MAY 12, 2007 – The World's Children

Please join BIAHC at the Bainbridge Public Library (1270 Madison Ave. N.) on Saturday, May 12, from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. for coffee, refreshments, a 30-minute video, and a Great Decisions community discussion on this timely issue.

Great Decisions is a nation-wide, non-partisan program of the Foreign Policy Association to broaden public involvement with the most important foreign policy issues facing the United States. For information, go to www.fpa.org

The May 12 topic is "The World's Children." It's every parent's worst nightmare: children at risk. But the list of dangers facing the children of the world grows longer and more terrifying every year: child soldiers, prostitutes, refugees, victims. How are the most vulnerable among us to be guarded, and what can be done for the millions of children already in harm's way?

Even children in "wealthy" countries are not immune to problems: In a recent UNICEF study on children's well-being in affluent countries, the United States and Great Britain ranked as the worst places to be a child among 21 wealthy nation in terms of material well-being, health, education, relationships, behaviors and risks, and young people's sense of happiness.

Ensuring the safety and proper development of children is the stated goal of the global community. What role do private donors, governments, and international organizations play in ensuring health care, education and safety for the world's children?

The discussion on will be moderated by Bainbridge Islander slander Gordon Black, who teaches Modern World History at Bainbridge High School.

Great Decisions Briefing Book:
To assist with advance preparation, please review the relevant chapter in the Great Decisions Briefing Book. Copies of the Briefing Book are available at the Bainbridge Public Library, or can be purchased from BIAHC at 206.842.7901 or admin@artshum.org.

The final discussion, on South Africa, takes place on May 26.

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Recommended Background Readings:

The World’s Children: Great Decisions Briefing Book Spring Update www.fpa.org

UNICEF Report: An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries www.unicef-icdc.org

UNICEF Report: The State of the World’s Children 2007. On its 60th anniversary, UNICEF launches a report that says gender equality is critical to child survival and development. www.unicef.org

Human Rights Watch: Children's Rights
www.hrw.org

Op-ed: When war and children collide, by Donald Steinberg, Christian Science Monitor, 11/27/2006. www.csmonitor.com

Generation Next: A BBC Feature Series that takes a look at the lives of young people around the world. news.bbc.co.uk

The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) provides information based on the needs of various organizations and experts working to protect children's rights. www.crin.org

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) works to ensure that the rights of America's children is a priority. www.childrensdefense.org

A summary of the rights under the 2005 Convention on the Rights of the Child www.unicef.org

International Legal Standards. Source: Human Rights Watch. Lists and provides links for specific children's rights issues, including: child labor, child soldiers, juvenile justice, orphans and abandoned children, refugees, and street children. www.hrw.org

Helping Children in Poverty and Children in Crisis. Source: Save the Children www.savethechildren.org

Children on the Brink. Source: United States Agency for International Development.
Details the effects of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic on children. www.usaid.gov

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