13 July 2006 - CRINMAIL 797
___________________________________________________________
- AID: Role of Donors in Creating Aid Volatility and How to Reduce It [publication]
- PERU: Denial of Maternal and Infant Health for Poor and Excluded Women [publication]
- CAMEROON: Millions of girls suffer "breast ironing" [news]
- JORDAN: Courts must be tougher on domestic violence [news]
- UN STUDY ON VIOLENCE: Children and Young People's Consultation [report]
- HIV and AIDS: Young children and HIV/AIDS [publications]
- EMPLOYMENT: Save the Children - War Child [job postings]
___________________________________________________________
Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at [email protected]. Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html If you do not receive this email in html format, you will not be able to see some hyperlinks in the text. At the end of each item we have therefore provided a full URL linking to a web page where further information is available.
___________________________________________________________
AID: Role of Donors in Creating Aid Volatility and How to Reduce It [publication]
[LONDON, 13 July 2006] - A new Save the Children report has shown that aid is failing to reach the countries it is destined to help because of slow and incomplete spending. With the European Commission the worst performer, managing to disburse just 40 per cent of its committed budget support between 2002-04.
The main reason for this failure to deliver has been the EC’s own inefficient and ineffective administration processes. Bureaucracy and the onerous conditions developing countries are expected to meet add to the delays, leaving countries unable to fund basic services such as hospitals and schools.
Between 1995 and 2000, the average delays in disbursing EC funds increased from 3 to 4.5 years with a few programmes having a backlog of un-disbursed aid commitments totalling more than 8.5 years’ worth of payments.
Sarah Hague, Save the Children’s Economic Advisor said: “Donors must realise that any delays in delivering on financial commitments can have a devastating impact on the people it is meant to help. Teachers and health workers don’t get paid, medical supplies and textbooks can’t be bought, children get sick and schools can’t function.”
The UK follows the Commission with its record of poor delivery of budget support, which is how it spends a quarter of its aid. Despite an improved performance over the past three years only 77 per cent of committed budget support was actually distributed in 2004.
The report's main recommendations:
- Donors should make more accurate projections of future aid allocations and should not allow bureaucratic or administrative burdens to reduce the amount of aid that they actually disburse
- Donors must plan their aid spending over longer time periods, replacing short-term plans with ones over 5 to 10 years.
- The UN should be made responsible for monitoring donors disbursement performance and holding them to account and the World Bank, which does not agree to reporting its aid predictability data by country, should be more transparent
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9213
For more information, contact:
Save the Children UK
1 St John's Lane, London EC1M 4AR, UK
Tel: +44 20 7012 6400; Fax: +44 20 7012 6963
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk
Further information
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERU: Denial of Maternal and Infant Health for Poor and Excluded Women [publication]
[LIMA, 11 July 2006] - In a new report published this week, Amnesty International revealed that in Peru, discriminatory maternity and infant health services are letting hundreds of impoverished women and children die every year and denying many of them the right to an identity.
“Effective maternity and infant health care in Peru seems to be a privilege of the rich. Impoverished women who are at greater risk of health problems during pregnancy and birth, and marginalised children who face higher risks of illnesses during the first years of life are the ones who receive the least protection,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Amnesty International’s Americas Deputy Director.
Amnesty International’s report also revealed that despite the development of a governmental free health service for marginalised communities, effective health care is not reaching impoverished women and children. “Lack of proper investment and unequal distribution of health resources across Peru is resulting in the deaths of hundreds of women and children every year, deaths that could have been easily prevented,” said Guadalupe Marengo.
According to official statistics, during 2000 alone, 71 out of every 1,000 babies died at birth in Huancavelica, one of Peru’s poorest department - almost five times more than in Lima, Peru's richest city, where 17 out of every 1,000 babies died on the same year.
The World Health Organisation estimated that 410 out of every 100,000 women died during labour in Peru in 2004. This figure is surpassed only by Haiti, Guatemala and Bolivia - the three poorest countries in the Americas.
Amnesty International’s report, published in the context of the III National Health Conference, also points out the discrimination suffered by the few who access health services. “If you go [to the health centre] badly dressed they make you wait longer and the ones who arrive later but better dressed go first; if you complain, they treat you worse,” said a woman from the town of Iquitos, Amazon region. In other areas of the country, indigenous women who decided or were not able to go to health centres to give birth were fined and denied birth certificates.
In its final report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said that one of the main causes of the 20 year long internal armed conflict in the country was the discrimination and lack of access to economic, social and cultural rights for the poor - particularly women and indigenous peoples.
"Discrimination against marginalised women and children is a long-standing problem in Peru. The new government has the chance to change the situation by setting the country's priorities right: they must guarantee human rights for all without discrimination,” said Guadalupe Marengo.
Amnesty International called on the new Peruvian authorities to:
- Ensure non-discrimination and distribution of information regarding the free maternity and infant health service available for socially excluded people;
- Guarantee that marginalised women are not fined for giving birth at home;
- Ensure that all children have access to birth certificates; and to
- Guarantee adequate labour conditions and human rights training for health professionals.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9162
For more information, contact:
Amnesty International - International Secretariat
99-119 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RE, UK
Tel: +44 20 7814 6200; Fax: +44 20 7833 1510
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.amnesty.org
Further information
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAMEROON: Millions of girls suffer "breast ironing" [news]
[YAOUNDE, 5 July 2006] - "Breast ironing" - the use of hard or heated objects or other substances to try to stunt breast growth in girls - is a traditional practice in West Africa, experts say. A new survey has revealed it is shockingly widespread in Cameroon, where one in four teenagers are subjected to the traumatic process by relatives, often hoping to lessen their sexual attractiveness.
"Breast ironing is an age-old practice in Cameroon, as well as in many other countries in West and Central Africa, including Chad, Togo, Benin, Guinea-Conakry, just to name a few," said Flavien Ndonko, an anthropologist and local representative of German development agency GTZ, which sponsored the survey.
"If society has been silent about it up to now it is because, like other harmful practices done to women such as female genital mutilation, it was thought to be good for the girl," said Ndonko. "Even the victims themselves thought it was good for them."
However, the practice has many side-affects, including severe pain and abscesses, infections, breast cancer, and even the complete disappearance of one or both breasts.
The survey of more than 5,000 girls and women aged between 10 and 82 from throughout Cameroon, published last month, estimated that 4 million women in the central African country have suffered the process.
The practice is now more common in urban areas than in villages, because mothers fear their children could be more exposed to sexual abuse in towns and try to suppress outward signs of sexuality, the survey said.
Its findings have prompted a nationwide campaign to educate mothers about its dangers and to try to eradicate it. A similar campaign some years ago helped drastically to reduce rates of female genital mutilation in Cameroon.
The younger a girl develops, the more likely she is to have her bosom 'ironed' - 38 per cent of girls developing breasts under the age of 11 had undergone the procedure.
The practice is most common in the Christian and animist south of the country, rather than in the Muslim North and Far North provinces, where only 10 per cent of women are affected.
The survey found that in 58 per cent of cases breast ironing was carried out by mothers worried that the onset of puberty could provoke sexual harassment, inhibit their daughters' studies or even stunt their growth. Many mothers were alarmed because an improvement in nutrition and living conditions had caused young girls' breasts to develop earlier than ever.
"Massaging the breasts with hot objects is painful, very painful, and can completely destroy the breasts," said Bessem Ebanga, executive secretary of women's rights group RENATA, herself a former victim. "Some girls could be traumatised throughout their lives and their sexual behaviour could be disturbed for ever."
Nevertheless, support for and opposition to the tradition remains evenly balanced. According to the survey, 39 per cent of women opposed it, while 41 per cent expressed support and 26 per cent were indifferent.
For Ndonko, the campaign is a battle to respect the physical integrity of young girls - with broader implications for human rights. "If nothing was done today, tomorrow the very parents may even resolve to slice off the nose, the mouth or any other part of the girl which they think is making her attractive to men."
[Source: AlertNet]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9218
Further information
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
JORDAN: Courts must be tougher on domestic violence [news]
[AMMAN, 12 July 2006] - There has been a 20 per cent increase in recorded incidents of domestic violence in Jordan in 2005 over the previous year, said a senior official on Tuesday. Fadel Hmoud, head of the Family Protection Unit at the Public Security Department, said more than 1,800 cases of such incidents were recorded last year.
"Poverty, unemployment and lack of education provide fertile grounds for attacks and abuse of women and children," said Hmoud, adding that many attacks, particularly sexual, were committed in poor areas by strangers, rather than family members. He noted that victims usually "do not come forward because they do not want to bring disgrace to their family".
With this regard, UN officials say times are changing, so this increase in recorded cases does not necessarily reflect a rise in domestic violence. "Over the past few years, Jordanians have become more aware of their rights thanks to ongoing awareness campaigns by the government and civil society activists throughout the country," says Maha Hemsi, project officer in Early Childhood and Child Protection programmes at UNICEF.
"The Family Protection Unit was established in Amman in 2003 and has achieved great success because it has gained people's trust," she says. "Now, it is expanding rapidly by opening branches in different parts of the country." Hemsi adds that her organisation provides financial and technical support to the project.
More than 95 per cent of the recorded abuse cases were committed by strangers, out of which 65 per cent were referred to courts, said Hmoud. But court hearings rarely translate into appropriate penalties. "The Penal Code is excellent," says Hannan Al Thaher, a legal researcher in the policy and planning unit at the National Council For Family Affairs. "It provides protection to children. The problem lies in its application."
Al Thaher believes judges should be "more sensitive" to child abuse and rape cases by imposing the maximum punishment – execution, in child rape cases – on those who commit such crimes. "If the father of an abused child forfeits his legal rights, the criminal gets the minimum sentence," says Al Thaher. "That must be stopped because children are the ones who end up suffering for the rest of their lives."
[Source: IRIN]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9219
Further information
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
UN STUDY ON VIOLENCE: Children and Young People's Consultation [report]
[GENEVA, July 2006] - The Secretariat of the UN Study on Violence against Children has just released a final outcome document from the Children and Young People's Consultation on Violence which was held from 23–26 May 2006 in New York, USA.
Twenty one children and young people came together to the workshop to: discuss the draft Study report and provide feedback before the Study report is finalised; discuss and plan for children’s involvement in the launch of the UN Study report at the United Nations General Assembly in October 2006; and discuss the format and content of the child friendly materials for the UN Study report.
The workshop had a mixture of plenary and small group sessions. Group work was organised around ‘home groups’ (the participant’s ‘community’), ‘settings’ according to the thematic chapters of the UN Study report and committees (evaluation, media, energisers, report). Other groups were organised as the workshop progressed to take the lead on specific issues – for example, finalising the presentation to the Division of Public Information (DPI) and to UNICEF and Professor Pinheiro.
Day one was organised so that the participants could begin to get to know each other, update on the UN Study process and to refresh and review some key issues on violence against children.
Day two was primarily dedicated to reviewing the five chapter ‘settings’ of the draft UN Study report, including the draft recommendations as well as developing activities which would help to communicate children and young people’s key issues and messages. The final session of the day was used to prepare the presentation for the Division of Public Information.
The morning of day three was spent in the United Nations building where the children and young people had an opportunity to present their views and ideas on violence against children and the UN Study process to the weekly meeting of the Division of Public Information. In the afternoon, some groups continued to work on the chapter settings while others worked on ideas for the global launch of the UN Study report (following a briefing in plenary session), while others worked on the design and layout of the child friendly materials.
On the morning of day four, the children and young people were able to present their ideas and suggestions to Professor Pinheiro (the Independent Expert), Ann M Venneman (Executive Director UNICEF) and Rima Salah (Deputy Executive Director UNICEF). The workshop closed with participants sharing their planned next steps in their countries and regions to continue their work to stop violence against children. They will also share the outcomes of this meeting and the UN Study process with a wider group of children and young people in their countries and regions.
This report captures the outcomes of the workshop. It attempts to present children and young people’s views as they were presented by them (verbally, on flipcharts, in role plays and feedback sessions) and recorded during the workshop.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9184
For more information, contact:
UN Secretary General's Study on Violence Against Children - Secretariat
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.violencestudy.org
Further information
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HIV and AIDS: Young children and HIV/AIDS [publications]
[THE HAGUE, 12 July 2006] - The Bernard van Leer Foundation has recently published three new publications on the subject of young children affected by HIV/AIDS, timed to coincide with the build-up to the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto in August 2006.
HIV/AIDS, young children and the Bernard van Leer Foundation is an A4 leaflet which gives an overview of the Foundation's involvement in the issue of young children affected by HIV/AIDS, outlining how they aim to work with others as a funder, convener and facilitator to bring together the angles of knowledge, policy and practice.
One of the activities covered is the Foundation's involvement in the Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS (CCABA), which has issued a five-point Call to Action on issues surrounding the psychosocial wellbeing of affected young children.
The call to action is expanded on in the paper Where The Heart Is: Meeting the psychosocial needs of young children in the context of HIV/AIDS, an output of a series of workshops on psychosocial support held over the last two years by the Bernard van Leer Foundation and the Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS.
Authors Linda Richter, Geoff Foster and Lorraine Sherr discuss the issues surrounding psychosocial care and support for children made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and make recommendations for future priorities and programming directions.
The publication reflects the input and feedback of individual workshop participants from organisations including the Children's Institute, Human Sciences Research Council, International Child Development Programmes, REPSSI, Save The Children - USA and UK, The Teresa Group, Tulane University and the World Health Organisation.
All of the foundation's publications are available to the public free of charge, in both electronic format and up to a maximum of five printed copies.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9221
For more information, contact:
Bernard van Leer Foundation
PO Box 82334, 2508 EH, Den Haag, Netherlands
Tel: +31 70 331 2200; Fax: +31 70 350 2373
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.bernardvanleer.org
Further information
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMPLOYMENT: Save the Children - War Child [job postings]
Starting time: September 2006
Timeframe: 4 months
Save the Children in Albania is planning in 2006 to conduct a research project in the framework of the Violence and Sexual Abuse Programme. They are seeking to recruit a research consultant who will provide support with the design of the research methodologies and approach, carry out research and write a report on findings and recommendations for future work. The aim of the research is to: increase understanding on the issues related to violence and abuse of children, understand the causes of violence and abuse within schools, learn how this understanding can be used in building future interventions.
In Albania, there is little assistance available for children exposed to violence and abuse, and there is no satisfactory assistance/referral system for victims of violence and abuse of any kind. Children in need are not identified; police, teachers, health workers are not trained, and there is no social protection system in place. In addition, there is a notable absence of consultation with children themselves and their families about their needs and concerns, and about what interventions might be effective. Save the Children in Albania has identified as a priority a research on the situation related to violence and abuse of children in schools, in order to address gaps in knowledge and contribute to the development of monitoring and evaluation tools.
For more information, contact:
Steve Ashby, Director
Save the Children in Albania
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +355 (0) 6920 32 130
War Child, the international NGO that works with street children, children in conflict with the law and child soldiers in locations such as Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is recruiting for a Field Director for its programme in Herat, western Afghanistan. The programme is aimed at children in conflict with the law. The post holder's key responsibilities will include: representing War Child as an organisation in a positive manner to all stakeholders; contributing effectively to the implementation and development of War Child Programmes in Afghanistan; providing support to the War Child Country Programmes Co-ordinator and Programmes Director in developing new proposals and funding sources to meet existing and emerging needs that are consistent with War Child's country strategy.
Application deadline: 4 August 2006
For more information, contact:
Leila Billing, Country Programmes Co-ordinator
Tel: +44 (0)20 79169276
Email: [email protected]
___________________________________________________________
The CRINMAIL is an electronic mailing list of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN). CRIN does not accredit, validate or substantiate any information posted by members to the CRINMAIL. The validity and accuracy of any information is the responsibility of the originator. To subscribe, unsubscribe or view list archives, visit http://www.crin.org/email.
___________________________________________________________
