Psychological Impact of Television and Computer Time on Children

It is often the case that children of this generation spend most of their time in front of television or computer. Children as young as even one year have a general inclination these days to spend most of their time in front of these electronic instruments. A study conducted by the University of Bristol on the psychological impact of computer and television time on children revealed the following facts.

• Children who spend more than two hours a day at a computer or watching television are more likely than others to have psychological problems, regardless of how much physical exercise they got
• 60% higher risk of psychological problems for children who spend more viewing time than children who clocked up fewer viewing hours
• Healthy children might be at greater risk of developing psychological problems if they increased their viewing time
• Though there is no evidence that sitting in front of a screen actually causes mental health problems
• Those who watched most TV as toddlers performed worse at school and consumed more junk food
• Limiting how long children spend in front of a screen to no more than two hours a day is advisable

Australia and the US have adopted guidelines that advise parents to restrict the viewing time of children under two to no more than two hours a day. Find a detailed account at the following URL.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/oct/11/children-computer-television-psychological-problems

Let our children spend more time interacting with people around them, let them play in their surroundings, let them speak to the birds and flowers, let them enjoy their time with colours and music, let them listen to stories, let them read, let them observe, let them discover, let them dream, let them learn the lessons of creative thinking and let them imbibe the spirit of humanity and humaneness. Let our kids – all smart boys and cute girls – grow up as intelligent, compassionate and conscientious gentlemen and ladies.

Indian Government Should Ensure Torture Law Meets International Standards

(Public statement of Amnesty International)

14 October 2010

Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to help end the routine torture of those held by police and prison authorities by ensuring the new Prevention of Torture Bill in India, 2010 meets international standards before adopting it.

The Bill, which is expected to be considered by the Select Committee of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of the Indian Parliament on 17 October, will address many forms of torture routinely employed by Indian police and prison officials. The Bill was passed by the Lower house (Lok Sabha) on 6 May 2010.

"If India is serious about its aspiration to be a regional and global power, it needs to address the issue of torture and ensure that the human rights of those it arrests and detains are protected," said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Deputy Programme Director.

Amnesty International said the Bill must be amended to bring it in line with international standards, including limiting torture to practices causing physical suffering, keeping a six-month deadline for making complaints about torture and not annulling current provisions which allow law enforcement officials and security forces virtual immunity against prosecution for perpetrating torture and recommends solutions.

Torture in state detention is endemic in India, involving a range of practices including shackling, beatings and the administration of electric shocks. Disadvantaged and maginalized groups including women, Dalits, Adivasis and suspected members of armed opposition groups are those most commonly abused.

According to official reports, 127 people died in police custody in India in 2008-09, although the figure could be higher since several states failed to report such deaths.

Torture is also reportedly widespread in prisons. The National Human Rights Commission registered 1,596 complaints of torture of prisoners in 2008-09. The number of deaths due to torture is not routinely reported.

The vast majority of cases of torture inflicted on detained people in India are unlawful and punishable under current Indian law, however prosecutions are extremely rare.

Law enforcement personnel enjoy virtual immunity from prosecution for torture and other human rights abuses, and prosecutions remain sporadic and rare.

In "disturbed areas", such as Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in effect, Armed Forces personnel enjoy additional immunity protection and there is virtually no accountability for violations.

In 1996, the Indian Supreme Court issued specific guidelines to authorities safeguarding detainee's rights in all cases of arrest or detention, however they are seldom enforced.

There is also a lack of effective systems to independently monitor the conduct of the authorities with regards to torture and other forms of mistreatment.

The Prevention of Torture Bill in India, 2010 is meant to bring India closer in line with the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. India signed the Convention in 1997 but has yet to ratify it.

"The Indian government should adopt this Bill to help address key issues, but more needs to be done to ensure India is able to meet international conventions against torture," said Madhu Malhotra.

"The Indian government further needs to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture ensuring people are no longer mistreated while they are detained."

World Food Day and The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - 16th & 17th October

As long as there is hunger and poverty in at least some parts of this world, we human beings cannot claim to have achieved the dignity that we presume we are entitled to attain. There is no bigger misfortune than hunger; no bigger tragedy than poverty. Needless to say that poverty and hunger are interconnected and that may be why the United Nations observes World Food Day and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on consecutive days – 16 October and 17 October respectively.

The theme of this year’s World Food Day is ‘United against hunger’ and it is chosen to recognise the efforts made in the fight against world hunger at regional, national and international levels. On this World Food Day, when there have never been so many hungry people in the world, we need to make a promise to work harder and work together to make sure that more food is produced in a more sustainable way and to see to it that the food reaches those who are in dire need of it.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed ever since 1993 and this year’s theme is ‘Working together out of poverty’. It highlights the need for a truly global anti-poverty alliance, one in which both the developed and developing countries participate actively. The day aims at promoting awareness on the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in developing countries.

Source: Official websites of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organisation

Meet the Nobel Laureates 2010

Nobel Prize for the year 2010 was announced recently. Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator and the inventor of the dynamite. He died on December 10, 1896 and based on his will the Nobel Foundation was formed. The Nobel prizes are international awards given in recognition of the cultural and scientific advances in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology (Medicine), Literature, Peace and Economics. Find some information about the Nobel Laureates of 2010.

Nobel for Medicine: Dr. Robert G. Edwards, the Father of the Test Tube Baby, received the Nobel Prize for his development of in vitro fertilization procedure which has so far led to the birth of around 4 million people.

Nobel for Physics: Nobel Prize for Physics 2010 shared by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, both of the University of Manchester for their groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene. It is a form of carbon that is not only the thinnest ever but also the strongest. Since it is practically transparent and a good conductor, it is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels, and may be even solar cells.

Nobel for Chemistry: Chemistry Nobel Prize for American Richard F. Heck and Japanese researchers Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis. The award is given for finding new ways to bond carbon atoms together, methods now widely used to make medicines and in agriculture and electronics.

Nobel for Literature: Peruvian novelist and essayist Mario Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat. He is one of the most famous writers in the Spanish-speaking world who braved violence and political divisions in his homeland.

Nobel Prize for Peace: One of the most famous human rights activists of the world, the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded with the Nobel Prize for Peace for his non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The Nobel Committee, which announced the prize much to the annoyance of the Chinese government, said that it always believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace and hence the award to Liu Xiaobo.

Nobel Prize for Economics: Nobel Prize for Economics 2010 awarded to Americans Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides, a British and Cypriot citizen, for analysis of how the job market is affected by regulation and economic policy. The laureates created mathematical models which provide the framework for studying how the job market works in the real world.

Source: Official websites of the Nobel Prize and the Associated Press (AP)

India must address forced evictions and other human rights abuses in Delhi during Commonwealth Games

(Public statement of Amnesty International)

4 October 2010

The Commonwealth Games cannot be used as an excuse to forcibly evict seasonal vendors, street-based workers and beggars, Amnesty International said today.

Thousands of seasonal vendors and street-based workers are facing joblessness as the police prevent them from working on the streets during the Games. The majority of people who have been evicted are being placed in makeshift collective shelters with the residents complaining that these lacked water and sanitation and were not suitable for habitation.

This continues the trend of forced evictions of the poor and marginalized carried out by the local authorities in Delhi in the run up to the start of the Commonwealth Games on 3 October.

Amnesty International received information that the authorities carried out a series of forced evictions in Okhla and neighbouring areas and roads linking the city with its north-eastern parts on the banks of river Yamuna where the Games infrastructure including many stadia, flyovers and bridges were erected in the last few months.

Human rights organisations in India said 2,500 persons and 150-200 families were forcibly evicted from the suburban town of Gurgaon and central Delhi respectively during the last two weeks before the start of the Games.

Amnesty International is concerned that a high number of evictions during August and September appear to have been carried out without safeguards required under international law. In particular, there was no genuine consultation with the people who were evicted. They were not provided with adequate prior notice. The makeshift collective shelters that the authorities have provided, in several instances, do not meet requirements for adequacy of housing under international standards. Some people have not been provided with any alternative housing.

The Indian authorities have a duty to ensure that alternative housing is provided which complies with international standards. They must also provide effective remedies to all those who have been forcibly evicted.

Amnesty International therefore urges the Indian authorities to:

• ensure that evictions are carried out only as a last resort, and only in full compliance with requirements under international human rights standards;
• ensure that those who have been evicted are provided with adequate alternative housing and/or land to undertake their livelihoods as a matter of urgency;
• ensure that any alternative housing that is provided complies with requirements for adequacy of housing, under international human rights standards; and
• provide all victims of forced evictions with access to effective remedies.

Indian authorities must also address the growing number of labour rights abuses and violations of labour laws practised by various state agencies and private firms involved in construction activities, despite the efforts of a four-member committee appointed by a directive of the Delhi High Court to monitor such violations.1 These violations, documented by India’s human rights organizations, included irregular registration, denial of statutory minimum wages, equal payment of wages to women workers and statutory health benefits, poor safety standards leading to deaths of workers in accidents and occasional use of child labour.

1This committee was set up in February 2010 on a petition filed by Peoples Union of Democratic Rights (PUDR), Common Cause and Nirmaaz Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam. For a detailed list of violations, see PUDR report, Games the States Plays: A Follow–up Report on the volations of Workers’ Rights in Commonwealth Games Related Construction Sites, August 2010. The report holds the authorities responsible for failure to devise mechanisms for checking the abuses identified by the committee and taking action against the perpetrators.

Today, 1 October is the International Day of Older Persons

The General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1 October as the International Day of Older Persons by resolution 45/106 in 14 December 1990. The theme this year is “Older persons and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”.

Today there are around 600 million persons aged 60 years or above, one in every ten. This number would double by 2025 and would reach virtually 2 billion by 2050, vast majority of them in the developing world. It presents a major demographic challenge for the world and the day is observed to raise awareness on the impact of an ageing population on the world's future. In this fast paced world, older people will increasingly play a critical role through their volunteer work, helping the families with caring responsibilities, increasing their participation in the paid labour force and in transmitting experience and knowledge.

Such contributions to the society by older people can be ensured only if they can enjoy adequate levels of health, for which appropriate policies need to be in place. While governments worldwide have the responsibility to guarantee policy formulation for the purpose, it is up to us, the common folks of the present generation, to make sure that older people are cared for and are not abandoned at old age homes on account of our convenience.

Source: Official websites of the United Nations and the World Health Organisation

Myanmar: Political prisoners must be freed

(Press statement of Amnesty International)

On the third anniversary of the violent crackdown on the “Saffron Revolution”, Amnesty International calls on the Myanmar government to immediately and unconditionally free all political prisoners arrested for their peaceful activism.

The Myanmar authorities continue to imprison over 2,200 political prisoners—more than double the number held before the August 2007 protests against sharp fuel and commodity price rises.

“While the international community, including Myanmar’s ASEAN neighbours, has been calling for free, fair and inclusive elections there, the plight of thousands of political prisoners has been overlooked,” said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher.

Amnesty International believes the vast majority of those held are prisoners of conscience who are being punished merely for peacefully exercising their rights to free expression, assembly and association.

The Myanmar government will hold its first elections in 20 years on 7 November 2010 against a backdrop of political repression and systematic violence. Under Electoral Laws enacted in March 2010, no political prisoner can take part in the elections or hold membership in any political party.

International attention in recent months has focused on the power-play between the military and the government’s proxy parties on the one hand; and the armed ethnic minority groups, the National League for Democracy, and a small number of new opposition parties on the other.

“The long-standing problem of political imprisonment in Myanmar remains very much at the heart of the political impasse in the country”, said Benjamin Zawacki. “These prisoners constitute a significant part of the political opposition”.

In the largest show of public discontent against the military government in Myanmar since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, tens of thousands of protesters—led by Buddhist monks—took to the streets in August and September 2007, demanding economic and political reforms.

The peaceful country-wide demonstrations were violently put down by the authorities in late September 2007. At least 31 (and possibly more than a hundred) people were killed—with many more injured and at least 74 disappeared—and thousands detained.

The brutal crackdown provoked international condemnation, including an unprecedented expression of revulsion and demands for change from the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Yet even as Myanmar prepares for its first elections in two decades, as part of what it calls a “Roadmap to Democracy”, it continues to repress political opposition.

“It beggars belief that the government can attempt to burnish its democratic credentials by holding elections, while it also holds more than 2,200 political prisoners behind bars and out of sight of the campaigns and polls”, said Benjamin Zawacki . “The international community should point out to Myanmar that these practices cannot be reconciled under any genuine Roadmap to Democracy”.

Political prisoners in Myanmar are held in deplorable conditions.

Many of those who took part in the Saffron Revolution, such as labour rights campaigner Su Su Nway, monk leader and activist U Gambira, and 88 Generation Student group members Min Ko Naing, Htay Kywe, Mie Mie, Ko Mya Aye and Zaw Htet Ko Ko, are in poor health. In the past two years, at least 238 political prisoners have been moved to extremely remote prisons, restricting their access to relatives, lawyers and medical care. Reports of torture and other ill-treatment are rife. The International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access to prisons in Myanmar since late 2005.

“On this third anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, Amnesty International calls on world leaders to demand that the Myanmar government free all political prisoners at once, and ensure human rights protection throughout the elections period and beyond”, said Benjamin Zawacki.

26 September to 2 October - Joy of Giving Week

Is there any nobler human disposition than benevolence? Is there any better human emotion than compassion? Is there any greater service than the service to mankind? Religious texts teach us there isn’t any; and even if you are an atheist, with little belief in God, who rather believes in the materialistic interpretation of human life, there aren’t any hard evidences to prove the contrary to be true. The natural kindness of human nature manifests in its best form in giving what you could to those who are less privileged. The joy that one could derive from giving is no less than any other joy ever known to human minds. The “Joy of Giving Week” is an occasion for all of us to indulge in some sort of ‘giving’ to the less privileged of our society.

The Joy of Giving Week is a "festival of giving" that aims to bring together Indians all across the country and abroad through different acts of giving- money, time, skills or resources. The goal is to convert it into a fully publicly owned festival, just like Diwali, Holi or Thanksgiving, none of which are owned by anyone. The Week was launched in 2009 and will be held every year starting on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday, containing October 2 within.

This is an occasion for all us to indulge in some sort of charity, thereby giving back a portion of what we’ve received from our society. Individuals, colleges, schools, NGOs, media, groups and business organisations can take part in the event. This time around let us all contribute and make this world a better place to live in whatever small ways possible. Find more information about how to involve in the “Joy of Giving Week” from the website www.joyofgivingweek.ning.com.

Source: www.joyofgivingweek.ning.com

Today, 21st September is International Day of Peace

Today, 21 September is the International Day of Peace or the World Peace Day. This day is dedicated to provide an opportunity for individuals, social groups, governments and organisations to practice acts that promote peace.

The United Nations observes International Day of Peace every year as a global call for ceasefire and non-violence. It is devoted to peace, or specifically the absence of war, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone. The theme of this year’s International Day of Peace is “Youth, Peace and Development”, which would mean that peace is equal to future. With the soaring incidences of war, violence and terrorist activities, the day has an immense significance in the current world scenario.

As youngsters the onus is on us to carry forward the spirit of peace. As Indians the moral responsibility rests on us to carry forward the idea of non-violence, the great ideal offered to this world by the Father of our Nation.

India: Authorities should investigate torture, sexual assault and illegal detention of adivasis in Chhattisgarh

Sep 15 2010

The Indian authorities should order a prompt, impartial and independent investigation into reports of torture and ill-treatment, including rape and other sexual violence, against adivasis (indigenous people) illegally detained in Chhattisgarh, Amnesty International said today.

Adivasis from Pachangi and Aloor villages in Kanker district told Amnesty International that paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and the Chhattisgarh state police rounded up 40 adivasi men from their villages on 5 and 6 September, stripped them and beat them with sticks. Five men – Narsingh Kumra, Sukram Netam, Premsingh Potayi, Raju Ram and Bidde Potayi were reportedly raped with sticks and are still being treated at the Kanker government hospital.

These violations followed the 29 August ambush of a BSF-police patrol by members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in which three BSF personnel and two policemen were killed.

Seventeen people from the two villages were also detained– blindfolded, split into batches and taken to the BSF camp at Durgkondal in closed trucks. Amnesty International has been informed that at least two of those detained - Dhansu Khemra and Sarita Tulavi – were 16 year old girls while another four were women and girls between 16 and 20.

During their detention, security forces beat the detainees in an attempt to force them to confess that they were Maoists involved in the 29 August ambush. The interrogators gave electric shocks to at least 10 detainees and sexually assaulted two female detainees.

Villagers said that on the morning of 7 September the Kanker police released one female detainee Sunita, as she was suffering from malaria, and her father, Punnim Tulavi, a school-teacher, but then arrested two more men.

The five remaining female detainees were taken to a local court along with two of the adivasi men on 8 September, while the remaining ten male detainees were taken to court on 10 September. All of the adivasis were charged with involvement in the 29 August ambush by the banned Maoist armed group and are presently in Kanker and Jagdalpur prisons, after being denied bail.

Indian law requires that arrested persons be produced before a court within 24 hours of the arrest. In an attempt to circumvent this requirement, the police claimed the two groups of detainees were arrested only one day before their respective appearances in court.

Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including sexual violence, are prohibited in all circumstances, including war or other emergency under international law, and in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Geneva Conventions. India is also a signatory to the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture and the Indian Parliament is currently engaged in passing a new law against torture in accordance with the provisions of the Convention before its ratification.

Amnesty International calls upon the Indian authorities to:

• Ensure a prompt, impartial, independent and effective investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual assault, and the illegal detention of adivasis. Those suspected of involvement in the violations, including persons bearing command responsibility, should immediately be suspended from positions where they may repeat such offences, and brought to justice;

• Award the victims of torture and other ill-treatment full reparations. In particular, immediately ensure that all victims of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence, are provided with proper medical care, both physical and psychological, by professionals trained and sensitised to treat such victims; and

• Ensure that, if – as a measure of last resort – those under the age of 18 are kept in prison, they are held separately from adults and otherwise treated in accordance with India’s juvenile justice legislation and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which India is a state party.

Over the last five years, Chhattisgarh has witnessed an escalation of violence between the banned Maoists who claim to be fighting on behalf of the adivasis and India’s paramilitary forces. At least 600 people have been killed and some 30,000 adivasis continue to be displaced from their homes in the state.

(For Amnesty International, publishing a content provided by them)