Day: February 1, 2011

More children in peril: flooding and extreme events

Lisa Schweitzer

Recent Floods Leave Children at Risk

From UNICEF:

Devastating floods have left hundreds of thousands of children at risk of disease, malnutrition and exploitation in:

• Sri Lanka – The entire eastern region submerged in water. More than 1 million people affected.
• Brazil – Worst floods in decades. More than 800 dead and 15,000 homeless.
• Philippines – 500,000 people homeless after a month of nonstop rains. More rain on the way.
• Pakistan – New data shows floods’ legacy – record-high child malnutrition.

UNICEF has mobilized in all four countries to immunize children, supply safe drinking water and to distribute bed nets, nutrition and sanitation supplies. UNICEF is also working to safeguard children separated from their families.

> Support emergency flood relief


Trafficking in children around the Super Bowl

Lisa Schweitzer

Prior to this week’s Super Bowl in the US, police and advocates are trying to stop human trafficking in the city before the big game. This story from the AP describes police and advocacy efforts, and:

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that at least 100,000 children in the U.S. are victims of prostitution each year.

Granted that this number is an estimate, but even so, that’s unacceptable. Think about it: 100,000 kids involuntarily trafficked each year. If they were a city, they would be Berkeley.