In 2019, in Panama, a country in Central America, authorities identified 61 potential human trafficking victims. Out of the 61 victims, sex trafficking victims accounted for 33, labor trafficking victims accounted for 26 and the remaining two victims endured exploitation in “other forms of trafficking.” In comparison, in 2020, authorities identified only six victims — three sex trafficking victims, one labor trafficking victim and two victims of “slavery.” The U.S. Department of State provides insight into the steps the Panamanian government is taking to address human trafficking in Panama.
How Panama Compares to Other Countries
In 2016, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that there were 24.9 million victims of human trafficking across the world. Since then, the ILO has not followed up with new estimates, but it is likely that the number has increased, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased people’s economic vulnerabilities, resulting in higher susceptibility to exploitation. Traffickers target victims of all ages and genders for many reasons but the three most common types of human trafficking are for the purpose of sex work, debt bondage and forced labor.
The U.S. Department of State produces annual country-specific Trafficking in Persons Reports to assess the progress of countries in eliminating human trafficking. Countries that completely meet the minimum standards of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) are classified as Tier 1 countries. The standards assess steps taken to protect victims of trafficking, prevent instances of trafficking and prosecute traffickers.
The 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report on Panama classifies Panama as a Tier 2 country, meaning it is not completely meeting the minimum standards of the TVPA but is actively working toward that goal.
According to trafficking reports from the U.S. Department of State, human trafficking in Panama is most common in bars and brothels. However, official reports note an increase in human trafficking offenses taking place in beauty salons and spas as well as private residences and rented homes.
It is also very common for other Central Americans to be trafficked into Panama when passing through the Panama Canal. As of 2020, foreign women accounted for most identified human trafficking victims in Panama.
Panama’s Shortcomings
The most significant obstacles that prevent Panama from becoming a Tier 1 country in terms of human trafficking are Panama’s lack of prosecution against human traffickers and inadequate protection of trafficking victims. Article 456 of Panama’s Penal Code states that human trafficking is punishable by 15-20 years in jail and 20-30 years if the victim is a minor.
However, Panama’s human trafficking investigations can at times lack efficiency. In 2020, Panamanian authorities initiated 29 trafficking cases but only convicted three traffickers. Whereas, in 2019, authorities only initiated five investigations but convicted 13 traffickers. The rate at which Panama convicts human traffickers is not on par with Tier 1 countries.
In addition, after courts in Panama reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic, many trafficking cases proceeded at an even slower rate than before. Restrictions, such as closing commercial establishments, have hindered police from solving trafficking cases.
Panama is also not performing at its full potential in terms of victim protection. In 2020, “the government did not allocate funding specific to the anti-trafficking commission or victim services.” And, the government did not establish shelters for victims of human trafficking specifically.
Child victims are sometimes placed in designated shelters. However, within these shelters, there have been reported and confirmed cases of sexual abuse and mistreatment against children with disabilities.
Panama’s Fight against Human Trafficking
In terms of the three Ps, Panama has been the most effective in its prevention efforts for trafficking. Panama’s Anti-Trafficking Commission has focused its efforts on bringing awareness to human trafficking by organizing an anti-trafficking drawing contest for schoolchildren, raising awareness about trafficking through flyers, radio and television and running a trafficking hotline. The Commission is also conducting anti-trafficking seminars and held an awareness walk for human trafficking in Panama back in 2019. In 2020, a victim who attended a seminar later called a hotline to identify as a human trafficking victim.
CONAPREDES
Panama’s National Commission for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation Crimes (CONAPREDES), a governing body founded in 2004, aims to prevent sexual exploitation in Panama. A notable accomplishment of CONAPREDES is enacting the “National Plan for the Prevention of Elimination of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Boys, Girls and Adolescents” in 2008. The plan has four main focal points: “prevention, attention to victims, investigations and sanctions for offenders.”
Funding for the National Plan under CONAPREDES comes from the government and a Sexual Exploitation Fund. The Fund’s finances come from taxes on foreigners leaving the Tocumen National Airport and taxes placed on film rental shops and theatres regarding the “sale, rental or exhibition of legal pornographic movies.”
Since early 2019, CONAPREDES has collaborated with the University of Panama to open an Observatory of Sexual Exploitation of Boys, Girls and Adolescents. The observatory allows for further research into the sexual exploitation of minors to assist CONAPREDES in its design of policies to combat these crimes and related human trafficking offenses.
Panama’s Tier 2 placement is promising. With more focus on the prosecution of traffickers and protection of human trafficking victims, Panama can reach the goal of Tier 1 placement.
– Luke Sherrill
Photo: Unsplash
The Impact of COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic
The impact of COVID-19 on the Dominican Republic has changed the country a lot in recent years. Despite the return to normalcy that a lot of the more developed parts of the world have experienced, there are still a lot of struggling countries that require U.S. assistance and the Dominican Republic is one of those countries.
The Dominican Republic’s Response
One can see the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in the Dominican Republic in its poverty rate. This statistic was on a downward trend from 2008 to 2020, but afterward, the country saw its poverty rate increase by 2.4% from 21% to 23.4%. With a lack of medical care like ventilators and limited spots in ICU beds, the pandemic hit the country hard. Tourism, which is the country’s largest market and an important industry to many residents, saw a major decrease in 2020.
The Dominican Republic saw almost 5 million fewer foreign travelers in 2020, which led to an increase in its unemployment rate to 8.9% and resulted in a 6.7% reduction in the GDP. Since then, the country has seen a historic rise in tourism, and a drop in unemployment. Projections have determined that the Dominican Republic’s unemployment rate could reduce to 6% by the end of 2022 as the country relaxes its travel restrictions.
Social Assistance and Poverty Rates in the Dominican Republic
This is due largely in part to the social assistance programs, like the aptly named “Superate” which translates to “to overcome.” This program facilitated the transition back into the labor market as the country planned to re-open in phases similar to the rest of the world. The country also took quick action in terms of relief for its citizens by implementing interest rate cuts and tax relief to support its poorer citizens and hemorrhage its bleeding economy. While support systems have mitigated the impact of COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic, both its poverty rate and Latin America’s poverty rate rose in 2021 and will likely reach 33% in the region by the end of 2022. However, some of this increase may be due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The US’s Response
The United States has strong ties to the Dominican Republic and the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in the Dominican Republic has been an opportunity to strengthen those ties by sending aid to the country. Donating 50 ventilators in 2020 and building field hospitals to compensate for the country’s lack of medical equipment and space.
In March 2022, the U.S. peace corps dispatched 35 volunteers to different countries including the Dominican Republic. The volunteers have been working in host communities to help with anything from agriculture to economic growth. They assist with tasks such as recovering the literacy of students after school closures due to the pandemic. Peace Corps volunteers have also been helping at-risk youth gain valuable life skills like employability and educating them about sexual reproductive health.
The goal of the peace corps within the Dominican Republic’s communities is to also strengthen the education system that is already there while also building on it and creating new institutions for education. The United States committed millions of dollars in medical equipment and aid to help contain the spread of COVID-19 within the country. It is extremely important for the U.S. to provide foreign aid to countries in need, as it provides many benefits in the long run for this country.
Looking Ahead
The U.S. has played a significant role in the fight against COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic due to its immense resources, but more work is necessary. Despite the progress in the Dominican Republic and similar countries, the U.S. has more to give regarding repelling COVID-19 and should be able to help alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on the Dominican Republic into the future.
– Alex Peterson
Photo: Flickr
Diaspora Remittance to Nigeria
The common saying “sending money back home” resonates greatly with the Nigerian diaspora. It pertains to the term “diaspora remittance” which involves a person living abroad sending money back to their country of origin. In the case of Nigeria, it is members of the diaspora sending money back home. As the largest recipient of diaspora remittance in Sub-Saharan Africa, remittance to Nigeria now constitutes a significant part of the GDP, namely 4% in 2020.
The Critics
Though some have contested that diaspora remittance is detrimental to Nigeria given that it arguably enables the government to dodge the responsibility of providing sufficient welfare for its citizens, it is not all doom and gloom. An often neglected point is that diaspora remittances are in fact beneficial in terms of sharing knowledge and skills, promoting trade and investment and fostering entrepreneurship within the country.
Unfortunately in Nigeria, this remittance has principally provided improved welfare for families as opposed to transparent investment and development of the nation, which could consequently prompt the diaspora to return if they so wish. Many families in rural areas are heavily reliant on remittances as the money sent is a large proportion of the recipient household’s total income, despite it paradoxically only being a minuscule part of the sender’s income. As such, the U.N. describes remittances as a “lifeline” for millions of families.
Whilst this is good news, one cannot ignore that when it comes to diaspora remittances, there remain issues of mismanagement and poor utilization of flows nationally. Examples are a notable lack of investment opportunities for skilled professionals abroad and the expensive cost of sending money back home.
The Effective Utilization of Remittance to Nigeria
The idea is that investing back home should be appealing and encouraged through the establishment of supportive initiatives. There have been some attempts, an example being “Naira4Dollar.” The Central Bank of Nigeria introduced this new scheme in February 2021 offering beneficiaries of remittances 5 nairas for every $1 of remittance sent through the bank.
Nevertheless, remittances have continuously allowed the Nigerian government to strategically take a back seat with regard to welfare, as it reassures government officials that Nigerian counterparts abroad will financially cover its families. It simply reduces the incentive to provide for the basic needs of their citizens. The current rampant levels of poverty and unemployment further support this, particularly among the youth despite increased remittance inflows from places like the U.S. and U.K., which, according to PWC, are large Nigerian diaspora communities.
This explains why, according to The Guardian, roughly 50% of Nigerians have announced themselves as willing to relocate abroad if able, primarily for the purpose of employment opportunities. However, to combat this tragic reality and at the same time ensure the investment of remittances in more than purely welfare, it is critical for governmental action.
The remittance to Nigeria increased in 2021 and, as Vanguard reports, it could increase in 2022 as well. However, there is a need for change in the management of remittance flows.
PowerhouseCoopers’ (PWC) Proposals
Luckily, PowerwaterhouseCoopers (PWC), a multinational professional services network, has made proposals to respond to this exact issue. PWC deems it crucial to the establishment of a clear policy to ensure the transformation of remittance inflows into funds for productive investments to develop enterprises and create employment. In the same breath, a philanthropic means of utilizing remittances will serve to provide further opportunities to develop infrastructures like schools, hospitals and roads.
All in all, one should not frown upon remittance to Nigeria. Whilst it may appear to be merely a short-term solution to Nigeria’s social and political issues, it can serve to be a long-term and sustainable solution. As the PWC has suggested, the issue can resolve through policy change fostering investment and employment opportunities, a process that has begun in Nigeria and evidently needs more development.
– Claudia Efemini
Photo: Unsplash
Cash Transfer Programs Provide Food Security
For the last 30 years non-government organizations (NGOs) like the Transfer Project and Concern Worldwide have been working with the governments of African nations and conducting trials and experiments with African villages to gauge how simple cash transfer programs will benefit their communities. The idea is to give households a small increase in their spending power through cash transfers. Then, after several months, see if these transfers had a lasting economic benefit on the affected households and villages.
Kenya’s Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC)
Kenya’s Ministry of Home Affairs began a cash transfer program in 2004 with additional aid and funding from UNICEF. This program provides a cash transfer equivalent to $21 for households in Kenya that have a chronically ill caregiver for a child under 17 years of age. Since its implementation, this cash transfer program has aided more than 250,000 households and nearly 1 million people. It provides necessary resources for vulnerable children, such as food security and health care.
Niger’s Temporary Cash Transfer Program
Niger experienced a food and water crisis after a catastrophic drought threatened the agricultural industry in 2009 and 2010. The government of Niger implemented a temporary social program with the help of the NGO Concern Worldwide. This program aimed to provide cash transfers to families in order to prevent malnutrition and resource exhaustion. This program lasted for five months and provided more than 10,000 affected families with $45 each month in order to guarantee food security during the shortage crisis.
Niger’s Childhood Development Cash Transfer Program
After the successful trial of the cash transfer program during the drought and food crisis in 2010, Niger’s government decided to implement Project Filets Sociaux. This is a national cash transfer program dedicated to providing families with the extra help needed for childhood development. Since 2011, this program provided more than 87,000 households with nearly $16 a month for 24 months.
However, this program provided more than just cash transfers to hundreds of thousands of individuals. This program also included a behavioral change component which supplied education for thousands of households on early childhood development practices. Such education practices included breastfeeding, diarrhea rehydration, sleeping under mosquito netting and family planning. Later modules also included school readiness, brain development and discipline. This program experiment turned out to be so successful that many villages that were not receiving cash transfers still benefited from the behavioral modules and learning programs. These educational materials increased the number of affected households to as many as 200,000 with more than 1.5 million people aided.
Cash Benefits
Cash transfer programs have become one of the most popular ways for a government to address poverty within its country. Based on the success of previous cash transfer programs, Niger’s government knew that a cash transfer system would help alleviate poverty. In 2012, Niger began giving its most impoverished citizens about $16 a month for two years. This doubled the spending power of most of these citizens. Despite the fears that these individuals would instead spend this money on luxury items such as alcohol, the opposite was true. The recipients used their extra money productively.
A similar program in Kenya provided around $1,000 to more than 10,000 households in more than 650 random villages. Incredibly, economic activity also increased in nearby villages that had not received the cash transfer, further supporting the idea that cash transfer programs can reduce poverty in African nations.
A Promising Way Forward
A 2021 World Bank report identified nearly 200 similar cash transfer programs across 75 different countries, all providing food security and increasing the quality of life for nearly 92 million people. With such a promising track record, cash transfer programs have firmly established their usefulness in the fight to alleviate global poverty.
– Declan Harkness
Photo: Flickr
Chad’s Food Shortage
Causes of Chad’s Food Shortage
While drought has ravaged Chad and surrounding countries for the past couple of years and undoubtedly plays a role, it is not the most significant factor causing Chad’s food shortage. Many factors have contributed to the severity of food insecurity in Chad.
In 2021, Chad experienced its second straight year of recession, with the country’s GDP dropping by 1.2% over the course of the year. Rising food prices, due to a combination of gradual inflation and rapid inflation sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have placed the final nail in the coffin. Internationally, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, global wheat prices have increased for the fourth month in a row, rising 5.6% in May 2022 alone. Rising prices combined with dropping income place the people of Chad in a difficult situation. The U.N. ranks Chad as the third most impoverished nation in the world in 2022, a status that the current food emergency does not ease.
Solutions and the Way Forward
Chad’s food shortage has prompted the country to request urgent aid from the international community. While at the moment it is unclear which countries will answer the call, one organization that is already helping is the World Food Programme (WFP).
The humanitarian organization aims to provide assistance to approximately 3 million people facing food insecurity in Chad in 2022. About 42% of the population of Chad falls below the poverty line, but the WFP plans to help in a few ways. The organization provides displaced people within Chad with cash-based transfers to purchase food. The WFP also works with the Ministry of Health to support government-backed nutrition programs, reaching “458,000 children and 235,400 pregnant and nursing women with specialized nutritious foods” in 2021.
Another measure the organization is taking is working to provide children within Chad with school lunches. These provided meals not only help with food insecurity but also encourage school enrollment in a country with low rates of education. These school meals reached 200,000 children in 2021.
Chad’s call to action came just days before a meeting between Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, and Macky Sall, the head of the African Union. On June 3, 2021, Sall met with Putin to discuss “freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilizers, the blockage of which particularly affects African countries.” The discussion did not spark any immediate change but there is cause for optimism as Putin said “We strive to develop humanitarian ties with African countries and will do everything in our power to make this process gain momentum.”
Whatever the outcome, Chad will need the support of numerous countries and organizations across the globe.
– Thomas Schneider
Photo: Flickr
Renewable Energy in Ghana
The Impact of the Agreement
In order to bring about renewable energy in Ghana, Ghana adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strives to fulfill Sustainable Development Goal 7, which ensures that the population has access to energy-related services that are modern, affordable, reliable and sustainable. In the recent decade, Ghana has seen a growth in energy demand that has surpassed that of supply. According to an article from Sage Journals, despite the fact that Ghana has adopted the U.N. SDGs, the country’s primary energy sources are still nonrenewable.
According to the World Bank, poverty in Ghana stood at 25.5% in 2020. Ghana can use energy to improve the quality of life for the population, however, Ghana has a vast renewable energy potential that is currently underutilized. According to the World Bank, in 2020, 85.9% of the population had access to electricity.
In order to help the remaining 14.1%, the nation is considering the role of renewable energy in meeting energy needs by replacing traditional fuels with clean and reliable energy sources. This push for renewable energy is geared toward enhancing economic growth. The project will help schools, health facilities and communities throughout Ghana as electricity will be readily accessible to people within the population.
Technological plan
The relevant parties will implement this project within three years beginning in May 2022 and ending in December 2025. The agreement calls for the construction of “35 mini-grids in the Volta Lake region and the deployment of 12,000 units of roof-mounted net-metered solar PV systems.”
These solar cells will convert sunlight into electricity directly. “The systems will power 750 small medium-sized enterprises, 400 schools, 200 health centers, and the energy service systems in 100 communities in the Volta Lake region and Northern region of Ghana.”
Overall, the project aims to “bring sustainable and affordable electricity to [more than] 6,000 small and medium-sized enterprises and almost 5,000 households, besides 1,100 public buildings.”
Next Steps
It is clear to see that technology continues to influence Ghana to plan a more sustainable future that benefits the population. The authorities remain firm in their commitment to transition to renewable energy in Ghana. One of the country’s goals is to have 10% of renewable energy in the mix of electricity generation by 2025. According to an article from The Finder, the 12,000 units of roof-mounted net-metered solar PV will lead to the reduction of the public sector’s power debt and lower the costs of electricity for households and smaller businesses.
According to an article on Hindawi, Ghana has an undeniable potential to considerably increase local energy production and enhance the efficiency of energy distribution networks. Renewable energy in Ghana will provide energy access to the poor, which will improve their quality of life.
– Frema Mensah
Photo: Unsplash
Senegal’s MADIBA Vaccine Facility
As of 2020, 39% of Senegal’s population lives in poverty and 60% of the population is younger than 25 years old, according to the World Food Programme. Only 25% of families in Senegal do not suffer from chronic poverty. The MADIBA vaccine facility project offers a brighter future for Senegal’s younger generation and hope for those in need of vaccines throughout Africa.
MADIBA Vaccine Facility and Poverty
On June 2, 2022, the hope for higher vaccination rates in the future became a reality. The Institut Pasteur de Dakar is a “nonprofit association of public utility” in West Africa committed to improving public health and fighting deadly diseases. The Institut Pasteur de Dakar and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the close of a €75 million agreement to construct a vaccine manufacturing facility in Senegal.
The Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunisation and Building Autonomy project (MADIBA) aims to decentralize vaccine production and provide vaccines domestically to residents. With the production of vaccines in Africa, the Institut Pasteur de Dakar plans to distribute essential vaccines and improve public health in Senegal and other African countries in need.
Vaccine Production and Imports
Africa currently relies on imports for vital vaccines needed to combat endemic diseases. In fact, Africa imports 99% of its vaccines from other continents. Aspen, a South African vaccine manufacturer announced in May 2022 that it would pause its production of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines after producing 180 million doses. The MADIBA vaccine facility has the ability to produce 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines (or other vaccines) a year.
The MADIBA vaccine facility stands as the “first full-service vaccine production facility” in Africa. While Africa has vaccine plants in various countries, most are limited to packaging vaccines. Producing doses of vaccines in Africa would reduce the need for imports and create a new market for future generations.
Construction and Vaccine Production
On March 29, 2022, the creators of the vaccine manufacturing facility shipped it to Senegal. KeyPlants created and assembled the facility in Sweden, then disassembled it for shipment. The process took less than eight months. KeyPlants, a Swedish company, designs modular, “innovative life science facilities.” The facility is portable and can be scaled over time to meet the demand for production. The facility expects to begin the production of vaccines in Africa at the end of 2022.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MADIBA vaccine facility will produce mRNA vaccines along with other life-saving vaccines, including yellow fever vaccines. Yellow fever is endemic in tropical locations of Africa and death rates range from 29,000 to 60,000 deaths each year in Africa. Along with standard vials of vaccines, the MADIBA vaccine facility will produce pouches of vaccines at the new facility. The facility can store each pouch, containing 200 doses each, in a refrigerator for about six days.
Looking Forward
The MADIBA vaccine facility project will continue to fight the imbalance of vaccines in Africa. To combat childhood deaths, the facility hopes to produce vaccines for polio, rubella and measles in the future. In sub-Saharan Africa, “pregnant women who were hospitalized with COVID-19 had double the risk of death compared to nonpregnant women with similarly severe cases” and five times the risk of expectant mothers without COVID-19.
With the MADIBA vaccine facility, more pregnant women would have access to vaccines, reducing the risk of death for themselves and their children. With these protections, maternal and child mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa would lower.
The facility will also offer job opportunities to young Africans, which will lower unemployment rates in Senegal and lead to economic growth. With increased access to vaccines, combating deadly but preventable diseases in Africa can become a reality without the need for imports.
– Sara Sweitzer
Photo: WikiCommons
USAID’s $331 Million Initiative
On June 9, 2022, during the Ninth Summit of the Americas, Samantha Power, administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that USAID will allocate $331 million to help bolster “medium-to-long-term food security and resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean.” USAID’s $331 million initiative to address food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean also includes direct emergency food assistance to vulnerable populations in the region. In addition to emergency food assistance, USAID will allocate more than $198 million in related assistance including sanitation and hygiene intervention. Subject to congressional approval, USAID will also spend more than $132 million on resources for smallholder farmers.
Powers explained, “The food crisis in the Americas will not be solved solely through emergency food assistance — far from it. It requires a long-term solution, one that sees Latin and Central American communities as partners rather than recipients.”
How Food Insecurity Impacted Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
Food insecurity has negatively affected the livelihood of families and individuals in Latin America and the Caribbean. For instance, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that more than 3.9 million Guatemalans “experienced high levels of food insecurity” between March and May 2022. Furthermore, the IPC also predicts that the number could increase to 4.6 million from June to September 2022. In addition, a 2022 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and United Nations World Food Programme survey found that 40% of the English-speaking Caribbean population suffers from food insecurity. That is a sharp increase from 2020. USAID’s $331 million initiative aims to reverse this trend.
On-the-Ground USAID Operations to Help Smallholder Farmers
USAID’s $331 million initiative also includes on-the-ground operations to tackle the issue head-on. A model for this type of support was the Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation program in Guatemala, which helped smallholder farmers access new and commercially-viable agricultural technology. From 2015 to 2018, the Feed the Future program helped more than 1,400 Guatemalan producers improve access to quality potato seeds. This illustrates the type of assistance USAID will be conducting in its effort to help Latin American and Caribbean countries tackle food insecurity with its $331 million initiative.
On-the-Ground USAID Operations to Help Households
USAID also has programs to support households in Latin America and the Caribbean struggling with food insecurity. For instance, USAID supported the 2015 – 2018 Más Riego program in Guatemala which aimed to improve smallholder family nutrition and income through training youth, smallholder businesses and families. Specifically, this project helped Guatemalan households and youth by training them on how to use low-pressure drip irrigation. This is the type of program USAID will support with the new $331 million initiative.
Looking Ahead
The influx of USAID funding for operations in Latin America and the Caribbean highlights an increasing prioritization of international development in U.S. foreign policy. As the Biden administration commented during the summit, the new USAID initiative “will result in big deliverables on issues for Latin America and the Caribbean such as migration, democracy, economic recovery and climate change.”
– Abdullah Dowaihy
Photo: Flickr
HIV/Aids in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Problem
HIV/Aids is a problematic virus infecting Sub-Saharan Africa. According to statistics on the African Mission Healthcare website, around 66% of new HIV-related infections come from Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, 520,000 people are living with HIV/Aids in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
There is also a gender disparity between those in the Democratic Republic of Congo living with the virus and those receiving treatment for it. Among the Congolese citizens living with the virus, more than 60% of them are women. Also, only 57% of people living with HIV in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being treated with antiretroviral therapy. Men are receiving the most treatment at more than 72%.
There is also an issue among children in the nation where 68,000 people under the age of 14 have HIV and only 25% have antiretroviral therapy treatments.
The Solution
Several organizations around the world recognize this issue amongst Congolese and Africans as a whole and are working in multiple ways to help fight the struggles that come from this virus.
African Mission Healthcare is one organization at the forefront of combating HIV and other health-related issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. The organization was founded by Dr. Jon Fielder with his friend and entrepreneur Mark Gerson. It has taken steps to change the lives of African citizens by focusing on Mission hospitals around the continent.
Fielder and Gerson recognized that Mission hospitals provide one-third of all medical care in Africa and play a big part in training the next generation of health care professionals on the continent. From this, African Mission Healthcare invests financially into these institutions to provide accessible and friendly healthcare for those in Africa along with adequate training to have many professional workers in the future. Since its inception in 2010, African Mission Healthcare has invested more than $30 million into healthcare functions in Africa such as training, clinical care, and infrastructure projects with more than 45 mission hospital partners. These investments have enabled care for almost 700,000 patients in Africa and will be able to hold almost 10 million future patient visits.
Other Assistance
Other organizations including UNAIDS provide funding for projects such as The Observatory Project, which is designed to guide future national policies to support better healthcare access against HIV and other diseases. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime created the Observatory. It is a vessel of information to provide better resources for controlling and eliminating HIV in vulnerable areas. For the Democratic Republic of Congo, the goal is to provide more antiretroviral therapy. To take action, the Democratic Republic of Congo made its catch-up plan in 2016, with the goal to more than double the number of citizens receiving antiretroviral therapy from 80,000 to 200,000. The country also had an HIV testing campaign to determine the statuses of two million citizens in the country for essential need of antiretroviral therapy.
The United Nations also sets up fundraising pages to aid those in need in crisis locations. One page was made for the Democratic Republic of Congo for a variety of anti-disease and poverty issues to improve the lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This benefits both medical access for those living in the country while also helping the United Nations humanitarian partners provide food services to the malnourished affected by disease epidemics. According to the central African humanitarian fund in 2021, the United Nations received $34.3 million, and 1.3 million people received food and medical assistance.
A Look Ahead
HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sub-Saharan Africa is a serious problem. However, through actions similar to fundraising, providing care programs and extensive research steps, work is being done to eliminate HIV/Aids and help millions to prosper.
– Alex Havardansky
Photo: Flickr
5 Causes of Human Trafficking in Malawi
Five Reasons for Human Trafficking in Malawi
Located in Southeastern Africa, Malawi spans over 45,000 square miles and has an estimated population of 19 million. Although the government passed the Trafficking in Persons Act in 2015, human trafficking in Malawi remains rampant for many reasons, including Malawi’s extreme poverty, cultural practices and lack of law enforcement. Of course, the effects of COVID-19 also exacerbate this problem. Here are five reasons why Malawi is a source of trafficking:
PSGR: Combatting Human Trafficking
Although human trafficking in Malawi continues to be a huge issue, numerous social organizations are on the ground attempting to tackle the problem. In 2020, People Serving Girls at Risk (PSGR), a local NGO helping trafficking survivors, handled more than 600 cases of sex trafficking. Yet the Malawi Police Services only reported the arrest of 48 suspects and convicted only 30 of them. That’s one reason PSGR recently launched a six-year project to mentor sex workers to learn income-generating skills so they will become less vulnerable to sex trafficking. PSGR Team Leader Caleb Ng’omba said, “Our core purpose is to empower them with vocational and other skills that they could use to generate income to reduce their vulnerability to sex work, early marriages or child labour.”
The five causes of human trafficking listed above are no doubt serious hurdles that the Malawian government face, but the continuous effort of both the administration and the NGOs could result in significant progress in the near future.
-Emilie Zhang
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Human Trafficking in Panama
How Panama Compares to Other Countries
In 2016, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that there were 24.9 million victims of human trafficking across the world. Since then, the ILO has not followed up with new estimates, but it is likely that the number has increased, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased people’s economic vulnerabilities, resulting in higher susceptibility to exploitation. Traffickers target victims of all ages and genders for many reasons but the three most common types of human trafficking are for the purpose of sex work, debt bondage and forced labor.
The U.S. Department of State produces annual country-specific Trafficking in Persons Reports to assess the progress of countries in eliminating human trafficking. Countries that completely meet the minimum standards of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) are classified as Tier 1 countries. The standards assess steps taken to protect victims of trafficking, prevent instances of trafficking and prosecute traffickers.
The 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report on Panama classifies Panama as a Tier 2 country, meaning it is not completely meeting the minimum standards of the TVPA but is actively working toward that goal.
According to trafficking reports from the U.S. Department of State, human trafficking in Panama is most common in bars and brothels. However, official reports note an increase in human trafficking offenses taking place in beauty salons and spas as well as private residences and rented homes.
It is also very common for other Central Americans to be trafficked into Panama when passing through the Panama Canal. As of 2020, foreign women accounted for most identified human trafficking victims in Panama.
Panama’s Shortcomings
The most significant obstacles that prevent Panama from becoming a Tier 1 country in terms of human trafficking are Panama’s lack of prosecution against human traffickers and inadequate protection of trafficking victims. Article 456 of Panama’s Penal Code states that human trafficking is punishable by 15-20 years in jail and 20-30 years if the victim is a minor.
However, Panama’s human trafficking investigations can at times lack efficiency. In 2020, Panamanian authorities initiated 29 trafficking cases but only convicted three traffickers. Whereas, in 2019, authorities only initiated five investigations but convicted 13 traffickers. The rate at which Panama convicts human traffickers is not on par with Tier 1 countries.
In addition, after courts in Panama reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic, many trafficking cases proceeded at an even slower rate than before. Restrictions, such as closing commercial establishments, have hindered police from solving trafficking cases.
Panama is also not performing at its full potential in terms of victim protection. In 2020, “the government did not allocate funding specific to the anti-trafficking commission or victim services.” And, the government did not establish shelters for victims of human trafficking specifically.
Child victims are sometimes placed in designated shelters. However, within these shelters, there have been reported and confirmed cases of sexual abuse and mistreatment against children with disabilities.
Panama’s Fight against Human Trafficking
In terms of the three Ps, Panama has been the most effective in its prevention efforts for trafficking. Panama’s Anti-Trafficking Commission has focused its efforts on bringing awareness to human trafficking by organizing an anti-trafficking drawing contest for schoolchildren, raising awareness about trafficking through flyers, radio and television and running a trafficking hotline. The Commission is also conducting anti-trafficking seminars and held an awareness walk for human trafficking in Panama back in 2019. In 2020, a victim who attended a seminar later called a hotline to identify as a human trafficking victim.
CONAPREDES
Panama’s National Commission for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation Crimes (CONAPREDES), a governing body founded in 2004, aims to prevent sexual exploitation in Panama. A notable accomplishment of CONAPREDES is enacting the “National Plan for the Prevention of Elimination of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Boys, Girls and Adolescents” in 2008. The plan has four main focal points: “prevention, attention to victims, investigations and sanctions for offenders.”
Funding for the National Plan under CONAPREDES comes from the government and a Sexual Exploitation Fund. The Fund’s finances come from taxes on foreigners leaving the Tocumen National Airport and taxes placed on film rental shops and theatres regarding the “sale, rental or exhibition of legal pornographic movies.”
Since early 2019, CONAPREDES has collaborated with the University of Panama to open an Observatory of Sexual Exploitation of Boys, Girls and Adolescents. The observatory allows for further research into the sexual exploitation of minors to assist CONAPREDES in its design of policies to combat these crimes and related human trafficking offenses.
Panama’s Tier 2 placement is promising. With more focus on the prosecution of traffickers and protection of human trafficking victims, Panama can reach the goal of Tier 1 placement.
– Luke Sherrill
Photo: Unsplash