from IRIN JOHANNESBURG, 8 September 2008 (PlusNews) - Around the world an estimated 3,500 girls under the age of 15 become child brides every day, while another 21,000 get married before reaching the age of 18.The consequences of such early marriages, according to a new report by the Christian humanitarian organisation, World Vision, include an increased risk of HIV and maternal death, an abrupt end to a girl's education and a greater chance of violence and abuse.The practise of coercing girls into early marriage occurs all over the world, but the report, "Before She's Ready", lists 15 countries where it is most prevalent.In Bangladesh, which ranks number one, more than half of all girls (52.5 percent) are married before they turn 16; in Niger the proportion is 37.6 percent, and 34.9...
It's done: 8 trafficked children have been returned to their families.This news is still 'hot off the press' - so hot that I don't have all the details just yet - but late this week a couple of Blue Dragon staff traveled to Ho Chi Minh City in search of 7 children from central Vietnam who were taken to work in garment factories. There were some kids who they couldn't find, and others who they didn't expect to find... so 8 in total, and lots more to come.All of the kids are from Hue province by the beach; all from extremely poor families; and all were tricked into going to the south with the promise of 'free job training'. Instead, they've been working 12-15 hours per day making cheap clothes, and all for no pay.More details in a day or 2 when I can find out exactly what...
from the Voice of AmericaBy Kari BarberChildren in West Africa are being trafficked at an alarming rate, often sold by their own families. Many of these children are then forced to work as manual laborers or as domestic servants without pay. Aid workers say poverty and the breakdown of traditional families are to blame. Kari Barber has this report from the West African nation of Guinea where the number of abandoned children, aid workers say, is on the rise. Fifteen-year-old Hanna Soumah cleans vegetables to cook dinner for a family. But this is not her family, and she is not paid for her work. Hanna also cares for the children and does housekeeping.Her parents gave her away when they could no longer afford to feed her.Soumah explains, "My mother asked me to stay here to help earn...