndrome (Blasts in Iraq markets kill 91). Sadly the use of the disabled as suicide bombers is hardly an isolated case. A 2007 study in Afghanistan, found 80% of the suicide attackers had some kind of physical or mental disability (Disabled Often Carry Out Afghan Suicide Missions).

These are not heartless killers, but manipulated people who’s minds and bodies have been enslaved by the terror that is placed upon them over and over by those who see vengeance as a tool which wins battles. This misguided approach to warfare not only hinders the ability to win wars, but leaves countless victims that are manipulated into acts for which they do not understand the extent of their actions. Yes, it is true that many suicide bombers go forth with these acts of a sound mind and their own free will, but we must remember that what makes someone act in such a manner is still based on deception and misconception. However it is not these actors in which sends fear into society the most, it is the acts of mere children.

The use of child suicide bombers appears to be increasing, and while many children are educated and reared into this deadly fate, many are thankfully saved or removed before their actions have deadly consequences. Many have seen the images of infants and toddlers dressed in mock suicide bomber outfits in Palestine, and while they may not commit such acts when they grow-up, their fate is one undoubtedly leaning towards violence.

Many children are being taught the ways of suicide bombing in religious schools, others by their parents or other relatives, however it is the use of religious schools that are on the rise. In Pakistan this has been seen with the use `madrassah’ (seminary schools) as a source point of indoctrinating children into the life and death of a suicide bomber seems to be increasing. Rehma, her husband Shaukat fearfully removed their son Zarak from the seminary, and packed then moved the entire family away after they where shocked at his talk of suicide bombings and paradise (Child suicide bombers “victims of the most brutal exploitation”). In Pakistan the there were 56 suicide attacks in 2007 alone, a number which many fear will only rise in 2008.

The question of weather or not these children are terrorist or victims seems clear to many…they are victims of those who brainwash and lead them to this future less life. It is the cowards who prey on the innocent, never seeming to take action themselves, they just continue to spew this deadly rhetoric and watch as their victims take the lives of other innocent victims, that are the true terrorists.

Please see my previous posts on child suicide bombers here.

The skills of women who work as birth attendants in rural Uganda are extremely important to the well-being of both mothers and babies. Charity groups are trying to train many of these birth attendants as far too many still rely on traditional and outdated approaches to assisting labor. The Guardian (London))

Healthcare threatened by political crisis in Kenya - Health officials are concerned about the long-term impact of Kenya’s political crisis on healthcare, especially in areas hardest hit by violence since the end of December 2007.

5 million at risk as meningitis death toll climbs in Burkina Faso - Overall 774 cases have been reported, with Mandogara district close to the Cote d’Ivoire border at epidemic levels and three other health districts on high alert.

In the DRC province of Katanga the cholera outbreak continues to spread, despite efforts, it has now claimed the lives of 97 people, and 4,029 have been infected since the first cases were reported in September 2007, according to François Dumont, spokesman for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-Belgium). “Poor families are the most affected because they use water from wells and springs which are often contaminated,”(IRIN).

Leishmaniasis affecting children in southern Iraq - Over 180 children have been affected with Baghdad boil disease, or leishmaniasis, in Iraq’s southern province of Qadissiyah, about 130km south of Baghdad, local officials said.

Government raps emergency response commission as winter death toll rises in Afghanistan - Latest figures compiled by the Afghanistan National Disasters Management Authority (ANDMA) show that over 650 people - mostly children and the elderly - have died since December as a result of sub-zero temperatures, snow and cold-related respiratory diseases.

HIV spreads among IDUs despite campaigns in Indonesia - Drugs are a major problem in Indonesia and injecting drug use is particularly rampant. In 2006 the Ministry of Health estimated the number of injecting drug users (IDUs) at between 190,000 and 247,000. Injecting drug use is also the primary cause of HIV infection: the health ministry estimated that nearly half the 10,384 HIV/AIDS cases reported by September 2007 were IDUs. In “hot spots”, like the capital, 72 percent of HIV/AIDS patients are IDUs; in West Java that number climbs to 80 percent.

Cooking with poison - Cut-price cooking oil used in most Malian households has been found to contain gossypol, a toxic substance that is known to cause sterility, cancer and inhibit growth.

Bracing for a humanitarian emergency - Tajikistan is bracing for a compound humanitarian emergency due to prolonged power outages, an unusually long period of extremely cold weather, and resultant emerging food insecurity, according to officials.

Whooping cough outbreak in West Darfur, Sudan - A dramatic rise in whooping cough cases has been reported near El Geneina, capital of the Sudanese state of West Darfur, but insecurity has made it difficult for medical personnel to reach the affected populations, according to an international NGO.

Manila women fight contraception ban - In the Philippines, twenty of Manila’s poorest residents have filed a legal challenge against what they say is a ban on contraception.

February 12 is the annual commemoration day to draw attention to the use of children in armed conflict and war. The Optional Protocol, Article 4, 6.3, adopted by the General Assembly in 2002 stipulates that state parties “shall takes all feasible measures to ensure persons below the age of 18 do not take a direct part in hostilities and that they are not compulsorily recruited into their armed forces…to prohibit and criminalize such practices… and demobilize children within their jurisdiction who have been recruited or used in hostilities, and to provide assistance for their physical/psychological recover and social reintegration.”

In July of 1998, the ICC (International Criminal Court) adopted article 8.2.26—it was not entered into law until July 1, 2002. This law forbids the “conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 years into the national forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities” and therefore see’s such abuses as a war crime.

UN Security Council Resolution 1612 was passed on July 26, 2005. It is the first comprehensive monitoring and reporting system for enforcing compliance among those groups using child soldiers in armed conflict.

It has been historically proven that sports bring people and countries closer together, that is what the Olympics has stood for, and ever four years it brings stories of triumph, inspiration and hope. But the Olympics are not the only sports arena where battles have been fought, for many girls around the world sports was, and is, something they could have only in their dreams. Nonetheless many girls took the love and desire of the game to another level, they used it show their voice and demand their rights. One such group of young girls is the Afghan womans soccer team, the first Afghan national women’s soccer team. Shamila Kohestani is the captain of team, and her story, like many other young girls under the iron bars of Talibani rule, is not one of a girl who’s childhood was nothing but roses, but one of endless struggle.

“I was out wearing a burqa, but because I had just started to wear it, I did not have the practice to cover all my body,” Kohestani says. “[The Talib] asked me why I had not covered the front part of my body. So he beat me and I threw the burqa off and escaped” (Female soccer star achieves goals).

A long way from her secret class rooms in Afghanistan, education for girls was strictly forbidden, Shamila is now in the United States to pursue her education, and has yet again defied the odds.

Late in the season at her new school in the United States, Shamila missed the soccer team, but this was no deterrent for the bright teenager, who quickly took on a new sport. Shamila can now be found dribbling not down the soccer field, but the basket ball court!

Regardless of what sport Shamila is playing she shows that determination above all, gives hope to the future! Her future is bright and Shamila knows that the real power of women in Afghanistan is not just found on the field, but in the classrooms, and she continues to remain focused on her studies so that she may return to Afghanistan and it is here where her real battle has begun.

“This was a young woman who had never used a calculator before, did know how to use a computer, but didn’t have one,” said Hardwick, the headmaster. “She had a lot of holes in her educational background, because she had been out of school for about five or six years of her early learning. If there is any great leveler in the world, it’s got to be education, and this is what she wants, she wants to be educated.” (Soccer as an Escape to Hope for Afghan Teenager)

Everyone who has met Shamila believes that their is no stopping her and that she will over come the hurdles that lie before her, just as she has so many times before.

 

More on Shamila and Sports in Afghanistan:
Once Whipped By Taliban, Girl Makes Mark As Soccer Star
Soccer players shoot goals for Afghan women
Afghanistan: Women’s Soccer Wins Support In First Games Abroad

The Afghan Youth Sports Exchange

I would also recommend you check out the movie ‘Osama‘, the first feature film out of the post-Taliban Afghanistan. The film shows one 12 year old girls struggle, as she tries to save her family and disguises herself as a boy to work.