Building a Better World Cup

World Cup, Qatar 2022

This report by HRW examines a recruitment and employment system that effectively traps many migrant workers in their jobs. The problems they face include exorbitant recruitment fees, which can take years to pay off, employers’ routine confiscation of worker passports, and Qatar’s restrictive sponsorship system that gives employers inordinate control over their employees. Workers’ high debts and the restrictions they face if they want to change employers often effectively force them to accept jobs or working conditions they did not agree to in their home countries, or to continue work under conditions of abuse. Workers face obstacles to reporting complaints or seeking redress, and the abuses often go undetected by government authorities.

Read the Report HERE

Rio + 20: Anchor Sustainable Development in Human Rights

World leaders have a once in a generation chance to create a meaningful link between sustainable development and human rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today in a joint statement targeting Environment and Foreign Affairs ministers gathering in Rio.

Heads of state, government officials, and nongovernmental actors will meet on June 20 to 22, 2012, in Rio de Janeiro for the 20 + UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

They are there to take stock of progress towards commitments made at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development which resulted in the Rio Principles and ‘Agenda 21’, a blueprint for global, national, and local action on a wide range of environmental and development issues.

Few countries have followed the Rio Principles, and progress on environmental issues has been limited.

“World leaders in Rio should ensure that sustainable development is grounded in human rights,” said Jan Egeland, deputy executive director at Human Rights Watch. “It is encouraging that the new draft for the outcome document explicitly refers to human rights, but it doesn’t go far enough to ensure that those rights are protected.”

Economic development initiatives that do not incorporate human rights obligations and principles can deepen marginalization, discrimination, and injustice.

Continue reading HERE

Egyptians vote in first democratic presidential election

'We want to live ... like human beings'

Egyptians turned out in droves Wednesday to take part in the country's first-ever democratic election of its leader.

Fifteen months after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak during the Arab Spring uprising, BBC News reported lines began growing at many polling stations shortly after they opened at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET).

"It's a very big day. This is a real great moment for the Egyptians to change,” a woman waiting to vote in Cairo told the BBC. Another in the line was asked how long she’d been waiting to vote; she laughed and said, "30 years."

The election will determine who will take over from generals who have overseen a transition marred by violence, protests and political deadlock. They were due to formally hand over power by July 1.

Some voters held out hope the change to a democracy would bring profound change.

"We want to live better, like human beings," Ibrahim, a 58-year-old government employee, told the AP.

“Our vote will make Egypt's voice in the Arab world ring loud and clear," Saad Abed Raboh, a civil servant in his mid-50s voting in Alexandria, told Reuters. "For 30 years Egypt's vote was muted, but now it will be heard because Egyptians will choose their president."

Finish the article here

Up on The Girl Effect

I'm always browsing the websites of my favorite non-profit orgs to see what's new, and I just have to share this awesome new page with you.

Up now on The Girl Effect is the More Resources page- and it's LOADED with great information and hundreds of resources. Take a look!

Sex and World Peace

One of my favorite women and mentors, Dr. Valerie Hudson {WomanStats Project pioneer} has a fascinating paper recently published on Foreign Policy, and it is well worth reading. Her research, data, and arguement are all incredibly compelling.

Read it now:

What Sex Means for World Peace
The evidence is clear: The best predictor of a state's stability is how its women are treated.

A Major Step Taken in Brazil, HRW Reports

From HRW-
The criminal case filed on April 24, 2012, against a retired army colonel and a civil police precinct chief for grave abuses committed in the 1970s in São Paulo state is an important step for accountability in Brazil, Human Rights Watch said today.

The case is the second in Brazil – and first in São Paulo – in which criminal charges have been brought against a Brazilian official for human rights crimes committed during the country’s military dictatorship, from 1964 to 1985. At least 475 people were killed or forcibly disappeared during that era, and thousands more were illegally detained or tortured.

“This is the second time in as many months that Brazilian prosecutors have filed charges for atrocities committed during the years of military rule,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “This could be the beginning of a new era for accountability in Brazil, though it will ultimately be up to the courts to determine whether the country is finally ready to pursue justice for these terrible crimes.”

Click here to read the rest of the HRW Report

Landmark Anullment in India

An Indian woman who was a baby bride has had her 17-year marriage legally annulled in a ground-breaking case challenging the culture of child weddings, Agence France Presse reported Wednesday.

Laxmi Sargara was 1 year old when she was married to a 3-year-old boy named Rakesh in the desert state of Rajasthan in northwestern India, the French news agency said. Their families decided that when they grew up they would live together and have children.

A UNICEF report says 47 percent of married women in India wed before age 18. Unicef also says 40 percent of the world's child marriages take place in India.

"I was unhappy about the marriage,” Sargara, now 18, told AFP. “I told my parents who did not agree with me, then I sought help. Now I am mentally relaxed and my family members are also with me."

Read the full article here ----->

Unfortunately, child marriages are still a big issue in India, especially in rural areas. NGOs try to halt the practice through negotiation with parents and improved education for girls, however, they're fighting against an age-old tradition and the mindset of thousands of parents.

GlobalGiving hosts several projects that are working to make changes for young girls in India. If you're looking for a way to help, check out these two:

The Blossom Bus: Help Rural Girls in India Get To School

Prevent Child Marriage, Educate 100 Girls in India

Unfinished Revolution

The Unfinished Revolution

Hillary Clinton memorably proclaimed at the United Nations conference in Beijing in 1995 that, “women’s rights are human rights.” But around the world, this is a distant goal for millions of women and girls. In Saudi Arabia, women are banned from driving and many are forbidden from playing sports. In the Central African Republic and Afghanistan, it is not uncommon for childbirth to bring about a woman’s death. And in the United States, state governments fail to test essential DNA evidence collected from rape victims. Released on International Women’s Day, The Unfinished Revolution: Voices from the Global Fight for Women’s Rights (Seven Stories Press), is an anthology that includes essays written by 34 experts from around the world– including leading women’s rights activists, top policymakers, and former victims, as well as experts from Human Rights Watch. It brings fresh voices to the ongoing struggle for gender equality in the 21st century. It also maps out solutions, creating a timely roadmap to understanding how we can help end even centuries-old practices that abuse women. Two Nobel Peace Prize laureates contributed to the anthology. Shirin Ebadi writes how Islamic law weighs on women while Jody Williams addresses the impact of armed conflict on women and girls. Other chapters tackle religious dress or headscarves in Europe, uncertain access to birth control in Latin America, unequal property laws that oppress women in Africa, how in the United States, rapists remain free in part because DNA evidence from rapes is often not tested. The chapter on female genital mutilation touches on women’s right to health, while the chapter that details how certain groups, like the Taliban, fight to keep girls out of school highlights how women can be denied their right to education. The anthology also addresses the uncertain prospects for women in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring. Edited by Human Rights Watch’s Minky Worden, the book does more than spell out the problems women face. It also discusses creative ways that modern technology can be used to advance the cause of women’s rights. For example, it explains how using mobile phones can help combat fistula, a preventable childbirth injury which affects some two million women and girls worldwide. Publishers Weekly calls the book, “a powerful overview of contemporary women's issues … a cohesive and eminently readable document that is simultaneously an inspiration and a call-to-action.” A six-part photo essay with hauntingly beautiful images shot by acclaimed photographers including Platon and Stephanie Sinclair vividly illustrates some of the topics discussed in the book, such as Egypt’s Arab Spring and high rates of maternal death in India.   As Christiane Amanpour writes in the book’s foreword, “It’s a time of change in the world, with dictators toppling and new opportunities rising, but any revolution that doesn’t create equality for women will be incomplete. The time has come to realize the full potential of half the world’s population.” To read more about The Unfinished Revolution go here To buy The Unfinished Revolution go here

Give the Gift of TIME

After Human Rights Watch researchers discovered landmines in Libya, they had the time and resources necessary to reveal the locations of mines across the country and to persuade the opposition forces to ban the weapon. Now, all eyes are on Syria, and our researchers need more time to finish their important work on abuses happening there.

We are calling on human rights defenders like you to help us buy 4,000 hours of researcher time in the field. It takes about $25 to support one hour on the ground, covering everything from renting a jeep, hiring a translator, or even using a satellite phone.

Today, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar.

Your $25 becomes $50, supporting two hours on the ground; $100 becomes $200, funding one day of work; and $250 becomes $500, providing a researcher with half a week in the field.

Donate today and ensure that our researchers have the time to investigate and report on human rights abuses.

Exposing violations is the first, critical step to stopping the abuses.

Thank you for taking a stand against tyranny,

Michele Alexander Deputy Executive Director for Global Initiatives

Changes for Libya

Gaddafi's Death Ushers in a New Era
Libya's Government Should Focus on Rights, Rule of Law

The end of Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule over Libya offers a unique opportunity for the country to end an extraordinarily long era of human rights abuses. Today’s media reports say forces of the National Transitional Council or a NATO air strike wounded Gaddafi during fighting in his hometown of Sirte. He died soon after, the sources said.

Stretching over 42 years, the Gaddafi era accumulated an appalling human rights record, at home and abroad. The Libyan people now deserve to see justice for the many crimes committed on Gaddafi’s watch, and to see other high-level officials implicated in abuses face trial.

Gaddafi’s Libya was one of the region’s most thorough police states. Human Rights Watch has documented disappearances, politically-motivated arrests, and torture, as well as the near-total repression of freedom of expression and association.

Libya’s new authorities should seek independent investigations into the most serious crimes. The 1996 killing of an estimated 1,200 prisoners at Abu Salim – where Gaddafi locked up political prisoners – is one of the most notorious episodes.

Abuse at the EU border

EU: Border Agency Exposes Migrants to Abusive Conditions
Frontex Sends Migrants to Inhuman and Degrading Treatment in Greek Detention Centers

September 21, 2011

Frontex has become a partner in exposing migrants to treatment that it knows is absolutely prohibited under human rights law. To end this complicity in inhuman treatment, the EU needs to tighten the rules for Frontex operations and make sure that Frontex is held to account if it breaks the rules in Greece or anywhere else.

Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director

(Brussels) – Frontex, the European Union’s external border enforcement agency, is exposing migrants to inhuman and degrading conditions, Human Rights Watch said in a report issued today. Migrants apprehended along Greece’s land border with Turkey are sent to overcrowded detention centers in Greece, Human Rights Watch said.

EU justice and interior ministers are expected to approve changes to the rules governing Frontex operations at a two-day meeting starting on September 22, 2011, but the changes do not go far enough to remedy the situation, Human Rights Watch said.

The 62-page report, “The EU’s Dirty Hands: Frontex Involvement in Ill-Treatment of Migrant Detainees in Greece,” assesses Frontex’s role in and responsibility for exposing migrants to inhuman and degrading detention conditions during four months beginning late in 2010 when its first rapid border intervention team (RABIT) was apprehending migrants and taking them to police stations and migrant detention centers in Greece’s Evros region. The RABIT deployment has been replaced by a permanent Frontex presence.

“Frontex has become a partner in exposing migrants to treatment that it knows is absolutely prohibited under human rights law,” said Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director at Human Rights Watch. “To end this complicity in inhuman treatment, the EU needs to tighten the rules for Frontex operations and make sure that Frontex is held to account if it breaks the rules in Greece or anywhere else.”

In November 2010, Frontex, the EU agency for the management of operational cooperation at external borders, began providing Greece with manpower and material support to patrol its borders along the Evros River with Turkey. Frontex sent175 border guards for Frontex’s first RABIT deployment from a pool provided by participating European states. Frontex calls the border guards “guest officers.”

The report is based on interviews with 65 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Greece in November and December 2010 and February 2011, as well as with Frontex and Greek police officials. In December 2010, during the RABIT deployment, Human Rights Watch visited detention centers in the Evros region and found that the Greek authorities were holding migrants, including members of vulnerable groups, such as unaccompanied children, for weeks or months in conditions that amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment.

For example, the Feres police station held 97 detainees at the time of Human Rights Watch’s visit, though the police said its capacity was 30. A 50-year-old Georgian woman detained there said: “You cannot imagine how dirty and difficult it is for me here… It's not appropriate to be with these men. I don't sleep at night. I just sit on a mattress.”

In the Fylakio migrant detention center, Human Rights Watch found unaccompanied children mixed with unrelated adults in overcrowded cells. Sewage was running on the floors, and the smell was hard to bear. Greek guards wore surgical masks when they entered the passageway between the large barred cells.

“While the primary focus of this report is how Frontex has a responsibility not to be complicit in human rights violations, that doesn’t absolve the Greek authorities,” Frelick said. “The Greek government should take immediate steps to improve detention conditions and carry out the asylum system reforms it promised.”

During the RABIT deployment, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), a Council of Europe court that also binds EU states, issued a judgment, M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece, which found that conditions in Greek migrant detention centers were inhuman and degrading. The court said Belgium violated its human rights obligations by knowingly exposing an Afghan asylum seeker to such treatment when it transferred him back to Greece.

“It’s a disturbing contradiction that at the same time that the European Court of Human Rights was categorically ruling that sending migrants to detention in Greece violated their fundamental rights, Frontex, an EU executive agency, and border guards from EU states were knowingly sending them there,” Frelick said.

Frontex activities in Greece do not comply with the standards set out in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, by which Frontex is bound, Human Rights Watch said. Since the obligation not toexpose people to inhuman and degrading treatment is absolute, the onus is on the EU to work with Greece to rectify detention conditions before it cooperates with Greece in activities that are intricately linked to the task of detaining migrants.

Frontex should immediately make its engagement in border enforcement operations in Greece contingent on placing apprehended migrants in facilities with decent conditions, Human Rights Watch said. This could be achieved by transferring them to other areas of Greece where detention standards meet human rights requirements or by making detention spaces available in other places in the EU where conditions meet international and EU standards.

Amendments to the Frontex regulation, expected to be adopted this week, recognize the need for enhanced human rights scrutiny of its operations. They create a position for a fundamental rights officer within Frontex and a consultative body on human rights with civil society representation.

These measures are a start, but insufficient because they don’t provide a mechanism to hold Frontex to account when its operations breach human rights and EU law, Human Rights Watch said. The fundamental rights officer should be given the mandate to refer breaches to the European Commission for investigation and enforcement.

“As new migration crises emerge in the Mediterranean basin and as Frontex’s responsibilities expand, there is an urgent need to shift EU asylum and migration policy from enforcement-first to protection-first.” Frelick said. “This is not only legally required, but the EU, its agencies, and member states can and should respect and meet the EU’s own standards.”

Fashion Week + Human Rights

Fashion Week Cancels Show of Uzbek Dictator’s Daughter

The daughter of Uzbekistan’s dictator planned to unveil her spring fashion line at New York City’s prestigious Fashion Week. But her show was canceled after Human Rights Watch and a coalition of like-minded organizations spotlighted her connection to her father’s tyrannical government.

Gulnara Karimova isn’t just the eldest daughter of Islam Karimov – Uzbekistan’s autocratic leader since the Soviet era – she also serves as the government’s ambassador to Spain and the United Nations, a high-level position in a regime known for imprisoning and torturing political opponents and rights activists. Her father’s government forces up to two million Uzbek children to leave school for two months each year to pick cotton – a fabric woven throughout Karimova’s designs.

Karimova maintains a jet-setter lifestyle, which includes making a pop video with Julio Iglesias and launching her fashion line “Guli.” But according to a cable released by Wikileaks, US diplomats said most Uzbeks view her as “a greedy, power-hungry individual who uses her father to crush business people or anyone else who stands in her way.”

To get her Fashion Week show canceled, Human Rights Watch reached out to senior management at IMG, the event organizer, and Fashion Week’s main sponsors, like Mercedes-Benz – providing examples of the abuses that our Uzbekistan researchers documented on the ground.
We planned our Fashion Week campaign together with like-minded organizations, such as the International Labor Rights Forum and the American Federation of Teachers, which have successfully convinced Gap, H&M, and other major retailers to pledge that they won’t buy Uzbek cotton.
Roughly two weeks before Karimova’s show, slated for today, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth spoke with IMG’s top management about the risks to the event’s reputation when someone who represents a highly abusive government is a participant.
IMG management responded positively to us and began to distance themselves and Fashion Week from Karimova.

We also contacted Fashion Week’s corporate sponsors, including Mercedes-Benz, as well as the fashion media and other journalists, about our concerns. We told them about how children working in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields – harvesting the country’s main cash crop – live in filthy conditions, often get sick, and work for little or no pay.

We also stressed how no one in Uzbekistan has been held accountable for the 2005 massacre in Andijan, when government troops opened fire on mostly unarmed protesters, killing hundreds. Many of the country’s journalists and human rights defenders are jailed, and prisoners routinely tortured. Uzbekistan’s clampdown on nongovernmental organizations is so widespread that, earlier this year, Uzbek authorities forced Human Rights Watch to close our office in the capital, Tashkent – the first time in our 33-year history that a government shut one of our offices. In years prior, Uzbekistan had also closed local operations of Freedom House, the Open Society Institute, BBC, Deutsche Welle, and many others.

On the opening day of Fashion Week, the New York Post ran a front-page story, pitched by Human Rights Watch, with a soon-to-be-classic headline, “Dressed to Kill: Daughter of Murderous Dictator to Unveil Spring Line at Fashion Week.” It ignited a wave of global media coverage.

An IMG spokesperson told the press that, “We’re horrified by the human-rights abuses in Uzbekistan, and hope that the attention Human Rights Watch generates is able to effect change in the country. We also hope to work hand-in-hand with Human Rights Watch during Fashion Week and beyond to challenge those in power in Uzbekistan to take action immediately.”
Daimler, the parent company of the event’s main sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, also publicly distanced itself from Karimova. A company spokesperson told the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung that “Daimler has no interest in providing an open platform for a person who has been proved guilty of violating human rights.”

As the pressure grew, IMG canceled her Fashion Week show.
Human Rights Watch is now working with IMG and the event’s sponsors, urging them to better vet their potential participants so that abusers don’t have Fashion Week as a platform.
It’s fitting that Fashion Week won’t showcase a designer who represents such a repressive government. It sends a strong message: abusers shouldn’t be allowed to launder their image at the expense of human rights.

Somalia Famine- 10 ways you can help RIGHT NOW

Despite airlifting 300 metric tons of aid and counting, the situation in Somalia for tens of thousands of people remains precarious. Weakened by malnutrition and a perilous journey to safety, children are increasingly falling victim to measles and mortality rates remain high.


The famine now plaguing Somalia could quickly spread across the country and may affect other areas of the Horn of Africa if not addressed through rapid response. Please take steps now with some of all of these 10 simple actions:

1. Donate Online:

Donating online is the quickest and most direct way to ensure that your donations will support UNHCR's work in Somalia and the refugee camps where thousands of Somali famine victims arrive each day. It's fast, easy and secure.

Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine-affected areas.
 
2. Share This Video:


"Help the UN Refugee Agency Save Lives in Somalia"

In the last three months, 30,000 children have died from the effects of the famine in the Horn of Africa. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has called the famine in this war-affected country "the worst humanitarian disaster in the world."

Please share this video to let Somalia know we will not stop helping until the famine has ended.

3. Let Your Friends Know:

Now that you know how to help fight the famine in Somalia, share the knowledge! With more people taking action, the UN Refugee Agency will be able to rush additional aid to those affected by the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa.

> Share These 10 Ways to Help on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn

> Forward this email to your friends

4. Text SOMALIA to 80000 to Donate $10 to USA for UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency.


Help fight famine and save lives in the Horn of Africa: Text SOMALIA to 80000 to donate $10 to USA for UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency. $10 will be charged to your phone bill, with the funds going to support our work in Somalia. Plus, you can donate up to two times for a total contribution of $20.

5. Get a Blue Key to Show Your Support.

The Blue Key is our icon to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and inspire action. Donate $5 to the Blue Key Campaign and receive the Blue Key (available as both a pin and a pendant), and become a member of our online community of refugee advocates and champions. $5 gets you a Key, but additional donations are appreciated! All funds raised through the campaign will go to support UNHCR’s life-saving operations in more than 125 countries around the world.

You can also get several Blue Keys as gifts for friends to let them know about what you're doing to help the UN Refugee Agency's work in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

6. Join the Emergency Response Team.


Regular monthly gifts to USA for UNHCR mean our Emergency Response Team gets the support it needs to go straight into action when a crisis arises. A monthly donation is easy, cost-efficient, and makes such a big difference to our work – so much so that we consider monthly supporters as truly one of the team. Join the Emergency Response Team today!

7. Host a Fundraiser in your Community.

There are many different types of fundraisers or events you can organize. Some ideas involve a single person encouraging friends, family, neighbors and colleagues to make a donation. Others are designed for a group, such as a classroom, office or sports team, to do together. Your fundraiser can be big or small, anywhere from a public concert to an intimate dinner party with friends.

No matter what you choose to do, remember that USA for UNHCR is behind you, ready to answer questions and provide materials. Learn more.

8. Subscribe to USA for UNHCR's free eNewsletter to receive updates.

Sign up online to become a UNHCR Insider and learn more about the refugee cause. You’ll receive weekly enewsletters with an on-the-ground view of refugee emergencies from Somalia, Libya, Darfur, Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world.

9. Donate a Tweet a day to @UNRefugeeAgency.

JustCoz.org is an online relay system that lets you donate a tweet a day to help raise awareness for causes that matter to you. By donating a tweet a day to us, we'll be able to spread awareness together. And, it's completely free!

10. RSVP here to show your support on Twitter, then invite your friends by sharing the link.

Show you are supporting the UN Refugee Agency's work in on our Somalia Text-to-Give page. It's an online event - so you don't have to show up anywhere - but saying you're supporting our text-to-give campaign is free and helps raise awareness for others to give using their mobile phone.

Let's get this DONE!!! Thanks all!

A New Libya, New Challenges

A New Libya Must Honor Human Rights

Threat to Women Increasing, Government Failing to Protect
by Fred Abrahams
Published in: CNN.com

The anti-Gadhafi movement, at first peaceful and then with arms, appears on the verge of toppling one of the world's more oppressive rulers, who crushed and controlled Libya for 42 years. Now there's a chance to build a more democratic state based on fundamental rights and the rule of law, which Libyans have lacked for too long.

Other repressive rulers in the Arab world and beyond must be having sleepless nights: Take note President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. The Libya that seemed forever frozen by Col. Moammar Gadhafi's violence and fear has now changed, and whether he falls today or some time soon the Middle East and North Africa won't be the same.

Daunting tasks face the transitional leadership, the National Transitional Council, in the days and weeks ahead, particularly in the area of human rights. How they tackle those challenges will set the tone in Libya for years to come.

From HRW, Somalia Famine Update

In Somalia, War Feeds Famine

Al-Shabaab, Government Forces Share Responsibility for Violence
by Human Rights Watch

“All our animals died,” said a young man who fled an area of Somalia controlled by the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab. “There are no camels anymore, no goats, no cattle, and even people started dying. There was no food because al-Shabaab would not allow the aid agencies to bring food.”

The resurgence this year of Somalia’s 20-year conflict has intensified the suffering caused by a devastating famine, a new report says.

Al-Shabaab severely restricts aid and refuses to allow people living in areas it controls to flee the violence. The rebels’ reported withdrawal from Mogadishu may bring some respite, but future abuses are feared.

Government forces and other armed groups share responsibility with al-Shabaab for violating the laws of war. Civilians don’t know where to turn for protection. Al-Shabaab often fires mortars from densely populated areas, leading government forces to return fire into the same populated areas.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have fled to Kenya, risking violence and extortion along the way. But the existing refugee camps are overcrowded, and Kenya has yet to make additional land available.

All sides need to take urgent steps to stop unlawful attacks, let in aid, and end this humanitarian nightmare.

Somalia : A Man-Made Famine

Famine has been officially declared in parts of Somalia as the whole of the Horn of Africa deals with the worst drought in over half a century. Severe food shortages, armed conflict, and corruption plague Somalia – a country that for years has been the center stage of the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” RI continues to call attention to millions of Somalis who have been uprooted by violence and are now struggling to find food. Thousands stream daily into neighboring countries that are facing their own food shortages, and many of those Somalis arrive severely malnourished and dehydrated. This crisis is not going to end any time soon. RI is calling on the U.S. government to ease current administrative restrictions on aid agencies so that lifesaving assistance can reach those most in need in the coming months.
 
Go here to learn more

Easy ways you can contribute money to Nika Water (won't cost you a cent!)

Hi Nika Community,

Nika is really excited to announce a partnership ship with Cheap Sally (www.cheapsally.com) an online coupon company! You might ask "what the heck one has to do with the other?" Well, Cheap Sally has great coupons and deals available via their web site. In fact, often times the deals are so good that the consumer can save between 5% and 25% off of the price at more than 9,000 different retailers throughout the country. Cheap Sally says that there is no reason to ever pay full retail!

Cheap Sally has offered Nika a great deal. For every email sign up on Cheap Sally they have agreed to donate $1.00 towards poverty alleviation on Nika's behalf! If all of our email subscribers would sign up we would be able to donate 2 schools in Kenya or Tanzania! All you have to do is join their email list! In return you will not only be helping Nika but you will have access to great deals and coupons that can save you money!

Click here to sign up for CheapSally's emails and donate $1.

Thanks again for your support!

Please stay eco-friendly by passing this email to a friend, rather than just trashing it.

The Nika Team

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Somali Refugee Children; a report from UNHCR

50% of Somali Refugee Children Suffer from Malnutrition


Levels of malnutrition among refugee children are catastrophic. Up to 50% of Somali children arriving in Ethiopia and Kenya are seriously malnourished, utterly exhausted and sometimes dying within 24 hours of reaching safety.

Please support UNHCR’s existing refugee relief in Kenya and Ethiopia and help us establish new camps to provide shelter, food, water and protection for thousands of new refugees.

According to UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, 25% of Somalia’s 7.5 million people are now forcibly displaced. "The drought, compounded by prevailing violence in southern and central parts of the country, is turning one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises into a human tragedy of unimaginable proportions," says Guterres.

Overcrowding is a major problem. Originally built for 90,000 refugees, the Dadaab camps in Kenya are now home to 382,000 people. On average, 1,400 more refugees arrive every day.

We have already delivered 100 tons of aid to Ethiopia by air. Now, a land convoy of 20 trucks, loaded with thousands of tents, is on the way.

You can help multiply these efforts. Your generous contribution will help people who are streaming into our camps with nothing but the clothes they wear.

Any amount will make a difference:

•$200 will provide an all-weather tent to shelter a refugee family.
•$100 will provide a refugee with a survival kit containing a blanket, a mattress, a kitchen set, a stove and soap.
•$50 will provide a therapeutic feeding kit to help feed five children.


Thank you,

UNHCR

Arrest Warrent for Gaddafi

Gaddafi Wanted by International Court

Charged With Crimes Against Humanity

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, his son Seif al-Islam, and Libya's intelligence chief, Abdullah Sanussi, sending a strong message to abusive leaders around the world.

They are wanted on charges of crimes against humanity for their alleged roles in attacks on civilians. After anti-government protests began in eastern Libya in February, Human Rights Watch documented instances in which government forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators.

Concerns have been raised that a warrant against Gaddafi would hinder peace efforts and compel him to maintain his grip on power to avoid arrest. But even before the ICC process was set in motion, Gaddafi made clear he intended to stay until the bitter end, and his son’s February vow to “live and die in Libya” reflects that stance.

Human Rights Watch research shows that failing to hold high-level perpetrators accountable for serious international crimes can contribute to future abuses. In fact, issuing warrants for senior leaders can strengthen peace efforts by stigmatizing those who stand in the way of resolving conflicts. For example, indictments against Bosnian Serb leaders kept them sidelined during the Dayton peace talks, which led to the end of the Bosnian war.

Girls 20 Summit

I'm so excited for the upcoming Girls 20 Summit in Paris, France this October. I surf through the website for hours on end, it's so eye-opening and addicting- check it out!