As Congress comes back to session after a their long August break, many items are on the agenda, including the very-delayed food safety bill. Many are looking forward to seeing an amendment which may be put into place in the food-safety bill to ensure Bisphenol A (BPA), potentially dangerous and toxic chemical is banned. BPA […]
The situation in Haiti is quietly, exhaustedly unstable. People I talk to in camps complain of flooding when it rains, and children get fevers and diarrhea for lack of clean water. Port-au-Prince has never had universal potable water, but now that over a million people are homeless and unemployed, many cannot afford to buy clean […]
UN takes up MDGs as 2015 deadline looms Governments around the world are looking to forge agreement on a strategy for the last five years before the Millennium Development Goals deadline amid projections that none of the poverty, health or education milestones will be reached. “The final five years of the goals are going to […]
In the United States we have just returned to our busy work weeks following a long Labor Day weekend, were most of us thought little about forced or child labor, but about the ending of summer and the return of children to school. My Labor Day was spent on the soccer field practicing with my […]
When one thinks of child labor in the context of the Labor Day Holiday in the United States or the International Day of Labor, otherwise known as May Day, the mind drifts back to images of the Industrial Revolution and to children toiling in factories and mines in the UK and US. Labor Day […]
As those across the United States embark upon Labor Day Festivities it brings to light the labor exploitations of children across the globe. Much continues to be done to ensure that children around the world are both protected and simply allowed to be children. Despite outrage, laws, and social advancements child labor continues to plague our global society, […]
Telling historical stories to children has always been easier when once can use another medium than the verbal, children are visual and thus books with virbrant illistrations are the first to come to mind. However one creative company is taking a greater step in just producing high quality “toys”, but ensuring that the cultures and […]
September is Washington D.C.’s Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the event which was established thanks to the efforts of the DC Task Force on Human Trafficking. The Task Force was established in 2004 with the DC police department and the DC US Attorney’s office. Since the establishment of the Task Force, membership has grown to over […]
Millions face poverty over drug prices Purchase prices of drugs for common conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes will push tens of millions of people in low- or middle-income countries below the poverty line, a study published in the PLoS journal warns. Researchers are calling for increased drug supply from the public […]
Human rights abuses have been making headlines almost daily in the burning hot battles of Mexico’s drug wars. From the horrific massacre of 72 migrants last week, to the gruesome display of four decapitated corpses strung from a bridge along with a warning sign, to human rights investigators gone MIA, the news is dark and […]
By Cordelia Rizzo In 2007, Mexico City’s legislature affirmed a woman’s right to choose to terminate her pregnancy during the first trimester. Today, this remains the only pro-choice law in the whole country. In response, conservative congresses in other parts of Mexico have toughened their own anti-abortion laws. But ordinary Mexicans are just beginning to […]
Zimbabwe’s HIV-positive children seek treatment abroad A lack of access to medicines in Zimbabwe is spurring a new wave of migration to Botswana and South Africa of children with HIV/AIDS in search of antiretroviral drugs. Zimbabwean authorities offer free antiretroviral treatment, but waiting lists and an exhaustive vetting process leave the vast majority of HIV-positive […]
The United Nations has again made a clear and strong denouncement against the use of rape during conflict. The move follows a 2008 denouncement of the practice by the Security Council, who unanimously adopted a resolution which acknowledged the use of rape as ‘a tactic of war and an impediment to peace’. There for the […]
The question of Iran’s nuclear capabilities continues to dominate the news with discussion of potential US or Israeli hard or soft intervention. Meanwhile human rights abuses continue unabated a year after Ahmadinejad’s aggressive repression of opposition voices around the 2009 presidential elections. The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old widow and mother of two […]
The China Daily first reported evidence which overwhelmingly pointed to infant formula as the cause behind three infants, who had earlier indicating adult levels of estrogen. The increased levels in the infants has cause early puberty symptoms, such as breast development and vaginal discharge. The infant formula maker, Synutra International Inc , has thus far sought no responsibility for […]