The impending July trial of Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay sets a dangerous precedent on the treatment of child soldiers. In May UNICEF head Anthony Lake warnned about trying Khadr, saying that the use of children in conflict is a war crime and those responsible should be prosecuted, but the children involved are “victims, acting under coercion.” Lake stated […]
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Poverty is the worst form of violence.” Poverty is the worst form and the most common form of violence which is committed daily against on quarter of the world’s children. Recently the World Bank revised poverty figures, to show a substantial increase in the number of people around the world living […]
Chinese officials push back against new formula safety concerns Officials from China’s Ministry of Health denied that there was any connection between formula produced by the Chinese company Synutra International and infant girls whose parents claim they began exhibiting signs of puberty after using the formula. Afghan rights advocates are worried by stoning Afghan human-rights […]
The use of rape to terrorize women and girls, has continued throughout the Congo’s long and bloody war-torn history. Fear has become a daily emotion for women and girls, as the numbers of rape victims have continuously risen since the end of the Second Congo War, becoming a common feature of Congolese daily life. Why […]
One of children’s biggest pastimes is hunkering down in-front of the old tube and playing video games. While of course the fist thought is to recommend that your child’s access to games and TV is limited, as an advocate for good old outdoor play. Nonetheless we all know that moderate video game usage isn’t necessarily […]
Tajikistan polio outbreak continues An outbreak of polio in Tajikistan has undermined efforts to eradicate the disease worldwide and threatens to spread even further. This year alone, 452 cases of polio have been confirmed, with several more detected in neighboring Russia. Authorities have spent $7 billion since 1988 in a campaign to eliminate polio, which […]
We all know the obvious culprits of the Western diet that can be harmful to our children’s health…the dreaded fast food, but could our diet actually harm children in the developing world even on a good day? According to new research from Italian scientists in the August 2-6 issue of the Proceedings of the National […]
There is one piece of breaking news this afternoon that sent both my Twitter and Facebook feeds into a frenzy: Federal Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that Proposition 8, the bill that amended the Californian Constitution to prohibit granting marriage licenses to same sex couples, is unconstitutional. From the ruling: “Proposition 8 fails […]
I am now writing from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I arrived here on Sunday and am freelancing for several organizations for the next few months. While I will try to keep a broad lens for the blog, I thought I would kick it off with a post on human rights in Haiti, as the human rights situation […]
Last month the Chinese government announced that police have used DNA technology to reunite 730 families, whose children were missing, and are now speeding up the establishment of a national DNA database to assist in reuniting missing children and their families. “The DNA database has helped reunite 730 children with their families,” Meng Qingtian, an […]
Grim projections for global population growth New population research shows that while population growth remains high in developing countries, low population growth in developed countries may lead to financial insecurity for increasingly elderly — and long-lived — populations. Projections show that the population, which will grow to 7 billion people next year, will eclipse 9 […]
The current administration has placed some priority on issues affecting children, however in light of the recession much of this has failed to materialize in state budgets. How do your representatives vote when it comes to issues effecting children? Vote Kids released the 111th Congressional Scorecard this month, which shows how each member of the […]
*Russian spy Anna Chapman gets her own action figure in the United States. Gets serenaded by Russian President Vladimir Putin? *Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck says that you should vote for him in the Republican primary because, unlike his opponent, he does “not wear high heels.” Maybe we should start a “Ken Buck Should Campaign […]
Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly made a unanimous and historic vote to establish the first United Nations (UN) entity which will be exclusively dedicated to women’s empowerment and gender equality. UN Women is the result of years of hard work and negotiations between UN member states, international NGOs, policymakers and tireless advocates around […]
In the UK a recently released study showed that 55% of children in the United Kingdom, who have been identified as persons victimized by human trafficking and subsequently rescued will eventually become missing persons. The main reason for the high percentage rate of missing child survivors is due in direct relation to a lack of […]