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In this issue: |
Nepal releases first lot of child soldiers
Violence against women not merely women’s issue
Rampant use of fertilizers destroying Indian agriculture
Tribal village gets forest rights |
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Welcome
to Asia and the Pacific MDG Watch.
This fortnightly electronic newsletter brings to you news
and information on the progress of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) in Asia and the Pacific.
The MDGs are a global initiative taken by the world’s
governments to improve the lives of their people. |
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An Afghan rights watchdog said 1,050 children died in conflict-related incidents in 2009
Photo credit: Akmal Dawi/ IRIN
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New beginnings
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| Nepal begins the New
Year with the
release of its first
batch of child
soldiers from among
the 4,000 living in
Maoist camps. The UN
is supporting the
government to
rehabilitate them
into civilian life
by providing them
new skills.
Read more... |
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Fatal year for children |
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| In Afghanistan,
however, the past
year was fatal
indeed for children.
At least three
children were killed
in war-related
incidents every day
in 2009.
Read more...
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Safety lessons |
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The ‘Safe Delhi Campaign’ seeks to
make women’s safety a public discourse.
Kalpana Viswanath of the Gender Inclusive
Cities Project wants the Indian capital
to sit up and take notice – and go
beyond the ‘gender’ tag.
Read more... |
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Breakdown |
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Are fertilizers the necessary evil
for Indian agriculture? Recent evidence
shows their unrestrained use has led
to nutrient imbalances and micro-nutrient
deficiencies in soil, leading to poor
yields. Environmentalist Ashish Kothari
makes a case for the alternative.
Read more... |
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| Dwelling rights |
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| A tribal village in western India becomes the county’s first to get rights to its forest, water and forest produce under the 2006 Act. It is also the first with a biodiversity record of its forest. Read more... |
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The Gonds in Gadchiroli in Maharashtra take pains to protect forest resources
Photo credit: The Hindu |
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News |
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Tuberculosis alert |
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A leading NGO has urged the Bangladesh government
to control tuberculosis, as half of the country’s
adults carry its bacteria. |
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Children in penury |
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New data reveals many of Japan’s children live in
harrowing conditions, with 66% of single-mother households
in relative poverty. |
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Chatting toilets |
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Community toilets in a Vidharba village in western
India help women socially interact and bond. |
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Teaching ends trauma |
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Five years on after the tsunami, child-friendly schools
are bringing stability to those suffering from psychosocial
trauma in Sri Lanka. |
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Resources |
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End to VAW |
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Staying Alive: Third Monitoring
and Evaluation Report 2009 by the
Indian Lawyers Collective Women’s Rights Initiative,
tracks the delay in the implementation of the law
on domestic violence. The report calls on women’s
organizations to push for reforms to ensure affected
women get justice. |
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Educating vulnerable kids |
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UNICEF’s publication
Education in Emergencies in
South Asia notes each individual
child suffers from several vulnerabilities. The study
uses country based examples to show how schools can
bring longer-term change during disasters and emergencies. |
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This newsletter is brought to you by OWSA, in
partnership with the UN Millennium Campaign.
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