The chair of Slotervaart local authority in Amsterdam, Ahmed Marcouch, says the Dutch city's anti-poverty policy is too non-committal and tends to make people more dependent. Marcouch made his remarks at a poverty conference in the Amsterdam district. He said the system of free services and food banks does not encourage people to find work. Marcouch said he knew children who did not know a single father or mother on their street with a job. The Labour politician said this meant children would grow up believing there was no need to work.
Acid attack on Afghan schoolgirls
Attackers sprayed acid in the faces of at least 15 girls near a school in Kandahar, police say. They say that the attack happened shortly before at least six people were killed in a bomb blast near a government building in the city. Doctor say that the six girls were wearing Islamic burkas or veils which provided them with some protection. Correspondents say the attack is likely to have been carried out by those opposed to the education of women. The former Taleban government had banned girls from attending school.
Chinese Quake orphans still seeking homes
Only 12 children orphaned by the earthquake that struck China's Sichuan province six months ago have been formally adopted. More than 600 children lost both parents in the earthquake that left about 88,000 people dead or missing. But only a handful of these have completed official adoption procedures. A senior official from Sichuan said most orphans would be housed with relatives that were not killed in the quake. Other children will be adopted by non-relatives or live in orphanages.
Uruguay head vetoes abortion bill
The Uruguayan Senate has voted to decriminalize abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy – a rare step in a Latin American country. The measure, approved last week by the lower house, passed by 17 votes to 13. The bill's backers say it will reduce the number of women dying because they have to resort to illegal abortions. But President Tabare Vazquez, himself a doctor, has said he opposes abortion on medical and ethical grounds, and he is expected to veto the bill. Under the current law, women who have an abortion and the people who assist them face prison.
Hunt for Haiti school survivors
At least 82 pupils and teachers were killed and scores injured when a three-story school collapsed in a suburb of Port-au-Prince on Nov.7. It is not known how many people were in the building when it collapsed. The building contained a kindergarten and a primary and secondary school with a total number of 700 pupils. Hundreds of people, including police and UN peacekeepers, were searching for survivors. The school was rebuilt after a section of the building collapsed several years ago and a fourth floor was under construction at the time of the tragedy.
End "Shoot to Stop' Practice at Sinai Border Crossings
Since June 2007, Egyptian border guards have killed at least 32 African migrants trying to cross into Israel, and Israel has forcibly returned at least 139 border crossers to Egypt, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Nov. 12. Egypt has detained those returned, not revealed their whereabouts, and reportedly deported some to their home countries where they face a substantial risk of persecution. In the 90-page report, "Sinai Perils: Risks to Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Egypt and Israel,” Human Rights Watch called on Egypt to halt the use of lethal force against border crossers and all deportations of persons to countries where they risk persecution or ill-treatment. Israel should halt forced returns of migrants to Egypt, where they face military court trials and possible unlawful deportation to their countries of origin. Both countries should respect the rights of persons seeking asylum. "Sinai Perils” documents numerous cases in which Egyptian border guards shot unarmed migrants, including children, as they tried to cross the Sinai border into Israel. The report says that, in Egypt, authorities separate migrant families and incarcerate them, including children, in poor conditions.
Girls raped by uniformed men in Darfur – peacekeepers
Two girls aged 11 and 12 and three women were raped by men wearing military uniforms in Sudan's Darfur region, peacekeepers said on Nov. 5. The joint UN/African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force said it would not release details of the date or place of the sex attacks because of high sensitivity over the issue. But force spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters the crimes had been “documented” over the past week. Activists and western governments have accused government-backed militias and other armed groups of carrying out widespread rapes during the conflict, which international experts say has killed more than 200,000 people.
Another Colombian general resigns over child deaths
The commander of the Colombian army has resigned in connection with a scandal implicating the military in the deaths of 11 youths from a slum in the capital Bogota. General Mario Montoya resigned after the government admitted that the young men had been killed by members of the armed forces. The scandal came to light in September after the bodies were found buried near the border with Venezuela. Military leaders originally claimed that the youths were killed during fighting with rebels. So far, three generals and 24 other soldiers have been dismissed.
HAITI: Sex for survival puts women at risk
Four consecutive tropical storms in August and September wiped out much of Haiti's agricultural sector and cut roads to many cities, pushing living costs even higher. The resulting food crisis already threatens many HIV-positive people who can no longer afford adequate nutrition, but it may also increase the number of new infections as more desperate young women resort to sex work to survive. Overall HIV prevalence is at 2.2 percent, but the number of Haitians having sex before the age of 15 has increased, while condom use among women with more than one sexual partner in the last 12 months has decreased.
UNICEF appeals for support six months after cyclone devastates Myanmar
Six months after deadly Cyclone Nargis swept through Myanmar, leaving around 140,000 dead or missing and some 800,000 homeless, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that emergency relief efforts are on track, but vital support is still needed for the country's medium to long-term recovery. While planning for longer-term solutions, the agency has helped nearly 400,000 children in 2,500 schools in the devastated country by providing essential learning kits, school kits for teachers and psychological training to help children cope with the trauma of the cyclone.
