children and poverty

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23 percent of county's children living in poverty - Richmond Register
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2010 National KIDS COUNT Data Book - Providence Business News
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The 'plights of the Akwa Ibom Children', as the Punch Newspapers editorial of 15 January, 2009 described the madness in the name of child-witches hunting and exorcising going on in the state, need the attention of every rational being on the surface of the earth. For as Guardian Newspapers editorial of December 21, 2008 suggested, it is nothing but a 'debacle on Child Rights', a situation that have taken away self-esteem and psychologically demean many children in the state to the extent that they are far too conscious of every of their daily acts everywhere and anywhere for the fear of being tagged witches or wizards. This is totally unacceptable. Hence the question: who is a witch?

Witchcraft, according to Bertrand Russell, is ‘a composite phenomenon drawing from folklore, sorcery, demonology, heresy and Christian theology’. The World Book Encyclopedia describes it as ‘the use of supposed magic powers generally to harm or damage property”. From these two definitions, we can move on to deduce a definition of a ‘witch’ as a person who is supposed to have received such powers from ‘evil spirits’, that is, power to know all things, power to destroy lives, among others. While ‘witch’ is a general name, the word has a gender connotation. A ‘male witch’ is called wizard, while a ‘female witch’ is called ‘witch’.

The belief in witchcraft is not recent, nor is it a product of the popular Harry Porter series. Rather, according to Godffrey Parrinder, it is “one of the great (sic) fears from which mankind has suffered”. The belief has appeared in many parts of the world, in one form or the other. While it became particularly prominent and developed in Europe in the later middles ages and renaissance periods, the belief in witches and their evil powers have remained with Africans for centuries before then. For Africa, therefore, till today, witchcraft belief is a great tyranny spreading panic and death. This unhindered, thriving, belief, which is devoid of any commonsensical scientific ratiocination, is being buoyed by the excruciating and pitiable living condition of many Africans that they found unexplainable; hence the need for scapegoats, the ‘witches’.  Thanks to the modern day fraudsters, the Pentecostal pastors.

The advent of Pentecostalism, and the healing Christian, churches have contributed in no small measure in reinforcing the belief. They accepted the existence of witches and witchcraft and claimed they have the power to protect against its evil powers. All manner of social, health and economic problems are readily carpeted as having ‘spiritual’ dimension blamable on ‘witches’, who are usually aged women and unwitting teenagers. To market their churches, most of these pastors have now resorted to demonizing  innocent children, as witches that must be ‘delivered’ and ‘saved’ from the power of darkness. This uncritical scapegoating is gaining momentum more than ever before because of the seemingly irredeemable economic condition of living of sub-Saharan Africans. The many frustrated sub-Saharan African people are brainwashed to believe that their major enemies are not corrupt government officials, inhuman government policies nor their, personal, inability to cultivate and explore the best of their potentials in the ‘here and now’ world. Rather they have been sweet-tongued into believing that it is the ‘witches’ in their families and their homes that have been working against their fortune spiritually. Based on the ‘prophesies’, the unfortunate scapegoats, those accused of being witches, are given two options: either to confess to their ‘countless heinous sins’ and be saved/delivered after severe beatings or risk being killed, which in most cases mean being stoned to death.

In the Akwa-Ibom situation, confession is often preferred. Why? The 'Prophets' and 'Bishops' of God must eat! All you need to imagine is a steady ten thousand naira, N10,000, minimum income, almost every other day for tagging an unfortunate child a witch. Let’s not forget that some pastors like Bishop Sunday Ulup-Aya charge as much as between N30,000, thirty thousand, and N400,000, four hundred thousand, naira for their services. But how, for instance, can one be sure that these children are witches, as these prophets claim, and not mere victims of the poverty ravaging the material and psychological fabric of their families and that of the prophets?

To answer this question, we took a field trip to the affected towns and villages early last month. The product of the 'expedition' as friends have retorted to calling it, is revealing. Our very first respondent in Eket, Mr. Edet claimed to have participated in "dealing with not less than 7 'confirmed' child witches", one of which was burnt by the mob beyond recognition.

“Who confirmed them as witches?” we inquired.
"Our pastor is a man of God and when he prayed, the Holy Spirit arrested the children".
“Is it the holy spirit that pushed them to the front of the congregation to confess?"
"Sometimes, they cried of fire burning all over their bodies and sometimes, to be sincere, the look on the faces of members of the congregation is enough to push them to the front"

We then asked the question that pissed him really, really off:
"Don't you think these allegations are fictitious and merely being fabricated by pastors to make some money and lure people to come to church for protection?"
Silently, I wished we never asked the question.

"You are possessed! Are you saying my pastor is a liar? Who you be sef? (meaning who are you?).I see that the devil is really disturbing you like that stupid Sam Ikpe (referring to the Director of CRARN, Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network, where some of the alleged child witches live). Now get off my bike!!"

With that last sentence, I need not tell you his profession. Well, Mr. Edet is a professional motorbike transport operator; he takes people from one location to another on his bike for a fee. He is married with four children and lives in a two-room apartment, shared toilet, shared kitchen. His average income is a bit over $5 per day, but about $4 sometimes. After Edet, we had some other interviews at the bar, at the market (buying what we don’t really need sometimes only to give them to other respondents), at a popular burukutu (local beer) joint, in canteens and church environs.

What is glaring from all the responses to our questions is that there seems to be element of aggression and frustration, which is being vented on these innocent children. The belief in witchcraft has stunted the growth of unchained creativity and made many Akwa-Ibomites to recoil unnecessarily to fate, visiting only pastors, Alfas (the Muslim witchdoctors) and the the traditional witchdoctors to ward off and cleanse themselves of the 'curses or family jinx' trailing them. Lean income, rather than been spent wisely are given to these modern day 'fraudsters' who ride in big cars for the spiritual ‘protections services’ they provided. In some cases, micro-finance loans, and financial compensations provided by the oil companies like Mobil Oil Unlimited,  have been used in funding ‘witchcraft cleansing rituals’ rather than the small scale business that it was disbursed for. Some even 'swore by the their fathers, grandfathers and great, great grandfathers' that they will kill any child witch found in their families. Pathetic, enh?

So, what is the fate of these children? We sought audience with handful of local officials in charge of child welfare in Eket, Esit Eket and Ibeno local government areas and the youth council officials in Eket Zone. Specifically, we met the General Secretary of the Eket Youth Council, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Ibeno Youth Council, Mr. Ebong Edem and some of his executive members.

The local social workers opined that although they are convinced that these children are witches, yet as their duties demands, they are willing to help them, most especially in providing psychological counseling and rehabilitation, mostly biblically colored, for them. It was as if they have all rehearsed the same statement for 'journalists' (what we claimed to be). What is baffling is: how can a child, someone less than ten years old, think of seking 'psychological counseling'? That to us is complete bullshit!! Why not offer the counseling to their parents and friends, we thought. Those are the people that need counseling. The representatives of the youths that we spoke with exhume hope and skepticism yet they can’t voice them. One sure fact, however, is that they are willing to do something about it.

That is exactly the kind of spirit that we need in our attempt to clear the slur on our image and stall the attempt to regress us back into the European middle ages. The people, as we observe, need to be enlightened on the provisions of the Child Rights Act, although ignorance of the law is not an excuse. The Akwa-Ibom State Ministry of Information needs to run campaigns that will inform and educate Akwa-Ibomites on the provisions of the Child Rights Act, passed by the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly and signed by Governor Akpabio, which criminalise childwitch hunting and stigmatizing. The provision that deals with this reads: anyone caught or suspected to be involved in any form of torture, trial by ordeal or inhuman treatment of a child, purportedly to cure, purge or exorcise such a child of witchcraft would be liable to 10 years imprisonment without an option of fine. This to us is a precious and timely addition to subsisting Section 207 of the nation’s Criminal Code Act Cap 38(2004)  which criminalize any trial by ordeal and Section 208 which stipulates that any person who directs, controls or presides at any trial by ordeal which is unlawful, “is guilty of a felony” and is liable on conviction to severe punishment.

Obviously, these children are mere victims of poverty ravaging the country and the inactivity of the state ministry concerned in dutifully informing the populace even when a very proactive measure have been taken by the Governor. We are, therefore, duty-bound as responsible global citizens to, by all moral means, assist in freeing these children from the shackles and bondages of poverty and ignorance they have been conditioned to live. We can do it!

Onward!

‘Yemi Ademowo Johnson, socio-political philosopher and applied anthropologist, is Editor, YouthSpeak!, Belgium, and International Coordinator, HAWK-Africa Project.

Martin Haberman, Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has made it his life' s work to study what makes some teachers Jun 8, 2010 The rate of living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22%, the highest rate in two decades, a new analysis shows. Child poverty refers to the phenomenon of living in poverty. This applies to children that come from poor families or orphans being raised with File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View Mar 17, 2010 is growing in the recession, with nearly 40 million Americans living at or below the official poverty level in 2008. For millions of children worldwide, this may be one of those moments. If today isn' t the day to help stop child poverty, when is? Join the campaign. File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View Jan 5, 2010 " In 2007, 10.6% of Connecticut children under 18 (85530 children) lived in a family with income below the federal poverty level ($21.027 for Jan 7, 2010 A forlorn murmur of young voices echoes from a shack pieced together from rusted corrugated iron. Jul 28, 2009 Many inner-city kids are born into poverty, perform poorly in school, and drop out or do time. In the second " What Works," Harlem Children' s Dec 6, 2004 Using CPS data, the National Center for in Poverty at Columbia University has published reports on trends in regional estimates of A child dies every three seconds in Africa. More than 30000 children will die today from poverty. HIV/AIDS and malaria kill every second in sub-Saharan Africa. Jun 10, 2010 Based on 2008 data, 24.9 percent of Arkansas live in poverty, compared to 22.6 percent 31 years ago, Arkansas Advocates for Jun 8, 2010 1 in 5 US children living in poverty, study reveals, The rate of children living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22 percent, non-profit organization working to create positive, lasting change for disadvantaged children in the United States and 41 other nations. Jun 11, 2010 LITTLE ROCK - More Arkansas are living in now than a generation ago, according to a report released Thursday. Colors of Poverty: Red. Poverty is hopeless and depressing. But light shines in the darkness. View pictures of children in poverty. May 6, 2010 New research attempts to nail down the three things that children need in those first critical years to ensure proper development and a " Progress in the condition of children has slowed -- and in some cases trended downward -- since the 1960s. For instance, children' s poverty rates steadily Oct 15, 2008 For this purpose we collected beautiful portraits of who lived in but are now supported by charitable organizations. 34% of school-aged homeless children have lived apart from their families. Homeless parents and their children are more likely to have experienced Jul 9, 2010 children living in poverty The bad economy may have pushed more of the nation' s children into poverty, according to a report released today Jul 28, 2010 State ranks No. 12 in kids' well-being, down from No. 7 last year With more students in poverty, two West Fargo schools are looking to be Jennifer Van Hook of Bowling Green State University examines the increase in poverty among the children of immigrants in the United States. According to UNICEF, 24000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View Oct 18, 2009 Colorado s number of children living in poverty grew 73 percent from 2000 to 2006 — the nation s highest rate of growth, according to the Sep 12, 2006 Counties with extreme percentages of black in poverty are scattered throughout the state but are concentrated across the rich Sep 9, 2008 When the school bell rings, Alemtsehay and her three younger sisters rush home to change out of their school uniforms and into tattered Definitions: The share of children under age 18 who live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level, as defined by the U.S. Office of Children in Poverty (CIP) is an initiative of National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA. It encourages and equips American Baptists to respond to 14 June 2010 – As many as two out of three children in Djibouti are exposed to life-threatening situations because of poverty, the United Nations Children' s 3 For more information on child poverty in the United States, see the National Center for Children in Poverty' s website or the Institute for Research on The Center, which is affiliated with Columbia University, produces reports, fact sheets, and press material that highlight strategies to end child Over 600 million children world-wide live in absolute poverty - an estimated 1 in 4. In many countries, rates are much higher with over 60 percent of Despite a steady decrease from 1993 (23%) to 1999 (17%) in the rate of in poverty, the United States still ranks highest in childhood among Jun 18, 2010 It also proves to be the ultimate anti-poverty weapon for their children. Now that' s something to celebrate and encourage this Father' s Day. File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View Jul 30, 2010 The rates are defined by the share of children under 18 who live in families with incomes below the federal level, as defined by the Jul 15, 2009 Cheaper housing often worsens breathing conditions for kids a county health program can help. This is our first picture montage made by my team and me for a school project. Children' s Defense Fund (CDF) works to help end child poverty in America thru campaigns and programs that support and educate Americans on the need for a In the USA, an estimated 15 million children -- one in four -- live in but many organizations work to help -- from one-on-one mentoring to Of the 57 million people worldwide who died last year, 10.5 million of them were children less than five years old. The majority of these children — some 98 www.icpny.org/ - Cached - SimilarUNICEF - Why UNICEF - Poverty reduction starts with childrenMost of the people living in poverty are children. Poverty denies children their rights. It weakens a child' s protective environment, as much abuse and Economy > Percent of Children Below Level by state. Economy statistics with graphs, maps and pie charts. Source: American Community Survey 2004. File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View