Document - AI Bulletin Vol.11 No.8, 25 April 2008
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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
NEWS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
AI Bulletin Vol.11 No.8, 25 April 2008
AI Index: ACT 84/008/2008
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Contents:
Amnesty International reports & statements
News articles
Children
Death Penalty
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Environment
Health Professionals
Health Services
HIV/AIDS
Malaria and Other Diseases
Mental Health
Refugee and Migrants' Rights
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Torture
Violence against Women
Conferences
Call for Papers
Publications
Amnesty International reports & statements:
See the following selected recent AI reports and press statements. These and other press releases and reports are accessible at the following link under ‘News and Updates’: http://www.amnesty.org/
18 April: US Supreme Court rules lethal injections constitutional
18 April 2008: Iraq: 28 people executed after what seems to be hasty and unfair trial
15 April: Amnesty International calls on governments to lift the veil of secrecy around executions
Children:
Congo: Fighting malaria: the leading cause in morbidity and mortality among children younger than five in the Congo. IRIN (25 April): http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77926
International: Millions of children, many of whom are victims of violence, sexual abuse, labour exploitation and preventable diseases, are from the crisis-plagued Arcan continent. IPS (21 April): http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42068
Philippines: Nutrition gains are at risk among children due to a surge in global food prices. IRIN (18 April): http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77822
UK: Lost 400 children may have been trafficked into sex or drugs trade. The Guardian (23 April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/23/childprotection.immigrationandpublicservices
Death Penalty:
Pakistan: The World Coalition against the Death Penalty calls on President Mahmoud Abbas to declare an official moratorium on the death penalty. Human Rights Tribune (21 April): http://www.humanrights-geneva.info/Against-the-death-penalty-in,3035
Russia: Penal Reform International suggests Russia may only be two or three years away from abolishing the death penalty. IPS (25 April): http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42131
USA: The Supreme Court issues a fractious opinion upholding Kentucky's lethal injection process. Death Penalty Information Centre (17 April): http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=2679&scid=64
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights:
DRC: Water is everywhere in the DRC, but is it safe to drink? IPS (24 April): http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=42109
North Korea: North Korea could be facing a famine in the months ahead. IPS (18 April): http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42045
Uganda: 7.5 million Ugandans are living in poverty and the majority of the population still lack access to safe and clean water, health and education services. allAfrica (24 April): http://allafrica.com/stories/200804250110.html
Environment:
Peru: A US-owned smelter has been fined for violating air quality standards. IPS (23 April): http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42102
Yemen: Efforts are being made to reduce air pollution to save on associated health costs. IRIN (22 April): http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77857
Health Professionals:
India: Over 800 rural hospitals don't have a single doctor. newKerala.com (23 April): http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=51758
International: Jailed Indian pediatrician wins 2008 Jonathan Mann award for Global Health and Human Rights. The Earth Times (21 April): http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/jailed-indian-pediatrician-wins-2008,360448.shtml
USA: Nurses live with the aftermath of SARS. Nurse.com (21 April): http://include.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080421/NATIONAL01/80418014/-1/frontpage
Vietnam: The private sector has been luring away public health staff over the past five years. Vietnam News (24 April): http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01HEA240408
Health Services:
Angola: Health minister pays greater attention to chronic diseases. AngolaPress (24 April): http://allafrica.com/stories/200804240425.html
Bangladesh: Lack of funds and staff shortages hit the health sector. IPPF (23 April): http://www.ippf.org/en/News/Intl+news/Bangladesh+lack+of+funds+and+staff+shortages+hit+health+sector.htm
Gaza: No ambulances has led to appeals for help on local radio stations. Human Rights Tribune (14 April): http://www.humanrights-geneva.info/Gaza-No-ambulance-call-the-radio,3004
International: Critical health care fails to reach most women and children in high mortality countries despite gains in fighting child killer diseases. UNICEF (16 April): http://www.unicef.org/media/media_43577.html
South Africa: Health standards such as access to care and clinical care are aimed at improving healthcare at hospitals. Bua News (24 April): http://www.buanews.gov.za/view.php?ID=08042416451002&coll=buanew08
Vietnam: Preventative healthcare centres, which supply need first-aid and epidemic relief are struggling to survive. Vietnam News (16 April): http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01POP160408
HIV/AIDS:
Africa: HIV/AIDS activist praises Europe, but slams the US on AIDS. IPPF (25 April): http://www.ippf.org/en/News/Intl+news/Africa+Activist+Praises+Europe+Slams+US+on+AIDS.htm
Brazil: A new campaign against HIV/AIDs has been launched in Brazil aimed at gay men. IPS (14 April): http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41985
China: Quiet sexual revolution forces Beijing to admit dangers of AIDS. The Guardian (18 April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/18/china.aids
International: Workplace attitudes to HIV/AIDS have vastly improved, reports the UN labour agency. UN News Centre (15 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26329&Cr=hiv&Cr1=aids
International: Monitoring AIDS treatment by physical symptoms is effective. WHO (25 April): http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr12/en/index.html
Iran: Iran offers addicts condoms and syringes from vending machines. AFP (16 April): http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gm4Dp9kEHgJv4JIk56144AW-Pwmg
Tanzania: Stigma slows the fight against AIDS in Tanga, Tanzania. allAfrica (24 April): http://allafrica.com/stories/200804240570.html
Thailand: Thailand's war on drugs undermines the fight against AIDS, say AIDS and human rights activists. The Nation (22 April): http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/04/22/national/national_30071301.php
Malaria and Other Diseases:
Brazil: Brazil has launched new cheap treatment for malaria. Reuters (17 April): http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL1519718420080417
International: The first-ever world malaria day is on 25 April. VOA News (25 April): http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-25-voa10.cfm
International: The UN has announced a new push to send bed nets to prevent malaria deaths in Africa. UN News Centre (23 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26438&Cr=malaria&Cr1=
Madagascar: Help from the UN has been sought for an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever. UN News Centre (18 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26385&Cr=madagascar&Cr1=
Vietnam: Last weekend marked the first human trials of new avian flu vaccine. Vietnam News (21 April): http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01HEA210408
Mental Health:
UK: 1 million children face mental health problems. The Guardian (22 April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/22/child.mentalhealth
Refugee and Migrants' Rights:
Kenya: Refugee camps in Kenya have been hit by malaria and diarrhoea. The citizen (25 April): http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php?id=4561
UK: The High court rules that asylum seekers have right to full NHS care, but the government considers appeal. The Guardian (12 April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/apr/12/immigration.publicservices
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Chile: Thousands marched in the capital to protest a ban on the "morning-after" pill. IPS (23 April): http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42100
Europe: The Council of Europe demands safe and legal abortion for all. AFP (16 April): http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hp5F4UM0JFYC9xfIxvHX-AqOwOww
International: UN urges group of eight nations to step up investments in maternal health. UN news Centre (18 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26390&Cr=child&Cr1=
Liberia: UN-backed anti-rape campaign reaches the country's north. UN news Centre (16 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26350&Cr=liberia&Cr1=
Nigeria: Unsafe abortion kills over 3,000 Nigerian women each year. IPPF (25 April): http://www.ippf.org/en/News/Intl+news/Unsafe+Abortion+Kills+Over+3000+Nigerian+Women+Each+Year.htm
Nigeria: A meeting has been held to discuss ownership and leadership of sexual and reproductive health in West African states. Leadership (24 April): http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/product_info.php?products_id=26599&osCsid=d6bf933b5ba8484af8e034b99ce9b661
USA: Maternal death rate increases, but more women aren't necessarily dying before, during or after childbirth. Nurse.com (21 April): http://include.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080421/NATIONAL02/80418020/-1/frontpage
Torture:
Congo: Tortured women struggle for justice. GINSC.Net (22 April): http://www.ginsc.net/members/news_details_en.php?id=5681&sub=international&stat=active
Israel: Israel's security forces have been 'using psychological torture' against interogees. BBC News (13 April): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7345025.stm
UK: Amnesty International condems "waterboarding" in a campaign to outlaw the controversial interrogation practice. The Guardian (April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/22/advertising.humanrights
USA: Detainees at Guantanamo allege being drugged before questioning. Washington Post (22 April): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042103399_pf.html
USA: Forced drugging of Guantanamo prisoners: a crisis for health professionals. AlterNet (23 April): http://www.alternet.org/rights/83292/?page=1
Violence against Women:
DRC: UNICEF teams up with V-Day campaign to stop rape in the DR Congo. UN News Centre (14 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26307&Cr=drc&Cr1=rape
International: UN-backed TV series peels back silence surrounding worldwide sexual violence. UN News Centre (17 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26362&Cr=women&Cr1
International: Actress and UN officials urge support for campaign to end violence against women. UN News Centre (22 April): http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26426&Cr=women&Cr1
Pakistan: Violence against women more than doubled last year to over 4,000 cases, says Pakistani human rights organisation. BBC (15 April): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7349167.stm
USA: US women working in Iraq continue to be sexually assaulted while their rapists go free. AlterNet (17 April): http://www.alternet.org/rights/82743/
Conferences and Seminars:
China: XVIIth ISPCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect: Towards a Caring and Non-Violent Community: A Child’s Perspective. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong, China from 7-10 Sept 2008. For further information please see: www.ispcan.org/congress2008
Northern Ireland: International Women's Health Conference, The Everglades Hotel, Derry, Northern Ireland, May 29 to May 30 2008 http://www.derrywellwoman.org/
Uganda: Reproductive Health in Emergencies Conference 2008 will take place from June 18-20 at the Speke Conference Centre in Kampala, Uganda. Early Bird Registration will close April 30, 2008. To register, please visit http://www.rhinemergenciesconference.org/www.RHinEmergenciesConference.org
UK: Human Rights and Social Justice seminar on 'HIV/AIDS, Religion and the Trans-national African Family' is taking place on Wednesday 7 May 2008 at 6.15pm in the Henry Thomas Room at London Metropolitan University. For further information, please see: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/research-units/hrsj/seminar-series/
USA: Summar Institute in Native American Health, George Washington University - Special and International Programs, May 19 to June 28 and July 7 to August 16. For more information please visit: http://www.gwu.edu/%7Especprog/summerDC/NativeAmericanHealth.htm
Call for Papers:
Epidemiologic Reviews Theme Issue - 2009: Epidemiologic Approaches to Health Disparities. For further information visit: http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/epirev/callforpapers.html
Publications:
Barros A. and Bertoldi A, "Out-of-pocket health expenditure in a population covered by the Family Health Program in Brazil", International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dyn063, 13 April 2008:
Choi et al., "Enhancing global capacity in the surveillance, prevention, and control of chronic diseases: seven themes to consider and build upon", Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, May 2008, Volume 62, Number 5: http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/62/5/391
Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans, "Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce", The National Academic Press, 14 April 2008: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12089
Horton R., "Countdown to 2015: a report card on maternal, newborn, and child survival", The Lancet, Volume 371, Number 9620, 12 April 2008: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608605334/fulltext
King C.H. and Bertino A-M., "Asymmetries of Poverty: Why Global Burden of Disease Valuations Underestimate the Burden of Neglected Tropical Disease", PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2(3): e209. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000209, March 2008: http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0000209
Sen G. and Östlin P., "Gender inequity in health: why it exists and how we can change it", Global Public Health, Volume 3 Supplement 1 2008:http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=g792137052~db=all
Galobardes et al., "Is the association between childhood socioeconomic circumstances and cause-specific mortality established? Update of a systematic review", Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, May 2008, Volume 62, Number 5: http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/62/5/387
World Health Organization, "Protecting health from climate change", WHO, April 2008: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/toolkit/report_web.pdf
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