“Peace is no mere matter of men fighting or not fighting. Peace, to have meaning for many who have known only suffering in both peace and war, must be translated into bread or rice, shelter, health, and education, as well as freedom and human dignity – a steadily better life. If peace is to be […]
Dear all, I’m on freelance assignment in Georgia. I managed to interview Georgia's Prime Minister Vladimir Gurgenidze and asked him to explain why Georgia passed legislation that lowers the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12. Human Rights Watch (HWR) issued a report earlier this month and made an appeal to the Georgian government to […]
345 suspects, of which an estimated 290 where adult women charged as prostitutes, have been arrested in a child-sex sting. How many of the women arrested where actually victims of trafficking is unknown. In addition some 21 children where rescued as a result of the raids. Over a period of five days, in 16 cities, the FBI, have […]
Jonathan Adler notes the DC Circuit's Tuesday release of Simon v. Iraq, a case where US servicemen alleged that Saddam Hussein's Iraqi intelligence services had taken them hostage and tortured them during Gulf War I. The court concluded (in contrast to earlier, similar lawsuits) that the suit could go forwards. The plaintiffs rely on an […]
On July 6 at 8 and 11 PM ET on CNN, the US Fund for UNICEF will air, "The Survival Project: One Child at a Time". UNICEF is encouraging supporters to not only to watch the broadcast, but to host a viewing party to discuss these important issues of child survival. UNICEF has developed a […]
Agricultural land once used to produce basic foodstuff is increasingly being used to produce biofuels. According to a recent report by the aid agency Oxfam, the production of biofuels has increased food prices by 30% and pushed another 30 million people into poverty. Compounded by social upheavals, political instability, and drought, the world's poorest are […]
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, […]
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 […]
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that there is no justification for the “enemy combatants” designation of detainees held at the U.S. naval facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The case involves Hazaifa Parhat, a member of the Chinese dissident group, Uigher. The federal appeals court ruled the Pentagon […]
"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 Löj (UN News Service). One of the biggest obstacles in the support and rehabilitation of survivors of sexual violence is finding them adequate […]
In recent months I have brought you a number of posts regarding gender-based violence, including the use of rape as a weapon on war. While the subjects of of gender-based violence and rape warfare are nothing new, their voice has continually been silenced by impunity and rarely a massive topic of world leaders. However this […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Security Council demanded that all sides to armed conflicts around the world stop using violence against women as a tactic of war and take much tougher steps to protect women and girls from such attacks. In a resolution adopted unanimously after a day-long debate on women, peace and security, Council members said women and […]