Latest news with #UNICEF
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistani province probes alleged sale of UNICEF-tagged soap for anti-polio campaign
PESHAWAR: Authorities in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province are probing the alleged sale of soap bars, which were provided by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the country's campaign against polio, at a market in Peshawar, officials said on Friday. The comments came after the seizure of over 200 soap bars at the Faqeerabad market in the provincial capital, which bore the 'not-for-sale' marking, according to Additional Assistant Commissioner Azimullah Mehsud. The local administration acted on a tip-off about UNICEF-tagged soap bars being 'diverted' to the open market. A preliminary investigation suggested the consignment originated in the southern Sindh province. Authorities arrested a shopkeeper on June 25, who was selling these soap bars on Facebook and in the local market in the northwestern Pakistani city. 'According to initial investigations, he [the suspect] said these [soaps] were being supplied to him from Sindh,' Mehsud told Arab News. 'The person we have arrested posted them on Facebook and said he is an Afghan national.' He said the UNICEF-tagged soaps were recovered by the city administration and handed over to the anti-corruption department of the city circle for further investigation. 'The suspect allegedly sold these soaps to buyers who would then change the packaging and supply them to various locations, including Jalalabad, an eastern province of Afghanistan, and inside Pakistan such as Dera Ismail Khan district,' he continued. Asked about the tip-off, he said: 'We were told that they have 20,000 cartons.' Mehsud said the authorities recovered three cartons during the raid, with a total of 216 soap bars. He informed the suspect claimed to have additional stock. 'Authorities suspect a large network may be involved [in the activity], but investigations by the anti-corruption department is expected to shed more light on the matter,' he added. Arab News reached out to UNICEF's communication specialist, Zia-ur-Rehman, for comment but did not receive a response. Meanwhile, the anti-corruption department plans to send an open letter to UNICEF and the Sindh provincial administration to further investigate the matter. One of its officials, Humayun Khan, confirmed to Arab News that his department had launched an investigation into the case. Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination critical. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to build strong immunity against the virus. Pakistan, one of the last two countries where polio remains endemic, made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. The country reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021. However, Pakistan witnessed an intense resurgence of the poliovirus in 2024, with 74 cases reported. According to Pakistan's polio program, 13 cases of the virus have so far been confirmed this year.
Scoop
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
‘A Moral Failure': Security Council Hears About Grave Violations Against Children Caught In War
'From that day on, our home became a travel bag and our path became that of displacement … My childhood was filled with fear and anxiety and people I was deprived of,' she said, speaking via videoconference from Syria. Sila, now 17, described her experiences during the Syrian Civil War to a meeting of the UN Security Council held on Wednesday to discuss the findings of the Secretary-General's latest report on Children and Armed Conflict. The report documented a 25 per cent increase in grave violations against children in 2024, the largest number ever recorded in its 20-year history. ' This year's report from the Secretary-General once again confirms what too many children already know — that the world is failing to protect them from the horrors of war,' said Sheema Sen Gupta, director of child protection at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Seema Sen Gupta, director of child protection and migration at UNICEF, briefs the Security Council. 'Each violation against children in every country around the globe represents a moral failure.' The real scale of the harm The report presented to the Security Council is published annually to document grave violations against children affected by war. It relies entirely on data compiled and verified by the UN, meaning that the real numbers are likely much higher than reported. In 2024, the report documented a record 41,370 grave violations — including killing and maiming, rape, abduction and the targeting of infrastructure such as schools which supports children. 'Each child struck by these attacks carries a story, a stolen life, a dream interrupted, a future obscured by senseless violence and protracted conflict,' said Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, whose office produced the report. Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, briefs the Security Council. While many of these violations occurred during times of conflict — especially as urban warfare is on the rise — grave violations can persist even after a conflict ends. They persist in the unexploded ordinances which still pepper the ground. 'Every unexploded shell left in a field, schoolyard, or alley is a death sentence waiting to be triggered,' said Ms. Sen Gupta. They persist in the spaces which remain destroyed, impeding children from accessing healthcare and education. And they persist in the trauma and injuries which never fully leave a child. Scars that never heal Children who survive the grave violations do not escape unscathed — if they suffered violence, the injuries will stay with them for a lifetime. And even if they were not injured, the trauma remains. 'The physical and psychological scars borne by survivors last a lifetime, affecting families, communities and the very fabric of societies,' said Ms. Gamba. This is why UNICEF and its partners have worked to provide reintegration programmes and psychosocial support for children who are victims of grave violations. Sila said that the trauma of her childhood is still with her, and has pushed her to become an advocate for children in conflicts. 'From that moment on, nothing has felt normal in my life. I've developed a phobia of any sound that resembles a plane, of the dark, and even of silence,' she said. 'This cannot be the new normal' Ms. Gamba called for 'unwavering condemnation and urgent action' from the international community in order to reverse the worrying trends which the report details. ' We cannot afford to return to the dark ages where children were invisible and voiceless victims of armed conflict … Please do not allow them to slip back into the shadows of despair,' she said. Current funding cuts to humanitarian aid are impeding the work of UN agencies and partners to document and respond to grave violations against children. In light of this, Ms. Sen Gupta's call for the Security Council was simple: 'Fund this agenda.' She said that the international community cannot allow this to become 'a new normal,' and reminded the members of the Security Council that children are not and should never be 'collateral damage.' Despite the devastation which the report detailed, there were 'glimmers of hope' according to Ms. Sen Gupta. For example, the Syrian National Army signed an action plan which will prevent the recruitment, killing and maiming of children. Sila also spoke of hope — she hopes that hers is the last generation to suffer these grave violations. 'I am from a generation that survived. Physically,' she said. 'Our bodies survived but our hearts are still living in fear. Please help us replace the word displacement with return, the word rubble with home, the word war with life.'
Time of India
8 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Nat'l consultation to empower sanitation workers in Jodhpur
Jodhpur: A two-day national consultation titled "Samvaad evam Manthan – Empowering Sanitation Workers for Skills, Safety and Dignity" concluded here Friday. The event was jointly organised by the Panchayati Raj department of the state and UNICEF, Rajasthan. Aimed at empowering sanitation workers, the conclave witnessed participation from representatives of 10 states – Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Odisha, and Bihar – including UNICEF officials, senior state govt administrators, civil society members, and sanitation worker representatives. The deliberations at the conclave revolved around the critical role sanitation workers play in the operation and maintenance of rural sanitation assets under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin Phase-2 – including toilets, soak pits, and drainage systems. tnn
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Community schools offer hope for Rohingya refugee children as US aid cuts hit education
DHAKA: As US aid cuts have forced the UN's children agency UNICEF to suspend thousands of learning centers for Rohingya refugee children sheltering in camps in Bangladesh, a small number of community-led schools have now become their only source of education. The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority, have fled from Myanmar's Rakhine State to neighboring Bangladesh for decades to escape persecution, with more than 700,000 arriving in 2017 following a military crackdown that the UN said was a textbook case of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar. Today, more than 1.3 million Rohingya on Bangladesh's southeast coast are cramped inside 33 camps in Cox's Bazar — the world's largest refugee settlement. The refugees, who are almost completely reliant on humanitarian aid, recently faced another blow, after the US suspended aid funding worldwide in January. Washington has been the largest donor, having contributed $300 million in 2024, or 55 percent of all foreign aid for the Rohingya. Those and other foreign aid cuts 'have worsened the already existing education crisis for 437,000 school-age children in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh,' Human Rights Watch said in a report published this week. It is only in schools established by the Rohingya community that some children are able to get their education now, the group said, after UNICEF-run learning centers were forced to shut due to a lack of funding. These schools offer a small glimmer of hope for many young children in the refugee camps. 'School is important for me because it gives me knowledge, enhances my life skills, makes me think for my community, makes me a better person and makes me hopeful for a better future. As a refugee, I don't have many opportunities, but education can open doors for me and help me build a better life,' Mohammed Shofik, a 15-year-old Rohingya boy enrolled at a community school in Cox's Bazar, told Arab News on Friday. His dream is to become a scientist or doctor. At school, he is learning how to experiment and use tools, as well as how to listen and observe carefully, which he thinks are helpful to achieve his goals. 'Education is the only way to reach my dream and help my community,' he said. But only a small number of Rohingya children are able to enroll in the community-led schools, as they do not receive any charitable support, Arif Salam, a teacher in one such school in the camps, told Arab News. 'Community schools are not funded by any donors and NGOs. Our only funding source is the tuition fees received from the parents of our students. But we can't provide services to all the children,' he said. 'Only a few students in the camps can afford the learning in the community schools. Most of the students are enrolled with the UNICEF-run learning centers. The children who are enrolled with UNICEF learning centers are now sitting idle as they have nothing to do. It will create an irreparable loss for their education.' There are about 150 community schools across the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar. Each of the schools have about 10 to 15 teachers, who provide education for 150 to 400 students. Without government support or private donor funding, the schools charge parents monthly tuition fees ranging from around $0.50 for class one up to $6.50 for class 12, a fee that many cannot afford, as the Rohingya are not allowed to work. 'The closure of learning centers brought huge educational losses,' Salam said. 'For our Rohingya children, it's a hopeless situation.' While the Bangladeshi government has not encouraged any informal system of education, such initiatives should be considered to address the education crisis, said Asif Munir, a renowned Bangladeshi expert on migration and refugees. 'Some kind of education is required for them because otherwise there is a possibility that the younger children, as they grow up, not just uneducated, they might be getting involved in informal work or even sort of risky work as well,' Munir warned. 'With education they can still hope for some kind of proper work where they can use their education in their life. So, in that sense, at least, the government can consider this as a good sort of coping strategy.' HRW had also urged the Bangladeshi government to 'recognize and fund community-led schools to increase their capacity,' and highlighted that recognition could help encourage donor support. For the young Rohingya whose lives have been plagued with increasing uncertainties, going to school helps them chart a path for the future. 'My dream is to become a motivational speaker. In school, our teachers teach us good listening, delivering strong messages, storytelling, using body language, confidence-building techniques and leadership skills,' 10th-grader Rohul Amin told Arab News. 'I think with all these knowledge and skills, I can achieve my dream one day.' For Amin, school also helps him learn about his identity as a Rohingya. 'I especially focus on the history subject because history makes me understand our identity. As a Rohingya, I have no identity. I mostly try to remember our land and our identity.'
USA Today
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
David Beckham pictured in hospital by Victoria Beckham: 'Get well soon daddy'
David Beckham is recovering after a surprising health scare. The former professional soccer player was photographed by wife Victoria Beckham with his right arm in a blue sling while lying in a hospital bed on the Spice Girls alum's Instagram story on Friday, June 27. The "Beckham" star was seemingly recovering from an injury in the snap. The British fashion designer captioned the photos, "Get well soon daddy" with a heart emoji. A fashion icon in his own right, the UNICEF global ambassador was pictured in a hospital gown as he sported a soft smile in his wife's picture. Beckham also shared another photo of her husband wearing a beaded friendship bracelet that spelled out "Get well soon." USA TODAY has reached out to the Beckhams' reps for comment. David Beckham to receive knighthood from King Charles III Earlier this month, the official British public record The Gazette announced the Inter Miami CF coowner would be knighted by King Charles III. Beckham, arguably the most famous athlete in England's history, finally earned his country's highest honor after years of near misses despite his legendary soccer career and extensive charity work with UNICEF. "I've heard people in the media talk about it's something that I really, really want, and of course, it would be an unbelievable honor," Beckham said in a recent interview with Time magazine. "If it happens at some point, amazing. If it doesn't, there's nothing I can do about it." In a heartfelt Instagram post June 14, Posh Spice praised her husband for his knighthood, one of the highest British honors to notable citizens. "You've always been my knight in shining armour, but now it's official. Sir @davidbeckham!!! What an honour, I couldn't be prouder of you," she wrote. "Your dedication to the things that matter most — your country, your work, your passion, and most of all, your family — has never wavered." She concluded the caption, "The way you've touched so many lives over the years with kindness and humility speaks volumes about the man you are and continues to inspire us everyday. But above all else, I'm so, so proud to call you mine. I love you so much xxxx." Contributing: Safid Deen
