Archive for category: Developing Countries

Information and stories about developing countries.

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Top 10 Human Trafficking Statistics and Their Implications


Defined as a modern-day version of slavery, human trafficking is a global human rights crisis. Throughout the world, traffickers manipulate victims through tactics such as violence and threats into exploitative forced sex and/or labor. Since many never experience liberation, comprehensive data does not exist on the matter. This being said, below are the top 10 human trafficking statistics:

  1. Approximately 20.9 million individuals have fallen victim to human trafficking. Of those, 11.7 million are from the Asian-Pacific region; 3.7 million are from Africa; 1.8 million are from Latin America; 1.6 million are from Central and Southeast Europe; 1.5 million are from regions with developed economies, such as the United States, Canada and Australia and 600,000 are from the Middle East.
  2. The populations most vulnerable to human trafficking are runaway and homeless youth, foreign nationals and individuals who have experienced violence and trauma, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, war and conflict or social discrimination.
  3. Women are more vulnerable than men. According to the International Labor Organization, approximately 55 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls.
  4. Forced labor benefits the private economy, generating annual profits of $150 billion.
  5. As of September 2016, the United States Department of Labor identified 139 goods from 75 countries supposedly produced by child or forced labor.
  6. The most common form of forced labor is sexual exploitation. An estimated 1.3-1.4 million women and children are enslaved in commercial sex trafficking.
  7. The National Human Trafficking Hotline provides victims and survivors with 24/7 access to safety and support services. Since 2007, 31,659 cases have been reported through the hotline.
  8. Prosecutors have had notable success in human trafficking cases. In 2009, 4,166 trials resulted in guilty verdicts. This marked a 40 percent increase from 2008.
  9. In the United States, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 is aimed at combatting trafficking both domestically and globally. Since its passing, more than eight other bills have passed that monitor and work to eliminate human trafficking.
  10. Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces have trained more than 85,000 law enforcement officers and others to identify the signs of human trafficking and its victims.

As evidenced by these top 10 human trafficking statistics, it remains incumbent upon lawmakers and citizens alike to challenge the escalation of human trafficking globally. Recent successes of both legislation and outreach programs indicate that intervention tactics can help.

– Emily Chazen

Photo: Flickr

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Ending Extreme Poverty: 10 Facts About the World Bank

10 Facts About the World Bank
Since 1944, the World Bank has built a massive global partnership with two major goals fueling its work. It is working to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to increase the poorest population’s share of national wealth in each country.

Below are 10 facts about the World Bank:

  1. The World Bank is just what its name says: a bank, albeit on a larger scale. Providing loans, knowledge and guidance, the organization works with governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and regional development banks.
  2. The organization was started over 70 years ago and was first called The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Originally the organization worked to improve conditions in countries devastated by World War II, but this quickly evolved into efforts to end global poverty once and for all.
  3. There are now 189 countries who are members of the World Bank Group. This means only seven countries in the world are not members of the institution. The leading members of the Group are the U.S., Japan, Germany, France and the U.K.
  4. The World Bank consists of five organizations: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The International Development Association, The International Finance Corporation, The Multilateral Guarantee Agency and The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.
  5. In 2015, the organization made 302 global commitments totaling $60 billion.
  6. So where does this money come from? The World Bank is backed by subscriptions paid by its member countries, bond flotations (money made from issuing new securities and expenses) from international markets and earnings from its own assets.
  7. The World Bank attributes much of its success to its diverse staff of economists, professionals in public policy and social scientists.
  8. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but today more than one-third of its staff are located in individualized country offices.
  9. Four issues that the World Bank has identified as standing before its goals are as follows: access to schools, healthcare, electricity and safe water.
  10. The World Bank’s impact is visible. In 2013, an estimated 10.7 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. Though this is nowhere near a stopping point, it is less than half of the percentage estimated in 1990.

These 10 facts about the World Bank illustrate its mission and actions that are making dramatic changes internationally. The organization has a new goal of ending global poverty by 2030 by lowering the number of people who make less than $1.90 a day to three percent.

– Emily Trosclair

Photo: Flickr

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A Long Way to Go for Health Care in Developing Countries


It is no secret that health care in developing countries is abysmal. Inhabitants in these countries suffer from unclean water, poor sanitation conditions and a high risk of contracting infectious and severe diseases. In the 1970s, the World Health Organization set a goal to have universal health care across the globe by the year 2000. It is now 2017, and that goal is nowhere near being achieved. Much of the disparity centers on health inequities between and within countries, especially in those less developed.

Low-income countries not only suffer from a lack of technology and education, but they also lack in the number of skilled professionals working in communities, where the result is people dying from treatable diseases like diarrhea. Another problem is that little research and development is conducted on diseases that affect such areas. Most global research spending on health care goes toward the prevention and curing of diseases suffered in the developed world, leaving little behind for developing countries.

This being said, there has been a recent shift towards bringing health care to developing countries. First, the United Nations acknowledged the health disparities and the lack of health care systems. To resolve these disparities, the Millennium Development Goals were created, with the Sustainable Development Goals following close behind. Each set of goals attempts to improve health care in less-developed countries using the resources available to the world’s more-developed nations. Strategies were formulated under the belief that “leaders in health care have an important stewardship role across all branches of society to ensure that policies and actions in other sectors improve health equity.”

The global health care crisis comes down to the cooperation of all nations working in concert to assure adequate health care in developing countries. This means using the resources of developed countries to research and set up prevention plans based on factors experienced in developing countries. It also means educating those in less-developed nations on safe sanitation practices and simple prevention methods.

To achieve universal health care, a team effort is required.

– Taylor Elgarten

Photo: Flickr

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Prevention of Waterborne Diseases in Developing Countries


Water is an easy traveling venue for many small particles and microorganisms. Many developing countries suffer from poor prevention of waterborne diseases. Much of the water in areas with poor water filtration is filled with particles ranging from natural silt and oils to human waste and animal feces. These particles infiltrate a community’s water system, including the drinking water, leading to easy infection. Eighty percent of all diseases in developing countries are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions. Within developing countries, 1.8 million people die each year from waterborne diseases. Of these deaths, over 90 percent are children under the age of five.

Waterborne diseases are easily transmitted through unclean hands, uncovered food and contaminated water. The bacteria and worms that live in the contaminated water can easily be prevented. However, in a low-income country where health care is dismal, infections become detrimental to a person’s life. On top of living in an area with poor sanitation facilities, children living in these areas usually suffer from malnutrition. This leads to a weakened immune system, leaving them unable to fight off the infections caused by waterborne diseases.

Many steps are taken to aid in the prevention of waterborne diseases in developing countries. The easiest way to prevent diarrhea diseases is simple sanitation actions. This includes boiling water to disinfect it, washing hands frequently and cleaning dishes. On a small scale, these actions are incredibly helpful to reduce the risk of infection. On a large scale, much more must be done to prevent waterborne diseases. However, most developing countries do not have access to the necessary sanitation products such as soap. They also lack access to water systems that can easily filter out bacteria and waste.

Organizations such as Clean the World and The Water Project have dedicated their resources to make it possible to prevent waterborne diseases in low-income areas and provide access to soap, clean water and sanitation facilities. Clean the World distributes hygiene products, especially soap, to low-income areas that normally do not have access to such goods. This is done through recycling old, barely-used hotel soap and re-purposing them to developing countries. The Water Project combats diarrhea diseases by going directly to the source. It is an organization that brings clean water filtration to developing countries by building wells, rainwater catchment systems and spring protections. Clean water and sanitation is the key to preventing waterborne diseases.

– Taylor Elgarten

Photo: Flickr

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One Product Poverty in Developing Countries


There is an inextricable link between the commodity dependence of developing countries and their susceptibility to poverty. The tie to poverty in nations that heavily rely on one or two products to boost their export revenue may be closer than current research demonstrates. This phenomenon, which will hereafter be referred to as “one product poverty,” needs additional study.

The extreme reliance on select commodities is especially harmful at the household level. This is in large part due to price volatility. Price volatility refers to fluctuations in worth resulting from unanticipated supply and demand that is reflected in a commodity’s price. In recent years, commodity price volatility has increased as a partial consequence of the 2008 global financial crisis.

Some of the effects of price volatility must be taken as a given. In a free market, supply and demand are the driving mechanisms that affect commodity prices. However, price volatility is especially harmful to one product countries. It creates barriers in economic markets and discourages entrepreneurship by heightening the risk of investment. Commodity dependency and price volatility, then, are a recipe for one product poverty.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s 2014 State of Commodity Dependence report shows that high commodity dependence is concentrated in impoverished regions of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia, for instance, have the highest percentage of commodity exports in relation to gross domestic product (GDP). Some of the poorest countries in the world, such as Mozambique, have some of the highest percentages of commodity exports as a percentage of GDP.

The instinctual solution to one product poverty is variance in commodities. In other words, developing countries should strive to increase their revenue-making operations from one commodity to two and then three. These countries should stay away from over-specialization.

By doing so, developing countries can lessen the vulnerability of their commodities to fluctuating markets, which would benefit their economies and encourage individual initiative and entrepreneurship. Households can then take a final step out of poverty as self-sustaining business owners.

The role of developed countries in this equation is to encourage sustainable development. Policies that promote the broader production of commodities, stabilize prices and increase exports must be considered as solutions for one product poverty.

– Rebeca Ilisoi

Photo: Flickr

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How S’well Bottles Serve the World

How S'well Bottles Serve the World
Sarah Kauss, the CEO and Founder of S’well, launched the company in 2010 with the primary goal of ridding the world of plastic water bottles and doing some good for the environment. S’well grew immensely in popularity since its creation. It now partners with UNICEF, American Forests, Drink Up and (RED) to serve global needs.

S’well bottles serve the world through the company’s partnership with UNICEF USA, contributing $800,000 since 2015 to help provide clean and safe water to the world’s most vulnerable communities. S’well is dedicated to supporting water programs across Madagascar through 2018, where nearly 50 percent of the population lacks access to clean drinking water. The company aims to assist in building infrastructure, educating families on water-borne diseases and promoting national reform to make long-lasting change.

In addition to UNICEF, S’well also supports (RED), an organization paving the way toward an AIDS-free generation. Through its global impact and the help of many partners, (RED) raised $465 million over the past decade. This year, S’well introduced the (RED) Water Bottle to fight HIV, after an eye-opening and hopeful visit to Kenya to witness (RED)’s efforts firsthand. Since 1990, Kenya successfully halved both the number of child deaths and HIV prevalence in adults. To continue down this road of achievements, S’well supports education, treatment and awareness-building efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Twenty percent of the retail price for every (RED) bottle is donated to the cause.

The fact that S’well bottles serve the world with such an embedded purpose contributes to the company’s success. The product is marketable by its listed description as “… the only reusable bottle that looks great and does good. It keeps your drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 while giving back to those in need.” S’well’s social mission is best outlined by Kauss, “… it’s just the right thing to do… It’s part of our DNA, it’s part of our mission statement and part of everything that we do.” S’well has expanded rapidly through its ties with Starbucks. It is launching its products at the bustling business around the world – with thousands of locations in North America, Brazil, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Russia and South Africa.

The thought of how the purchase of a single water bottle can make a difference in developing areas is inspiring and certainly worth reflecting on. S’well bottles serve the world in more ways than one. They benefit the environment and charitable causes in America, while reaching out on a global scale.

– Mikaela Frigillana

Photo: Flickr

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The Facts on Breast Ironing

The Practice of Breast Ironing
The practice of breast ironing occurs when the breasts of young girls are pounded with heated objects such as spatulas, hammers and rocks. The aim of the tradition is to halt breast growth in order to slow puberty, and sometimes the practice is done in order to postpone girls’ first sexual relationships. The ritual is mainly carried out by female relatives of the victim. Approximately 3.8 million teenagers are affected by breast ironing worldwide, according to the U.N.

Breast ironing is very popular in the nation of Cameroon. Carole, a victim of the practice there, explains how her mother told her that it was necessary. She claimed it was to keep away men because “‘men mean pregnancy.'” The routine would consist of her mother pressing a hot rock onto each of her breasts several times. It has left Carole with the permanent disfigurement of her breasts, which she describes as “flabby.”

Physical defects are common consequences of this practice. Many maturing girls also face the possibility of breast cancer or difficulty breastfeeding. Mental trauma occurs as well, such as low-self esteem and feelings of betrayal or resentment.

Breast ironing affects about one in four girls in Cameroon, but it is by no means limited to this country in particular. The practice also occurs in the nations of Nigeria, Benin and Chad, according to Newsweek.

Recently, reports revealed that the practice was taking place in some African communities within the U.K. as well. The CAME Women and Girls Development Organisation, a charity campaigning on behalf of breast ironing victims, has claimed that over 1,000 girls in Britain have dealt with the practice.

Fortunately, a number of global charities have increased volunteer work within Cameroon. Sex education is now being stressed as a better means to ending the pregnancies of young girls. By spreading awareness and offering educational services, the practice of breast ironing is already on its way to being stopped.

– Gigi DeLorenzo

Photo: Flickr

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The Importance of Community Cooperation in Global Development


When outside aid organizations enter developing countries with the best intentions to help, it is important that these organizations partner with local businesses and individuals. Community cooperation is essential to effective and long-term global development. The alternative is short-lived relief that lasts only as long as the aid organization’s presence persists in the region.

Community cooperation, however, ensures that no vacuums are left in communities after aid is inevitably retracted. Creating self-sustaining communities is key to long term relief.

There are many organizations that have grasped hold of this idea. The following are a few examples of such:

Global Water Partnership (GWP)

Global Water Partnership is a global action network whose goal is to reach a water-secure world. The organization has over 3,000 partners in 183 countries. It focuses on educating countries and communities about water management. GWP believes that good governance concerning water management can only be accomplished with collaborative efforts.

Save the Children

Save the Children believes that education helps children to reach their full potential. Through its education programs, Save the Children has helped train teachers and parents on effective teaching practices, encouraged education practices outside of the classroom and ensured that students continue learning after crises occur.

World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to “empower people out of poverty.” Partnering with locals is the core of World Vision’s approach to global development. Local partnerships allow “programs to be more effective by benefiting from greater legitimacy, local knowledge, resources, and long-term ownership.”

Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)

CARE is a humanitarian aid organization that works around the globe to “save lives, defeat poverty and achieves social justice.” The organization’s approach to aid often involves partnering with locals. For instance, one of its facets for gender-based violence (GBV) relief involves equipping local activists with the tools needed to provide case managers for women and children who are survivors of GBV. CARE’s economic development programs also involve local education by teaching women and families sound financial habits and by creating entrepreneurs.

The purpose of many nonprofit and aid organizations is to effectually become unneeded. A nonprofit fighting illiteracy wants everyone to eventually know how to read. Once literacy rates reach 100 percent (or 99 percent, accounting for margin of error), aid can withdraw from regions around the world.

The longevity of the impact of these organizations is dependent on their ability to prepare future generations. If the hypothetical literacy-focused nonprofit withdrew without leaving behind any local teachers then future generations would be left in a disadvantageous state.

A helping hand without explanation and aid without education is hurtful in the long term. Community cooperation is key to effective relief.

– Rebeca Ilisoi

Photo: Flickr

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International Monetary Fund: Lending to Developing Nations


According to The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2015, Japan spent 0.22 percent of its budget, about $9 billion, on development assistance. While developed countries spend an average of less than one percent of their budget on foreign aid, Japan’s generosity made it the fourth most generous nation of 2015.

A 2010 agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a Trustee of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT), assures that Japan will lend $2.7 billion to secure a total of $8 billion gathered from other nations in new loan resources for low-income countries. The loan agreement was effective in April of 2017. This will allow the IMF to increase aid to low-income countries hit particularly hard in the current global economic crisis by providing more loans for recently reformed concessional lending facilities.

The PRGT has three facilities that work on the concessional financing framework. There are the Extended Credit Facility to provide flexible longer term support; the Standby Credit Facility to address short-term needs; and the Rapid Credit Facility to provide immediate emergency support. These facilities are in place to help countries with governments with low financial stability and a “protracted balance of payment problems.”

Additionally, a 2017 IMF press release reveals that Japan “agrees to provide additional $2.5 billion to International Monetary Fund’s Trust benefitting low-income member countries, bringing [its] total contribution to $5.2 billion.” This would be Japan’s fourth contribution to the PRGT. This makes Japan one of the first 10 countries to respond with an additional loan under the current campaign.

The money that countries like Japan lend ensures that receiving countries can be financed to fix struggling institutions. The loans enable rebuilding international reserves, stabilizing currency, paying for imports and overall economic growth. What makes the IMF different from other international lending or donating organizations is the fact that it does not lend money for specific projects.

Since 2005, the IMF’s goal has been to re-stabilize the world’s economy, which is in a a state of crisis unseen since the Great Depression. As a result, the IMF has created a flexible credit line for countries that show potential to put their economies back on track and implement strong policies to keep it that way. Countries like Japan can see a return on their investments while developing nations can continue to develop.

– Vicente Vera

Photo: Flickr

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U.N. and the World Bank: Cooperating to End Global Poverty and Hunger


In May, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Bank announced that they are strengthening their cooperative efforts to end global poverty and hunger. The two organizations are working together in supporting the governments of underdeveloped nations as they work to meet their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The U.N. was founded in 1945 and is comprised of 193 countries around the world, all working to secure peace, end global poverty and hunger, and eliminate terrorism, among other objectives. The World Bank, meanwhile, is an organization with 10,000 employees that provides low-interest loans, credit and grants to developing countries for ventures such as agriculture.

Together, these two groups are working more closely to make sure that the SDGs set by the U.N. are accomplished by 2030. There are 17 goals listed on the U.N.’s website, including the end of global poverty and hunger, quality education and decent work and economic growth, to name a few.

In order to meet these goals by 2030, a framework agreement was signed in Rome on May 10 by Daniel Gustafson, FAO Deputy Director-General, and Hartwig Schafer, Vice President of Operations Policy and Country Services for the World Bank.

Both Gustafson and Schafer agreed that signing this agreement would speed up their goals and help both the U.N. and the World Bank work more efficiently together to end global poverty and hunger. Schafer stated that signing the agreement is an important step in strengthening the organizations’ joint commitment to making project-level assistance faster and more efficient.

The very same day the agreement was signed in Rome, The Ghana News Agency reported a workshop was taking place, organized by the FAO and attended by members of the Coalition for African Rice Development. The workshop afforded members the opportunity to share information on improved rice production practices.

Abebe Haile-Gabriel, the FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, stated that the FAO’s newest operation is an important mechanism for the achievement of their strategic framework.

With the signing of the new agreement and the already-evident action being taken, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development should be on track to reach its goal, and ending global poverty will soon be less of an idea and more of a reality.

– Vicente Vera

Photo: Flickr