The World Child Rights Day and the current situation of Somali Children
The date 20 November marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Today, 193 states have ratified the CRC. In fact, only two countries in the world — Somalia and the United States — have not yet given the CRC legal force, although both have signed it.
The situation for children in Somalia is worried; following the worst violence in the country for close to two decades and many children are currently living in IDP camps inside and outside the country without education, good health and shelter.
An increasing number of Somali children are being recruited by the Somali armed forces or militia groups in violation of international law particularly for those underage and many of the children are joining because their families are unable to provide for them on the other hand some of children are keen on to be prominent gangsters so as to maintain their existence.
The National Association of Somali Science and Environmental Journalists (NASSEJ) are shocked by the scale of the recruitment of children into militias by the warring sides and at least there are 850,000-1,000 displaced children in and out of the country.
However, as you can understand the photos in the news the current situation of Somali children is a devastating one with a lot of worry.
UNICEF on Friday welcomed the announcement by the Somali Transitional Federal Government that it intends to become a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The UN agency said in a statement issued in Nairobi that the declaration by the Somali government coincided with global commemorations on the 20th anniversary of the convention.
"This commitment by Somalia's Transitional Federal Government comes at a crucial time, when no child in central south Somalia has had the experience of living in peace" said Rozanne Chorlton, UNICEF Representative to Somalia.
The ongoing conflict in the country caused drastic diseases against Somalia children and NASSEJ recently highlighted unknown disease affected Somali people particularly children as well as In Somalia, its common practice for the children to play with explosive things that endanger their lives.
[This article crossposted from National Association of Somali Science and Environmental Journalists]The World Child Rights Day and the current situation of Somali Children
The date... more
Hussein è un ragazzo di 33 anni che aspetta un bimbo dalla donna della quale è innamorato. In molte parti del mondo, se si inizia a raccontare una storia in questo modo, chiunque si aspetta di ascoltare, da un momento all’altro, il classico “ e vissero felici e contenti”. Ma questa non è una favola e per Hussein e la sua donna non ci sono lieti fini. Perché la loro è la cronaca spietata dell’ennesima barbarie che si è consumata in uno degli angoli più crudi dell’Africa orientale. http://www.inaltreparole.net/it/esteri/somalialapidazione181109.htmlHussein è un ragazzo di 33 anni che aspetta un bimbo dalla donna della quale è... more
To combat terrorism, we should address the root causes of poverty, says former "economic hit man" John Perkins.
Excerpt:
I recalled my visits with the Bugi people when I was sent to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in the early 1970s. The Bugi had been infamous pirates since the time of the East India companies in the 1600s and 1700s. Their ferocity inspired returning European sailors to discipline their disobedient children with threats that “the bugiman will get you.” In the 1970s, we feared that they would attack our oil tankers as they passed through the vital Strait of Malacca.
I sat with one of their elders on the Sulawesi shore one afternoon. We watched his people build a sailing galleon, known as a prahu, much as they had for centuries. Like a gigantic beached whale, it was high and dry, propped upright by rows of gnarled stakes that resembled roots sprouting from its hull. Dozens of men hustled about it, working with adzes, hatchets, and hand drills. I expressed the concerns of my government to him, intimating that we would retaliate if the oil lanes were threatened.
The old man glared at me. “We were not pirates in the old days,” he said, his bushy white hair bobbing indignantly. “We only fought to defend our lands against Europeans who came to steal our spices. If we attack your ships today, it is because they take the trade away from us; your ‘stink ships’ foul our waters with oil, destroying our fish and starving our children.” Then he shrugged. “Now, we’re at a loss.” His smile was disarming. “How can a handful of people in wooden sailing ships fight off America’s submarines, airplanes, bombs, and missiles?”
(much more at link)To combat terrorism, we should address the root causes of poverty, says former... more
Pirates on Monday launched their longest-range hijack attempt yet by opening fire on a big Hong Kong-flagged crude oil tanker, 1,000 nautical miles east of Mogadishu ANTI-piracy measures off Somalia appear to be forcing pirates to extend their range to strike deep into the Indian Ocean, shifting the menace even further from the protection of international naval forces. Gunmen on Monday launched their longest range hijack attempt yet by opening fire on a big Hong Kong-flagged crude oil tanker, the BW Lion, 1,000 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, the European Union naval force EU Navfor said. The bid failed, but was a stark demonstration of seaborne gangs ambition to outwit the naval forces deployed against them and defeat a more determined defence by their civilian prey. Its a pretty formidable development. It shows the pirates are a confident and adaptive opponent, said Martin Murphy, an expert on maritime irregular warfare at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. The Horn of Africas coastal waters - vital shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe - have seen a sharp rise in attacks by pirates who have earned tens of millions of dollars in ransom from hijacks of mostly foreign vessels in the past three years. The minimum distance vessels are advised to keep from shore has steadily increased in that time to 600 miles from fewer than 200 miles. The pirates typically use mother ships to sail hundreds of miles to sea and then attack in small skiffs. They have shown their competence at greater and greater distances. At each stage of this development, the pirates have gone to the previously assumed limit of their range, knowing that there is where they will find ships to attack, Murphy said. Mondays attack follows similar incidents at distances off the east coast that were also far in excess of earlier attempted boardings, which often took place within 200 miles of the coast. On Oct. 29, for example, pirates seized a Thai-flagged fishing boat, the Thai Union, about 200 nautical miles north of the Seychelles and 650 miles off the Somali coast. On Oct 19, pirates seized a Chinese coal ship, the De Xin Hai, some 700 nautical miles east of Somalia. Tony Mason, secretary general with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents 75 percent of the global industry, said reports of Mondays attack were worrying. This is a really big problem if shipping over that sort of area has got to consider itself susceptible to attack by pirates, he said. Ironically the development appears to stem partly from security improvements aboard. Responding to expert advice, many crews now take a wide variety of measures to resist boarders, so as to buy time to allow naval forces to come to their rescue. Such steps can include installing barbed wire coils, using fire hoses, sailing the vessel in a zigzag pattern and speeding up. But taking such steps in remote waters may have little use since there are few naval forces active there to rescue them. Foreign navies are deployed mainly off Somalias north coast in the Gulf of Aden. Since the turn of the year they have operated convoys as well as set up and monitored a transit corridor for ships to pass through vulnerable points. These measures have also deterred pirates, but they only have an effect where naval forces are present. In contrast, on the east coast of Somalia, there is practically no naval effort except for probably a few ships belonging to the (U.N.s) World Food Programme and maybe a few more, said Cyrus Mody, manager with London-based watchdog the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). John Dalby, chief executive of MRM, which provides security personnel to merchant vessels in the region, said it was going to be impossible for navies to police the whole of the western half of the Indian Ocean. We are stressing to governments that we just cant see this problem institutionalised - that people just accept piracy in this area as a way of life, the ICSs Mason said. ToPirates on Monday launched their longest-range hijack attempt yet by opening fire on a... more
NAIROBI, Kenya, Three masked members of a militant Islamist group in Somalia last week shot and killed a Somali Christian who declined to wear a veil as prescribed by Muslim custom, according to a Christian source in Somalia.
Members of the comparatively “moderate” Suna Waljameca group killed Amina Muse Ali, 45, on Oct. 19 at 9:30 p.m. in her home in Galkayo, in Somalia’s autonomous Puntland region, said the source who requested anonymity for security reasons.
Ali had told Christian leaders that she had received several threats from members of Suna Waljameca for not wearing a veil, symbolic of adherence to Islam. She had said members of the group had long monitored her movements because they suspected she was a Christian.
The source said Ali had called him on Oct. 4 saying, “My life is in danger. I am warned of dire consequences if I continue to live without putting on the veil. I need prayers from the fellowship.”
“I was shocked beyond words when I received the news that she had been shot dead,” the source in Somalia told Compass by telephone. “I wished I could have recalled her to my location. We have lost a long-serving Christian.”
Ali had come to Galkayo from Jilib, 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Kismayo, in 2007. She arrived in Puntland at the invitation of a close friend, Saynab Warsame of the Darod clan, when the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab invaded Kismayo, the source said. Warsame was born in Kismayo and had lived in Jilib but moved to Puntland when war broke out in 1991.
The source said it is not known if even Warsame knew of Ali’s conversion from Islam to Christianity.
“She might not have known, because Warsame is not a Christian,” he said.
In 1997 Ali, an orphan and unmarried, joined the Somali Christian Brothers’ Organization, a movement commonly known as the Somali Community-Based Organization. As such she had been an active member of the underground church in the Lower Juba region.
Muslim extremists have targeted the movement, killing some of its leaders after finding them in possession of Bibles. The organization was started in 1996 by Bishop Abdi Gure Hayo.NAIROBI, Kenya, Three masked members of a militant Islamist group in Somalia last week... more
There are many men and women in the world who every day risk their lives, their freedom or both, simply because they try to tell the truth. Most people probably cannot understand why they do it. The problem is that the word journalist is not a good definition of the profession, because it includes three different behaviors that have nothing to do with each other.There are many men and women in the world who every day risk their lives, their... more
Ci sono tantissimi uomini e donne nel mondo che ogni giorno rischiano la vita, la libertà o entrambe, semplicemente perché cercano di raccontare la verità. La maggior parte delle persone probabilmente non riesce a capire perché lo fanno. Il problema è che la parola giornalista non è una buona definizione della categoria, perché include tre diversi comportamenti che non hanno niente a che fare l'uno con l'altro.Ci sono tantissimi uomini e donne nel mondo che ogni giorno rischiano la vita, la... more
A hardline Islamist group in Somalia has begun publicly whipping women for wearing bras that they claim violate their religion, as they are ‘deceptive’.
The insurgent group Al Shabaab has sent gunmen into the streets of Mogadishu to round up any women who appear to have a firm bust, residents claimed.
The women are then inspected to see if the firmness is natural, or if it is the result of wearing a bra. If they are found wearing a bra, they are ordered to remove it and shake their breasts, residents said. Al Shabaab, which seeks to impose a strict interpretation of Sharia law over all Somalia, also amputated a foot and a hand each from two young men accused of robbery earlier this month
Is your bra deceptive? Would you fall foul of the law if Sharia was introduced in the UK?A hardline Islamist group in Somalia has begun publicly whipping women for wearing... more
K'naan tells us the story of his life by showing us the albums at Fat Beats Records that carried him from the war fields of Somalia to the streets of New York.
Current Music Presents: Embedded is a six part special that puts you on the ground and behind the scenes with unrivaled access to your favorite musicians. We've traveled the world, going beyond performances to bring you the most intimate and unfiltered moments in artists' lives. When others stop the cameras, we capture the real story of today's top musicians.
Get more at http://current.com/embedded.K'naan tells us the story of his life by showing us the albums at Fat Beats Records... more
CJ contributor Kassim Mohammed was captured this summer by Somali pirates. He wrote up his account on the Committee to Protect Journalists blog.
Here's an excerpt:
Along the route, a confrontation ensues between the pirates onboard while deep in the Gulf of Aden. A section is opposed to the idea of a journalist recording and visiting the highly guarded territory. Two of them turn, pointing their AK-47 rifles at me. At this point I am speechless that the men who only a few minutes ago were friends are baying for my blood.
After more than four hours roaming the Gulf of Aden, we finally come ashore. They lead me to a dark room and hold me hostage for eight hours, often threatening me: “You’re going to die in the next four hours if we don’t get a kill today,” one of them says.
My Sony H4 Zoom recorder is my only companion as I keep the record button on, making sure that I leave evidence even if they end my life. At this point, I reflect on my initial questions that led me to this mission: Who is behind this trade and does it have links to the development that is on going back in Eastleigh? My nose for news is slowly being replaced by a desire to survive the ordeal. I keep praying for a quick intervention. I see July 31 as my last day on Earth.
Eventually, they release me, but not before a parting shot: Western forces must respect Somalia. “You must tell the international community that we are here to stay despite what the U.S., Russia, and France do,” the ringleader, Guled, said. “They should respect our waters and avoid dumping waste here.”CJ contributor Kassim Mohammed was captured this summer by Somali pirates. He wrote up... more
Somalias hardline Muslim extremists have been ordering women to shake their breasts at gunpoint to see if they are wearing un-Islamic bras.
According to Daily Mail, the women are publicly whipped for wearing undergarments, as it is deceptive and violate Islam.
The insurgent group Al Shabaab has sent gunmen into the streets of Mogadishu to identify any women who appear to have a firm bust, said the residents.
The women are then inspected to see if the firmness is natural or the result of wearing a bra, reports Courier Mail.
Al Shabaab, which seeks to impose a strict interpretation of Sharia law over all Somalia, ask women to remove the bra and shake their breasts.
They are also whipping men caught without a beard.
The group has also banned movies, musical ringtones, dancing at wedding ceremonies and playing or watching soccer.Somalias hardline Muslim extremists have been ordering women to shake their breasts at... more
The left may be pressuring President Obama to exit Afghanistan. But their heroes—from FDR to JFK—promoted U.S. involvement in more wars than all modern GOP presidents combined.The left may be pressuring President Obama to exit Afghanistan. But their... more
Synchronicities are those moments of “meaningful coincidence” when the boundary dissolves between the inner and the outer. At the synchronistic moment, just like a dream, our internal, subjective state appears, as if materialized in, as and through the outside world. Touching the heart of our being, synchronicities are moments in time in which there is a fissure in the fabric of what we have taken for reality and there is a bleed through from a higher dimension outside of time. Synchronicities are expressions of the dreamlike nature of reality, as they are moments in time when the timeless, dreamlike nature of the universe shines forth its radiance and openly reveals itself to us, offering us an open doorway to lucidity.
Synchronicity was one of Jung’s most profound yet least understood discoveries, in part because it cannot be appreciated until we personally step into and experience the synchronistic realm for ourselves. Jung’s discovery of synchronicity was in a sense the parallel in the realm of psychology to Einstein’s discovery of the law of relativity in physics. Because it is so radically discontinuous with our conventional notions of the nature of reality, the experience of synchronicity is so literally mind-blowing that Jung contemplated this phenomenon for over twenty years before he published his thinking about it. Jung’s synchronistic universe was a new world view which embraced linear causality while simultaneously transcending it. A synchronistic universe balances and complements the mechanistic world of linear causality with a realm that is outside of space, time and causality. In a synchronicity, two heterogeneous world-systems, the causal and acausal, interlock and interpenetrate each other for a moment in time, which is both an expression of while creating in the field an aspect of our wholeness to manifest. The synchronistic universe is beginning-less in that we are participating in its creation right now, which is why Jung calls it “an act of creation in time.”Synchronicities are those moments of “meaningful coincidence” when the boundary... more
The winners of a quiz organised by Somali Islamists have been given weapons and ammunition as prizes.
Prizes included AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades and an anti-tank mine.
The quiz ran during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in the port city of Kismayo, and included questions about the Koran and Somali geography.
A representative for the al-Shabab militant group said the quiz aimed to stop young men from wasting their time and focus on defending their territory.
"The reason the young men were rewarded with weapons is to encourage them to participate in the ongoing holy war against the enemies of Allah in Somalia," AFP news agency quoted al-Shabab's Sheikh Abdullahi Alhaq as saying at Friday's prize-giving ceremony.
The winning team, from the city's Farjano district, reportedly won a rifle, two grenades, a landmine and office supplies worth $1,000 (£613).
But the runners-up did not go home empty-handed, taking away an AK-47 and bullets.
Al-Shabab and other Islamist rebels accused of having links to al-Qaeda dominate much of southern and central Somalia, where they have imposed strict Sharia law.
The country last had a functioning central government in 1991.
A weak UN-backed government runs only parts of the capital, Mogadishu.The winners of a quiz organised by Somali Islamists have been given weapons and... more
Somalia's hardline Islamist group al Shabaab has publicly whipped women for wearing bras they say violate Islam by constituting a deception, north Mogadishu residents said Friday.
The insurgent group, which seeks to impose a strict form of sharia Islamic law throughout Somalia, amputated a foot and a hand each from two young men accused of robbery earlier this month. They have also banned movies, musical ringtones, dancing at wedding ceremonies and playing or watching soccer.Somalia's hardline Islamist group al Shabaab has publicly whipped women for wearing... more
In a bold new strategy, women’s rights advocates in Africa are using clever, non-confrontational techniques to win power for women. It’s all about getting the men on board by convincing them equality is in their own interest.
For activists focused on women’s rights in Africa, this fall brought a whirlwind of conflicting news. First, the devastating: On Sept. 28 in Guinea, during protests against the ruling military junta, masses of women were publicly assaulted and raped by government forces. The sexual violence, which took place at a sports stadium in the coastal capital city, Conakry, echoed that of other conflict around the world. But this time, images of the stripped, humiliated women were captured on cellphone cameras and distributed internationally, resulting in a Page One New York Times exposé.
A week later, across the continent in Somalia, came a human rights victory. Fourteen villages in the country’s northeast Puntland region publicly vowed to abandon female genital mutilation, declaring the Koran does not require the procedure. Two thousand people, including local village chiefs and religious leaders, attended the ceremony to announce the policy change, which was the culmination of a two-year education effort by women’s rights organizations.
At the center of both these stories is an undeniable, yet uncomfortable truth: The fate of women in traditional societies is often in the hands of men. It is men who perpetrate sexual and domestic violence, and men who have a stranglehold on political power in societies obsessed with sexual chastity and obedience. Women’s rights activists have learned that without the support of men there is little hope for empowering African women. Since the 1990s, a number of advocacy groups have developed sophisticated strategies for pursuing feminist aims through non-threatening outreach to men, eschewing the sort of Western paternalism that, in past decades, allowed local opinion leaders to brand opponents of female genital mutilation and proponents of family planning as latter-day colonialists, to be resisted by right-thinking Africans.
The idea that it is men’s duty to protect “weak” women is deeply ingrained, but activists have found they can use this to their advantage.
More @ linkIn a bold new strategy, women’s rights advocates in Africa are using clever,... more
