COVID-19 has impacted the world in several dire ways, but one that calls for immediate attention is the impact of immunization vaccinations. In light of this, “The Big Catch-Up” to immunity for children is making efforts through initiatives to inspire change.
The Importance of Vaccines
The development of vaccines is, what the president of Global Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Chris Elias, describes, as “a public health triumph.” Due to vaccines, the world has near eradicated once-fatal diseases such as poliovirus, measles, diphtheria and yellow fever. For instance, poliovirus in particular has seen a 99% decrease in cases since 1988, dropping from 350,000 a year to a record 30. The World Health Organization (WHO) has forecasted that by the year 2030, vaccines could save 50 million lives.
Beyond immunity and personal health, the importance of vaccines extends to communal and financial benefits. There is a domino effect when children who do not receive vaccines become ill. These children miss out on education, while the caregivers experience a loss of income and productivity as they stay home to provide care. A recent study that examined 94 low to middle-income countries reported a $20 return on every $1 “invested in immunization between 2021 and 2030,” according to the U.N. Foundation. That profit is the result of good health enhancing productivity, education and ability.
The Impact of COVID-19
Before COVID-19, the rate of children receiving immunization vaccinations across the globe was at 86%. According to the U.N. Foundation, this percentage dropped to 81% in 2021, representing approximately 67 million children in more than 100 countries with vulnerability to preventable fatal diseases, with reports of increasing outbreaks. In Africa alone, 8.4 million children go without essential vaccines in 2021.
The reasons for this setback all link to COVID-19. Overburdened health workers, decreased access to clinics, diverted resources, attention and supplies, reduced travel, school closures and increased vaccine misinformation all contributed to the lag in immunization vaccinations across the globe. Fortunately, several health organizations are banding together to catch up to the initial progress in immunity.
The Big Catch-Up Plan
Organizations including WHO, UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation formed “The Big Catch-up,” in response to COVID-19’s impact on immunization vaccinations. Its mission is to, quite literally, catch up to the immunity progress made pre-pandemic and continue to push beyond that. In addition, there are efforts to introduce the HPV vaccine in low to middle-income countries where the risk is highest, according to the WHO.
The plan particularly focuses on providing vaccines to the 20 countries that saw the most decrease in immunity vaccines for children. These countries include Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad, DPRK, DRC, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Tanzania and Vietnam.
“The Big Catch-up” aims to restore immunization levels by:
- Improving health care workforce
- Projecting accurate information and enhancing trust around vaccines
- Strengthening health service delivery
- Addressing obstacles and gaps to restoring immunization
“Catching up is a top priority. No child should die of a vaccine-preventable disease.” – WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Doing Important Work
“The Big Catch-up” to immunity for children is crucial to avoiding another pandemic – this time vaccine-preventable diseases that the world had almost eradicated completely. In fact, measles outbreaks are already being reported across the globe, and just a “small pocket…can be enough to fuel pandemics,” according to News Medical. Part of The Big Catch-up’s plan includes integrating immunization into primary health care, so the disruptions to vaccines experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic are never seen again.
“The longer we wait to reach and vaccinate these children, the more vulnerable they become and the greater the risk of more deadly disease outbreaks. Countries, global partners and local communities must come together to strengthen services, build trust and save lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
– Jenny Boxall
Photo: Flickr
How Financial and Cryptocurrency Services Can Fight Human Trafficking
One of the world’s most lucrative and abhorrent criminal activities is human trafficking, an industry valued at $150 billion, making it the highest profit-making crime after drug trafficking. Human traffickers make their dirty money off of the targeting and exploitation of people (mainly women and girls) who suffer from socio-economic poverty. Human trafficking is a crime that is notoriously difficult to prosecute since it can operate across multiple jurisdictions on an international scale, hiding victims from public view. The mass majority of the crime takes place online and the exploiters of the industry can adapt to the latest forms of technology that enable their criminal activity. On the bright side, there are trends that suggest that financial and cryptocurrency services can fight human trafficking in several ways.
About Human Trafficking Online
Human traffickers adapt to new forms of technology at much faster rates than law enforcement due to having no ethical obligations toward regulations and policymakers. They also possess the capital to employ experts, and they do this by taking advantage of virtual currency transactions. Using virtual currencies like crypto is beneficial to criminals because it has anonymizing features that help them to obfuscate themselves from law enforcement. Cryptocurrencies also help them to purchase online advertisements to target vulnerable searching for opportunities. It is not all dark, though, as financial and cryptocurrency services can also facilitate the fight against human trafficking.
Follow Money Fight Slavery
Founded in 2019, the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) operates globally to combat the human trafficking markets by promoting finance and cryptocurrency industries’ corporate social responsibility through increasing awareness and education toward “data-driven measures.” The aim of this is to detect and counter illicit transactions that traffickers make. It is in this way that financial and crypto-currency services can fight human trafficking.
According to ATII, 75% of financial institutions admit that it is challenging to identify instances of human trafficking through customer transactions.
To address these gaps in corporations’ ability to increase priority toward detecting human trafficking financial transactions, the ATII hosts an annual summit “Follow Money Fight Slavery.” The theme for 2023 centers on the fact that human trafficking is a financial crime.
Identifying Red Flags
Representatives from Verafin and Senzing, companies using artificial intelligence and multi-channel link analysis to fight human trafficking, discussed instances of identifying red flags in transactional data. This can vary from how to recognize a potential victim of human trafficking or the perpetrator and their front companies.
Niki Pryor from Verafin explained at the Financial Typologies conference that “we know what a person who’s free to walk through their life transactions look like” and that “a potential trafficking victim isn’t transacting in the same way.” They tend to not pay rent or bills and tend to make small payments in hotels, drug stores and fast-food establishments for instance. Pryor adds that a banking professional can continue to layer on the certainty of human trafficking risk by analyzing the person’s transactional data relating to whether they are linked to companies that post adult advertising online and contain contact information relevant to the customer base. Furthermore, GPS technology can help map out where all of these transactions are taking place, essentially building a visual story of the movement of such transactional activity.
Detecting Potential Perpetrators
Boris Kusovski from Senzing echoed Pryor’s statements as well. He explained there are two to three kinds of profiles that financial actors can detect for potential perpetrators of human trafficking. This can include the onboarding of a business customer whose company has no stated owner and the customer stays below a certain revenue level for tax purposes. The perpetrator may also have a front company like a chiropractor or physiotherapy ‘practice’ where the review sites and social media activity are rating the mostly female staff.
Robert Griffin from Siren, a leading investigative intelligence site for national security and sponsor of ATII emphasized the importance of using open-source intelligence to leverage cyber security efforts in tackling human trafficking. Open-source intelligence is data gathered from public information that is analyzed in an automatic format instead of manual handling. Such a tool can separate and categorize raw data to analyze and identify data points connecting suspicious parties that are potentially involved in criminal activities related to human trafficking.
Crypto-currency companies like Coinflip and CipherTrace explain that with technology like blockchain analysis, traffickers using crypto-currency to facilitate their criminal activity are not operating as anonymously as they may think. Blockchain forensic analysis allows investigators to trace crypto transactions (both online and in ATMs) with real-world bodies and organizations. When a person transacts on crypto platforms, they have to use a public register. This means that they can tie the transaction to a wallet address and later link it to a real bank account and possibly link it to a person’s identity.
Looking Ahead
The ATII successfully continues to raise awareness around how to employ corporate social responsibility in the fight against human trafficking, excluding any possibility that deplorable actors can criminally benefit from using financial and cryptocurrency services. By exposing the ‘anonymous’ financial transactions in the human trafficking enterprise, the efforts of ATII offer hope for a better and safer world for potential victims.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
The Fight Against Human Trafficking in Mauritius
Mauritius, an archipelago on the southeastern coast of Africa, is a nation with a large migrant population. In recent years, it has become a hub of human trafficking. The U.S. Department of State’s 2022 Trafficking Persons Report (TPR) gave Mauritius a Tier 2 ranking. This means that the country’s government while having made some effort, has yet to meet the global standard for minimizing trafficking. Here are six ways to alleviate human trafficking in Mauritius.
Criminalizing and Tracking Foreign Trafficking Recruiters
Mauritius has begun reforming its judicial system with the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2009. This led to the imprisonment of a handful of national traffickers annually. In 2021, the government identified six potential victims. This act, however, does not criminalize recruiters who conduct trafficking abroad before reentering Mauritius.
It is currently legal to be a citizen of Mauritius, traffic in another country and return. The U.S. Department of State suggests broadening and making adjustments to the Mauritius trafficking laws to outlaw trafficking abroad. Human trafficking activities on foreign soil present a hurdle for solving trafficking issues in Mauritius. Mauritian police told Migration EU Expertise (MIEUX+) that it is quite difficult to prosecute transnational cases of human trafficking due to poor international cooperation and insufficient evidence for convictions.
Prosecution of Complicit Officials
The Mauritian government has yet to investigate or prosecute any government official complicit in trafficking. The 2022 Mauritius Human Rights Watch noted that “impunity was a significant problem for police and investigations involving officers often continued for years.” Officials known for human rights violations were disciplined but rarely fired, let alone prosecuted.
Inefficient Justice System
The lack of prosecution is in part due to the inefficiency of the justice system. According to the World Prison Brief, as of July 19, 2022, prisoners who waited for trial comprised “51.4 percent of the total prison population due to a backlogged court system.” The Mauritius prison system prevents fair punishment for traffickers. In addition, the Trafficking Persons Report notes that “though a Mauritian law prohibits the practice, employers routinely retain migrant workers’ passports to prevent them from changing jobs,” enhancing vulnerability to forced labor.
The State of Protection Services
The Ministry of Gender and Family Welfare in Mauritius systemically provides referral procedures for child victims. Currently, there are no programs in place for adult victims. The government spends nearly $1 million on shelters for children, yet only one shelter is designed to protect human trafficking victims in Mauritius. There are also no streamlined procedures for adult trafficking victims, which leads to uneven assistance and potential re-traumatization of victims. The TPR urges the opening of more shelters and streamlining the method of assistance. NGOs from the EU and the Mauritian government are beginning to work together to solve this issue. Governmental collaboration with MIEUX+ in the ongoing action plan Mauritius III aims to refine “the capacities of public officials to identify and refer” victims of human trafficking in Mauritius.
Better Monitor Migrants
According to the Trafficking Persons Report of 2022, instead of checking into migrants’ histories, Mauritian police regularly send back Malagasy women attempting to enter Mauritius alone with little money. Since July 2021, the Ministry of Labor’s Special Migrant Works Unit has worked to inform migrants of their rights. However, border workers were not informed on how to profile potential trafficking victims, did not refer any migrants for future investigation and they also did not report any violations of incomplete contracts.
Looking Ahead
There are ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking in Mauritius. Halley Movement, founded in 1989, is the lead organization of a coalition serving Mauritius and other African-Indian Ocean island states. It addresses child abuse by holding conventions, counseling parents and testifying in court. Via its program Helpline Mauritius, this organization provides vulnerable children with guidance and support.
Halley Movement empowers youth by connecting them to jobs within the private sector and funding educational programs such as Basic Education to Adolescents (BETA) which services elementary school dropouts. The Mauritian government has also held awareness campaigns on signs of trafficking that target frontline workers and local committees. These programs help combat trafficking by helping children escape abuse and rejoin society as normal people.
– Caroline Crider
Photo: Flickr
The Impact of Water Quality in Nepal
Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world with more than one-quarter of the population living below the poverty line. Poor water quality in Nepal has also prevailed for the past 30 years. For example, residents of the Kathmandu Valley encounter significant challenges concerning water quality as they rely on tube wells, dug wells and stone spouts for their drinking water. A recent survey conducted within the valley revealed that approximately 51% of all water sources had a pH level lower than 6.5. The supply of water remains inadequate, unreliable and of substandard quality, even within Nepal’s capital city. The compromised quality of drinking water presents numerous health risks, particularly in conjunction with the impact of climate change, which contributes to the prevalence of water- and vector-borne diseases, thus affecting human well-being.
How Water Quality in Nepal Impacted Poverty
Those who are poor in the rural areas of Nepal have little to no access to water. Some even have to depend on streams of water from nearby mountains, and they have to travel long distances to retrieve the water.
Despite this access to mountain water, it is not always a safe bet. For example, domestic waste and untreated sewage discharge from nearby neighborhoods and villages pollute the surface water from the Kathmandu Valley. Due to the increasing population of Kathmandu, it produces 150 tons of waste per day and dumps about 75 tons of this waste into rivers. This is a problem because households induce more than 80% of this wastewater.
The high levels of poverty in Nepal have heavily impacted the farmers in which many farmers are unable to invest in better farming techniques. Farmers also lack access to formal finance and food security.
How Water Quality in Nepal Impacted Nepalese Livelihood
The lack of access to clean and healthy water directly impacts the health and sanitation conditions of many Nepalese people. For example, Ranjana Adhikari, a Nepalese assistant in a community health post, discussed in 2016 how Nepal’s poor water quality specifically affects women. She reported that the women who have to go long distances to retrieve water for their families normally have poorer health than those who do not need to travel long distances.
Additionally, in 2016, doctors reported that there were water-borne diseases that stemmed from contaminated waters and poor hygiene. Unfortunately, the number of cases of Nepalese people suffering from diarrhea, typhoid and fever due to Kathmandu’s poor water quality increased between 25% and 30% that same year.
Ongoing Efforts
In November of 2022, the Global Center on Adaptation reported that the Community Development and Advocacy Forum Nepal implemented measures to recover lands, preserve waters and manage river systems. Some of these measures include “taking an ecosystem approach,” where it made improvements to prevent soil erosion, improve access to water and turn dry riverbanks into green areas with various fruits and vegetables.
Moreover, the Ministry of Water Supply instituted the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) WASH program. This program aims to help create better access to safe water, improve health care facilities and sanitation, raise hygiene awareness and much more.
Also, in July 2022, the government of Nepal and the World Bank collaborated with $80 million to promote water resources management and to implement the Water Sector Governance and Infrastructure Support Project.
According to Mr. Faris Hadad-Zervos, the World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Water Sector Governance and Infrastructure Support Project aims to improve the delivery of water and sanitation services while also discussing the significant gaps in Nepal’s water and sanitation infrastructure and economic progress.
Looking Ahead
Nepal is taking action to tackle its water quality challenges head-on. Collaborative projects between the government, organizations like the Global Center on Adaptation and UNICEF and the World Bank are already making a difference. Measures to recover lands, preserve waters and manage river systems are being implemented, while initiatives are underway to improve access to safe water, enhance sanitation facilities and raise hygiene awareness. These efforts are transforming the lives of Nepalese communities, safeguarding their health and contributing to sustainable development.
– Merlis Burgos-Ramos
Photo: Flickr
The Success of M Auto’s Electric Motorbikes
Described as a “bold and ambitious” start-up, West African company M Auto aims to offer “mobility as a service” with its innovative e-bikes. Since its launch in 2022, M Auto has taken the nations of Togo and Benin by storm with its electric motorbikes and mission for affordable and sustainable transport solutions.
How Did it Begin?
According to its website, M Auto began its mission in 2019, but first launched with music concerts in Benin and Togo in May 2022. That same month, an article reported that 500 e-bikes were already operational and an additional 3,000 were ready for purchase, according to RealWire. With support from the Africa Transformation and Industrialization Fund (ATIF), M Auto was able to sell more than 2,000 bikes and register more than 2,500 pre-orders by September 2022.
The inspiration for, and success of, M Auto is largely in line with regional needs and systems. Co-founder Yasmeen Jawaharali told RealWire that “Benin and Togo have the biggest demand for commercial two-wheelers and progressive government policy for domestic manufacturing in the energy transition” and the March 2022 decision from the Togolese government to relieve import duties on electric vehicles has provided further incentive and opportunity for these developments. M Auto’s chief executive Shegun Bakari observed the high demand in Benin, with approximately “100,000 new bike registrations” annually.
Benefits of M Auto Vehicles
Affordable and Sustainable Solution
M Auto promises not just material benefits of affordable and sustainable transportation, but also a shift toward a future of innovation. The company promises that its vehicles will allow Africans to “be their own bosses.” Even more, its success will “boost home-grown innovation and sustainable development in the long term.” Bakari highlights M Auto’s contribution to the continent’s “industrial transformation and ecological transition while creating jobs and lifting people out of poverty.”
Looking to the Future
So far, M Auto has seen remarkable success: as of August 2022, the company was Africa’s largest provider of electric motorbikes. It has already expanded to operate in Rwanda and Uganda as well as Togo and Benin. Although still most commonly found under the name M Auto, the company rebranded in 2022 to become Spiro and has ambitions to become the leading electric vehicle company on the continent.
Photo: Unsplash
Poverty in Rwanda: The Impact of COVID-19
The Disruptive Impact of COVID
When the pandemic hit, Rwanda experienced a sharp decline in GDP, with a 39.1% drop during a six-week lockdown. Simultaneously, the national poverty rate increased by 10.9%. As a result, around 1.3 million people out of a population of approximately 13.4 million temporarily fell into poverty due to the effects of COVID-19. The pandemic disrupted the U.N’s Vision 2020 objectives in poverty reduction strategies, which had shown promising results in the past.
Previously, Rwanda had experienced an economic boom, including a real economic growth of 9.4% in 2019. It had also benefited from large foreign investment in industries such as hospitality and travel.
Rwanda, similar to many other countries, faced significant economic challenges due to the pandemic. A study conducted by Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries revealed that 80% of businesses were closed from March to April 2020. By January 2021, the average business had laid off 25% of its workforce.
The pandemic also affected education in Rwanda, with approximately 3.5 million students being unable to attend school as usual. The impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Rwanda has been especially harsh on women, who are often only able to secure employment in seasonal jobs.
The Government’s Response
The Rwandan government responded swiftly to the crisis, implementing various measures in March 2020, including a lockdown, border closure, curfew and social distancing requirements. In March 2021, an Economic Recovery Plan was introduced, featuring an Economic Recovery Fund worth $100 million to support severely affected businesses. The plan specifically targeted the once-thriving travel sector, providing financial assistance to 138 hotels. Additionally, the government allocated funds to educational institutions and factories, aiming to facilitate the return to school and work.
Recovery and Investment Abroad
Rwanda has attracted foreign investors and regained economic confidence. For instance, it received $200 million from the Asian Infrastructure Bank and raised $650 million through a Eurobond. These investments stimulated the Economic Recovery Fund, allowing the country to diversify its economy and foster innovation. The World Bank reported a 1.2% reduction in poverty by the end of 2020 as a result of these initiatives. And the government’s rapid response also ensured continued access to education, health care and nutrition.
NGO Findings
Innovations for Poverty Action surveyed Rwandan people as part of its Research for Effective COVID-19 Responses, which informed government policy in responding to the pandemic. Collecting information on health, food security, finance resilience, education and employment, it recommended policies in line with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing an opportunity to boost Rwanda’s economy with these in mind. In the case of addressing the impact of COVID-19 on poverty, local charitable organizations continue to make efforts. The Dufatanye Organisation, for example, has fundraised for food support for those living with type 1 diabetes during the pandemic due to poverty’s impact on access to medication. Other organizations like the Centre Marembo Organization have also tried to address the impact of COVID-19 on the homeless by fundraising and mobilizing communities.
Moving Forward
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped global perspectives on community, economics and society, once again highlighting the issue of poverty. Despite the disruptive impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Rwanda, the government’s swift response has set the country on a path to strong economic recovery in 2021. Industrial production, exports and agricultural output have shown significant increases, leading to more employment opportunities and helping people escape poverty caused by the pandemic.
In conclusion, while the pandemic’s effects on poverty have been substantial, Rwanda’s proactive measures and collaborative efforts have laid the foundation for recovery and progress.
– Rosie Lyons
Photo: Wikimedia
Reducing Cancer-Related Deaths in Infants
Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases
Due to an increase in awareness of diseases, especially in infants, there have been significant strides in the development of vaccinations against childhood infections. Other initiatives have helped provide antibiotics to fight bacterial infections in LMCs, and with heightened awareness, the general cleanliness of places of residence has also improved in many areas. All these factors have lowered the infant mortality rate from infectious childhood diseases, but in turn, have increased the mortality rate for cancer and cardiovascular-related deaths in infants.
LMCs Lead in Cancer-Related Deaths
According to The Cancer Atlas, “The childhood cancer burden is strongly related to the level of development.” Better-developed countries have lower cancer-related deaths in infants. According to a dataset that measured the frequency by which infants undergo cancer tests, North America ranked highest at 97.2%, while Asia and Africa scored 6.3% and 5.3% respectively. Unfortunately, this factor contributes greatly to the growing threat of cancer in Africa.
The Lancet Global Health conducted a study on cancer mortality in LMCs and found that sub-Saharan African countries are the most vulnerable to cancer-related deaths in infants. The study also revealed the following:
“Significant associations between childhood cancer mortality and numbers of hospital beds per capita, external beam radiotherapy units, nuclear medicine physicians, pathology services and transplantation services.” Most of these resources and facilities were not sufficient in most places.
An increase in resources and money led to an increase in diagnosis and treatment as well.
Other factors such as maternal education and lowered health care costs also boosted the frequency of cancer diagnosis and treatment in infants.
Poverty and a lack of education and some of the leading factors that contribute to the increasing ‘cancer burden’ in LMCs. Focusing on educating individuals and alleviating poverty, along with providing access to medical facilities is a crucial step toward increasing successful diagnosis and treatment of cancer in infants.
Cancer Preventions
Between 30% and 50% of cancers are preventable by avoiding risk factors such as tobacco, ultraviolet radiation and pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, 1 million cases of cancer are preventable through vaccination against HPV and Hepatitis B. Early diagnosis, before the cancer spreads, is essential to the treatment process according to WHO. “In [the] absence of early diagnosis, patients get their diagnoses at late stages when curative treatment may no longer be an option.”
Advanced Initiatives
Among initiatives that aim to improve the frequency of testing in LMCs and for the overall benefit of patients, are the following:
Specialized medical training: Providing specialized medical training and increased resources can improve patient outlook, as cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma in children have a high cure rate with effective treatment.
Palliative care: This is a treatment that focuses on relieving symptoms of cancer. It is an imperative aspect of cancer-related treatments. Palliative care serves to reduce the suffering of cancer patients and improve their quality of life. Due to the low diagnosis rate in sub-Saharan Africa, many individuals get their cancer diagnosis when curative treatments are no longer viable, and have to rely solely on palliative care.
These advanced initiatives are carried out by WHO, along with the Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and other U.N. Organizations under the banner of ‘the U.N. Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases.’
This task force aims to reduce premature mortality from cancer and other non-communicable diseases by 25%. It was established in 2013 by the U.N. Secretary-General and over 40 U.N. agencies, encompassing developmental banks and intergovernmental agencies, are a part of it. The task force provides direct medical aid to LMCs by mobilizing resources to inaccessible areas. It also advocates for the necessary global governmental aid required to fight cancer and other non-communicable diseases.
Looking Ahead
Through various avenues such as monitoring the global “cancer burden,” conducting detailed research on causes of cancer and providing technical assistance in LMCs, WHO and the U.N. hopes to significantly reduce cancer-related deaths in infants. Success in this endeavor will help many more children enjoy good health and long life.
– Vahisté Sinor
Photo: Flickr
Male Singlehood and Poverty in Rural China
Over the past few decades, China has experienced an increase in unmarried young males aged 30 years and older. And this is especially the case in rural China. In the cultural context of China, marriage is a highly valued social norm, so there is a stigma that people attach to male singlehood. Rural men in China, who stay single in their late 30s, face the risk of being on the receiving end of mockery from their relatives. Although many young men in rural China are willing to marry, they are likely to suffer the experience of life-long singlehood, according to an exploratory survey. Here is some information about the link between male singlehood and poverty in rural China.
Harmful Customs in Rural China
The high cost of marriage is one of the leading causes behind the low rate of marriage. Low-income people in rural areas in China cannot afford to marry. As per the Chinese pre-wedding customs, the groom has to give betrothal gifts, including cash, jewelry and even motor vehicles to the bride and her family before the marriage. Most rural families make their livelihoods from agriculture and their recorded annual income was only 20,133 yuan (or 2,930 U.S. dollars) in 2022. However, the betrothal gift also called the “bride price” can cost tens of thousands of dollars which is 10 times higher than a rural family’s annual income. Therefore, low-income families cannot afford the cost of marriage.
In rural China, many believe that after daughters marry, they should transfer economic loyalties to their husbands. Therefore, many regard the tradition of “bride price” as the groom’s financial compensation to the bride’s family for raising their daughter. Old parents in rural China, especially those who live in extreme poverty, rely heavily on their sons to support them through old age. Considering these conditions, many rural couples have exercised gender selection by aborting female fetuses or even killing female newborns. As a result, the sex ratio in rural China increased to approximately 108 males to 100 females in 2021. The lack of women in rural China’s marriage market has increased the “bride price,” thereby imposing a significant financial burden on poor men who want to get married.
Women’s Education in Rural China
To solve the problem of male singlehood, suggestions point toward eradicating harmful traditional customs. The possible first step could involve elevating rural women’s socio-economic status. Women’s education could also be impactful. Since 1989, with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) has launched the “Women’s Literacy Action” and the “Learning and Competition” campaign. According to a report by UNESCO, these programs have encouraged 200 million rural women to receive agricultural training and helped 1.5 million rural women to obtain agricultural qualifications and certificates.
These programs have enabled many rural women to receive education and skills training, increasing their workforce participation. Furthermore, these programs have helped women to realize that harmful traditions such as gender selection and betrothal gifts deprive women’s rights, and therefore, should have no place in society.
China’s New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS)
In rural China, low-income childless single men have high financial risks. Over the past few decades, the Chinese government has been improving the elderly care and medical insurance system in rural areas. In 2003, the government launched the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS), an insurance scheme designed specifically for rural residents with the goal of “providing equal financial protection for all enrollees.” Its coverage rose from 11.63% in 2005 to 80.34% in 2014. Since 2003, it has helped hundreds of millions of rural residents reduce the risk of catastrophic health expenditure.
Looking Ahead
There are around 30 million unmarried men in China, mostly from poor rural communities. To solve this problem, China made great efforts in rural education and poverty reduction, with the support of international organizations such as UNESCO. While there is still a long way to go due to the scale of the issue, the progress so far offers a glimmer of hope.
– Chengyan Zhu
Photo: Flickr
Kat Katha’s Mission to Empower Sex Workers on GB Road in New Delhi
Human Trafficking
In the 2022 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, India is still not fully compliant with international human trafficking laws, but it is making significant efforts to improve. For this reason, the report categorizes India as a tier 2 country. The report also revealed that in 2020, there were 6,622 victims of trafficking, with 59% of trafficked persons being female and 47% being children.
It has been well established over the years that traffickers target those who are most vulnerable to socio-economic disadvantages. When fewer options are available to those that experience economic insecurity, the risk of being exploited and falling victim to human trafficking is far greater. Gender discrimination and experiencing poverty play a large role in determining women’s economic opportunities, and many women’s and girls’ decisions regarding education, career and marriages are far more restricted than men’s.
Kat Katha’s Vision
Gitanjali Babbar founded Kat Katha in 2011. After performing an inspection on GB Road for the National AIDS Control Organisation, she saw the living conditions of the women in the brothels. They had limited access to hygiene facilities, slept in crowded bedrooms and had to work until 4 AM tending to clients. Indeed, she reported hearing women say “humari zindagi toh narakh se bhi bhattar hai” (our life is worse than hell).”
The absence of autonomous choices and isolation from the mainstream community in their neighborhood characterizes the life of these women and their children. Stigma follows the sex workers and their children whenever they leave GB Road. Whether it is to purchase a train ticket or to attend school, authorities inspect their Aadhaar (identity cards), and this reveals their infamous address. The issue of stigma also impacts the experiences of children of sex workers; they experience bullying in schools due to the reality of their mothers’ line of work. What’s more is that some of the women do not even have Aadhaar numbers, meaning that they have great difficulty accessing state-provided welfare schemes or other government relief programs.
But Babbar and the rest of the Kat Katha team do not believe that these women and their children are mere victims of their circumstances. Hence, the organization aims to inspire mothers and their children to pursue a life of “Dignity, Ownership and Compassion.” Kat Katha’s mission is to empower women on GB Road, helping them realize their agency and independence and to give them the chance to lead a free life that is far removed from forced sex. The organization sets about achieving this goal by providing education through the Kat-Katha Bridge school and implementing skill-based programs.
HeARTshala
Kat Katha’s HeARTshala program teaches beneficiaries sewing and tailoring skills, equipping them to make products such as bags and face masks. The program opened in response to the shock of COVID-19 and its effect on the sex industry, as many women sought to find alternative means of income. HeARTshala provided steady work and even partnered with Goonj, an NGO in New Delhi that provides disaster relief. Goonj ordered 350 double-layered masks to hand out to surrounding communities, creating alternative income opportunities for the women enrolled in the program.
Kat Katha provided a training stipend and rent allowance to aid the women to not have to depend on sex work for survival while they dedicate themselves to developing skills that can help them secure alternative means of income in the future. So far, more than 50 beneficiaries have now left sex work and now lead alternative livelihoods.
Looking Ahead
Through its programs and initiatives, Kat Katha is working to empower sex workers and their children in the notorious GB Road neighborhood. The organization aims to break the cycle of exploitation by providing education, skill-based training and alternative income opportunities. With several beneficiaries having already transitioned away from sex work, Kat Katha is making a positive impact and offering hope for a better future to those affected by human trafficking in India.
Photo: Flickr
How Better Public Transportation Can Reduce Pollution and Poverty in Cairo
Pollution and Poverty in Cairo
According to IQAir, Egypt is number nine out of the 10 most polluted countries in the world. Much of this pollution comes from its crowded capital city. But in addition to its high rate of pollution, Cairo also suffers from a high rate of poverty.
Up to 63% of residents live in informally or extra-legally developed areas, more commonly known as slums. In these slums, residents live without access to many basic necessities such as electricity, clean water and sanitation. And while poverty in Cairo itself is due to several different factors, pollution is one that continues to impact the region’s most vulnerable.
Much of the pollution in Cairo comes from its vast fleet of private vehicles, many of which are old and reliant on fossil fuels. Of the 4 million vehicles used within Cairo, 60% are at least 10 years old. This high number of vehicles means traffic volumes may go as high as 7,000 vehicles per hour per lane, rising far above Cairo’s acceptable maximum flow of vehicles.
Impact of Public Transportation
Currently, air pollution affects the people of Cairo in two different ways. First, it leads to overall negative health outcomes. According to the World Bank, “as many as 2 million people a year seek medical treatment for respiratory problems related to poor air quality.” In 2019, air pollution caused nearly 100,000 premature deaths throughout Egypt. And in addition to respiratory problems, air pollution also contributes to other health issues, including heart disease, strokes and cancer.
The second problem caused by pollution, which stems from the first, is its economic burden. In 2018, the estimated cost of air pollution due to health problems was around 100 billion in EGP or 2.8% of the nation’s GDP. Plus, the average Egyptian pays “nearly double the global average for out-of-pocket spending on health” or around 10% of their total monthly income, according to Alternative Policy Solutions.
Those suffering most from the negative effects of pollution in Cairo are its poorest citizens. But the development of clean public transportation could give them better health and economic outcomes. Most obviously, the reduction in air pollution from fewer cars could mean fewer health problems and allow them to save money for other necessary expenses. In addition, a larger system could give them access to better essential services and economic opportunities.
Current Developments
On the bright side, the Egyptian government recognizes the harmful effects of air pollution in Cairo and is taking steps to mitigate it. Its overall aim is to reduce emissions by 50% by the year 2030, as reported by the World Bank.
Some of the initiatives undertaken by the Egyptian government include:
And studies show that these developments alone could reduce emissions by 34% by 2030. However, there are also several proposals for further improvements. Among these proposals include the creation of a new electronic bus fleet and better inspection and vehicle maintenance within greater Cairo.
Looking Ahead
As Cairo grapples with the dual challenges of pollution and poverty, there are encouraging signs of progress. The Egyptian government has recognized the need to tackle air pollution and has implemented initiatives to expand public transportation and promote non-motorized transport. These efforts, coupled with proposed improvements such as an electronic bus fleet, hold the potential to significantly reduce emissions and improve the health and economic well-being of Cairo’s residents, particularly those in marginalized communities. With continued commitment and implementation, a cleaner and more equitable future for Cairo is within reach.
–Jonathon Crecelius
Photo: Flickr
“The Big Catch-up” to Immunity for Children
The Importance of Vaccines
The development of vaccines is, what the president of Global Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Chris Elias, describes, as “a public health triumph.” Due to vaccines, the world has near eradicated once-fatal diseases such as poliovirus, measles, diphtheria and yellow fever. For instance, poliovirus in particular has seen a 99% decrease in cases since 1988, dropping from 350,000 a year to a record 30. The World Health Organization (WHO) has forecasted that by the year 2030, vaccines could save 50 million lives.
Beyond immunity and personal health, the importance of vaccines extends to communal and financial benefits. There is a domino effect when children who do not receive vaccines become ill. These children miss out on education, while the caregivers experience a loss of income and productivity as they stay home to provide care. A recent study that examined 94 low to middle-income countries reported a $20 return on every $1 “invested in immunization between 2021 and 2030,” according to the U.N. Foundation. That profit is the result of good health enhancing productivity, education and ability.
The Impact of COVID-19
Before COVID-19, the rate of children receiving immunization vaccinations across the globe was at 86%. According to the U.N. Foundation, this percentage dropped to 81% in 2021, representing approximately 67 million children in more than 100 countries with vulnerability to preventable fatal diseases, with reports of increasing outbreaks. In Africa alone, 8.4 million children go without essential vaccines in 2021.
The reasons for this setback all link to COVID-19. Overburdened health workers, decreased access to clinics, diverted resources, attention and supplies, reduced travel, school closures and increased vaccine misinformation all contributed to the lag in immunization vaccinations across the globe. Fortunately, several health organizations are banding together to catch up to the initial progress in immunity.
The Big Catch-Up Plan
Organizations including WHO, UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation formed “The Big Catch-up,” in response to COVID-19’s impact on immunization vaccinations. Its mission is to, quite literally, catch up to the immunity progress made pre-pandemic and continue to push beyond that. In addition, there are efforts to introduce the HPV vaccine in low to middle-income countries where the risk is highest, according to the WHO.
The plan particularly focuses on providing vaccines to the 20 countries that saw the most decrease in immunity vaccines for children. These countries include Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad, DPRK, DRC, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Tanzania and Vietnam.
“The Big Catch-up” aims to restore immunization levels by:
“Catching up is a top priority. No child should die of a vaccine-preventable disease.” – WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Doing Important Work
“The Big Catch-up” to immunity for children is crucial to avoiding another pandemic – this time vaccine-preventable diseases that the world had almost eradicated completely. In fact, measles outbreaks are already being reported across the globe, and just a “small pocket…can be enough to fuel pandemics,” according to News Medical. Part of The Big Catch-up’s plan includes integrating immunization into primary health care, so the disruptions to vaccines experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic are never seen again.
“The longer we wait to reach and vaccinate these children, the more vulnerable they become and the greater the risk of more deadly disease outbreaks. Countries, global partners and local communities must come together to strengthen services, build trust and save lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
– Jenny Boxall
Photo: Flickr