The UN confirmed reports from NGOs and local activists that at least 400 children have died from lead poisoning related to gold mining in a Nigerian province. Just one more testament to how economic depravity seems to always hit children the hardest.
The Most Important Thing Happening in All the World Today is Happening Now and You can Watch it Live
It probably won’t draw the same amount of media attention as predicable rants by various global despots, but one gathering today holds more potential to change the lives of millions of the most vulnerable people around the world than any UN meeting in a long time.
Hundreds of world leaders make their annual pilgrimage to New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly. This is what is on their agenda.
Check this out. UNICEF erects a giant inflatable television screen in a remote village in Zambia to broadcast the World Cup.
Strong trigger warning
Last week in Yemen, a 13-year old girl was married to a 23-year old in a family-arranged marriage. Four days later, she bled to death from severe injuries. Reports SF Gate:
UNICEF just published a success story on female education in India, and it’s inspiring. It profiles thirteen-year-old Arfa Khatun, who refused when her parents tried to commit her to marriage, and her parents accepted that refusal. That’s pretty amazing, especially in West Bengal, where almost half of marriages involve girls under 18.
China has had a one-child policy since 1978. It’s written into the constitution. It has been strictly enforced, through methods that include local officials in charge of monitoring birthrates, heavy fines for couples with more than one child, and social services available only to firstborn children. Now, with the nation’s demographics permanently altered, the Chinese government would like to see more kids born. Parents, however, don’t agree.
UNICEF Director Ann Venemen sits down for a brief interview with Steve Perlstein of the Washington Post.