Healthcare, Water, Education: Factors contributing to the lack of essential services for children in India

 

Approximately 206 million children in India, nearly half of the country's child population, lack access to at least one of six essential services: housing, sanitation, clean water, nutrition, education, and health.

"The socio-economic conditions of the underprivileged are such that several members of a family often live in a single room without proper access to utilities; this makes obtaining an education a challenge for them," says aid development economist Amir Ullah Khan.

 

Despite tremendous progress in poverty reduction, roughly 206 million Indian children, nearly half of the country's child population, lack access to at least one of six key services, including education, health, nutrition, housing, clean water, and sanitation.

 

While more than half of India’s 460 million children now have access to basic services, the remaining children, particularly those in vulnerable groups, continue to face structural hurdles.

 

Children with disabilities, younger children, and those living in crisis-hit areas are disproportionately affected, and the continuation of these inequalities is related to unequal progress across regions and people.

 

While India has made progress in reducing multidimensional poverty, the country's poverty rate fell from 29.2% to 11.3% between 2013–14 and 2022–23. Investment in child welfare has plateaued globally, and the benefits of poverty reduction have not been distributed fairly.

 

Despite the existence of flagship government programs such as Poshan Abhiyaan, Samagra Shiksha, PM-KISAN, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, the Swachh Bharat Mission, and the Jal Jeevan Mission, which have expanded access to nutrition, education, sanitation, and income support, their reach remains insufficient in the most deprived areas.

 

 The report emphasizes that while India is on track to meet its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of halving multidimensional poverty by 2030, further acceleration of effective programs is needed to reach the "last mile."

 

Additionally, global challenges such as climate shocks, political instability, and national debt are pushing families deeper into hardship, threatening to reverse hard-earned gains.

 

The lack of sustained, equitable investment in child-focused policies, especially in health, learning, and protection, continues to hinder progress.

 

UNICEF calls for institutionalizing child-focused budgets, strengthening public-private partnerships, and ensuring children’s participation in decisions affecting their lives to address these persistent deprivations.

 

THE MANIFESTATION OF THE AIDS MASTER PLAN IN AFRICA

Ebola control in West Africa

“WE GOT HIM,” That was the statement made by America after the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.  This statement reflects on Africa in regards to Aids. Western Europe and America have really got Africa. 


The African continent is seriously affected by Aids, taking thousands of people to their untimely graves every year without ceasing.

The Aids and Ebola epidemics in Africa didn’t appear there miraculously or curse by God as a punishment, but they were man-made or laboratory-engineered as bio-weapons and used against Africa with the intention to depopulate the continent. 

This is something world leaders, including  European and American leaders, knew but holding on tight tongues to avoid exposure.

When it comes to the truth about Aids and Ebola, European and American journalists lack education, so they don’t write but know the effect of the devastation by the disease on the continent. 

Looking at the fast rate Africans are dying of Aids, it is likely that within the next ten years, Africa will become desolate and a graveyard.

After forty-two years of research, Dutch Microsurgeon and scientist Johan Van Dongen found out that the two diseases were prepared in the lab as bioweapons against Africa, and he published them. 

Since truth is bitterer than bile, the professor lost his job as a lecturer at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. On January 17, 2016, the ex-professor issued this challenge:

EVIDENCE THAT AIDS AND EBOLA WERE MEDICAL CRIMES

1. A Challenge To Top Scientists In Europe And America: “Prove Me Wrong If Aids, Ebola, And Lassa Fever Are Not Medical Crimes Against Africa”- Scientist Johan Van Dongen. Till now, no journalist or world leader has challenged him. Are they running away from the truth, or are they afraid of the wrath of Africans to come?

2. On October 13, 1994, in an interview with Humo, one of Belgium’s news magazines, Belgium’s professor Guido van der Groen said,  “The U.S. military laboratories slated for Ebola and HIV, to develop into a biological weapon in the early sixties. Because he regretted revealing the truth, Groen now claims that Ebola was invented in the 1960s in Fort Detrick and in Congo in 2014.

3. An article captioned “Holland’s Professor Johan Van Dongen Challenges Belgium’s Scientist Guido van der Groen over the origins of Ebola, was submitted to the editor of Diplomatic Aspects Newspaper, and it was published. Unknowingly, after the publication, Belgium feared reprisal and exposure, and secretly contacted the editor without my knowledge to remove the article from the web.

4. In 1978, at a Health Conference organized in Holland, and attended by the Microsurgeon Johan Van Dongen, Prof. Dr. H.H. Cohen, one of Holland’s top health officials, confessed that “As a physician and bacteriologist, I worked in the field of safety and as a director of the National Institute for Public Health RIV, on behalf of the Dutch Government. I am responsible for the manufacture of dangerous vaccines.”

5. Apart from African leaders who knew about the medical crimes but wouldn’t like to speak about it since they depend on Europe and America to deal with the crisis, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, said, “Some say that AIDS came from the monkeys. 

I doubt that because we have been living with monkeys [since] time immemorial, others say it was a curse from God, but I say it cannot be that. “Black people are dying more than any other people on this planet,” Maathai spoke at a press conference in Nairobi a day after winning the prize for her work in human rights and reversing deforestation across Africa.”

“It’s true that there are some people who create agents to wipe out other people. If there were no such people, we could not have invaded Iraq.” Maathai, also the Kenyan deputy environment and natural resources minister, and a fearless speaker, said. “In fact, HIV was created by a scientist for biological warfare. 

Why has there been so much secrecy about AIDS? When you ask where the virus came from, it raises a lot of flags. That makes me suspicious.”

It’s a shame that Wangari is not a journalist, but she has said what a journalist knows but wouldn’t like to say. Obviously, Europeans and Americans are waiting for both Aids and Ebola to reach all four corners of the globe before they start pressuring their leaders to speak the truth. Aids is now a global issue. 

Very soon, it will be followed by Ebola and Sika. When that happens, people will be serious enough to bring those responsible for those medical crimes to face justice.

In fact, we are now living in a dangerous world. This is something no one should forget because Africa’s Aids crisis is rapidly increasing since the medicines sent by Europe and America are not to heal but to aggravate the situation and quickly kill the patients. This is the reason Micro-surgeon Johan Van Dongen warned African leaders that:

“Any African HIV Patient That Swallows AZT Tablet, Is A Lunatic” – Professor Johan Van Dongen.  

The world is now sitting on a time bomb in regards to dangerous diseases. They have gambled, and Africa paid the cost, but they will gradually have a taste of their own invented medicine, no matter how long it takes.

GIVING CHILDREN A PROMISING AND BETTER LIFE

A child soldier far away from the classroom

The global economic recession and poverty, which have affected Third World countries most, have resulted in the rampant abandonment of babies in gutters, pit latrines, bushes, and remote places. 

Many mothers are giving up their babies for adoption. Some end up selling their babies or deliberately killing them. This inhuman act shows that some children are born into incapable hands.

If one does not really need a child, why should parents bring them into the world to suffer? Training and caring for children, in terms of feeding, clothing, education, and health, have never been a simple task. Parents should prevent an unwanted pregnancy rather than give birth to a child to will become a menace to society.

Parents who did not get the opportunity to be educated may feel education is a waste of time, and therefore, the child should be engaged in their parents' trade. 

In India, hundreds of children are said to be under bondage, working as slaves to defray the debts of their parents. Under some hardships, children are even forced to sell part of their body parts, such as a kidney, to raise money for their parents.

In Brazil, children are sprayed by bullets, for the government to collect the bodies from the streets, as a measure to prevent street children. Is this the best solution to prevent street children? 

When children are taught how to read from the initial stages, they become interested in books. However poor a child’s reading ability is, his interest in reading would improve his knowledge.

Things go wrong for children these days as people don’t know their value in this world. Many organizations are all over Africa to improve children’s education, but the harvest is plentiful, while the labourers are few. 

It’s an enormous task. Education for children is not a choice; it’s their right, and the only way to give these children a better future is through education.

PARENTS, LET YOUR EYES BE ON YOUR CHILDREN

Children often become victims of abuse

Give them an inch, they take a yard; give them a yard, they take a mile; that’s how the world goes from bad to worse daily without any solution. 

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There is no doubt, we are now living in a very dangerous world which demands, ‘What are we living for when the world is not getting any better, and how often do we speak to our children about those threatening dangers?

As a father with three children, nothing scares me more than the future of my children, especially my third son, who is just seven. Europe is a good place, in regard to education, but very bad for moral issues. 

Here, the law permits a child to have a boyfriend or girlfriend at the age of sixteen. A child begins to smoke while at school. Such things do not exist in Africa.

I feel bad sometimes because I don’t have a daughter. However, I feel okay with three boys because it is very difficult to raise a girl in Europe as an African. Consumed by Western life, nothing keeps them sober or obedient. 

I know many Africans who can’t handle the outrageous behavior of their daughters, sometimes ending up at the police and the social offices.

Violence, crime, and immorality are some of the disturbing issues parents are concerned about. In the neighborhood lurks a pedophile trying to harm your children. 

The news we read about the crimes adults, especially men, commit against children immediately awakens our consciousness that the world is probably gradually coming to an end because the prophecies in the Bible are taking place one after another.

The European Commission showed a 77 percent increase in murders, robberies, assaults, and sexual offenses in the UK since Labour came to power. 

The total number of violent offenses recorded compared to the population is higher than in any other country in Europe, as well as in America, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. This is the information I gathered during my study of crime in Europe recently.

Little Joe

Parents are the greatest influence on their children. Children learn to talk, walk, and interact by watching their parents. As a child grows up, he or she looks to the parents to provide guidance, information, nurturing, and expectations. 

I once went on the internet, showing the death of many children to Little Joe, my son. After watching in bewilderment, he asked, “Papa, what happened to them?”

“Adults they trusted killed them,” I answered.

“Thank you, Papa, I would be careful.’ He said. Whether I did a wrong thing or not, that doesn’t bother me; all that I want him to understand is the dangers in this world, especially on the computer, for him to be careful.

Kicking Away Fear: The Enemy That Prevents Our Success

Fear, one of the most basic human unpleasant emotions in the nervous system

The young lady has completed her education, graduating with bright colors as a medical nurse. But due to a lack of confidence, she is scared to apply for a job. Her mind tells her she isn’t attractive enough and, therefore, going to fail her interview.

The aspiring writer has written the best book, which could be the next number one bestseller to change the world, but fear has already crippled him because he thought the book might not sell.

Fear, one of the most basic human unpleasant emotions in the nervous system, has been attributed to the failure in the lives of thousands of people. When one is gripped with fear, it prevents quick thinking, solutions to problems, and one becomes confused and nervous.

Many encounter fear in many ways, when ready to take exams, during speech, and when addressing certain situations. In the first place, what causes fear within human beings?

Many times, I like to share my experience when writing articles. I discovered during my youth that I had no fear in me; however, many attempts at things that I wasn’t perfect nearly cost my life. For example, I shouldn’t have gone deep into the sea when I was aware that I couldn’t swim. Yes, till now, I don’t know how to swim.

 I was carried away by the sea, and those trying to save me gave up because I disappeared when I was pulled into a swirling, deep hole under the sea. Then a mighty wave swept me ashore. In a state of shock, I took off my clothes and walked naked home.

‘Fear’ is an enemy, yet people shouldn’t put away fear to do what they aren’t perfect or do something wrong. For example, smuggling drugs into a country, hoping you may not be caught. That is not the right way to overcome fear or to see if you are brave.

You may end up in jail. However, there are ways one can adapt to overcome fear. Once, as an illegal immigrant in Europe, a few minutes before noon, without breakfast and not knowing where my next meal was coming from, I took to the streets on foot towards a friend’s house, hoping I might find something to eat.

Fear kills many people hundreds of thousands of times before their real death.

Over an hour's walk and still far from where I was going, I experienced the symptoms of system failure. I felt dizzy and knew I would soon collapse. I had no choice but to enter a bus without a ticket. Before the bus reached my destination, the controllers caught me without a ticket. 

This is a very big offense everywhere in Europe, taken thousands of illegal immigrants back to their country of origin. I didn’t panic or feel afraid, which gave me enough time to think of what to say.

“I am happy you are going to call the police to arrest me,” I said when I noticed they were going near their vehicle to use the equipment to call the police. “Why are you happy calling the police?”  

One of the controllers asked.“Because I haven’t eaten since morning, I will definitely get something to eat at the police station.” I replied. They were stupefied, and after looking at each other’s faces, they asked me to go home.

According to doctors, fear is normal because we are human beings. Unfortunately, fear, the feeling of agitation and anxiety that runs through the minds of human beings, preventing them from doing many things, is exactly what people in higher positions stand on to harm, bully, manhandle, and show injustice to the underprivileged in society. 

People use their positions to manipulate, cheat, and dominate other people because they know the person is scared and powerless to defend themselves.

How can someone overcome fear? There are hundreds of books on Amazon on how to overcome fear, but one of the great books that I  read,  and changed my whole life consciously and positively,  was ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by Norman Vincent Peale. It’s a very good book.

Why a delegation to educate people on Ebola was brutally murdered in Republic of Guinea?

The Ebola virus

Ebola is spreading very fast, putting the lives of health workers also in danger. The outbreak in West Africa is rapidly claiming lives to date, prompting the World Health Organization to declare an international health emergency as more than 2,100 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria this year.

The shocking death rate a few months after the outbreak and appeals from aid organizations have prompted the American government to decide to assign 3,000 US military personnel to West Africa's Ebola-affected regions to supply medical equipment, support health workers, and treat victims of the epidemic.

Ebola is a highly dangerous disease. Highly qualified doctors and health workers are at risk if they treat infectious people without proper precautions. Thus, the need for Obama’s administration to send military personnel to help is necessary.

Often, desperate and frustrated people end up doing crazy things. In the village of Womme, outside the town of Nzerekore, in the southeast of Guinea, eight delegation members, including two journalists on a mission to educate the people about Ebola and show them how to prevent it, in a region where many lack education on Ebola, encountered their untimely death.

Many Africans hold the idea that Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was purposely inflicted on Africa by Europeans to wipe out Africans. The villagers thought the same on the Ebola issue and furiously attacked the delegation, killing them.

The origin of the Aids documentary film

“In the 1950s, American and Belgian missionaries in the Belgian colonies of the Congo widely distributed polio vaccine to a million children in a bid to wipe out the crippling disease; however, evidence now suggests that Dr. Koprowski's oral vaccine may have been tainted and that the first instances of the disease may be linked to those inoculations.

Using interviews, newsreel footage, and documented research experiments, The Origin of AIDS examines how a combination of benevolence, careless lab procedures, and the need of a desperate few to cover their tracks could have led to one of the most serious pandemics of the 20th century.” 

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZs1V8mpcoY. Africans have lived with this theory for years.

“It's very sad and hard to believe, but they were killed in cold blood by the villagers,” government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara said, according to Agence France-Presse.  The delegation, under the wrath of the villagers with stones and clubs, fled into the bush after the attack, according to the Guinean radio, but they were pursued and killed.

It’s unfortunate that in the midst of such an epidemic, innocent workers could meet such a horrible death. Many health workers are now known to have fled their posts, afraid to work, especially at places where the disease has killed doctors, nurses, and hygienists. The killing of the delegation is now one of the setbacks preventing health care workers from going to affected areas in Africa.

The impact of Ebola, picture: Courtesy of the World Health Organization.

DOES MONEY GIVES COMFORT IN LIFE?

The Holy Bible

Money is something that no one could have a better life without. Money rules our daily lives in eating, education, clothing, accommodation, the shoes we wear, and almost everything that gives comfort in life. However, does money bring happiness? 

Many people think and believe that money, fame, and beauty would make them happy. Therefore, they follow such things eagerly, only to be miserably disappointed when they couldn't get the happiness they were longing for. 

If happiness could be derived from money and material things, it wouldn't have been necessary for Jesus to identify the key to happiness.

Jesus said, "Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need". Matthew 5:3. Genuine happiness can only be found if people depend heavily on spiritual needs rather than material needs. 

One may ask, how can spiritual need help me when I can't pay my bills with it? Spiritual need builds faith, trust, comfort, and hope, which will make you survive those difficulties you are facing. The assurance of faith and hope gives you a happy mind to live a happy life.

But those who depend heavily on material things and money easily get disappointed, frustrated, and mentally disturbed. The next thing many try is to kill themselves. 

The truth can be found in the Bible. There are many rich people as miserable as a church mouse, while the poor who struggle to eat live happily.

Building your spiritual faith through the Bible leads to a more meaningful life.

CHILD LABOR OFFENDERS MUST BE SEVERELY PUNISHED

Child labor is a big problem in Third World Countries.



Slavery has long been abolished, but it has resurfaced in many forms. The disturbing factor over this new trend of slavery is child abuse, trafficking, and labor. 


Children are constantly kidnapped or sold by their own families because of poverty to work long hours under horrific conditions.

Every child has the right to education. But many of them are far from school, doing hard work as adults. This affects their childhood. Many children are drawn into conflicts as child soldiers in many parts of Africa. 

In Asia, some children are sent to work in hard conditions to defray debts owed by their parents.

Girls between the ages of ten and twelve were often subjected to sexual abuse by adults to make money from them. The stories are many, and some are sad and emotional. According to sources in India has an estimated 17 million child labourers working at various places.

Even though there are many organisations worldwide fighting against this form of child slavery, little has been the result. As long as poverty exists, child labour can't be eliminated, but it can be reduced. 

However,  since adults are responsible for this crime against children, the offence must carry a heavy sentence to serve as a deterrent to others.

POLYGAMY AND EUROPE'S ECONOMY DEMAND ONE MAN, ONE WIFE

One man, three wives, a common thing to see in Islamic polygamy

Europe is gradually becoming a polygamous continent, due to migrations and settlements by people coming from countries with their own contrasting laws and cultures.

They follow the doctrine of the Koran and enter into polygamous marriages, before migration and within Europe, without realizing that it is an offense since polygamous marriages do not conform to the European pattern.

Polygamy is very common in Muslim countries, where women do not have civil rights, no education, can't own property, can't drive, and can't even vote. It's only a few of these countries are rich; most are very poor because women are kept at home and are restricted from contributing to the economy.

In Turkey, a country that wants to join the European Union, around 187,000 women are in polygamous marriages, according to a report carried out by AFP. However, Turkey is not the only country facing the issue of polygamy. Britain, Germany, and France are experiencing the same phenomenon.

For example, if Mr. Abdullai (Not referring to any person dead or alive) migrates from Turkey to live in Germany, France, Britain, or Belgium, with three wives, amongst the women, who is to be known as Mrs. Abdullai? 

And if each of the women is to give birth to four or five children each, totaling 20, who will be responsible for their welfare apart from the man? The government.

This is the reason Polygamy shouldn't be encouraged in Europe, because it drains the national coffers of a country, and could render a country's economy totally poor. 

Polygamy could drain the taxpayers' money and destroy a booming economy. That is the reason many countries practicing those polygamous marriages are virtually poor, and their people seek greener pastures in other European countries that do not permit that.

"ONE MAN, ONE WIFE" is the slogan. Intuitively, this makes a lot of sense.

"PLAN BELGIE" gives children from Third World Countries better chance and future through education

African children in the classroom

Every child has the right to be educated, but in most Third World Countries, children have been denied access to education due to many problems, ranging from poverty to child labor. 

An independent organization based in Belgium, that has taken a major step to seek a better future through education for less fortunate children in Third World Countries, including Africa, is "PLAN BELGIE".  Children at school in Africa

The organization has qualified, trained coordinators specialized in giving lessons to children who have any schooling experience in their lives to read and write.

Fabrice Lepla is one of the specialists of "PLAN BELGIE", dealing with the education crisis in Africa and working towards quality education in those badly affected places. 

With many years of experience on the continent, he explains, "how in other continents, African countries have made progress, sometimes with huge success. For example, in Burkina Faso, the number of children attending school increased from one-third in 2000 to two-thirds in 2009.

In a few years, several thousand schools were built. He stressed that, however, Burkina Faso is still behind in education, like many other African countries. The explanation is simple: these countries are heading to a catastrophic situation. 

There are not enough buildings to accommodate all the children. On the other hand, many schools do not always correspond to the expected quality criteria, dampening the enthusiasm of teachers, parents, and pupils.

"PLAN BELGIE" as far as education is concerned, the support is enormous, and with huge success for children across Asia, Africa, and South America. For more information on "PLAN BELGIE" surf to their website at  http://www.planbelgie.be/

WORLD BANK GRANTS LOAN TO REPUBLIC OF BENIN

The World Bank



The World Bank has granted a loan amounting to six billion FCFA to the Republic of Benin to finance the country's development projects. 


The project is to lead to the development of the poorest communities to have basic socio-economic services and towards education, health, and water sectors.

The financing will also help carry out several activities within the framework of the initial project, particularly the strengthening of institutional capacities within communes and communities. 

The main purpose of the project, which was launched in 2005, is to promote the development of Benin's fragile infrastructure.

The project will be recognized to focus on the sectoral ministries, communes, and village communities to increase access of the poorest communities to the basic social and financial services.

PROMOTING CHILDREN'S INTEREST IN BOOKS

A child needs education for future development.


In many Third World countries, there is a decline in the reading standard of children, due to many problems, such as the inability to purchase books and the failure of parents themselves to read and teach their children to follow their steps.

Most of the time, when the performance of a child at school is poor, the fault is placed at the doorsteps of teachers, but then, as parents, what help do we give our children when they are out of sight of teachers?

Educationists had often said that in Africa, the reading ability of children is poor because they are not encouraged to read and learn. Parents who did not get the opportunity to be educated may feel that education is a waste of time, and therefore, the child should engage in trade.

But now it is well accepted that since a child out of school is a waste of natural resources, the children's interest in books should be a priority and considered a responsibility for every parent and teacher. The library is said to be the heart of a school. It plays a major role in teaching and encouraging children to read.

The numerous books in the library are a source of delight to children, as they take in and take out books regularly. This improves their reading ability.

Children's Rights That Are Constantly Abused By Adults

Children's Rights

Every child has the right to live, but how many children are killed worldwide before and after they are born? Every child has the right to information, but how many are prevented from knowing the truth?

Every child has the right to education and social amenities, but how many are denied access to education and happiness? We are witnessing the cruelties against children today worldwide. 

Every child has the right to medical care, but thousands are dying every day from diseases, such as Aids, kwashiorkor, etc, in painful ways. Every child has the right to decision and opinion, but how many are victims of injustices every day?

Every child has the right to be named and to have a nationality, but there are thousands of children denied nationality by many countries. 

Every child in this world has the right to eat and drink enough. Unfortunately, thousands of children are dying as a result of hunger, famine, and lack of water every day.

When children are trained to take an interest in reading, they benefit greatly from the wider knowledge they gain from learning about people and places outside their own narrow world. Unfortunately, so many children do not know what education is about.

A child shouldn't be a victim of war or be used as a soldier. But today, thousands of children are drawn into conflicts, tribal uprisings, and wars to fight with adults.

A child shouldn't be abused, burdened, or sold into slavery for child labour. But today, thousands of children are being trafficked, forced into prostitution and hard labour in every horrific manner to make money.

A child can never fight for himself. They depend on parents or adults because they easily trust people, but today, the same adults that the children trust are making them miserable, unhappy, and even killing them. 

So, who must children depend on now for a better future? Children are an asset to national development in every part of the world. It's the responsibility of adults to give them every care, help, and education in their growth and development.

Preventing Street-Child Explosion in Third World Countries

Street children in Africa



Children these days are traditionally the subject of ridicule, humiliation, abuse, and mental torture. Besides South America and Asia, Africa is another continent yet to find a remedy for the number of children without any education.


The problems associated with street children vary. Broken homes, separation or divorce, parents' inability to bring up children, lack of education, and teenage pregnancy. 

How do we assess the institution of marriage today in our society when so many divorces and activities of irresponsible parenting are causing havoc to our children?

Without much or any financial support, single mothers are left to face problems in bringing up children and earning money to give their children a good education. 

The devil always has worked for idle hands. Lack of education forces young girls into prostitution. After giving birth out of hardship and frustration, the teenage mothers abandoned their children.

Later, the children grow up to be juvenile criminals, destitute,  glue sniffers, and junkies. The question is, if a mother can't afford to feed her child, how then can the child get an education? 

This is a burning issue that leaders of Third World Countries must consider as a priority, to create free or lower the cost of education for every child to be in school.

Why do children suddenly want to be mothers?

A teenage mother-to-be



Across the continent, poverty has taken its toll on many Third World countries. In Asia, Africa, and Latin America, teenage pregnancy, lack of education, prostitution, and juvenile crime are so prevalent that they have affected the socio-economic sectors of these countries. 


However, things are now changing. What used to be the problem of these poverty-stricken countries has now shifted to Europe and the United States of America.

Teenage pregnancy is now booming in the USA, Britain, the Netherlands, and France, and in fact throughout the whole of Europe. 

The question is why children, who have a lot more chances and facilities for education than their counterparts in the Third World, suddenly choose to be mothers instead? Is it peer pressure? Are they from a family of a broken marriage? Or victims of alcohol and drug abuse, or simply ignorance?

It is now very common to see children and sometimes adults who can speak their own language in Europe, including Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, but can’t read or write. Is that illiteracy or semi-illiteracy? 

The Dutch Youth and Family Affairs Minister recently said that “Sexual morals of the country’s youngsters have gone astray. A girl is seen as an object, and sex as a currency. The meaning of love does not play any role anymore in the lives of youngsters.”

He stressed that if the mentality among Dutch youths is to enter a garage to get a girl and the very moment you want sex, then we have lost the principle of moral relationship. Many have distorted ideas about sex. Said Andre Rouvoet. 

The minister was responding to a television documentary, “Sex Sells,” aired on Dutch television, which showed 12- to 16-year-old boys and girls speaking openly about sex.

The open experience sex debate revealed that some of the youngsters had their first sexual experience at the age of 9. The average of they lost their virginity at the age of 13. 

If the same problems taking place in so-called Third World countries are also occurring in Europe and the USA, then I’m afraid there are no more differences between a Third World country and an advanced country anymore.