Foreign Policy Blogs

Children

Norway pledges funds to help UN fight female circumcision

Norway pledges funds to help UN fight female circumcision, pledging $3.4 million USD to the UN, Norway hopes to make considerable strides in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). “Genital mutilation is a brutal violation of the basic human rights of women and children,” Norwegian Aid Minister Erik Solheim said in announcing the pledge. […]

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Female Genital Mutilation Continues in Senegal

Female Genital Mutilation Continues in Senegal

Photo: Heba Aly/IRIN In the town of Malicounda Bambara, population of around 3,000, a large crowd gathered on 5 August to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the day that the community publicly stated its commitment to abolish female genital mutilation (FGM). The declaration, which was officially made on July 31, 1997, made headlines around […]

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Female Genital Mutilation in the UK

The practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is not reserved to the Middle East and Africa, as the law enforcement in the UK has discovered the hard way. Female genital mutilation is on the rise in Britain, as Scotland Yard estimates that up to 66,000 girls, 74,000 according to the woman's rights group Forward, in […]

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Child Star, Ready to Die for a Free Palestine

11 year old, Saraa Barhoum, Hamas TV's child star says she's ready for martyrdom. The star of Hamas television's most famous children's show, "Tomorrow's Pioneers". The very same Hamas television children's show that brought us the ‘militant Mickey Mouse look-alike’, Farfour, that was killed by an Israeli interrogator. Saraa said she was ready to be […]

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Internet Cafe's Become the New Refugee Camps

There is no sleep for the weary eyed young workers of Japan, as a new generation struggles to enter into the job market and leave life in the lower class behind. While the struggle of a young and aspiring professional, or labor, is nothing new, the true gap of classes in Japan is reveling its […]

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"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." -Haim Ginott

"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." -Haim Ginott

No matter what you say, or what you do, it all leaves a mark on the children around you. A child who witnesses violence and war, is forever scared by what they see. A child who hears nothing but negative, cannot erase the voice that says, “you can't”. But the child who witnesses peace and […]

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Somalian children, longing for life in thier own country

Somalian children, longing for life in thier own country

Any time that a child spends in a refuge camp, isn't ideal, and is usually ripe for children's rights violations. However many children in refugee camps around the world, know no other life outside the camps, and Somalian children in Kenya are no exception. The question is, when and how can they leave life in […]

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Children in the Congo take very adults roles in shaping the future of the DRC

“When a woman is not educated, all the nation is in danger, because it is the woman who gives the basic education to the children.”-Arthur Omar Kayumba, 16, a member of DRC's Children's Parliament (Children's Parliament’ Sets High Bar in Congo) Children are giving out legal advise and harsh warnings to others, including adults, in […]

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Update to Toxic Toy Story

Last week I wrote the post, Toys that will make you sick, about the recall of imported toys from China, due to led paint. Over the weekend, Cheung Shu-hung, the co-owner of Lee Der Industrial Co., the company that manufactured recalled Mattel toys, hung himself in one of the company warehouses. Cheung's apparent best friend […]

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Male Circumcision, A Rite of Passage and HIV/AIDS Prevention, But Can be Deadly For Many Boys

Male Circumcision, A Rite of Passage and HIV/AIDS Prevention, But Can be Deadly For Many Boys

A right of passage into manhood or a dangerous abusive practice, that is killing many innocent boys? In Africa the debate has grown heavy in recent months, after the UN recommended male circumcision as a form of HIV/AIDS prevention. But for many the rite of passage is done in a rather primitive manner, and has […]

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"Free to Play"…The Fight Against Slavery Takes it to the Pitch!

"Free to Play"…The Fight Against Slavery Takes it to the Pitch!

On Sunday Washington, D.C. saw a new form of political statement and advocacy, as one local group of concerned citizens and activists took to the football pitch. Amid the midday summer sun the DC Fight Trafficking and Modern Slavery Meet Up group took on the Washington Soccer Society in a “Free to Play” soccer match. […]

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International Youth Day, August 12

International Youth Day, August 12

At the UN, youth stress efforts to promote development, as on Friday, August 10th, some 200 plus young people from around the world began celebrations for International Youth Day. This year's theme is "Be seen, be heard: youth participation for development." Other events where held around the world to honor and encourage the young people, […]

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News Round-Up

News Round-Up

War, drought, heavy flooding, poor health care and education are plaguing many children in Afghanistan. UNICEF appeals for more aid to help women, children as the country has one of the highest child and maternal mortality rates in the world, with 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and one in four children die before […]

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"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. And it is youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow, and the triumphs that are the aftermath of war." – Herbert Hoover

"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. And it is youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow, and the triumphs that are the aftermath of war." – Herbert Hoover

Sierra Leone Lebanon   Palistine   The legacy we leave our children is all we give them, it is truly the mark of what we have done with our lives. Do we really want to leave our children with nothing more than hate, destruction, violence, and death? Are our lives not worth living, do our […]

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Toy's That Will Make You Sick

Toy's That Will Make You Sick

(AP Photo) The days of quality, long lasting, domestic products are long gone, especially with toys, and while the toys are cheaper, are they better? Well the quality question has been one that many have been asking for years, and now the answer seem very clear to many consumers. As toy recalls seem to be […]

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