Chinese authorities have detained Xu Zhiyong, a scholar whose work has been marked by legal rights advocacy for migrant workers, prisoners and parents of children poisoned by tainted milk. Though he was arrested on charges of tax evasion, it is widely believed Xu is the subject of a crackdown initiated by Chinese authorities against human-rights lawyers on technicalities.
Pakistani Taliban preys on youths to bolster forces
Pakistani Taliban training camps are recruiting and in some cases capturing young boys to serve as recruits, according to children who have escaped the camps. Authorities are not able to verify the claims, which suggest as many as 400 youths, some as young as 7, might be kept at the camps
Opium ravages Afghan villages
Opium and heroin addiction are flourishing across Afghanistan, prompting families to sell their meager belongings and go without food to feed their addictions. Supply is bountiful and treatment options remain limited, especially in remote areas.
Unjust and ineffective
While U.S. laws are tough on sex offenders, the broad definition of the term makes it difficult to distinguish between the most dangerous offenders and everyone else. At least 13 states commit the names of people convicted of urinating in public to sex-crimes registries, while 29 states require registration for teens who have consensual sex with other teens. The explosion of the ranks of sex-offender registries has made it more difficult for authorities to track authentically dangerous sex offenders.
The Geopolitics of Facebook
New technologies speak most directly to young people, John Feffer writes, so they have tremendous potential to act as agents of social change by creating bonds between younger generations that their elders do not share. Web sites such as Facebook are more than just communication tools, he argues, they’re actively changing how younger people see the world.
U.N. team to visit Myanmar over child soldiers
The United Nations will send a team to Myanmar to investigate the use of child soldiers by the government and rebel groups and to encourage all sides to end the practice. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has criticized both sides for using underage fighters. The team will be investigating government claims some child soldiers have been released.