Happy New Year! Hopefully 2011 has been fantastic for all of y’all so far!

Child Trafficking in West Africa

The United States’ Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs published it’s annual List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor on December 15, 2010. The report states that “Child labor under international standards means... all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale or trafficking of children...” The report looks at child labor by both country and commodity, and overall it exposes 128 goods produced by child and/or forced labor in 70 countries. This is the most up-to-date look at the child labor on a global scale. Keep in mind that child labor doesn’t always mean trafficking, but they go hand-in-hand, and it is often mentioned throughout the study.

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/pdf/2010TVPRA.pdf

The report is kind of long, but I suggest that y’all read through it because it talks about successful efforts across the globe (and in Africa!) to end child labor and slavery. The list starts on page 9. The report will definitely help y’all with the status of child labor in your country and solution ideas.

Protecting HIV/AIDS Orphans in Africa

This doesn’t give a lot of help with research, but it’s is just a fun article to share. In December, the Dutch fundraiser Serious Request raised roughly US$9.55 million just for AIDS orphans in Africa. This is the largest amount one fundraiser has ever raised for AIDS orphans. Because it was a Dutch fundraiser, there aren’t many english articles, but you can read a bit more about it here:

http://www.rnw.nl/africa/bulletin/serious-request-2010-raises-record-amo...

As always, let us know if you have questions, problems, concerns, or anything.

The start of the new year means NHSMUN is right around the corner! GET EXCITED!