With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs, preparations are in full gear for a United Nations summit in New York on 20-22 September to accelerate progress towards these goals.
The timely OHCHR publication, entitled “Human Rights and Millennium Development Goals in Practice: A review of country strategies and reporting”, contributes to the ongoing debates and assessment by providing concrete examples of how human rights contribute to development.
It analyses recent national MDG progress reports and pertinent national development strategy documents of Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liberia, Nepal, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, Viet Nam and Zambia.
In Bangladesh, for example, the National Water Policy of 1998 and the National Sanita tion Strategy of 2005 recognized water and sanitation as human rights, and set targets for universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation to be achieved by 2011 and 2013 respectively.
The Government has officially adopted the Community-Led Total Sani tation approach, which was developed by the Village Education Resource Centre and WaterAid, and has been credited with raising awareness about the importance of sanitation and helping to eliminate open defecation.
It is one of the many examples in the publication that show human rights and key human rights principles of non-discrimination, participation and accountability are complementary, and indispensable indeed, in the pursuit of development and MDGs.
Download the publication (PDF)
]]>The “young reporter” initiative coincides with the International Year of Youth, which started on 12 August.
“Hostilities can take an unimaginable toll on children and young adults, yet, too often, they lack the means to make their concerns heard and they wind up suffering in silence,” said Philip Spoerri, the ICRC’s director for international law. “The goal of this contest is to provide a basis for young people to listen to and learn from each other, and for us to learn from them. We hope the contest will put the spotlight on the challenges they face in war, while amplifying their shared hopes, ideas and dreams.”
Each of the four winners of the competition will be invited to travel to a country that has been affected by armed conflict – Georgia, Lebanon, Liberia or the Philippines – where they will be able to talk with other young people who have lived through fighting or suffered its consequences. Each will be hosted by an ICRC delegation and will have the opportunity to see activities run by the ICRC and/or the National Red Cross Society in the country concerned. In addition, the young reporters will receive coaching on writing about humanitarian issues from ICRC experts.
“Listening to the news or reading an article your friend shared on Facebook is not the same as sitting down face-to-face with someone your own age and really understanding what they’ve endured,” said Nicole Martins-Maag, the head of the ICRC’s youth project. “This is a golden opportunity for some talented young adults to discover a new culture, challenge their perceptions, exchange views on important topics and give a voice to other youths. It’s also a chance to stand up and say, in their own words, what needs to change.”
At the end of their weeklong visit, each winner will be expected to produce a “story from the field,” which will be presented at a special event next year in Geneva on World Red Cross Red Crescent Day, which takes place every year on 8 May.
To be eligible, applicants must have strong communication skills. They should be interested in youth issues, have a desire to do something that will have an effect on people’s lives, and have done voluntary work related to social or humanitarian services. Aspiring young reporters must submit an article, photo essay or short video on a humanitarian challenge of their choice. Entries will be judged on the basis of editorial quality, originality and relevance. Candidates must be between the ages of 18 and 25, have a valid passport and should be available for travel in January or February 2011. Submissions are encouraged from young adults in all nations.
The deadline for submissions is 1 October 2010. The winners will be notified by 1 November 2010. For full entry details, please go to competition.
For further information, please contact:
Anna Nelson, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 217 3264
Purpose of the event: provide an interagency and intersectional forum to examine the evidence on health, equity, justice, poverty and human rights. The event seeks to shed lights on the roles of States and pharmaceutical transnational companies (PTNCs) to respect, protect and fulfill the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health. The meeting aims at facilitating an analysis of the issue through the lens of the Right to Health and Global Justice. The seminar will be divided into three sessions that will encompass the moral, philosophical, political and legal rationales of the problem.
The event seeks to:
(i) raise public awareness and political will, through effective advocacy;
(ii) call for appropriate action at national and international levels, in both public and private sectors;
(iii) call both public and private institutions to be accountable for human rights violations, in particular the Right to Health, especially when it comes to the most vulnerable and neglected populations;
(iv) determine issues for further studies, ensuring ongoing monitoring and active advocacy by public pressure.
Outcomes:
- A Website on the responsibilities of PTCNs in relation to the right to health
- Publication of the papers presented by all panelists
- A final report with conclusions and recommendations, to be developed in the final workshop
For more information, please visit the conference website
]]>You may download the draft Plan of Action at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/15session/A.HRC.15.28_en.pdf
The Handbook relies on a self-directed learning approach. Although it is designed to be used by groups of health workers with the help of a facilitator, it can also be used by an individual. It relies on a self-directed learning approach, allowing SAs to work at their own pace, drawing on their past counselling experience. All topical sessions contain specific aims and objectives, clearly outlining the skills that will be developed and corresponding learning outcomes. Practical activities have been designed to encourage reflection, provoke discussions, build skills and ensure the local relevance of information. There is a review at the end of each session to ensure that the learner has understood the key points before progressing to subsequent sessions.
The Handbook in full text, as well as an adaptation guide, are freely accessible at
http://www.who.int/making_pregnancy_safer/documents/9789241547628/en/index.html
Each part of the Handbook is individually accessible from the table of contents.
The printed version can be purchased [*] through the online bookstore (www.who.int/bookorders) at
http://apps.who.int/bookorders/WHP/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan=1&codcol=15&codcch=749
Vaccination is at a crossroads in the developing world, delegates were told at the recent International Paediatric Association congress in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It is the first time ever that this annual congress has been held in a sub-saharan country.
Although Johannesburg no longer echoes to the sound of vuvuzuelas, the football legacy is everywhere and there is a tangible feeling that the success of an African world cup means nothing is now impossible.
Vaccines are a key plank in meeting Millennium Development Goal 4 – to reduce child mortality by two thirds by 2015 – and many sessions at the congress were devoted to them.
Newer vaccines, such as those for rota virus and pneumococcus, are one way to reach the target.
Prevention
“They could potentially prevent 40% of deaths from diarrhoeal disease and pneumonia,” says Jane Schaller, a Canadian paediatrician and executive director of the IPA.
“But vaccines alone don’t prevent disease, immunisation does,” she points out.
It is about getting the basics right first, she says.
“In some countries less than 40% of children in some areas are vaccinated.
“That’s not acceptable.”
Logistics, infrastructure and political will are critical challenges in delivery of vaccines.
A cornerstone of the expanded programme on immunisation (EPI), started by WHO in 1974, which aims to get all the world’s children vaccinated with the basic vaccines, is the pentavalent vaccine, a five in one shot containing tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine (Hib).
At the Congress, one manufacturer announced their intention to develop the use of Uniject for this vaccine.
Developed over 20 years ago by the non-profit organisation PATH, Uniject is a small bubble of plastic attached to a needle which can be used only once.
It is factory-filled with vaccine and can be used by health workers with less than two hours training, which potentially brings immunisation to areas currently without medical help.
A technical advance has made this possible – previously it had to be mixed on site.
Fewer steps mean less error and less elements to transport. Uniject is already widely used for hepatitis B vaccine in Asia.
One of its most important features is that it avoids waste, which is becoming a major issue.
Crossroads
Simona Zipursky works with Project Optimise, a WHO collaboration with PATH developing immunisation systems for tomorrow’s world.
“Vaccination is at a crossroads in developing countries.
“Systems for delivering vaccines were developed in the mid-70s for vaccines which were cheap and packaged many doses to a vial.
“We could tolerate waste, which could reach 50%, if only a few children at a time were immunised from one vial.”
“What we are seeing with new vaccines which cost many dollars each is that waste can no longer be tolerated so they are packaged in single dose presentations which means a much greater impact on the cold chain that transports them.”
One striking example she gives is that a traditional fridge could easily hold 4,000 doses of traditional vaccines in multi-dose vials but would now hold just 600 doses of the newer vaccines.
“The answer is not to buy seven more fridges for each clinic.
“The answer is to improve our systems and packaging to better suit the needs of countries.”
Health Check, Monday 16th August.
]]>Children who are overweight at the age of four face a lifetime of ill-health, according to a leading expert.
Dr David Haslam, a GP who chairs the National Obesity Forum, says that the age of four is a crucial point, because once a child starts school “the battle is lost”.
Life patterns are already established and beginning school means the home stops being the sole place a child’s diet is decided.
More than one in five children in England start their school life overweight or obese.
Some four-year-olds are so big now that, for the first time, Marks and Spencer has launched a range of out-sized schoolwear to cater for them.
Such overweight and obese children are left at increased risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, joint and foot problems, as well as psychological problems.
‘Missing a trick’
Dr Haslam, who is also a member of ESCO (Experts in Severe and Complex Obesity), a group set up to improve access and treatment for severe and complex obesity on the NHS, said giving midwives a more active role was vital.
He warns the NHS must go “back to the start of life” in order to prevent early childhood weight problems.
Pregnancy is the time to intervene, he says, by asking midwives to pass on healthy eating information to expectant mothers.
He feels that by not having midwives on board tackling obesity, the NHS is “missing a trick”.
“When mums are pregnant there is no problem accessing 95% of them as they are in and out of the GPs’ and midwives’ office. But there is very little done on weight management.
“The life of an obese person starts well before birth, when mum gets pregnant. What I am suggesting is that midwifery practices be more lifestyle and obesity focused.
“By the age of four, if you haven’t done anything to stop the problem then you have got trouble.
“This poor kid has done nothing, there is nothing he could have done. He has a future of obesity with no chance of having a fit and lean future.”
He said prioritising breast feeding as vital was one key way of protecting against obesity and allergies. But he said some are still not heeding the advice.
“I see mums and say ‘are you breast feeding?’ and they say ‘why should I be?’ and I put my head in my hands, because once you have moved on you can’t go back to it.”
Long-term problems
The latest research seems to suggest that the rate of increase is levelling off, but experts say there are still considerable problems, with 1.5 million children who are overweight or obese in England alone.
Sue Jacob, from the Royal College of Midwives, said that if properly resourced her profession would welcome a bigger input.
“Women trust midwives and have a good relationship with them, but we need to be given space and resources to do this job.
“If we had the time and resources we could change attitudes.”
Paul Sacher, research director at MEND, a programme which aims to encourage obese children to be more healthy, agreed a healthy start was vital.
“Children who are obese at a very young age are more likely to become obese adults. Being obese in early childhood is associated with a wide range of health problems from childhood to adulthood.
Dr Carel le Roux, a member of ESCO and lead clinician from the Imperial Weight Centre at Charing Cross Hospital said: “If a patient is overweight by the age of four that makes our life much harder to treat in the long-term.”
He said that genetics did play a significant part in why someone might or might not become obese – obese women are more likely to have obese children – but he said genetics could not be blamed for everything.
“The genetics load the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger.”
Adversity and stress early in life leads to long-term ill health and early death, a group of psychologists warn.
A series of studies suggest that childhood stress caused by poverty or abuse can lead to heart disease, inflammation, and speed up cell ageing.
The American Psychological Association meeting heard that early experiences “cast a long shadow” on health.
One UK expert said more and more evidence was suggesting a physical impact of stress in childhood.
In one study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the relationship between living in poverty and early signs of heart disease in 200 healthy teenagers.
They found that those from the worst-off families had stiffer arteries and higher blood pressure.
A second piece of research by the same team showed children from poorer homes were more likely to interpret a series of mock social situations as threatening.
They also had higher blood pressure and heart rates and higher hostility and anger scores during three laboratory stress tasks.
It backs other research showing a link between a stressful childhood and future cardiovascular disease, said study leader Professor Karen Matthews.
She said unpredictable and stressful environments lead children to be “hyper vigilant” to perceived threats.
“Interactions with others then become a source of stress, which can increase arousal, blood pressure, inflammation levels and deplete the body’s reserves. “This sets up risk for cardiovascular disease.”
Abuse
Another study presented at the conference showed that childhood events such as the death of a parent or abuse can make people more vulnerable to the effects of stress in later life and even shorten lifespan.
Researchers at Ohio State University looked at a group of older adults – some of whom were carers for people with dementia.
They measured several markers of inflammation in the blood which can be signs of stress, as well as the length of telomeres – protective caps on the ends of chromosomes which have been linked to age-related diseases.
The 132 participants also answered a questionnaire on depression and past child abuse and neglect.
A third study reported some sort of physical, emotional or sexual abuse during childhood.
Those who did face adversity as children had shorter telomeres and increased levels of inflammation even after controlling for age, care-giving status, gender, body mass index, exercise and sleep.
Study leader Professor Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, said: “Our latest research shows that childhood adversity casts a long shadow on one’s health and can lead to inflammation and cell ageing much earlier than for those who haven’t experienced these events.
“Those reporting multiple adversities could shorten their lifespan by seven to 15 years,” she added.
Dr Andrea Danese, a clinical lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, said such studies had to be interpreted carefully because there is a chance that people do not recall their childhoods accurately and you can only show an association not prove causality.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe these results.
“The evidence is quite consistent.
“It’s already been established that childhood stress has an effect on mental health and it now seems like it has an enduring effect on physical health.”
He said that stress causes an increase in inflammatory proteins which could underpin the physical consequences suggested by the research.
The goal of the Worldwide Campaign to End the Institutionalisation of Children, including DRI’s forthcoming report and follow-up advocacy, is to challenge underlying policies that lead to abuses against children on a global scale. One of the main drivers of institutionalisation – particularly in developing countries – is the use of misdirected foreign assistance funding to build new institutions or rebuild old crumbling facilities, instead of providing assistance and access to services for families who want to keep their children at home. Disability Rights International’s worldwide report will document the role of international funders in perpetuating the segregation of children with disabilities.
Locked away and forgotten
Children with disabilities around the world are locked away in institutions and forgotten – many from birth. We have seen children left permanently tied into cribs and beds where many die. Some die from intentional lack of medical care as their lives are not deemed worthy. Some die from lack of touch and love. Most in these conditions never make it to adolescence. And those who do are condemned to a lifetime inside the walls of an institution just for having a disability. Children with disabilities are rarely eligible for foster care in countries where it is available and parents who do want to keep their children with a disability almost never receive any help or support. And governments and international donors spend millions worldwide building and rebuilding these torture chambers for children with disabilities instead of supporting families, substitute families when necessary and community services and education.
Findings by Disability Rights International on conditions of institutionalised children includes:
Instead of providing children with the families or caregivers and the lovethey need, self abusive children in institutions are tied into cribs and chairs, tethered into strait jackets, wrapped tightly into blankets, and hands covered completely in plastic bottles, causing more pain to a child already living a horribly abused and neglected life.
The reform of international development policy is essential to our goal of ending the worldwide institutionalisation of children with disabilities. DRI have found that the United Nations, European governments, and other international donors play a major role in perpetuating the institutionalisation of children with disabilities. In developing countries, the infusion of foreign financial support can have tremendous influence on social policies and human rights. Well-meaning but misguided international donors have, unfortunately, been part of the problem in much of the world. International support has often been used to rebuild and refurbish orphanages, psychiatric facilities, and other institutions at the expense of community programs and families. This support reinforces outmoded systems of institution-based services and perpetuates discrimination and segregation of children with disabilities worldwide.
Disability Rights International
1156 15th Street NW, Suite 1001
Washington, DC 20005
USA
Tel: +1 202 296 0800; Fax: +1 202 728 3053
Email: mdri@mdri.org
Website: www.mdri.org