TRAFFICKING AND LABOUR REPORTS HIGHLIGHT
THREATS TO CHILDREN’S FUTURES
By J ill Moss
Last week the American State Department released its 2004 Trafficking in Persons
Report. This rates efforts by 140 countries to fight slavery. Information comes from
American Embassies, human right groups and non-governmental organizations.
The report divides the countries into three groups. The first two are countries believed to
be working hard against trafficking or trying to improve. But the third group is nations
believed to be making little or no effort. They could lose some American assistance or
face other restrictions.
Ten nations are in this group. Burma, North Korea, Cuba and Sudan were also listed last
year. This year the State Department added Bangladesh, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra
Leone. It also added Venezuela, Guyana and Ecuador.
Forty-two nations are on a special “watch list” of countries at risk of being given the
lowest rating. One of them is Japan. The report says Japan could do much more to protect
thousands of victims of sexual slavery linked to organized crime groups. Japan says it
will do more.
Children taken from traffickers intercepted by police are housed at the Terre Des
Hommes shelter in Cotonou, Benin. Worldwide, the report estimates that each year as
many as eight hundred thousand people are taken across national borders for trafficking.
It also notes that some groups place the number far higher. Most victims are women and
girls forced into sexual slavery. Men are often forced into labour. Boys generally become
child soldiers.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says some countries have improved over the past year,
including Turkey. It moved up from the lowest group to the watch list. Mister Powell
said president Bush has promised fifty-million dollars more to fight international
trafficking. This is above the seventy-million dollars budgeted for the past year.
On June twelfth the International Labour Organization released a report for World Day
Against Child Labour. The United Nations agency says at least ten-million children are
being forced to work as house cleaners. In most cases, they earn little or no money. They
are trapped. The report says that often the children are beaten or forced to have sex. Most

the conference. She said taxes on world trade would be undemocratic and impossible to
put in place.
The UN has a goal to reduce by half the remaining number of poor people in the world
by two thousand fifteen.
Experts Say Babies Should Be Fed Only Breast Milk
for the First Six Months
By Jill Moss
Health experts commonly advise mothers to feed babies only breast milk for the first six
months. They say no other food is more valuable to the development of a child. The
World Health Organization says children can be breastfed as part of their diet for up to
two years or longer. Yet it says only one out of three babies is fed only breast milk for
even just four months.
Breast milk helps protect children from infections and disease. It can even prevent
common sickness, such as diarrhea and pneumonia. And it can help babies recover more
quickly if they do get sick. Studies show that mothers who breastfeed reduce their risk of
cancer in the reproductive organs. Breastfeeding also saves money, compared to milk
substitutes.
The first week in August is World Breastfeeding Week. The campaign this year involved
the idea of exclusive breastfeeding. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action say
babies can be fed drops or syrups with extra vitamins and minerals. But exclusive means
no other foods or drinks for six months.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF offer some steps for mothers. First, they
say breastfeeding should start within the first hour after a baby’s birth. Second, the baby
should not receive any food or drink, including water. Third, babies should be breastfed
whenever they are hungry day or night. And, lastly, the agencies say there should be no
use of bottles, pacifiers or other equipment.
International health experts say traditional ways to measure child growth do not
recognize things like the importance of breastfeeding. So the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation is giving more than six million dollars to the WHO for a six-year project. The
money will be used to develop new tools to measure the health and the well-being of

The report says that in many of the poorest countries, high birth rates are reducing the
effects of economic improvements. So is a lack of equality when it comes to who gets
resources.
The report is for a meeting this September of the U.N. General Assembly. Delegates will
discuss progress halfway through a ten-year Program of Action for the Least Developed
Countries.
Of the fifty, thirty-four are in Africa south of the Sahara. Fifteen are in Asia and the
Pacific. And one is in the Caribbean: Haiti. Anwarul Chowdhury, the U.N. High
Representative for the Least Developed Countries, called on the world to continue to help
them.
Free H.I.V. tests are
given in Lesotho to
mark World AIDS
Day 2005
Non-Governmental Organizations Influence Policy Around the World
The sixteenth international AIDS conference opened on Sunday in Toronto, Canada. More
than twenty-four thousand delegates from one hundred thirty-two countries are attending the
six-day conference. They include scientists, health care providers, activists, political and
business leaders and people living with the disease. Many people attending the AIDS
conference represent private non-governmental organizations, or NGOs.
Political scientists often describe NGOs as “pressure groups”
because of their effect on world issues. They have little official
power over international decision-making. However, NGOs often
influence international policy.
A broad definition of NGO is any non-profit group that is independent of government. Most
of these private organizations have one or more goals. For example, some support
community development, provide social services and help poor people. Others support
human rights and social justice. Still others work to protect the environment. NGOs support
many issues and operate around the world. Some of the most well-known include Oxfam,
Amnesty International and Greenpeace.

Many of these same countries have economies that are growing at a rate of two to three
percent yearly. The study suggests that poor countries could possibly double their economic
growth if they improved nutrition.
Africa and South Asia are affected the most by poor nutrition. The study says about half of
all children in India do not get enough good food. The World Bank study also notes that
rates of malnutrition in South Asia are almost double those in central and southern Africa.
Other parts of the world are also severely affected, including Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Yemen,
Guatemala and Peru.
The study recommends that developing countries change their policies to deal with
malnutrition. Instead of directly providing food, the study suggests educational programs in
health and nutrition for mothers with young babies. It also recommends cleaner living
conditions and improvements in health care.
World Bank nutrition specialist Meera Shekar was the lead writer for the report. She said
the period of life between pregnancy and two years is extremely important. Governments
with limited resources should take direct action to improve nutrition for children during this
period.