War crimes trial of former top Croatian generals begins at U.N. tribunal 11 March 2008 , The trial of three former senior Croatian generals accused of murdering, persecuting and displacing ethnic Serbs during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s got under way at a United Nations war crimes tribunal today. Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak and […]
Despite international rumors and reports in the last month China's controversial one-child-per-couple law will remain in effect for at least the next decade, government officials said Monday. The Chinese governments statement ended weeks of speculation regarding the abandonment of the program to pave the way for more babies despite the largely aging population. Zhang Weiqing, […]
Tonight I had the privilege of attending a special screening of the documentary film Traffic, which is part of the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign. MTV EXIT, which is produced by the 2003 established MTV Europe Foundation, was designed to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking among the MTV demographic. […]
War crimes trial of Croat General Gotovina to begin AMSTERDAM, March 9 (Reuters) – Former Croatian General Ante Gotovina goes on trial at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Tuesday charged with responsibility for the murder and mistreatment of Serbs in Croatia's Krajina region in 1995. Gotovina, who is accused with two […]
Officials from the United Nations, the European Union and other institutions, as well as several ministers and other leaders have urged that women should be given a bigger voice in helping the world overcome conflicts and poverty. The call came at a conference in Brussels last week. The conference, which included some 50 international delegates, […]
Bush vetoes bill outlawing CIA waterboarding Sat Mar 8, 2008 1:53pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President George W. Bush on Saturday vetoed legislation passed by Congress that would have banned the CIA from using waterboarding and other controversial interrogation techniques. Lawmakers included the anti-torture measure in a broader bill authorizing U.S. intelligence activities. “Because the […]
Thai Court Keeps Arms Dealer in Custody By GRANT PECK , 3 hours ago BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) ‚ Thai police received court permission Saturday to retain custody of a reputed Russian arms dealer dubbed the “Merchant of Death” who was arrested in a U.S.-led sting operation that lured him from his home in Moscow. Viktor […]
Today, March 8th is International Women's Day, a day that was established to commemorate the struggle women and girls across the globe have endured in order to obtain their ‘full’ human rights. Sadly while I sit here and enjoy my ‘full’ rights, millions of women and young girls worldwide are still being denied. Millions of […]
Children are our most valuable natural resource, yet we do not prize them and treasure them as we should, but treat them as disposable items. Children across the globe daily are abuse physically, mentally, and sexually; forced to work in harsh and unbearable conditions; faced to bare witness to violence and war; suffer from preventable […]
Authorities in the Republic of Congo have lifted a temporary ban imposed four months ago following the arrest on 25 October 2007 in neighboring Chad of members of a French NGO who were charged with abducting 103 children. Nutrition experts say governments are not investing enough to prevent and treat malnutrition in women and children […]
The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel sent a letter to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other ministers that accused the government of war crimes in its latest incursion into Gaza. The letter reminded the ministers that a key principle in “humanitarian international law is the principle of distinguishing between fighters and […]
It was a year ago today that I wrote my first blog post, and what a year it has been! My time with the FPA has been both one of incite and growth, for me personally and for the Children's blog itself. In the short year that we have been live we have had considerable […]
Echoes of Rwanda filled our minds as Kenya became engulfed in the flames of ethnic violence following the December 27, 2007 presidential election in which President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner. Supporters of Kibaki's opponent, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, were inflamed by allegations of electoral manipulation, which was widely confirmed by […]
Who would have thought that making people happy would lower the crime rate? Well the major of Brazil's once sixth deadliest town, thought that happiness had to be the key to safe living, and wouldn't you know it he was right! Some 100 miles northeast of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, lies Vila Boa, and […]
On October 7, 2001 allied forces invaded Afghanistan, and while the war is not at the forefront of most peoples minds, sadly the effects of the Taliban and the war are far from being distant memories. Thus it is children who ultimately pay the higher price for the conflict. While the north of the country […]