Children

New polio threat prompts mass vaccination campaign, as seven million children in nine of the 11 provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are being vaccinated against polio, a disease thought to have been eradicated in the vast country. The campaign, which began on 19 June, targets children up to the age of five, the age group worst affected by polio. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, according to the WHO.

Condom use not catching on among youth, in spite of massive spending on efforts to counter HIV/AIDS, experts warn that many young Thais are still having unsafe sex. “Many people know HIV is transmitted by having sex,” he said. “We also know we should stand up and give our seat to old people on the bus, but we don’t do it,” Sittichok Chaisupasin, a 16-year-old peer educator.

Typhoon Fengshen death toll rises to 224, as it moved out of the Philippines on 23 June towards China, leaving at least 224 dead, hundreds missing and thousands homeless, according to the Philippine National Red Cross and Office of Civil Defence. Heavy rains and winds of up to 195km an hour caused landslides, flash floods and storm surges.

Landmines impede civilians’ return to volatile Arghandab, as dozens of landmines have been discovered in Arghandab District, in the southern province of Kandahar. It is estimated that some 60 people, many of which are children, are killed each month in the country by landmines. Millions of landmines were dumped across Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s, killing and wounding over 70,000 people so far, according to the United Nations Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMAC). In other news, insecurity, uncertainty stop return of Afghan refugees, from Pakistan. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has repatriated 3.3 million Afghans since 2002, including 120,000 from Pakistan in 2008, but some two million registered Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan. The number of unregistered refugees is unknown.

US accuses LRA of abuses, calls for a quick peaceful solution. “The United States condemns the recent LRA attacks on Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Army forces at Nabanga, Sudan, and elsewhere, as well as the LRA’s abductions and other abuses of innocent civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Southern Sudan,” said a statement issued on 18 June. Along with four of his commanders Kony is charged by the ICC with carrying out abductions, killings, rape and conscription of Ugandan children as fighters among other war crimes. Some 30,000 children in northern Uganda have been abducted and forcibly inscripttion into the LRA. Government welcomes Kony’s “change of heart” but rules out more talks; “We only hope that he will put his pronouncement into practice. We note, however, that negotiations were concluded and there will not be a re-opening of the negotiations whatsoever,” Capt Chris Magezi, spokesman for the government delegation, said on 23 June.

Countries which are involved in conflict and strife are seeing an increasing use of violence against children, including kidnapping, torture and even murder. UNICEF issued a statement on the continued abduction, torture and rape of children around the world, saying;

“It is everyone’s duty to ensure children are safe from harm, and governments have a responsibility to enact and enforce measures that provide a protective environment for all children”.

Countries for which UNICEF has reported similar ochering incident in a number of countries including Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Iraq and Haiti.

In CAR armed gangs have profited from the conflict ridden countries vitality and instability, focusing on rural communities for which their terrorizing often includes kidnapping children and holding them for ransom. Earlier this month both CAR and Chad had agreed to the Release of Child Soldiers , however a number of armed groups continue to increase their ranks of child soldiers.

The DRC has seen thousands of children forcibly recruited by armed militant groups to be used as child soldiers, porters and sex slaves. UNICEF has estimated that some 30,000 child soldiers are in place in the DRC, many are girls and the situation has been noticeably on the increase as seen in my post, Child Soldiers in the Congo are Increasing

In Iraq the number of reports of children recruited and used by militias and insurgent groups are increasing, as is the abduction of girls who “are increasingly subject to murder, kidnapping and rape, or are being abducted and trafficked within or outside Iraq for sexual exploitation”.

UNICEF has paid particular attention to the Impoverished of Haiti, where kidnappings have become all too common. Since the beginning of 2008 alone more than 50 children have been abducted, more than half of which where girls. Earlier this month on June 4th UNICEF made a nation wide call to halt the kidnappings of Haitian children, the call came after a recent incident where a 16-year-old hostage was murdered and other hostages, including infants, where lynched and rape. The call from UNICEF was joined by Haitians demonstrating against the kidnappings in the streets of Port-au-Prince. UNICEF estimates that some 2,000 children are trafficked each year to the Dominican Republic, and another 1,000 are working as spies, messengers or soldiers for armed gangs in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

According to the Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 issued by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the number of armed groups and government forces using child soldiers increased from 40 in 2006 to 57 in 2007. The issues, such as poverty, disease and economic destabilization that face children in conflict countries are only compounded by the increasing violence against children. As the use of rape as a weapon of war, conscription of child soldiers, and other violence, including gender based violence, that directly targets children, not only exacerbates the conflict itself, but impedes the post conflict recovery for not only the children, but their entire community and the country on the whole. Therefore it is essential that individual states and the international community on the whole end the long running impunity of these violent crimes, and take greater steps to see that children are no longer used as the weapons and pawns of war.

“Any woman or girl who falls victim to this sort of violence, especially rape, is really having her possibilities for contributing to society greatly diminished.” -Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Løj (UN News Service).

One of the biggest obstacles in the support and rehabilitation of survivors of sexual violence is finding them adequate shelter. However in Liberia they are looking to ease that burden, as The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has built a new safe house for survivors of sexual violence in the capital, Monrovia. In addition to the safe house UNMIL has also worked to refurbish a former jail in an effort to ease overcrowding in country’s strained prison system. The safe house, who’s operations where handed over to a local NGO, was built as part of a UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supported project, costing $24,000. The safe house is more than just a house for the survivors of sexual violence, as they also receive psychosocial support, basic literacy skills development, vocational training and information about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS awareness.

Liberia’s long running civil war, saw an all too common use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. Since the end of the conflict in 2003, peace has not erased the scars of violence from the girls and women who where raped and assaulted, due to both the nature of the crimes, for which one never truly recovers and the standing impunity to prosecute the perpetrators of such horrific crimes. It has been estimated that more than half of all women and girls where victims of gender based sexual violence during the 14 year conflict.

The battle against sexual violence is far from over, but the new safe haven is a ray of hope in a dark world which plagues millions of women in Liberia and across the globe. Gender based discrimination and violence remains prevalent in many countries worldwide, especially in West Africa, and the building of a safe house and the establishment of support services in conjunction with sustainable life skills training programs is an example one hopes to see springing up in all countries of conflict. However safe havens and support programs alone should not be seen as the key to end sexual violence, as the roots of gender violence and discrimination must be tackled and overcome before we are to see true progress and advancement of the women of the world. Therefore it is vital that education and awareness programs be put into place, especially in rural communities, to educate families and communities on the realities and long term effects of gender discrimination. Additionally the long standing impunity over gender based crimes, especially the use of rape as a weapon of war, must come to an end.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched the second part of its multi-phase campaign to detect and treat widespread malnutrition in Togolese children. The agency is now targeting dozens of more isolated villages in the Savanes and Kara regions in the north of the West African country and the Maritime region in the far south after earlier reaching bigger population centers, according to a statement released by UNICEF June 15. (UN News Service)

Students and teachers clashed with police in Chile on June 18 to protest an education bill they say doesn’t go far enough to bring equal access to schooling for the poor even with a government flush with copper dollars. About a thousand students marched shoulder to shoulder in the nation’s capital, confronting police with tear gas and water canon in the upscale Providencia neighborhood. In Valparaiso, the port town where the national Congress is debating the controversial legislation, 10,000 teachers marched in peaceful demonstrations. (Reuters)

Chinese police have detained a retired teacher on subversion charges after she decried the state of many schools buildings that toppled during last month’s devastating earthquake, the Information Center for Human Rights said on June 18. The Hong Kong-based human rights group said police in southwest China’s Sichuan province detained Zeng Hongling for “inciting subversion” after she wrote essays arguing that corruption made a mockery of school building standards. The more than 70,000 people killed in the May 12 quake included thousands of children crushed in schools, which often collapsed even as nearby buildings stayed upright. (Reuters)

A Dutch court began hearings June 18 about whether survivors of a 1995 massacre of Muslims in Bosnia, Europe’s worst mass killing since World War II, can sue the UN for failing to prevent the slaughter. Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Muslims in one week in July 1995, overrunning the Srebrenica enclave declared a UN safe zone. Dutch peacekeepers overwhelmed by the Serbs’ superior force watched helplessly as the male victims were led away from their custody for execution. The Mothers of Srebrenica, survivors of the men and boys killed in 1995, are among those seeking compensation from the UN and the Dutch state in the civil lawsuit. (AP/MSNBC)

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it is scaling up its emergency operation in Iraq to address the basic needs of more than 360,000 vulnerable children inside the strife-torn nation. After five years of conflict, more than 800,000 Iraqi children are unable to go to school and only 40 per cent can access safe water, according to the agency. Through its Immediate Action for Vulnerable Children and Family - or IMPACT program - UNICEF is aiming to assist over 360,000 children this year and ensure they have access to health care and are protected against malnutrition. (UN News Service)

The work of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is no longer going to be only about delivering food, the former “food aid agency” announced in its new strategy for the next three years (2008-2011); it would now bill itself as a “food assistance agency”. Oxfam’s Mousseau cautioned that while his agency “welcomed” the new range of objectives and activities, “We think this new plan should not necessarily translate into more activities for WFP but rather better quality and effectiveness of WFP’s work. (IRIN)

No one would venture to say that there is ever a good place to be a refugee, however conditions do vary greatly, and in many country’s life as a refugee gives one little hope for the future.

According to a recent survey, The Worst Places for Refugees, conducted by the advocacy group US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)

Those countries listed as worst refugee abusers included are; China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Iraq, Kenya, Russia, Sudan and the continent of Europe where ranked as the 10 worst places for refugees.  All of those among the top-10 are seen as the worst violators of refugees’ rights, as the USCRI list was compiled basing the rankings on the levels of refugee rejections, persecution and deaths, or letting them enter into a country and subjecting them to deprivation and keeping them in an indefinate limbo.

Of the situation USCRI president Lavinia Limon said:

“We’ve tried to call attention to these countries because they have been particularly egregious in their treatment of refugees. Some of them have forced refugees back into dangerous situations, some of them have warehoused refugees in camps for decades, and some of them have done their best to make sure refugees never enter their territory. Some of them have done all of the above.”

Currently there are more than 60 countries which have substantial refugee populations, Pakistan has the worlds largest refugee population. 

In London, on June 17th, thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square, including schoolchildren, to taste what life in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region was like. The event followed UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres early kick off to World Refugee Day celebrations. Following a tour of the mock refugee camp, Guterres announced the results of the annual Global Trends report, which showed that the number of refugees under UNHCR’s responsibility had risen in 2007 for the second year in a row to 11.4 million, while the overall number of people of concern to the agency stood at 31.7 million. He said the rise in refugee numbers was of great concern (UNHCR).

World Refugee Day was officially held worldwide today, June 2oth, this years theme is Protection. Millions of refugees around the world live with out the fundamental right to the protection from violence and persecution. World Refugee Day looks to bring attention to those who have been forced from their homes to seek protection, and bring attention to their plight to receive even the most basic necessities such as; shelter, water, food and basic healthcare.

Most refugees are women, children and elderly, and over half of all refugees are children. The millions of child refugees, face the daily turmoils so few of us can imagine, as the violence and struggles that led children into a life as a refugee are only the beginning of their hardship. The rights and special protection needs of refugee children are frequently neglected, and children often face additional abuses in the camps. Life of a refugee is never easy, but it is woman and children who suffer the disparaging effects of displacement around the world. A window into this world can be see in Oxfam’s Alun McDonald’s interview; A day in the life of a 12-year-old in a Darfur camp.

How can you help? Join the efforts to help refugee children by supporting NineMillion, a campaign created in 2006 by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in partnership with Nike and Microsoft. The goal of the campaign is to give more than nine million children better access to education, sport and technology by 2010.

For more information on Refugee situations see the following links and current news articles:

“We call a child’s mind “small” simply by habit; perhaps it is larger than ours is, for it can take in almost anything without effort” - Christopher Morley

So often we over shadow our children, and fail to hear their thoughts and perspectives. By looking at a child as small minded serves only to underestimate their knowledge and their contribution to the development of our future. Children can truelly take in ‘almost anything without effort’, and thus we must not only work to see that we do not discount their contributions and abilities, but also see that the wealth of knowledge and information that we give children is what will best lead them towards a bright and peaceful future.

Some 84 juvenile offenders in Iran currently await execution, however the true number may be much higher. Iran remains one of the only countries in the world which continues to execute children, all in violation of its commitments to international treaties, such as Under Article 37(a) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child executions are a clear violation of international law, which bans the practice. You can see further details regarding Iranian law, and past cases, in my previous post Child Executions in Iran Continue Despite Violation of International Law.

Despite the laws on June 10th, a teenager by the name of Mohammad Hassanzadeh was hanged. The execution has brought forward international condemnation, such as that of the Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the execution of Mohammad Hassanzadeh.While Hassanzadeh’s execution took place another teen put on death row, Mohammad Feda’i, now has a glimmer of hope as his execution has been postponed for another month. Feda’i has been on Iran’s death row since he was 17 years old, following a trial for which he was not given adequate representation. Feda’i’s confession was also laden with allegations of a torture. While Feda’i awaits his fate, others await their schedualed execution dates.

You can take action for Feda’i and other juvenile offenders, here. For further information on child executions in Iran please see Stop Child Executions; Minors on Death Row in Iran.

In Eastern Burma the atrocities against ethnic minorities has continued, according to a recent report by the Free Burma Rangers. The government has continued it’s campaign against civilians as attacks on Karen villages have caused more than 1,000 civilians to flee their homes.

In a report, “Crimes Against Humanity In Eastern Myanmar.”, issued by Amnesty International, increasing cases of crimes against humanity are gravely documented. According to the report, more than 140,000 were victimized at the hand of the Burmese government. Assaults and abuses against the countries minority population include rape, murder and forced labor.

Please also see various reports issued by Human Rights Watch on Burma here. For further information see my previous posts The Increase of Child Soldiers in Myanmar and The Children of Burma/Myanmar

Since 1991, every June 16th mark the day of the African Child, and is honored world wide. This year the Day is dedicated to the right of the African child to participate, particularly to be seen and heard. Today marks “The day of the African Child,” which this year is dedicated to the Right to Participate: Let Children be Seen and Heard. The visibility of children is often taken for granted in even the most democratic state, however in many nations of Africa children have become largely invisible in all aspects, despite the high instances of abuse, violence, poverty, gender inequality and low literacy rates.
UNICEF is working to highlight the importance of child participation participation in schools, community action, media, and governance, highlighting in particular the importance of the 4th Junior 8 Summit. The Junior 8 Summit which will occur next month in Japan, gives youth from around the world an opportunity to share their views directly with world leaders gathered for the G8.

Young people’s voices must be heard, UN officials stress on Day of African Child, especially in Sudan;

“Every year, the Day of the African Child reminds adults of the importance to include children in the planning and decision making processes in Sudan,” UNICEF Country Representative Ted Chaiban said, calling for greater efforts to listen to the voices of children and to protect them from harm. “With an estimated 20 million Sudanese under the age of 18 – half of the population – it is vital that the views and aspirations of this generation form a central pillar in the recovery and development of Sudan, and that these children can live in an environment free of fear,” he added.

Children across the continent of Africa remain silenced by their denial to participate in the building and reconstruction of their countries and have an active role in democratic participation. Those children who face violence in the many conflict ridden states, are most often denied, or have limited access to legal support, as well as medical, physiological care, and education. Thus while children remain the highest population of those effected and victimized by conflict they have the smallest voice, which not only impedes their own recovery, but the adequate and sustainable building of the community and country on the whole.

Children who are accused of violating criminal codes and laws are often not given a fair trail, but dealt with informally by the local police. This denies a child access to a fair trial and thus often leads to inappropriate action and often abuse. Often a child’s access to fair trial or other various forms of participation are denied simply due to a lack of resources and knowledge, which therefore must be addressed by both the state and the international community to see that children are not marginalized. This is especially crucial for those who are victims of gender based violence, including rape as a weapon of war; as well as for those children who are being reintegrated following conflict, such as child soldiers.

UNICEF and other NGO’s working towards participation have a lot of work on their hands, however they are off to a good start. What one needs to see done to ensure that children across Africa are both seen and heard is to: increase resources and programs to all organizations working with children; work to end corruption and impunity of such violent crimes committed against children; establish child specific training programs for all personnel working with children; establish judicial systems designed to protect the violation against children’s fundamental rights.

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.



For more information and news please see:

On the day of the African Child, UNICEF in Sudan calls for children to be heard and better protected

Rwanda leading Africa in Promoting Children’s Participation

Malawi’s Youth Parliament convenes in run-up to Day of the African Child