Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Children in war
War is a phenomenon which has terrible effect on society, mostly into society the women and children are vulnerable against any social problems such war, abusing and so on. If one attention to children situation in Afghanistan, he/she must know the country remains engrossed in conflict, and the bright lights of peace seem far away. While many parts of northern Afghanistan remain somewhat stable, the southern part of the country continues in conflict, leaving the country in an overall state of instability. As with all war's it is the children of Afghanistan who have had to pay the ultimate sacrifice for the conflict, and while aid and restructuring have occurred, they have only shown a mild improvement in many children's lives.
According to a report, 8 out of 10 women are affected by domestic violence; over 60% of all marriages are forced; and half of all girls are married before the age of 16. Maternal mortality rates are one of the highest in the world. Poverty has become the shackle holding many children into forced labor, to help pay off family debts (Cassandra Clifford)
In previous posts one may recall stories about the egregious violations against children in Afghanistan. Stories which included; the increase of child marriages often been fueled by the poppy debts, the rise of child soldiers, the use of children as suicide bombers, lack of suitable and accessible education, gender inequality, malnutrition and detrimental effects on children's health and mortality. All of these issues remain on the forefront for children's rights and welfare in the country.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued his first report to the UN Security Council on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan. In his report the Secretary-General called for more focus and attention on the issue of sexual abuse of children by members of the armed forces and other armed militia groups especially that of boys. (Cassandra Clifford)
These violations are compounded by other effects of the war including the high numbers of children which have been killed or disabled due to the conflict. Disability has been a large cause for strain on the healthcare system, and a huge impediment to access of education for children. According to a survey in 2005 by Handicap International, there are at least 200,000 children in 2005, a number which has only since increased and will continue to do so, the country with permanent disability (physical, sensory and/or mental impairment), all of which have limited to no access to an education. Physical access to quality education for all children in the country is often difficult; however those with disabilities' are additionally disadvantaged as the government has no clear policies on disability rights. (Cassandra Clifford)
It is all too clear that Afghanistan, and the international community, has been losing the battle to protect the country's children, and while the continued conflict and instability make securing children's welfare difficult, it is not impossible and improvements can be, and must be made.
Increasing awareness on these issues is step one; this must be followed by an end to the impunity of many crimes against children including all forms of sexual abuse. Aid and sustainable development programs must be increased in the country, including microenterprise and financing, combined with education, must be put into place, to ensure that families see that their children are placed into school and not early marriages and child labor. The increasing of access to adequate healthcare and education must continue, as should disability access and rights
"In most cases, weeks or even years elapsed before parents were informed of the imprisonment of their children, noting that in Afghanistan alone during 2002 "at least 800 boys, aged 10 to 15 were captured", 64 of whom were sent to Guantanamo, Cuba, where some were flung into solitary confinement. a Protocol 1 of the 1977 Geneva Convention states "No Party to the conflict shall arrange for the evacuation of children, other than its own nationals, to a foreign country" unless written consent of the parents is obtained.( Sherwood Ross July 22nd, 2009 ) (www.worldproutassembly.org)
The case for abusing children, however, is more difficult to support. The best kept secret of the Bush’s war crimes is that thousands of children have been imprisoned, tortured, and otherwise denied rights under the Geneva Conventions and related international agreements. Yet both Congress and the media have strangely failed to identify the very existence of child prisoners as a war crime. ( Sherwood Ross 23 March 2009)
Unfortunately in Afghanistan stile the underage girls have sold by her parents, (e.g Azizgul is 10 years old, from the village of Houscha in western Afghanistan. This year the wheat crop failed again following a devastating drought. Her family was hungry. So, a little before Christmas, Azizgul’s mother ‘sold’ her to be married to a 13-year-old boy.
‘I need to sell my daughters because of the drought,’ said her mother Sahatgul, 30. ‘We don’t have enough food and the bride price will enable us to buy food. Three months ago my 15-year-old daughter married. (John E. Carey January 7, 2007 (johnib.wordpress.com)
johnib.wordpress.com
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
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