Protecting girls and women during emergencies is an essential part of humanitarian work. However, aid workers neglect protection and instead focus on other tasks such as saving lives, moving trucks, bringing in tents and distributing food. All necessary work, but protection measures also need to be established during emergencies.
Conflicts and natural disasters result in mass displacement, often leading to a breakdown in social structures. Through this breakdown women become more exposed than men to sexual violence.
Typhoon Haiyan has affected millions in the Philippines. According to the United Nations (UN) at least 4,200 people have been killed, 500,000 homes have been damaged, 3 million people have been displaced and a total of 9.8 million people have been affected by the typhoon. These numbers are devastating.
Additionally, thousands of women and girls have also been uniquely affected by this disaster. The UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs estimates that 47,600 women between the ages of 15 and 49 affected by Typhoon Haiyan are at risk of sexual violence.
Currently, there is great efforts of protecting women and girls during conflicts. The UK government has especially been acknowledged for their efforts in addressing violence against women. Through The Department for International Development, the UK Government led talks for a new resolution on conflict prevention, resolution and peace-building. The UN Security Council has since passed this resolution. Additionally, through their Foreign and Commonwealth Office an initiative preventing sexual violence was launched in an effort to better prevent and respond to sexual violence during conflicts and prosecute perpetrators.
However, according to Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women, more attention needs to be given to the practical responses to an emergency in order to protect women and girls.
Mlambo-Ngcuka, along with other aid leaders, suggests instituting several measures to assist the women and girls who are abused in this manner.
1. As refugees, these women and girls do not experience the same level of rights or access to necessary emotional and physical services. Policies need to be implemented that protect these women as refugees.
2. Well lit toilet blocks or water points need to be built close to where people live. As women and girls have higher visibility, the chances of being abused are diminished.
3. Women often look after orphans during a conflict. Resources need to be provided to these women, whose efforts are often overlooked by governments and local leaders.
4. As sexual violence is prominent, women must have access to appropriate health services such as emergency contraception.
5. Cooking facilities need to be easily accessible, not requiring women to travel long distances into isolated areas in search of firewood.
6. Aid workers need to make sure that women have equal access to food vouchers during distribution. Often times the men get the vouchers, and then women are forced to compromise themselves to get the vouchers they need to provide food for their children.
7. Long-term support in the form of policies and programs is necessary to ensure the rights of these women and girls are upheld.
Lastly, Mlambo-Ngcuka states that the battle of combating violence against women will be won in countries where women engage and confront their governments, and where boys and men are supportive of protecting women.
– Caressa Kruth
Sources: The Guardian, NBC World News, IRIN News
Uganda Population at Record High
Today the nation of Uganda has a population of 27.7 million and this number continues to increase. According to the Population Research Bureau (PRB) the 27.7 million people will reach 130 million by 2050. Researchers argue that this high rate of growth will surely keep the nation in financial difficulties. Ugandans already have limited resources and with this projected increase, the country will have to find a way to monitor the nation’s population explosion.
The current state of Uganda is largely due to the government’s lack of intervention and unavailable resources for family planning. PRB has stated that merely 20 percent of married women have available contraception. With such a low percentage it is no surprise that the average amount of children per woman is 6.9. This is an alarming amount considering the global average to be 2.7 children per woman. In fact, several have pointed this issue of high birth rates as being encouraged by Ugandan government officials since President Yoweri Museveni has stated that this population explosion is a “great resource” for Uganda.
This increasing population is also attributed to fertility levels which have escalated since 3 decades ago. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has been kept at a high in rural areas compared to urbanized areas. Seeing as Uganda’s Population Report 2013 indicates that 88% of Ugandans live in rural areas, the fertility level is basically high for nearly all Ugandans. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, there has been a markedly low infant mortality rate which coupled with the high fertility rate, has led to this extraordinary population growth.
Most Ugandans living in rural areas face extreme poverty, with poor infrastructure, limited supplies, lack of healthcare and famine in specific areas of the region. Several government officials are concerned whether the current demographic will impede economic growth. Some argue that the large population will begin a transformation, given how countries such as China and India have improved their economies after the pressure of rapid growth. The World Bank argued in a recent report that economic growth in Uganda would rise if fertility rates dropped and households learned to save or invest their money. What is certain is that today’s world population of 6.6 billion is expected to reach 8 billion by 2025 and Uganda will soon find itself having one of the highest populations among China and India.
– Maybelline Martez
Sources: World Watch, UBOS, Daily Monitor
Crisis in China: Online Child Trafficking
While technology provides many benefits to an ever-globalizing world, it also has several down falls. With technology comes the digital marketplace, including online black markets. Throughout China and the world, traffickers, doctors and parents are using the Internet to sell children and babies for cash.
A young couple from southern China was arrested last week for posting their baby for sale online, International Business Times (IBT) reports. This child was priced at 40,000 Yuan, about $6,500 USD. A child trafficking activist who –pretending to be an interest buyer – intercepted the advertisement, alerted authorities and met the father at a nearby hospital where he was then arrested. The parents claimed they intended to put the child up for adoption, but were unaware of the proper procedures.
A similar incidence occurred a month earlier. Another couple sold their daughter for 50,000 Yuan via an online auction. The couple then used the money to purchase material items such as shoes and Apple products. According to the Telegraph, the parents expressed that selling the child was in the child’s own interests: “We did not give the baby away for money but to give [the baby] more security.”
Doctors have also been caught selling newborn children, though these transactions are not necessarily online. Just recently, an obstetrician from Fuping was arrested for selling a newborn child to traffickers after convincing the mother that the baby was too ill to survive. Under these false pretenses, the mother willingly gave the child over to the hospital. Shortly after, the mother changed her mind, demanded the baby back and called the police. According to the Daily Mail Online, police are investigating at least seven similar cases in the region.
Online trafficking represents the newest phase of a longstanding problem in China. Child trafficking rings have been operating for years, generating outlandish profits. In August, authorities broke up a major trafficking network spanning more than four Chinese provinces and trafficking ten children annually, says IBT. The willingness of parents to sell their children to traffickers stems from factors such as deep poverty and lack of education.
– Mallory Thayer
Sources: The Daily Mail, International Business Times
What Has Become of Pol Pot’s Regime?
Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime is known for the most extreme case of genocide in modern history. The ultra-communist regime killed teachers, intellectuals, foreigners, business owners, and almost anyone who did not adhere to the Pol Pot ideology. Nearly two thirds of Cambodia’s population was slaughtered from 1975 to 1979.
In 1994 the Khmer Rouge party was outlawed. In 1997, Pol Pot was arrested by one of his own colleagues, Ta Mok. A year later, Ta Mok was arrested by Cambodian officials for his crimes during the Khmer Rouge years. Mok, “the Butcher,” was notorious for his cruelty as one of the top regime members. Kaing Guek Eav, known by his nickname Duch, was arrested in 1999. Duch was a prison chief at S-21 prison, where 17,000 Cambodians died.
The UN recommended an international tribunal and truth commission try the Khmer Rouge leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trials began in the early 2000s and are ongoing. Pol Pot died the night the Khmer Rouge agreed to turn him over to an international tribune. Whether his death was a suicide or due to natural causes remains debated.
Few major regime members were arrested, and many, including Ta Mok, died before reaching trial. The most recent trial is of “big brother number two” and former president Khieu Samphan. Both men are aging and ill, leading many to doubt these criminals will ever face justice. While the judicial system is ‘fair,’ their trials raise questions over whether the punishment fits the crime.
The leaders of the Cambodian genocide have gone largely unpunished. A combination of international bureaucracy, corrupt Cambodian government, and residual fears of the regime have prevented justice. Cambodia remains an unstable country, and some fear that continuing the war crimes trials will only stir up political unrest.
– Stephanie Lamm
Sources: Peoples of the World, Reuters, PBS
Photo: World Without Genocide
4 Children’s Books on Global Issues
Children are the future. Today, our youngest generation has the ability to learn about global issues through reading. Check out the educational books below:
1. Clean Water for Elirose by Ariah Fine
This book tells the story of Maria and her friends who love all kinds of different drinks. When they learn about a girl their age who doesn’t have clean water to drink they set out to help her find access to what she lacks. Literature review site goodreads.com describes it as a “[…] children’s picture book about the lack of clean drinking water in the world and how we can help.” All profits from this book go to support clean water projects.
2. Little Things Make Big Differences: A Story About Malaria by John Nunes and Monique Nunes
Little Things Make Big Differences: A Story about Malaria, is a story about a young Tanzanian girl named Rehema. The story focuses on Rehema’s battle with one of the world’s most fatal diseases, malaria. When she was a baby, Rehema was infected with the disease but survived because her parents were able to get treatment for her. In the book, Rehema describes what children in rich countries can do to help fight malaria.
3. The Secret River by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
This book depicts how poverty affects families, with a focus on kids. Rawlings’ children’s book tells the story of a girl poet named Calpurnia and her family who worry that they will go hungry because there are no fish left in the river. Luckily, Calpurnia meets a medicine woman in the forest who helps her find the way to a secret river, teeming with catfish, which appears only when desperately needed and disappears when the heart and belly are full. The ending teaches kids that there is always a way to help aid those in need.
4. The Can Man by Laura E. Williams
Laura E. Williams provides a sweet but direct lesson about poverty in today’s society. Williams tells the story of a young boy named Tim who fantasizes about getting the skateboard of his dreams. But Tim’s parents can’t afford to buy him the skateboard for his birthday, so he puts on rubber gloves and starts collecting cans in a quest for cash. Soon he finds himself racing a homeless can collector to gain access to the best spots in the neighborhood for cans. As he gets to know “The Can Man,” Tim learns there are things in life more valuable than any object.
– Stephanie Olaya
Sources: Good Reads: Clean Water for Elirose, Good Reads: Global Issues for Kids, One, Huffington Post
Photo: Clean Water for Elirose
Volunteer in the UAE
Are you ready to volunteer in the UAE?
The Borgen Project offers volunteer opportunities throughout the UAE. These positions allow flexibility and are telecommuting, so they can be done from home. These volunteer openings are a great way to be part of a global community and connect to an international network of volunteers who are want to make change for the world’s poor.
Do you like to write about international affairs? Perhaps a writer or journalist position is right for you. Want to make changes at the policy level? Become an advocate! Whether you live in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or anywhere in the United Arab Emirates, anyone can apply for the openings. Internship opportunities also exists. Click the links below to see available openings.
What is The Borgen Project?
The Borgen Project is an innovative organization that is working to engage the public in efforts to reduce global poverty. We train even the smallest voice to make a difference and to take pride in being part of the political process. Voters don’t call Congress anymore, even though our political system is built on our representatives acting on the will of the people. Make a difference in your lifetime!
Top 3 Reasons to Volunteer in the United Arab Emirates
Photo: Digital Media in UAE
5 Books by Eastern European Authors that you should read
One of the best ways to begin the fight against global poverty is to immerse yourself in another culture. Eastern Europe is region rich with folklore and literary tradition. Whether you are looking to become further acquainted with Eastern European culture, or have an interest in promoting development and human rights in the region, curling up with some of Eastern Europe’s best works is a wonderful place to find inspiration.
1. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Kafka was one of the foremost existentialist authors in the world. Czech by heritage, Kafka wrote many novels and short stories, but none more famous than his novella The Metamorphosis. The novella is the story about a salesman named Gregor who wakes up one day and discovers that he has transformed into a giant insect.
2. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Taking place during the Prague Spring of 1968, this novel is a classic story of a man torn between his love for a young woman he has just met and his old playboy habits. But much more than that, it is an exploration of our choices as humans and chance events that influence our lives. The “unbearable lightness of being” is when we forget the weight of what happens in our existence.
3. Between the Woods and the Water by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Although Patrick Leigh Fermor was a British author, Between the Woods and the Water is a story about the Balkans and Eastern Europe at its core. It is a memoir about Fermor’s attempt to cross all of Europe on foot. Stories about crossing the Danube, Budapest, and the mystical landscape of the Balkans and Carpathian mountains all abound in this exciting journey.
4. Café Europa: Life After Communism by Slavenka Drakulic
This work is a collection of essays by Croatian journalist Slavenka Drakulic. A humorous, but always poignant work, Café Europa is an exploration of how former U.S.S.R. states are dealing with post-Communism.
5. The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek
This piece is a biting satire on war and politics. Written by Czech author Jaroslav Hasek, the book tries to piece together the devastation of World War I by creating a fictional story about a well-meaning Czech man in the Austrian army.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: Good Reads, Rick Steves
Action Against Hunger Foundation
Action Against Hunger | ACF International (ACF) is recognized as a leader in the fight against malnutrition. It’s a global humanitarian organization with missions of saving the lives of malnourished children in the world and bringing impoverished communities out of poverty.
ACF integrates activities in emergency nutrition, longer-term food, security, and water, sanitation & hygiene. So far, the organization has run life-saving programs in about 40 countries and benefited around 5 million people annually for 30 years. More than 4,200 professionals work around the world, helping ACF bring solutions to scale to save millions of lives.
Although the programs run by ACF may vary from country to country, they all share the same strategies, which are “context-specific, needs-based and customized through direct community participation.”
ACF is on the frontline and reach out to many destitute communities in the world. For example, in 2012, ACF treated more than 157,000 seriously malnourished individuals and helped 662,000 people reach essential water, sanitation and hygiene solutions in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, South Sudan, D.R. Congo and Pakistan.
In Congo, it trained thousands o health workers, equipped hundreds of hospitals and health centers and provided lifesaving therapeutic care for over 42,000 severely malnourished kids.
In Nigeria, ACF worked with Nigerian government to strengthen the capacity of its health systems and ensure access to nutritional care for children. The number of children treated for malnutrition was also tropled from 12,000 t 36,000.
Also, about 550,000 farmers in the world were provided with tools after drought and displacement in 2012.
ACF, due to its contributions to global poverty, has been named one of the top nonprofits of 2012 by Great Nonprofits reviewers.
– Liying Qian
Sources: ACF International 1, 2, 3
The Impact of Pakistan’s Growing Population
According to the most recent National Nutrition Survey conducted in Pakistan, approximately 60 percent of the country’s population is facing food insecurity. Of these households, 50 percent of the women and children were found to be malnourished. The growing population in Pakistan poses a significant threat to food security, yet little attention has been devoted to studying the country’s large population numbers and their impact on Pakistan’s development and stability. Perhaps numbers such as these are the reason why more focus is now being placed on the country’s population and its relationship to food security.
According to The Nation, the Population Association of Pakistan (PAP) held its 14th Annual Research Conference on November 20and 21, 2013, during which many problems facing the country were addressed. The theme of the conference was “Pakistan’s Population: New Realities and Challenges for Human Development.”
The country’s food security problems are manifested through the widespread malnutrition experienced by its residents, and these problems were highlighted during the conference by Shahnaz Wazir Ali, President of the Population Association of Pakistan. According to the National Nutrition Survey, stunting (low weight for age), wasting (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies are all major problems in Pakistan.
Another major obstacle in addressing the population problem in Pakistan is poor demographic data. During the conference, Dr. Zeba Sathar, an eminent Pakistani demographer, pointed out that a census has not been conducted in Pakistan since 1998. Although a census has not been conducted in almost a decade, there is information and research evidence that is routinely collected regarding the population. However, this information typically fails to make it into the hands of policy makers.
According to Dr. Sathar, “[w]hat we [Pakistan] need now is that at the federal level, the ministries of planning [and] development and national health services sit together and come up with an overarching, broad and evidence based, strategically focused national population and development policy that outlines guiding principles.”
In response to the information presented at the conference, Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar stated it is time to investment in education of Pakistan’s children to meet future challenges, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan. Tarar believes that education and employment are two of the keys to reducing the population in Pakistan. Improvements in these two areas would help reduce the adverse effects on the economy, effects which appear to be related to food security and malnutrition.
Despite the challenges, Pakistan’s leaders are convinced that the country can become a vibrant democracy with a growing economy and a healthy and prosperous population.
– Cavarrio Carter
Sources: The Nation, Daily Times, Associated Press of Pakistan
Photo: Pakistan Real Estate Market
Cost Comparison: Coffee
Perhaps it’s time to start looking where your money goes, and even further where your money could be going. According to Accounting Principal’s 2012 survey, the average American worker spends more than $20 a week on coffee, adding up to a yearly average of around $1,092. For java-lovers, this may seem like a hard habit to kick. However, by even simply making your own coffee at home, you can both save calories and spend that money in a more useful way – combating global poverty.
If more Americans skipped their morning Starbucks and instead donated that money, two things could happen. 1. American obesity would significantly decline 2. Global poverty would significantly decline. Of the roughly 315 million people in the United States, if simply 30 million (about 1 out of 10 people) put their coffee money toward combating global poverty, it could be entirely eliminated.
You heard correctly. The United Nations estimates that it would take nearly $30 billion a year to put an end to world hunger. Therefore, this small and easy adjustment could save the lives of millions worldwide. Is your cup of coffee really worth more than the lives of people everywhere?
There are many ways to start taking steps to make a change toward combating world hunger. While going cold turkey and saving the money for donation is definitely an option, there are other alternatives as well. A basic Keurig Coffee Brewer costs about $120, and including the price of the coffee that goes in them (an extra $180 a year), you can still have your coffee and save the difference between buying coffee every day. While the total is slightly less, it gives coffee-lovers an option to still enjoy their brew but also fight for a good cause.
You may think your contribution won’t make a difference- but it does. Talk to friends, family and encourage them to give up buying a daily cup of java and instead save the money to donate to poverty-groups. This way, we can save the world, one coffee been at a time.
– Sonia Aviv
Sources: Consumerist, Borgen Project, LA Times
Photo: Consumer Channel Dynamics
Typhoon Stirs Risk of Sexual Violence Against Women
Protecting girls and women during emergencies is an essential part of humanitarian work. However, aid workers neglect protection and instead focus on other tasks such as saving lives, moving trucks, bringing in tents and distributing food. All necessary work, but protection measures also need to be established during emergencies.
Conflicts and natural disasters result in mass displacement, often leading to a breakdown in social structures. Through this breakdown women become more exposed than men to sexual violence.
Typhoon Haiyan has affected millions in the Philippines. According to the United Nations (UN) at least 4,200 people have been killed, 500,000 homes have been damaged, 3 million people have been displaced and a total of 9.8 million people have been affected by the typhoon. These numbers are devastating.
Additionally, thousands of women and girls have also been uniquely affected by this disaster. The UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs estimates that 47,600 women between the ages of 15 and 49 affected by Typhoon Haiyan are at risk of sexual violence.
Currently, there is great efforts of protecting women and girls during conflicts. The UK government has especially been acknowledged for their efforts in addressing violence against women. Through The Department for International Development, the UK Government led talks for a new resolution on conflict prevention, resolution and peace-building. The UN Security Council has since passed this resolution. Additionally, through their Foreign and Commonwealth Office an initiative preventing sexual violence was launched in an effort to better prevent and respond to sexual violence during conflicts and prosecute perpetrators.
However, according to Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women, more attention needs to be given to the practical responses to an emergency in order to protect women and girls.
Mlambo-Ngcuka, along with other aid leaders, suggests instituting several measures to assist the women and girls who are abused in this manner.
1. As refugees, these women and girls do not experience the same level of rights or access to necessary emotional and physical services. Policies need to be implemented that protect these women as refugees.
2. Well lit toilet blocks or water points need to be built close to where people live. As women and girls have higher visibility, the chances of being abused are diminished.
3. Women often look after orphans during a conflict. Resources need to be provided to these women, whose efforts are often overlooked by governments and local leaders.
4. As sexual violence is prominent, women must have access to appropriate health services such as emergency contraception.
5. Cooking facilities need to be easily accessible, not requiring women to travel long distances into isolated areas in search of firewood.
6. Aid workers need to make sure that women have equal access to food vouchers during distribution. Often times the men get the vouchers, and then women are forced to compromise themselves to get the vouchers they need to provide food for their children.
7. Long-term support in the form of policies and programs is necessary to ensure the rights of these women and girls are upheld.
Lastly, Mlambo-Ngcuka states that the battle of combating violence against women will be won in countries where women engage and confront their governments, and where boys and men are supportive of protecting women.
– Caressa Kruth
Sources: The Guardian, NBC World News, IRIN News