While much of the U.S. budget is facing cutbacks, the U.S. would be well-advised to preserve and even increase spending on vaccination efforts in developing countries — particularly in the battle against polio.
UNITED STATES: Free text messages promote healthy pregnancies
One year after a broad coalition of U.S. community health organizations launched text4baby, a free service that sends health-oriented reminders via text message to expectant and new mothers, some 135,000 women have subscribed, prompting organizers to set a new goal of reaching 1 million users by 2013. Subscribers — who send by text their due dates, or child’s birth dates, as well as their ZIP codes — in turn receive three messages each week that are relevant to their stages in pregnancy, or a child’s development.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC of CONGO: Initiative seeks to empower women
UNICEF and private foundations have joined forces with playwright Eve Ensler in an initiative to empower women in the Democratic Republic of Congo — especially survivors of the country’s rape epidemic — in a bid to build an army of women trained to take on decision-making roles in their communities. Program participants will receive training in self-defense, human rights and computers as well as have access to counseling and basic education services.
AFRICA: Campaign highlights female circumcision practices
More than 6,000 communities in six African countries have ended support for the practice of female genital mutilation in response to a United Nations program started in 2008 that uses music and local celebrities to raise public awareness. Female genital mutilation is practiced in 28 African countries with an estimated 2 million females undergoing the procedure every year.
SOMALIA: Malnutrition is up because of drought
Several seasons of no rain have left millions of Somalis in dire need of assistance, raised malnutrition rates and forced thousands of families out of their homes, the United Nations and aid agencies say. In some regions, Somalis have seen as high as 70% of sheep and goats die as a result of the drought in the past three years.
SOMALIA: Rising number of child landmine victims in Somaliland
Somalia’s self-declared independent region of Somaliland has had an increase in landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) explosions in recent months, largely victimizing children, causing officials to call for mine awareness education in schools. Ahmed Ali Maah, director of the Somaliland Mine Action Center (SMAC), told IRIN, that “some 93 children have been killed by landmines in the past three years.”
PHILIPPINES: Reproductive health bill passes major hurdle
A highly contentious reproductive health bill passed a major hurdle on 31 January after being approved by a committee of the Philippines House of Representatives. The consolidated bill, which proposes national funding for, and access to, reproductive healthcare services and products, has been hotly debated for nearly 15 years. It still requires approval by the Senate, but advocates describe the committee’s vote as a major step forward.
UK: Unlawful force contributed to death of 14 year-old boy in his cell
The unlawful use of force contributed to the decision of a 14-year-old boy to take his own life at an British youth custody center, an inquest jury has concluded. Adam Rickwood, from Lancashire, England was found hanged in his cell at Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in August 2004. A jury has now concluded there was a failure in the system, as hours before Rickwood’s death an officer used Nose Distraction Technique – a sharp painful blow to the nose- and then carried him to his cell. Rickwood was the youngest person to die in UK custody in the modern era.
CHINA: Survey: New generation of migrant workers face old problems
The Shanxi committee of the Communist Youth League of China carried out a six month survey from July 2010 across 11 cities in the province and polled about 5,000 young migrant workers. The new generation of migrant workers still suffers from a range of problems, including discrimination, infringement of their rights and limited access to essential social services, a six-month survey in North China’s coal-rich Shanxi province has found. Migrant workers suffer discrimination based on identity issues and unfairly limited access to medical services and education for their children, the survey found.