BELGIUM: "CHILD FOCUS" FIGHTS AGAINST CHILD ABUSE

Child abuse is real. Protect your children.

Child abuse is considered a worldwide social problem that many institutions, including UNICEF, are fighting against to free children from bondage, sexual abuse, and all kinds of crimes committed against children.

One of such institutions in Belgium, which is tirelessly working hard to reduce or prevent child abuse in the country, is "CHILD FOCUS". Every week, the 'Child Focus' administration receives about ten complaints of sexual abuse against children, said Dirk Depover, the head of 'Child Focus'.

According to 'Child Focus' quarter of the victims of sexual abuse are children under 6 years, and still, 30 percent of the children are between the ages of 7 and 13.

75 percent of the cases revealed that the victims did not know the perpetrators before being abused, while 10 percent came from their neighbors and 7 percent from teachers or schoolmasters.

In the first months of 2011, 20 percent of child abuse cases were reported, according to 'Child Focus', which was probably the result of the outburst of sexual abuse within the church community. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of children have been sexually abused.

Further, an investigation has revealed that it is only 40 percent of abused cases are reported or known, but the greater percentage lies in the dark. Nothing about the case is known by the police.

As a result, the perpetrators stay free without facing the law for their crimes. They simply escape punishment and prosecution. In the file of child abuse cases, the internet is seen as the major cause out of the seven causes leading to this problem.

This is mainly about victims who can be accessed via chat or spicy spreading of images by someone known.

(The original publication of this article appeared in the Wednesday, 4 May 2011, edition of "Het Laatste Nieuws", translation by the writer).

GHANA CAN BE BETTER WITHOUT KONADU AND J J RAWLINGS

Ghana's John Jerry Rawlings: The first head of state to carry out executions under military rule


In developed countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, France, etc, political leaders' priority is to make things better for the masses. 


Their wish is to serve the people and make things better for them in a way that the people will acknowledge them as good politicians, but in Africa, the story is quite different.

Ninety-nine percent of African politicians are inspired into politics by corruption without any plan to improve the welfare of the people. 

The idea or plan to loot the state, empty the government coffers, enrich themselves, feed and put their families into better institutions and positions, with stolen money banked at Swiss banks, are the main priorities on the agendas.

The corrupt African head of state has no sympathy, emotions, and does not know what suffering is because they are well fed with their families. To be in power for the rest of their lives, some become dictators, and others try to create a one-party state to avoid the attack of opposition.

The typical examples of such men are Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt (already stepped down after political chaos in his country), Muammar Gaddafi of Libya (yet to step down), and many others.

The desire of Ghana's former lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, to contest against President John Evans Atta Mills as the presidential candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress(NDC) in the year 2012, on every ground, doesn't make sense. 

What do Konadu and her husband want in Ghana politics, after all, the crimes her husband committed in the political history of Ghana to fulfill his dreams as head of state?

Why must Konadu even try to do such a thing against Atta Mills when both are members of the same party? There are so many raw materials in Ghana to satisfy the needs of everyone, but never enough to satisfy the greed of Konadu and her family. 

I know that academically, Ghanaians are very intelligent people, but if any Ghanaian could cast a vote to make this woman the president of Ghana, then there will be room for people to question the integrity and intelligence of Ghanaians.

This is the time for every Ghanaian to be particularly aware that Konadu Rawlings' desire to contest as president of Ghana is not to do anything better for Ghanaians but greed. 

Ghanaians must continue to support President Atta Mills' government to make the NDC and other political parties strong, and shouldn't allow the greed of the Rawlings family to collapse the party.

BELGIUM TO ASSIST BURUNDI IN IT'S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

A farmer in Burundi 



Belgium is to assist the Burundi government in developing the agricultural sector and ensuring food security for its people to the tune of 5 million euros over the next five years. 


The financial support of the former colonial power is mainly aimed at increasing agricultural production and improving access to social services, according to information received from the Belgian embassy in Bujumbura. 

Under the financing program, the problems of the land disputes, the development of marshy areas, the introduction of farmers' association, education, and the provision of potable water will be taken care of. More than 80 percent of the court cases in Burundi are said to be linked to land conflicts.

In another development, Belgium will increase its financial aid to Mali, with the submission of over 4.5 billion CFA francs. Belgium also promised to participate in co-financing with the European Union to the tune of one billion CFA francs, in the socio-economic development, through the regional assemblies of Kigali, Gao, and Timbuktu. 

For over two decades, Belgium's development aid to Mali has gone from a mere governmental co-operation program of 16. billion CFA francs, for the period 1993 to 1998, to 32.4 billion CFA francs between the year 2009 to 2012.