What turns the "I will be's" of childhood into, the "I could be's"? Poverty, gender inequality, war, and disease all take the "will be" out of many children's future, but the true dark shadow that continues to plague millions of children every year is lack of access to adequate education. Education is the key to […]
On the 20th of November we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and what better way to celebrate and bring attention to children's rights then to publish a children's version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We Are All Born Free is a picture book celebrating […]
The extreme toll that the fighting in the Congo has taken on children is only beginning to emerge. In all conflict children are the hardest hit, but the severity of the situation in the Congo highlights the country's ability to handle the capacity of those affected. Children who have either been orphaned or lost in […]
“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children." – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German Lutheran Pastor who participated in German Resistance movement against Nazism. The inheritance of our morality is truly that of a child's, it is not merely leaving children the ruins of war, for […]
Amsterdam too easy on its poor The chair of Slotervaart local authority in Amsterdam, Ahmed Marcouch, says the Dutch city's anti-poverty policy is too non-committal and tends to make people more dependent. Marcouch made his remarks at a poverty conference in the Amsterdam district. He said the system of free services and food banks does […]
In a report, Human Rights Agenda for the New Administration, issued this month Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlights four crucial initiatives that the new US president, Obama, should take once he takes office in January: 1. Ensure that US Counter-terrorism Efforts Comply with International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. 2. Make Human Rights a Central Pillar of US […]
Today we honor our country's veterans, for it was in 1918, at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, that the fighting ceased in World War I with the German signing of the Armistice. Initially the day was known as Armistice Day, for which it remains known in many European countries. […]
Why is the promotion of breastfeeding, and the work that organizations like Mercy Corps are doing, so important? The first two years in a child's life are vital to that of healthy development into adulthood. After the age of two much of a child's life is already permanently imprinted upon them. Children who spend their […]
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 […]
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 […]
"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 […]
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 […]
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 […]