The HIV rate appears to be rising among Chinese people aged 15-24, according to HIV/AIDS specialists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2011 and 2012 the rate of new infection in youths increased 29% from 1,074 to 1,387. The overall new infection rate has quadrupled since 2007.
Another change in the demographics of China’s HIV infections is that transmission through sex, as opposed to intravenous drugs or infections in medical settings, accounts for 87.1% of new cases.
Between 2008 and 2012, the proportion of youth infected with HIV/AIDS almost doubled, and inconsistent use of condoms among men who have sex with men (MSM) in urban areas is considered to be a major factor, according to UNAIDS.
Of newly infected youth, 95% are men.
“The kinds of people suffering from AIDS have grown more varied and complex,” states Dr. Wang Ning, AIDS specialist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “The direction of the development of the disease is from high-risk groups to groups that have traditionally been understood as low-risk groups,” including university students.
Homosexuality remains taboo in China, as well as frank conversations concerning sex, especially in rural areas.
China Radio International reports that there is a lack of sex education in Chinese schools and where sex education is taught, it is generally sex-segregated, with boys and girls only learning about their own gender.
During the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of people reportedly were infected with HIV from receiving contaminated blood and plasma. In what is widely considered a cover-up by officials in the Henan province, “blood-dealers” purchased poor farmers’ untested blood, pooled it, and returned the plasma to the farmers, causing a quick spread of HIV. The blood then entered hospitals and continued to infect people.
The black market economy was reportedly encouraged by local officials, including current Chinese Premier Li Keqiang who was a senior Communist Party official in the province at the time.
Li forbid NGOs and medical professionals from reaching those infected with HIV in Henan.
“It was because of Li’s cover-up of the AIDS epidemic that a large number of patients did not receive attention and died,” states HIV/AIDS advocate Hu Jia.
Contrary to China’s recent trends, HIV infections in the developing world have decreased over 50% since 2001, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
The majority of this improvement has occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Malawi, Namibia and Botswana seeing a roughly 70% decrease in new infections in the last 10 years.
However, infections in the Middle East and North Africa have increased 35% in the same timeframe, and rates in Eastern Europe and Central Asia appear to be rising as well.
Though there are serious concerns about rising rates among young people in China, rates of HIV remain relatively low. As a point of comparison, in 2010 there were 12,200 new cases of HIV for youths age 13-24 in the United States, a rate 12 times higher than that of China in a country with a quarter of China’s population.
Dr. Bernard Schwartlander, director at UNAIDS, reports that China is focused on getting HIV-positive people on antiretroviral drugs, which treat those infected as well as reduce the risks of infecting others. He also says that China’s HIV response has improved dramatically, with the country having one of the biggest harm-reduction initiatives, including needle exchanges and methadone clinics.
Such programs do not, however, directly address the spread of the infection through sex, and many in the country still believe that the government does not care about people with HIV/AIDS.
Hu Jia claims that the government merely pays lip-service to HIV/AIDS issues. She asserts, “Every year around December 1, the Communist Party[-led] administration appears very concerned [with HIV/AIDS issues]. But the media has never reported all the demonstrations and petitions or the suffering of the people with AIDS.”
– Kaylie Cordingley
Sources: New York Times, Al Jazeera, NPR, China Daily, CDC
Madonna Champions Art for Freedom
Founded in September 2013, Art For Freedom is the result of a partnership between global superstar Madonna and VICE Media. The completely digital organization aims to increase awareness of human rights violations around the world through artwork.
Each month, artists are invited to submit their original creations in response to the question, “What does freedom mean to you?” The organization then chooses a winning entry, whose creator is offered a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice.
In addition to naming monthly winners, Art For Freedom also posts daily winners on its website. The inspirational submissions are displayed on the organization’s home page and can be accessed at any time through its interactive calendar.
Recently, Madonna named illusionist David Blaine as a guest curator for the organization’s December contest. Blaine’s duties will consist of reviewing entries and choosing which pieces will be displayed on the organization’s website.
Past celebrity curators included notables such as Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. For the month of November, Madonna herself hosted a live exhibit on Tumblr to showcase submissions.
Despite its recent start, the organization has quickly gained a following. Notable submissions for the December 2013 contest have included videos and photographs referencing numerous social problems including bullying, transgender issues, religious intolerance, racial intolerance, and other forms of prejudice.
The organization’s website currently features entries from around the world. The last two weeks have seen submissions from France, Bulgaria, Australia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, New Jersey, California, and New Hampshire.
Entries can be from a variety of mediums including film, music, photography, and poetry. Those interested in the organization’s monthly contest may upload original creations on the Art For Freedom website or by uploading the works to social media with the tag #artforfreedom.
– Jasmine D. Smith
Sources: Art for Freedom, Madonna.com
Photo: Blouin Art Info
Drones Impact on Mental Health in Pakistan
The United States has waged a drone campaign in Pakistan since the early 2000’s. The Waziristan region in northern Pakistan has been a specific target due to the major presence of the Taliban in the area. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism in London released a report indicating that drone strikes carried out by the U.S. have killed 3,581 people since 2004. That number includes 884 civilians and 197 children. Unsurprisingly, this has led to a rise in mental health issues.
The Huffington Post reported a story of a man who lost nine friends and relatives in one attack in 2009. While Mohammed Fahim was in another room, a drone hit his house, killing everyone else instantly. Fahim insists that his family had no ties to Islamist militancy, but instead that this was an attack that went astray.
Residents in Waziristan complain of living in a constant fear of drones, specifically citing the buzzing sound they emit when they fly overhead. This fear is leading to a rise in depression, anxiety, and in some cases psychotic episodes. Doctor Muktar ul-Haq is the head of psychiatry at a government hospital in the city of Peshawar. He told a story of a man who had a full blown psychotic episode after he found a SIM card outside of his house. A common rumor in Pakistan is that SIM cards emit signals to drones, guiding their attack. Haq said when the man was admitted he was “aggressive and paranoid.”
The social problems that plague Pakistan, such as poverty, Taliban violence, and unemployment, contribute to the rise in depression and anxiety. With all of these other problems, mental health falls to the bottom of the list. There are no official statistics about the rise in mental health issues, but some psychiatrists treating people in the region estimate that rates psychological illnesses have risen three fold.
– Colleen Eckvahl
Sources: Huffington Post, The Atlantic
Photo: CS Monitor
10 Shocking Statistics on Gender-based Violence
In the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon, “Violence against women continues to persist as one of the most heinous, systematic and prevalent human rights abuses in the world. It is a threat to all women, and an obstacle to all our efforts for development, peace, and gender equality in all societies.”
In fact, violence kills more women between the ages of 15 and 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined.
The recent 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, kicked off November 25 on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, served to confront this global pandemic. Here are ten of countless statistics that illustrate the importance of such, and continued, efforts.
1. In the 24 developing countries studied in a recent survey, a combined total of only 7% of survivors of gender-based violence, including physical and sexual acts, formally reported their attacks to police, medical or social services.
2. In India, less than 1% of survivors reported gender-based violence to formal sources. The highest rate of reporting uncovered in the survey was in Colombia where 26% of women formally reported the violence they faced. This still means that three out of four Colombian women never report the violence they’ve faced.
3. In the same 24 developing countries, the surveyors explored whether women told their friends, family members or neighbors about their attacks and found that the rates of this “informal reporting” ranged from 15% in Honduras to 60% in Ukraine. Thus, in most of the countries, the majority of women told no one of their attacks.
4. In Papua New Guinea, 59.1% of men admit to forcing an unwilling intimate partner into having sex. Forty percent of men admit to having raped a stranger.
5. According to the UN, there were 15,654 cases of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2012. However, the country is noted to chronically underreport gender-based violence figures. A study published by the American Journal of Public Health found that more than 1,100 women were raped every day in 2006 and that more than 400,000 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 were raped within a 12-month time frame.
6. A third of all survivors of sexual violence in the DRC are between the ages of 12 and 17. Reports from the UN indicate that 82% of all survivors had not finished primary school.
7. A study by Johns Hopkins that surveyed women across 25 African countries found that a high proportion of women believed that wife-beating was justified in at least one of five different hypothetical scenarios. The percentage of women who adhered to this view ranged from 18 in Swaziland to 87 in Guinea.
8. A South African women is killed by an intimate partner every 6 hours.
9. An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women throughout the world have experienced female genital mutilation. More than three million African girls face the risk of the practice every year.
10. Eighty percent of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked annually are women and girls. Seventy-nine percent of them are trafficked for sexual exploitation.
– Kelley Calkins
Sources: End Violence Against Women, UNFP, Al Jazeera, UN News Center, NCBI, Say No to Violence, Women Under Seige
Photo: Gabriela USA
5 Most Charitable Companies
Sometimes, it can be curious to put certain large corporations in perspective, analyzing what they give to the world versus what they earn. The large sums of money below constitute only miniscule percentages of companies’ total earnings – what if efforts were combined and doubled among these firms? Presented here is a brief account of last year’s (2012) top five most charitable companies in the U.S., and how much each respectively donated:
1. Wells Fargo & Company – Bank giant Wells Fargo tops the list, having donated a hefty total of $315,845,766 USD for various charitable purposes. This constitutes the estimated share of 2011 pre-tax profits donated to 1.3%.
2. Walmart – The American convenience store that has it all, Walmart donated $311,607,280 USD in cash in the past year, and gave away $755,868,381 USD worth of products from the store itself. The share of 2011 pre-tax profits donated is 4.5%.
3. Chevron Corporation – A chain of gas stations across the country, Chevron Corp, too, has had a hand in philanthropy. In the past year, the company has donated $262,430,000 USD (0.6% of 2011 pre-tax profits).
4. Goldman Sachs Group – The luxurious department store gave $241,278,912 USD in cash in 2012, making it a 3.9% of their profits in 2011.
5. Exxon Mobil Corporation – Another favorite gas go-to destination for Americans, Exxon has donated $213,374,183 USD in cash and $2,433,200 USD in products – 0.3% of their total earnings the year before.
– Natalia Isaeva
Sources: Forbes, Huffington Post
Iran Deporting and Mistreating Afghan Refugees
Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report in late November accusing Iran of violating international law by deporting thousands of Afghan refugees. It is estimated that over two million Afghans currently live in Iran. Thousands more cross the border every year trying to escape their unstable home country.
Iran has been receiving Afghan refugees since conflict erupted in Afghanistan in the early 1980’s. Millions of Afghans fled the increasingly bloody civil war, and at the height of the violence, almost four million Afghanis were living in Iran. After the war, many Afghan citizens tried to return home, but were met with high unemployment and lingering instability. With no solution in sight to the problems remaining in Afghanistan, many citizens returned once again to their refugee countries.
In the HRW report, they claim that in the last few years the Iranian government has been taking steps to reduce opportunities for refugees to enter the country. Recently, Iran has been refusing to register both refugees already living in Afghanistan for some time and those that try to cross the border. HRW has also accused Iran of other violations such as physical abuse, forced labor, unsanitary conditions, and the separation of families. Joe Stork of HRW Middle East Division said, “Iran is deporting thousands of Afghans to a country where the danger is both real and serious.
Iran has an obligation to hear these people’s refugee claims rather than sweeping them up and tossing them over the border to Afghanistan. The report cites personal accounts given by refugees who were separated from their families and sent back across the border.
When they are not being deported, provinces within Iran are passing laws to refugee access to residence permits. Without access to the proper documents to show residence, this puts refugees at risk for deportation. If refugees are sent back, their options for what they can do next are severely limited and many are stuck in a country that is still experiencing violence and political instability.
– Colleen Eckvahl
Sources: BBC, Yahoo News
Photo: Payvand Iran News
Zimbabwe’s Dam Project Displaces Families
In October, 400 families (approximately 2,500 individuals) were forced out of their village and homes in Southeastern Zimbabwe in order to make room for a new dam. The Tokwe-Mukosi dam is being constructed by Sanlin, an Italian company, with funding from the Zimbabwean government.
The dam is intended to provide irrigation to the local area of Chibi where people have been vulnerable to famine and food insecurity as a result of little rainfall. The dam will also provide irrigation to the nearby city of Masvingo where water shortages have caused problems in recent years.
The construction of the dam began in the 1990s but was abruptly halted because of Zimbabwe’s economic hyperinflation. The construction resumed after the formation of the government of national unity in 2009.
The families that were displaced as a result of the construction were moved from Chibi to Nuanetsi Ranch, an area located in the Mwenezi district 100 kilometers away. Each household was given a four hectare plot of uncultivated land that is worth between $3000-$8000 as compensation.
Many families believe that this compensation is not enough to make up for the loss of land they have owned for generations. Richard Tarunvinga, 66, stated “[that was] my ancestral home and not even any amount of compensation will make me happy.”
The newly inhabited area does not have reliable access to water and the displaced families are forced to live in mud huts. The families are also busy clearing the trees from their land instead of planting maize, their staple crop, during prime planting season. The new location is said to be a location unsuitable for anything except livestock farming. The relocation has also had a negative effect on children in these families are they are not going to school and unable to receive an education.
It is undetermined when the dam’s construction will be completed.
– Lienna Feleke-Eshete
Sources: All Africa, World Food Report
HIV Infection Rises in China’s Youth Population
The HIV rate appears to be rising among Chinese people aged 15-24, according to HIV/AIDS specialists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2011 and 2012 the rate of new infection in youths increased 29% from 1,074 to 1,387. The overall new infection rate has quadrupled since 2007.
Another change in the demographics of China’s HIV infections is that transmission through sex, as opposed to intravenous drugs or infections in medical settings, accounts for 87.1% of new cases.
Between 2008 and 2012, the proportion of youth infected with HIV/AIDS almost doubled, and inconsistent use of condoms among men who have sex with men (MSM) in urban areas is considered to be a major factor, according to UNAIDS.
Of newly infected youth, 95% are men.
“The kinds of people suffering from AIDS have grown more varied and complex,” states Dr. Wang Ning, AIDS specialist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “The direction of the development of the disease is from high-risk groups to groups that have traditionally been understood as low-risk groups,” including university students.
Homosexuality remains taboo in China, as well as frank conversations concerning sex, especially in rural areas.
China Radio International reports that there is a lack of sex education in Chinese schools and where sex education is taught, it is generally sex-segregated, with boys and girls only learning about their own gender.
During the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of people reportedly were infected with HIV from receiving contaminated blood and plasma. In what is widely considered a cover-up by officials in the Henan province, “blood-dealers” purchased poor farmers’ untested blood, pooled it, and returned the plasma to the farmers, causing a quick spread of HIV. The blood then entered hospitals and continued to infect people.
The black market economy was reportedly encouraged by local officials, including current Chinese Premier Li Keqiang who was a senior Communist Party official in the province at the time.
Li forbid NGOs and medical professionals from reaching those infected with HIV in Henan.
“It was because of Li’s cover-up of the AIDS epidemic that a large number of patients did not receive attention and died,” states HIV/AIDS advocate Hu Jia.
Contrary to China’s recent trends, HIV infections in the developing world have decreased over 50% since 2001, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
The majority of this improvement has occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Malawi, Namibia and Botswana seeing a roughly 70% decrease in new infections in the last 10 years.
However, infections in the Middle East and North Africa have increased 35% in the same timeframe, and rates in Eastern Europe and Central Asia appear to be rising as well.
Though there are serious concerns about rising rates among young people in China, rates of HIV remain relatively low. As a point of comparison, in 2010 there were 12,200 new cases of HIV for youths age 13-24 in the United States, a rate 12 times higher than that of China in a country with a quarter of China’s population.
Dr. Bernard Schwartlander, director at UNAIDS, reports that China is focused on getting HIV-positive people on antiretroviral drugs, which treat those infected as well as reduce the risks of infecting others. He also says that China’s HIV response has improved dramatically, with the country having one of the biggest harm-reduction initiatives, including needle exchanges and methadone clinics.
Such programs do not, however, directly address the spread of the infection through sex, and many in the country still believe that the government does not care about people with HIV/AIDS.
Hu Jia claims that the government merely pays lip-service to HIV/AIDS issues. She asserts, “Every year around December 1, the Communist Party[-led] administration appears very concerned [with HIV/AIDS issues]. But the media has never reported all the demonstrations and petitions or the suffering of the people with AIDS.”
– Kaylie Cordingley
Sources: New York Times, Al Jazeera, NPR, China Daily, CDC
USAID Funds Innovation in Agriculture
This past week, USAID, the Swedish government, Duke Energy Corporation, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and more teamed up to fund organizations with agriculture and clean energy related innovations. The partners challenged organizations to invent new technologies that could implement clean energy and agriculture solutions in developing countries. Of the 475 applicants, 12 organizations were chosen and awarded $13 million in funding to implement their ideas into the developing world.
These technologies aim to help farmers increase production of crops by improving current irrigation, mechanization, agro-processing and storage systems. Among the winners were International Development Enterprised (iDE), The Earth Institute at Columbia University, Camco Advisory Services, Motivo Engineering, African Bamboo, Promethean Power Systems, University of Georgia Research Foundation and more.
The African Bamboo, for example, is an invention by Heartland Global that aims to make Bamboo, a common resource in Ethiopia, easier to process and utilize for construction and furnishing. Another innovation aims to improve the refrigeration and production of dairy products in Kenya. SunDanzer Refrigeration will use a battery-powered, portable refrigeration system to form “milk packs” that will remain chilled when being transported.
The announcement of the winners took place at the Development Exchange in Washington, D.C. All 12 chosen organizations had the opportunity to discuss their plans and the impact of their innovations. The event included speeches by USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah who stated that the event “demonstrates how we can harness ingenuity and entrepreneurship to generate and scale real solutions in our fight to end extreme poverty.”
– Lienna Feleke-Eshete
Sources: All Africa, Power Agriculture
Top 5 Reasons to Volunteer
‘Tis the season of giving, and as the saying goes, “It is better to give than to receive.” Yet, what is the actual reasoning behind this? Is it truly better to give, and if so, what should be given?
Studies show that volunteering time is one of the most positive, influential acts that a single individual can do. Not only are there immediate benefits for the recipients, but those who volunteer also experience positive effects.
Below is a list of the top reasons to volunteer.
1. “Be The Change”
As Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” What better way to do so than by personally volunteering your time towards a cause of your choice? Not only will you make a difference in the lives of those you are helping, but providing variety in your daily routine will also be beneficial. The difference made in your own community, personal life, or even the world is unknown until you tap into its potential.
2. Acquire Career Related Skills
Volunteering in a field of your interest has been proven to be an effective way to gain hands-on experience for a future job. Aside from expanding your network, volunteering in your community or on a grander scale is a great attribute to your personal resume. Whether you intend on being a teacher or an individual who fights global poverty, volunteering with individuals locally or worldwide will give you experience on working in that field and with people around you. Employers are always seeking outgoing employees that display strong leadership skills. What better way to portray this than through volunteering for others?
3. Sometimes It Is Who You Know
Generally, throughout the course of a day, you meet at least one new person. It is also said that majority of your lifelong friends will be acquired during your time spent in college. However, while volunteering, not only do you meet an abundance of new people, but many of them have the same common interests as you. Despite cultural differences, backgrounds or personalities, the Good Samaritan-like deeds will bring you all together. These individuals could also provide for vital connections in future business or volunteering endeavors.
4. Expand Your Horizons
Often times during our lives, we find ourselves in a mundane routine, allowing life to pass us by. Volunteering is a great way to spice up and re-energize your daily life. By volunteering, you may discover new hobbies or interests that you would not have considered prior. Volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, or a senior home may open up other career pursuits.
5. Enhance Your Education
Valuable life lessons are often obtained from experience, rather than solely through a textbook. Education goes well beyond sitting inside of a classroom, retaining information taught by a standard curriculum. By volunteering, it shows employers that you went beyond what was required. Hands-on experience is a great way to optimize the amount of opportunities that could become available. Showing that you were able to maintain a good GPA as well as balancing volunteer time paints a better picture of who you are as an individual.
– Samaria Garrett
Sources: Help Guide, Huffington Post
Photo: Working Abroad
Food Dumping: Is It Necessary?
Poverty is the lack of basics needs such as food, water, shelter, and healthcare. Food is one the most critical issues to end poverty. Many people think that food support (when not for emergency relief) is a big help to impoverished nations. However, the effect might be the opposite. By providing excessive food support or food dumping, rich countries are undercutting the core of third world countries’ economy.
In poor countries, agriculture is the biggest economic factor. “In developing countries, agriculture continues to be the main source of employment, livelihood and income for between 50-90% of the population,” and in Africa, almost 70% of people rely on farming as their main source of income.
If third world countries want to erase poverty, investing and stabilizing agriculture are extremely important. When other countries are providing excessive food support, they increase the food supply when food demand remains the same. This situation decreases the food price in the local market because local farmers have to compete with foreign food aid in the market. Since the price for food decreases, the farmers do not have the ability to reinvest the profit into their land and their crop.
In addition, many developed countries have moved away from agriculture to focus on their competitive advantages (technology and service sectors). Therefore, they are in need of food supply. Since most of the food supply comes from developing countries. If these countries do not have the capability to provide, the world can experience a food shortage.
The beneficial solution is to help the poverty farmers with farming education, not food dumping. The more they produce, the more money they will obtain, the more like likely they are to get out of poverty. In addition, poor farmers will have to use cheap and unsafe farming treatment to their plants and cause health issues globally. According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the key factors for farming supports are (1) listening to their needs, (2) increase farm productivity, (3) fostering sustainable farming practice.
– Phong Pham
Sources: Gates Foundation, Shaebia, T.R.A.D.E.
Photo: Stephen Raburn