USW

“Remember, there is no reason, no excuse… child labour is child abuse.” [1]

We must be sympathetic to all children who are forced to leave their education and childhood behind in order to earn a living and help them by all means possible, and this day has been dedicated to the importance of combating child labour and the significance of this problem.

Concept of Child Labour

The ILO defines child labour as work that “deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development”. In its most extreme forms, child labour can involve youngsters being enslaved, separated from their families, or exposed to hazards and illnesses. [2]
Nearly 1 in 10 children are subjected to child labour worldwide and almost half of them are in hazardous work that directly endangers their health and moral development. Children may be driven to work for various reasons. Most often, child labour occurs when families face financial challenges, sudden illness of a caregiver, or job loss of a primary wage earner. [3]

In some cases, wars, mass migration and lack of quality education are what cause child labour.
It should be noted that not all work done by children is classed as child labour. There is no issue when a child is working to progress their life skills without compromising their health, their well-being or their education, as in doing chores or small jobs to earn pocket money or gain work experience and this sort of work is acceptable. [4]

Purpose of World Day Against Child Labour

The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.
Each year on 12 June, World Day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them. [5]

Several fundraising campaigns are organized yearly to help children in need and their families. This may not be enough to save these children from poverty and get their lives back on track, at least not for all of them, but it is sufficient enough to raise awareness on the matter and support children.

Also read: World Oceans Day.

Effects of Child Labour

It goes without saying that child labour is a crime and an unacceptable solution, however, many people think that it is the best choice to earn a living, and that is why it is necessary to mention a few of child labour’s drawbacks.

No matter how much money and experience the child gains through working at a young age, it cannot make up for the harms caused by child labour, such as: A range of both mental and physical health effects on a child that often continue into adulthood, these vary and include long-term health issues due to abuse, injuries, malnutrition, exhaustion, psychological harm or exposure to chemicals, among others.

Skipping school or even dropping out, for several reasons, most important of which are the inability to balance work and school or some families’ perceptions around work and gaining money being more important than education. [6]
Unfortunately, this is not a rare case, this applies to almost every case of child labour. [3]

Society-wide, victims of child labour usually suffer from depression and anxiety, pushing them to destructive habits like smoking, alcoholism, or drug abuse. Abusive environments also trigger a lifetime of low self-esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties, affecting not only the child but the society as a whole. [7]

We should all realize that working children have mostly turned to work due to extreme living conditions, for that they need to be empathised rather than blamed, but at the same time, that does not justify placing a child in a setting, where he or she is exploited and at the expense of their education. Therefore, States must take all necessary actions to curb this phenomenon and strive to ensure education for all children, is the true and most important investment.

Ways of Combating Child Labour

No social problem can be solved in a short period of time, especially one such as child labour, because it is a complex of other radical problems as well, however, efforts to solve this problem have been going on for years now and there is, promising, yet subtle, progress.

To continue the fight against child labour, the ILO and UNICEF are calling for:

• Adequate social protection for all, including universal child benefits.
• Increased spending on quality education and getting all children back into school.
• Promotion of decent work for adults, so families don’t have to resort to children helping to generate family income.
• An end to harmful gender norms and discrimination that influence child labour.
• Investment in child protection systems, agricultural development, rural public services, infrastructure and livelihoods. [8]

Ending this phenomenon, robbing children of their lives, requires years of international cooperation. But this does not mean that we can’t aspire for a better reality, let us all use this day and every day to help these children.
We can help by spreading awareness of this phenomenon, which our initiative seeks, or by providing material support and donations, for those who are able to, in order to help out these children.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] The National Bulliten

[2] The Guardian

[3] UNICEF- Child Labour

[4] Theirworld

[5] United Nation

[6] Humanium

[7] Bonyan Organization

[8] UNICEF- Child labour rises to 160 million

“I urge governments and all stakeholders to commit to the conservation and sustainability of the oceans through innovation and science.”
– Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General. [1]

Oceans are the lung of the planet, and just like the human lung, if it gets hurt or collapses the entire body will collapse. Over the years, the oceans were depleted and polluted, affecting the safety of living organisms and the earth. Therefore, oceans are now in need of our support.

The Concept of World Oceans Day

The concept of World Oceans Day was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. On 5 December 2008, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 8 as World Oceans Day.
This day is celebrated as a reminder of the importance of the oceans in our daily lives, to highlight the impact of human actions on oceans, and create a global movement to unite the peoples of the world on a project for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans. [2]

The Importance of Oceans

The ocean covers more than 70% of the planet, therefore, it is home to most of Earth’s biodiversity and the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Oceans produce at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen and absorb about 30% of (CO2) produced by humans, mitigating the impacts of global warming. The oceans also regulate the climate and temperature, making the planet hospitable to diverse forms of life. [1]

In addition, oceans are key to the economy, with an estimated 40 million people being employed in ocean-based industries by 2030. [1]

World Oceans Day 2021

In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030; referred to as “the Ocean Decade”, to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the declines in the state of the ocean system while catalyzing new opportunities for sustainable ocean use. [1]

Therefore, last year’s theme: “The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods”, is particularly important, as it marks the beginning of this decade, and aimed to strengthen international cooperation to develop scientific research and innovative technologies that can connect ocean science with the needs of society. [1]

World Oceans Day 2022

This year’s theme is: “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean”. This is the first hybrid celebration of the annual event, hosted in-person at the UN Headquarters in New York and broadcast live. It will shed light on communities, ideas, and solutions that are working together to protect and revitalize the ocean and everything it sustains. [2]

Important Facts and Statistics

• 90% of big fish populations have been depleted, and 50% of coral reefs have been destroyed. [1]
• Around 90% of mangrove, seagrass, and marsh plant species are threatened with extinction. [1] ( Knowing that mangroves are tropical trees that thrive in conditions most trees cannot tolerate and have the ability to store large amounts of carbon, they are important for combating climate change and protecting our planet). 
• More than 30% of seabird species are also endangered. [1]
• While overfishing is estimated to have led to an annual loss of $88.9 billion in net benefits. [1]

Also read: World Food Safety Day.

How Can We Contribute to World Oceans Day

As individuals we can participate in many ways, for example, we can read and learn more about oceans and share the information with others. We can also consume food and purchase products that do not harm the environment; by following the so-called “Sustainable Living”; a lifestyle that reduces the individual and collective consumption of the natural resources of the Earth and minimize the damage caused by our actions. [3]

Moreover, UNESCO has officially launched the “GenOcean” campaign, the official communications campaign of the UN Ocean Decade, as a global movement to raise awareness, build knowledge and take actions to live better with the ocean.
UNESCO also noted that the campaign will revolutionize the way we think and act towards the ocean, building strength in unity and a collective approach to ocean protection and restoration based on the latest science. [1]

World Oceans Day Events and Activities

Several events are held to celebrate World Oceans Day, including:

1.  UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition: an opportunity for photographers to capture the beauty of the ocean and raise awareness around the world. [1]
2.  Ocean Decade-related events, such as: the Children Oceanic Pottery Project, the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. [4]
3.  Virtual Dive into the Ocean: The Ocean Agency is inviting parents and their little ones to experience the ocean and its astounding life forms from the comfort of their homes through a little armchair travel. [1]

In conclusion, we would like to add that based on the principles of the Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative, we believe that protecting and preserving our environment is the task of all, females and males, of any age and from any geographical area.
Any deterioration affecting the oceans, seas, the climate, or the environment, will reflect poorly on us in the first place. So let us protect and preserve our planet, even with the most basic of means.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] United Nations

[2] UNESCO

[3] Inspire Clean Energey

[4] United Nations Of Ocean Science

Since ancient times, securing a source of food has always been an urgent basic human need. 
Upon the significant population increase, the diversity, and increase in sources of pollution, humans now have a more difficult task, not only to secure food but to secure food that is free of these pollutants.

The Importance of Food Safety

In recent years, the world has witnessed a growing interest in this matter, as safe food is key to sustaining life, promoting good health, and boosting immunity against many diseases.
The concept of food safety goes beyond the safety of the human body to include direct repercussions on the surrounding environment, which is also highly affected by pollutants.

Food safety and security are also fundamental for industrial development and increasing trade, as recent estimates indicate that the impact of unsafe food costs low and middle-income economies about 95 USD billion in lost productivity each year. [1]

What is World Food Safety Day?

Proceeding from the WHO pursuit to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in providing food security requirements for people, every year, World Food Safety Day is celebrated on 7 June, aiming to draw attention to the importance of detecting and managing foodborne risks, contributing to preserving human health, and achieving economic prosperity and market access. [1]
In 2020, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on strengthening efforts on food safety to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases. The WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations are jointly facilitating the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with the Member States and other relevant organizations. [2]

Food Contamination Types

Contaminated food varies in type and impacts the environment and human health. Foodborne diseases are usually infectious or toxic in nature and often invisible to the plain eye.
They are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances, entering the human body through contaminated food or water and causing more than 200 diseases; that range from diarrhea, and poisoning, to long-term diseases such as cancer. [2]

Also read: World Environment Day.

World Food Safety Day Statistics

According to global statistics, the groups most affected by this phenomenon are the vulnerable and marginalized people, especially women, children, migrants, conflict-affected and low-income populations. Every year, 600 million people worldwide get foodborne diseases which result in 420,000 deaths. Children under the age of five carry 40% of the foodborne disease, with 125,000 annual deaths. [1]

Recommendations on World Food Safety Day

Food safety is a shared responsibility between governments, producers, and consumers, and the calls for action include:

1. Good hygiene practices in the food and agricultural sectors help reduce the emergence and spread of foodborne diseases.
2. Business operators must make sure food is safe.
3. Consumers need to learn about safe and healthy food.
4. Teaming up for food safety.
5. Governments must ensure safe food for all, establish effective food control systems including emergency preparedness and response, and provide access to clean water. [2]

Food safety means that food remains safe at every stage of the food chain- from production to harvest, processing, storage, and distribution all the way to preparation and consumption. [1]
That is why maintaining food safety is a shared responsibility, like our health, the health of future generations and the safety of our environment are closely linked to the extent of our awareness and intention to curb the phenomenon.

Global efforts have contributed to increasing social awareness of the danger of food contamination, and we, at Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative, aim to enhance and spread this awareness within the Syrian society in an effort to achieve the objectives of our initiative towards raising awareness of the importance of sustainability, through the social media outreach, thereby making knowledge available for all.

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.

References:

[1] The United Nation

[2] World Health Organization 

“We have Only One Earth”

What is World Environment Day?

Nature has warned us ever since we started development and urbanization at the expense of the bounty that marked this nature over countless centuries, to a point that nearly depleted the resources our ancestors thought were imperishable and inexhaustible.

Every three seconds, the world loses enough forest to cover a football pitch. We can see our planet turning into industrial lands; lands with a pale shade of yellow covering any greenery left. But it is our Mother Earth and we are her children, and we really have Only One Earth. [1]

Proceeding from the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in 1972, with the aim of joining efforts in preserving and enhancing the environment, and solving environmental issues, the UN-designated June 5 as World Environment Day; a day celebrated by a partnership of governments communities, enterprises, and individuals, as they are the ones that need to unite their efforts for all world environmental issues.

“Together we must construct a new pact with the living world. This is an immense work in progress. It will require a broad consensus, both technical and ethical.” Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Environment Day. [2]

What are the environmental stressors facing our planet?

Climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution, and unsustainable consumption and production; all lead to the deterioration of ecosystems, and human well-being. Here are some of the facts that we have overlooked:

• Nearly 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into our oceans and rivers without treatment, affecting marine biodiversity, and reaching the plants on land as well.
• Arable wetlands are drying up, and the world has lost nearly 87% of its wetlands in the past 300 years. 
• It is not only about land, as we have lost up to 50% of coral reefs. [3]

Perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic was a true example that showed us how nature heals by slowing down the pace of our civil life and the increasing emissions that are leading to forest and land degradation, at a time when we are already vulnerable to many problems.

Also read: International day of UN peacekeepers.

Proposed solutions to stress mitigation

To start out with the idea that we don’t want our rights to become a luxury. For example, with clean drinking water, we must keep free for all humankind. So our mission today is to protect what is left from the environment and keep it away from disasters such as climate change and crashing biological systems.

As individuals, we can improve our everyday habits by cultivating rooftops and terraces, building gardens, recycling waste, and launching awareness-raising campaigns on the risks of ecosystem degradation. Taking initiatives like a few women around the world with what they are achieving on the ground, namely: Fatemah Alzelzela, Julia Carabias Lillo, Nigeria Alicia Garcia, and others who were named Champions of the Earth by the UNEP. [4]

This can only be achieved with healthy ecosystems, through consolidating opinions and efforts, from individuals to countries, to revive the forests and agricultural lands, as well as save endangered creatures. Taking the effectiveness of sustainable solutions and alternative power seriously as the savior from today’s grave predicament.

The pioneering view of these solutions is that if we invest in what is left of our planet, we invest in our future and what works for us, to achieve livelihood and well-being. “For every dollar invested in ecosystem restoration, at least seven to thirty dollars in returns for society can be expected.” [5]

Why do we celebrate World Environment Day?

In addition to being one of the international days celebrated with the aim of educating on important issues, mobilizing the resources to address problems, and recognizing the achievements of humanity, World Environment Day is also a global opportunity for the young to engage in discussions with professionals and attend conferences and activities to raise their awareness on certain issues and participate in the solutions.

We, at Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative, believe in the necessity to take the lead in raising the awareness of societies about environmental issues, and include women in the process of finding innovative solutions, thereby promoting our goals and emphasizing the important role of women as part and parcel of the following:

• Society: To reconsider the consumption of the Earth’s limited resources.
• Businesses: To develop more eco-friendly models and transform them into green economies.
• Farmers and manufacturers: To achieve sustainable production.
• Governments: To restore ecosystems.
• Educators: To inspire students to work, and young people to build a greener future. [6]

♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.