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	We cannot call ourselves civilized if one single child is living in slavery by Kailash Satyarthi Nobel Peace Prize Winner India   17 March 2015   Depriving children of their childhood and their freedom is “the biggest crime against humanity,” child rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi told the United Nations.   In an interview with the UN News Centre, Mr. Satyarthi welcomed the momentum gained in the struggle to eradicate child labour and child slavery since his awarding of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, voicing his hope that the fight would ultimately be a successful one.   “The very first few hours following the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize in October brought so much attention to the world about the plight of the most exploited, most neglected children on the planet. That hadn’t happened in all my life,” he explained.   “Suddenly, the whole issue of child slavery, child labour, education for children, child violence, and things like that, appeared in the global discussion.”   Mr. Satyarthi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with activist Malala Yousafzai for their work in championing children’s rights around the world, cited a feeling of moral responsibility as propelling him to address the issue of children’s rights “at the next level.”   “All children are our children and we have to react,” he said. “I cannot wait because childhood cannot wait.”   “The denial of childhood in any form, the denial of freedom in any form, the denial of education, it is the biggest crime against humanity. The denial of these children’s dreams – nothing could be worse than that,” continued Mr. Satyarthi.   “And when the children are taken away from the parents, taken away from the schools or even not allowed to go to school and put to work somewhere in mines, factories, streets and so on, is a blot on the face of humankind.”   According to the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), the number of children in child labour worldwide has declined significantly since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million, with more than half of them (an estimated 85 million) engaged in hazardous work such as mining.   Mr. Satyarthi attributed much of the successes on the ground to the cumulative impact and efforts of civil society organizations, governments, UN agencies and society as a whole. Compassionate consumers, he noted, also helped drive awareness and deliver the message that child labour is no longer acceptable.   Despite the successes on the ground, however, the Nobel laureate urged “a much bigger push,” warning that a “whole generation would be lost if we don’t act now.”   “We cannot call ourselves civilized if one single child is living in slavery anywhere in the world.” Visit the related web page
	Syria goes dark: 83 per cent of lights out after four years of crisis by WithSyria coalition   March 2015   Eighty-three percent of all the lights in Syria have gone out since the start of the conflict there, a global coalition of humanitarian and human rights organisations has revealed ahead of the fourth anniversary on March 15.   Analysing satellite images, scientists based at Wuhan University in China, in co-operation with the #withSyria coalition of 130 non-governmental organisations, have shown that the number of lights visible over Syria at night has fallen by 83% since March 2011.   “Four years since this crisis began, Syria’s people have been plunged into the dark: destitute, fearful, and grieving for the friends they have lost and the country they once knew,” said David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. “Four years since the crisis began, there is at present very little light in this tunnel. Over two hundred thousand people have been killed and a staggering eleven million have been forced to flee their homes. Syrians deserve much better from the international community - it is past time to show that we have not given up and will work with them to turn the lights back on.”   “Satellite imagery is the most objective source of data showing the devastation of Syria on a national scale,” said Dr Xi Li, lead researcher on the project. “Taken from 500 miles above the earth, these images help us understand the suffering and fear experienced by ordinary Syrians every day, as their country is destroyed around them. In the worst-affected areas, like Aleppo, a staggering 97% of the lights have gone out. The exceptions are the provinces of Damascus and Quneitra, near the Israeli border, where the decline in light has been 35% and 47% respectively.”   The #withSyria coalition also launched a global petition at withsyria.com that calls on world leaders to ‘turn the lights back on in Syria’ by:   Prioritising a political solution with human rights at its heart; Boosting the humanitarian response both for those inside Syria and refugees, including through increased resettlement; Insisting that all parties put an end to attacks on civilians and stop blocking aid.   Dr Zaher Sahoul, President of the Syrian American Medical Society, said: “The rise of terrorist groups crossing borders has spread fear and focused the world"s attention on Syria - but it has distracted governments from the suffering of ordinary Syrians and the abuses committed by all sides in this conflict.   Every day Syrian medics, aid workers and teachers are taking enormous risks to help their neighbours and loved ones, while the international community continuously fails to pursue a political solution and an end to the violence and suffering.”   In 2014, the UN Security Council adopted three resolutions that demanded action to secure protection and assistance for civilians in Syria. Since then, thousands of Syrians have been killed, and more people have been displaced or are in need of help than ever before. A new report Failing Syria accuses warring parties and powerful states of failing to achieve what these resolutions set out to do.   Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council and former United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said: “2014 was the darkest year yet in this horrific war. Civilians are not protected as the Security Council promised they would be, their access to relief has not improved and humanitarian funding is declining compared to the needs. It is an outrage how we are failing Syrians.” Visit the related web page
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