The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
Mamata Sardar Kolkata Karina Krisch Hamburg An exhibition of photographs clicked by children in Kolkata, Freiburg and Hamburg shows how children relate to their environment and how social, economic and geographical contexts mediate ways of seeing Does a 13-year-old urban kid from India view the natural world any differently from …
In the wake of persistent severe cold weather, spread of viral diseases like chickenpox, measles, chest infection and influenza among children is on the increase. According to doctors, the extreme chilly weather has badly disturbed the immunity system of the young ones. Hence, the kids are more vulnerable to viral …
Corporate social responsibility, once a do-gooding sideshow, is now seen as mainstream. But as yet too few companies are doing it well, says Daniel Franklin (interviewed here) IN THE lobby at the London headquarters of Marks & Spencer, one of Britain's leading retailers, the words scroll relentlessly across a giant …
>> Journalists were killed in unusually high numbers in 2007, making it the deadliest year for the press in more than a decade, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists' end-of-year analysis. Worldwide, 64 journalists were killed in direct connection to their work in 2007
Education is a basic human right. Yet across the world there are vast disparities in education based on wealth, gender, location, language and other markers for disadvantage. These disparities threaten to undermine efforts to achieve the six Education for All (EFA) goals agreed by over 160 governments in 2000. Failure …
The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (commonly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme) was launched as a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme in August 1995. The scheme was intended to: boost the universalisation of primary education by increasing enrolment; retention; and attendance; and simultaneously impacting on the nutritional status of …
The objective of this report is to monitor global progress in the health sector as it scales up HIV prevention, treatment and care interventions towards universal access . The current report is the second in a series of annual progress reports developed by the WHO, the joint UNAIDS and the …
Wanted: medicine for a group whose voice is still too small to be heard IMAGINE a class of human beings, amounting to about one-third of world's population, whose needs are barely noticed by the people who are dealing with all the most pressing public-health problems. In fact, such a group …
The State of the World’s Children 2008 assesses the state of child survival and primary health care for mothers, newborns and children today. These issues serve as sensitive barometers of a country’s development and wellbeing and as evidence of its priorities and values. Investing in the health of children and …
The Toxics Link study found high concentrations of lead in all samples of soft toys containing PVC. Even trace amounts of lead are dangerous to children.
Hunger is unpalatable. For a government that wishes to assert that it is not callous, it is particularly so. But hunger, with a capital H, is a pill that millions of people in Madhya Pradesh continue to swallow. In 2005 and 2006, Frontline reported acute malnutrition from Sheopur and Shivpuri …
The Australian government in the last week of August approved laws for the Northern Territory's indigenous people, which, it says, are designed to fight rampant child sexual abuse among the Aborigines. The move was in response to an officially commissioned report that found child abuse was widespread in the state's …
Video games have long been a controversial subject among critics, consumers and parents. They have been accused of desensitising children to violence and emphasising that violent behaviour is acceptable. These are valid criticisms. Partaking in virtual violence does have a seemingly realistic feel to it. But it's an aspect that …
Pangulu Pahada owes a lot to Ramakanta Pradhan and his 60 students for its existence. The hill would have become a neglected barren mount if the headmaster and his flock from an upper primary school in remote Orissa had not decided to protect it, helping a 121-hectare forest on the …
One of the largest aluminium producers in the country with a market share of more than 30 per cent, Balco is poised to play a significant role in the context of globalisation. The company has achieved a dramatic surge in productivity and profit within a short span of five years …
We couldn't fathom why a friendly scientist should refuse an interview, even on e-mail. And instead want to write down answers and fax them back. Having heard from Jean Pierre Petit, the renowned French astrophysicist-artist, recently on a tour to India, we now know why. Excerpts from a 12-page fascimile …
There is something not-so-comical about our comic channels. A recent study says Nickelodeon, the popular entertainment channel, is spreading junk food among kids through its advertisements. Center for Science in the Public Interest (cspi), a us-based ngo, has examined 168 Nickelodeon television food advertisements, another 21 food ads in Nickelodeon …
Childhood obesity has become a major societal concern. Rates of obesity among preschool and school-age children have more than doubled in the past three decades: 14% of 2- to 5-year-olds and 19% of 6- to 11-year olds are obese (Ogden et al. 2006; Ogden et al. 2002). The increased rates …
