The people of Hong Kong have proven to be tough in pursuit of their own destiny. Now a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, this former British colony was given a special status not only because of its capitalist foundation under a one-party leadership. The name reflects the combination of Hong Kong's […]
Since the dawn of time women of set forth to care for their children, their natural source of sustenance for their infants, breastmilk. However natural breastfeeding may be, the rate of woman breastfeeding in some countries is significantly low, as seen in the previous post, Is Breastfeeding heading for extinction in the Philippines?, which is […]
The International Crisis Group calls it one of the world's longest and most neglected conflicts. For the Saharwi who live in the Western Sahara in southern Morocco, everyday is a struggle for recognition of basic fundamental rights and international attention. Neither seem to materialize. Progress is slow but for the global solidarity movement represented here […]
In times of war everyone becomes a victim, however children suffer more than anyone, and girls face an even graver fate than their male counter parts. Sexual Violence against girls is heightened in times of war, the degree of violence deepened. The Democratic Republic of Congo is no exception; in fact the DRC may truly […]
written November 7, 2008 If all goes as planned, for the next few weeks I'll be telling you a story that is thirty-three years in the making. It begins in the barren deserts of the Western Saharan and stretches into a protracted stalemate between the Saharwi people and Morocco. It involves a conflict of state-centric interests, […]
The result of the 2008 U.S. presidential election is a long delayed step towards expanding opportunities for and chances of future presidential hopefuls. Now that Obama's historic victory has taken place, one is left to wonder how much he can continue this trend towards change for a better and more unified country. Obama was an […]
"The commercial sexual exploitation and abuse of children is nothing less than a form of terrorism — one whose wanton destruction of young lives and futures must not be tolerated for another year, another day, another hour." – Carol Bellamy, Former Director of the United States Peace Corps, Executive Director of UNICEF, and President and […]
Pakistan just might be the thorniest of the myriad pressing foreign policy challenges that will demand President Obama's attention the minute he's sworn in. Josh Hammer has this summary of the several recent terrorist attacks conducted by Taliban-allied forces. Meanwhile, the United States continues to target Al Qaeda militants living on the Pakistani side of […]
Yesterday I wrote on Shari’a law and the stoning death of a 13 year-old rape victim, during the same week this atrocity was carried out in Somalia, reports of anouther underaged execution have been reported in Iran. Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated than an Afghan national, convicted of murder when he was only 17 years old, […]
What is Shari'a law? Shari'a literally translates as "way " or "path to the water source". Shari'a law is derived from the Qur'an (Koran), the Muslim holy book, and Sunna or hadith, which means example and is derived from the sayings and practices of the prophet Muhammad. Therefore Shari'a law is often derived from what […]
The Democratic Republic of Congo once again finds itself embattled in a deep and violent conflict, continuing to have a deep and lasting impact on the countries children. The past two days have seen continual fighting in the east of the country, and fears of ensued violence continue to rise. In recent weeks the conflict […]
MIT professor and writer Noam Chomsky makes a compelling argument against the unbridled moral imperatives of the Western elite in an essay published in the Monthly Review. In particular, Chomsky challenges the ideological rhetoric of governments or agencies who support “the responsibility to protect” and the “right to intervention”. While referencing Jean Bricmont's book Humanitarian […]
AFGHANISTAN: Polio drives misses 120,000 children Tens of thousands of children – mostly in rural parts of the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan – have missed out on polio immunisation due to insecurity and threats to health workers, the Public Health Ministry (MoPH) has said. "We could not immunise about 120,000 children due […]
In April this year I brought you news of a former slave who put forth a suit against the state of Niger, which can be seen here. The brave plaintiff in the historic case was, Hadijatou Mani, a former slave who was sold into slavery at the age of 12 for a mere $500. Ms. […]
Charles Taylor's son Chucky was convicted of torture Friday, in the first prosecution under the United States’ Extraterritorial Torture Statute. Taylor is accused of leading a special unit in his father's Liberian army, known as the Demon Force, from 1999 to 2002; according to the Times of London, the force allegedly used tactics like “dripping […]