As a writer on children’s rights, the subject of abuse is commonplace, the types of abuse are a varied as they are haunting. Most often I write about the horrors that happen outside the United States, however the US is plagued by its own child abusers in all forms. Often we forget to bring much […]
African leaders assemble to write IDP covenant Members assembling for a summit of African heads of state in Uganda seek to pass an African Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, a protocol that will serve as the first legally binding instrument regarding internally displaced people. Though the draft document […]
Today is a day to bring awareness to the realities of the situation as it is World Food Day, the theme of this year’s Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is,Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis. The world food security governance system is inefficient and not well coordinated to address the […]
I am a true believer in the old saying that “laughter is the best medicine”, when I am down or just having one of those high stress days I pull a face or just do a crazy dance and the world suddenly seems right again. Laughter is truly a saving grace in many cases, and […]
Kenyans in refugee camps fear returning home Many Kenyans remain reluctant to leave the tents they have called home since election violence displaced them a year and a half ago — despite a call by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to fully close the camps today. Many of the refugees said they feared returning to the […]
A few years ago I brought you the inspiring story of William Kamkwamba, who at the age of 14, used the inquisitive nature of his youth to change the lives of both his family and village. After being forced to drop out of school as his parents had no money,William sought refuge in a tiny […]
Recently The Future of Children, which is a collaboration between the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution, published the journal; Preventing Child Maltreatment, The Future of Children, vol. 19, no. 2, Fall 2009. The full journal can be found Here. The report begins with the question; […]
Thanks to your readership and support the Foreign Policy Association’s Children’s blog was voted as one of the Top 100 Blogs on the web by the Daily Reviewer. To see the other top 100 Human Rights Blogs click here.
DRC band looks to raise awareness for disabled A group of polio-stricken paraplegic singers and musicians have banded together to make music and fight against social stigma and grinding poverty faced by the disabled in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The group, Staff Benda Billi, has embarked on a European tour to promote their new […]
The topic of child labor is sadly one of those that is always at the top of my list. However we have had some significant strides recently, especially regarding the release of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) list of goods produced by forced labor and child labor! The long pending release was nothing less than […]
This past weekend communities across the country literally took to the streets to combat child trafficking. The flagship walk in New York City had some 1,284 registered walker with $124,687 in donations raised. New York in true NYC style added their own unique style with the Stiletto Run, which raised over $10,000 and had over […]
Now is the time for action to end human trafficking in our nation’s capital, said DC Council MemberPhil Mendelson, chair of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. While I am working within the DC Council to advance legislation, outreach efforts and community awareness about trafficking are imperative to end this brutal crime. Mendelson […]
Apologies for the lack in articles over the last two weeks, as I have been on international travel, most of which was to attend and speak at the Aspen Institute’s Cultural Diplomacy Forum in Avilies, Spain. The theme of the conference was: Culture and Security. The Forum featured a combination of keynote addresses, plenary panels, […]
Chinese babies stolen by officials for foreign adoption Though conventional wisdom says many of the thousands of Chinese babies who have been adopted since the early 1990s were abandoned by their parents because of Chinese family-size restrictions and the traditional preference for boys, harrowing stories of coercion are emerging among parents whose children were forcefully […]
Guatemalan soldiers sold children in war Guatemalan soldiers forcibly abducted and sold hundreds of children for foreign adoption during the country’s prolonged civil war, a Guatemalan government report charges. When Guatemala’s war ended in 1996, the country was second only to China in the number of international adoptions. Obama Unshackles Global AIDS Work The administration […]