Magazine Posts Table of Contents

Child Marriage: The Future of Young GIrls in Third World Nations

Posted 2014-11-20 10:40:19 | Views: 1,959
Child Marriage:
The Future of Young Girls in Third World Nations
     Do you remember when you were a kid and people would ask you: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Did you reply enthusiastically back with: “Astronaut!” “Doctor!” or “President!”? In third world countries, like Niger or Bangladesh, no one asks that question to young girls. Their futures are decided by their families, and they are never given a say.

     On a global scale, 51 million girls below the age of eighteen are child brides (Ten Facts). The girls are usually married to middle-aged men, but some of the husbands are children as well. They can be from 3 years old to 45 years old; neither the bride’s nor the husband’s age is a factor that their family considers when making the decision to marry them. The head of the family, usually the parents, arrange the marriages for their daughter, without giving the young girl a voice in that decision. Child marriages are generally the result of poverty; in many cultures, husbands pay a dowry for their future wives to their wives’ family, making the marriage profitable for the parents. The cultural discrimination toward women, and the desire to ensure the girl’s virginity before marriage are also some of the causes behind these unions. Some countries in Africa and Southern Asia consider child marriage a tradition, and the best option for the young girls.

     A child bride is expected to fulfill every responsibility of a wife, including becoming a mother. Still a child herself, she is forced by their new husband, their husbands’ family, and their own family, to satisfy this part of the marriage agreement. Many girls are too young to become pregnant and give birth without life-threatening complications. “An estimated 14 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth each year. They are twice as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth as women in their 20s. Girls who marry between the ages of 10 and 14 are five times as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth as women in their early 20s” (Child Marriage). This is just one of the consequences of arranged child marriage.

     Domestic abuse is a common household occurrence in many child marriages, including but not limited to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Child brides have a greater risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and the girls are generally denied access or are too poor for hospital care. The children that the child brides have lead no better lives (Child Marriage).
     Child marriage strips away fundamental rights of the children involved. “Rights undermined or lost by children forced to marry early are: The right to an education. The right to be protected from physical and mental violence... The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health. The right to rest and leisure, and to participate freely in cultural life. The right to not be separated from parents against the child's will. The right to protection against all forms of exploitation affecting any aspect of the child’s welfare. The right to eventual employment” (Child Marriages). All of these rights that we take for granted are considered unattainable dreams to the victims of child marriage.

    The life of a young girl trapped in a child marriage can never be fully understood. Those with the right of choice and liberty can’t completely comprehend the pain, stress, violence, and the overall nightmare of being a child bride. We can only listen to the stories of the girls who lived through it. The following, provided by ‘Child Marriages: Facts, Causes, and Consequences,’ is a truthful testimonial from a woman who was a child bride:

     I was married to a nine-year-old boy when I was three. At that point of time, I was unaware of marriages. I don't even remember my marriage event. I just remember that as I was too young, and was unable to walk, they had to carry me and bring me over to their place. Getting married at an early age, I was destined to suffer a lot of hardships. I had to carry water in a small clay-pot in the mornings. I had to sweep and swap the floor everyday.
      Those were the days when I wanted to eat good food and wear pretty clothes. I used to feel very hungry, but I had to be satisfied with the amount of food that I was provided. I never got to eat enough. I sometimes secretly ate corns, soybeans, etc. that used to grow in the field. And if I was caught eating, my in-laws and husband would beat me up accusing me of stealing from the field and eating. Sometimes the villagers used to give me food and if my husband and in-laws found out, they used to beat me up accusing me of stealing food from the house. They used to give me one black blouse and a cotton sari1 torn into two pieces. I had to wear these for two years.
     Never did I get other accessories like petticoats, belts etc. When my saris got torn, I used to patch them up and continue wearing them. My husband married three times after me. At present, he lives with his youngest wife. Since I married at an early age, early child-delivery was inevitable. As a result, I now have severe back problems. I used to weep a lot and consequently, I faced problems with my eyes and had to undergo an eye operation. I often think that if I had the power to think like I do now, I would never go to that house.
     I also wish I had not given birth to any children. Retrospective sufferings make me wish not to see my husband again. Nevertheless, I do not want him to die because I don't want to lose my marital status.
 
     Girls Not Brides, a dedicated organization, has developed a unique perspective and plan for ending child marriage permanently throughout the world. Called the Theory of Change, their plan is four-fold: empowering the young girls in child marriages or at risk of becoming a child bride, engaging families and communities to change this tragic tradition, providing services and protecting the girls, and lastly, implementing effective and rigid laws against child marriage. Girls Not Brides suggests many ways for people to get involved, from donating to volunteering, but mainly they suggest raising your voice against child marriage.
 
     If you ask anyone, most likely they’d be adamant about how horrible child marriage is. “That’s terrible,” they’ll probably say, before falling silent or changing the subject. Child marriage is not a topic people are comfortable with for obvious reasons, but being quiet about this issue won’t resolve anything. Raise your voice loud against child marriage because those girls need much more than politically correct silence.

10 Shockingly Profitable and Illegal World Trades

Posted 2014-11-07 10:23:32 | Views: 1,588
10 Shockingly Profitable and 
Illegal World Trades
We’ve all heard of the black market, but we only have a vague understanding of what’s on its shelves. While most aren’t surprised that illegal traders don’t conduct shady deals for a gallon of milk, some of the most profitable world trades may shock you. These ten money-spinning world trades are not what you might expect.
6. Sperm 

In recent years, the internet has exploded with sperm buyers and sellers. While this may seem rather harmless, legal sperm donors are evaluated against several requirements designed to minimize the chance of a birth defect or hereditary disease, while the traders on the internet require no medical test. “… The recipients have absolutely no way of knowing what they’re getting. Not to mention the thousands of infectious diseases that can be transmitted through human sperm, which is really the scary part” (Listverse).
7. Python Skins

You’ve seen them on handbags, shoes, even pants, but I’ve doubt you’ve seen snake skins on actual, living snakes. In fact you might never, with the python population dying out so fast (Listverse). The potentially effective laws against illegal poaching and selling of snake skins are instituted in many parts of the world, specifically where the snake skin market is booming, but are almost never enforced (Listverse). It’s simple economics. If the demand for snake skins goes down, the use of illegal and immoral poaching practices would go down as well.
4. Bear Gall Bladders
 Despite the fact that it has been scientifically proven that it has no benefits, the gall bladders of black bears –and the bile- have been used as medicine in Asia from generation to generation. “…it has been definitively proven by medical science to have no medicinal properties whatsoever. In spite of that, the illegal trade in this product continues” (Listverse). The bears are poached in masses, and sometimes kept in illegal ‘bear farms-’ a waking nightmare. Bears are kept in small stalls, fed irregularly and not allowed to hibernate; they are continually surgically “milked” for the bile for a period of time before being killed to extract the gall bladder.” Every year, on average, 2 billion dollars are made off these bears’ suffering (Listverse).
5. Abalone

Abalone are edible sea snails, and they are a delicacy in many Asian countries, as well as South Africa. Abalone suffers from the same afflictions as most of the other animals wrapped up in illegal trade. “Abalone is the highest-priced product it [South Africa] produces. In 1995, 615 tons of Abalone were harvested in South Africa; by 2008, it had dropped dramatically to 75 tons… The incredible drop in volume over such a short time is attributed almost entirely to illegal harvesting, and the effect of this on the South African economy has been significant” (Listverse). Abalone populations are declining, but the traders’ wallet sizes are increasing.
9. Timber 

The trade in timber hits the world hard in many different ways –habitat loss, monetary loss, effects on climate change, etc. - but there is one other way that may shock you. Illegal traders in timber and drug traffickers -the ‘Odd Couple’ of the black market- have teamed up to increase their efficiency when transferring their illegal cargo. Yes, illegal drugs are now being concealed in the thick trunks of massive trees (Listverse). You can’t say these drug smugglers aren’t original.
8. Human Organs

Human organs are a very profitable commodity in the illegal trade industry. They prey on desperate and destitute people, paying them as little as $5,000 for their kidney, and then the traders sell the organ for thousands more to equally desperate people in need of a life-saving organ donor (Listverse). Some victims don’t know their organs are being taken. “While many people willingly give up organs for cash, many other are scammed or forced into the procedure, or made to undergo unnecessary surgeries during which the organs are extracted without their knowledge” (Listverse). This multi-billion dollar industry, according to Listverse, performs 10,000 surgeries every year.
3. Caviar

A popular dish of the rich and famous, caviar has a big presence in the Black Market. They are actually eggs of the ancient Sturgeon, who shared the world with the dinosaurs, and now their population is declining rapidly. It is illegal to acquire Sturgeon eggs from the wild –legal caviar is produced on a legitimate Sturgeon farm- although, as we have learned, environmental protection laws are extremely lax. “A global ban on wild caviar (as opposed to farmed) in the mid ’00s failed to have the desired effect of protecting the population, and may actually have spurred increased black market activity. In 2006, the Pew Institute for Ocean Science called the sturgeon ‘the most vulnerable wildlife resource in the world’” (Listverse).
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10. Primates

Monkeys are carted around the world to fulfill many supposed ‘needs’ of mankind. Their uses range from test subjects for scientific research to becoming a famous pet in another pop singer’s menagerie. Currently, 1,000 of primates are brought to America lawfully, but 3,000 more apes are poached and sold. Poaching is illegal, but primates are traded ‘legally’ under a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy in regards to how they were acquired (Listverse). The illegal primate trade has contributed to the decline of their worldwide population; 30% of primate species are endangered (All the World’s Primates).
2. Alcohol
 Alcohol is illegal in some Middle Eastern countries, and, in other nations, it is strictly regulated. In Iraq lashes are part of the punishment if you are caught with alcohol. Many in the illegal liquor trade find that receiving lashes isn’t enough of a threat because this illegal trade is blossoming. “[The Illegal Liquor Trade is] So strong that Iranian factories that produce rubbing alcohol were actually forced by the government to spike it with a substance that renders it almost too bitter to drink—proving that, yes, people all over the world will take amazing risks just to get drunk” (Listverse).
 From oddly creative to terribly disgusting, these illegal businesses exist and thrive in our world today. Millions of people are rich from them, and even more people and animals are victims. This is only a glimpse of what’s lined up on the black market’s shelves. It is a dark and seedy world, where only one motto overpowers all else: 
greed can exploit anything.  
1. Newborn Babies

The illegal sale of newborn babies rakes in 32 billion dollars of the annual gross profit of the human trafficking trade (Listverse). Being one of the most profitable illegal industries in the world, newborn babies are exploited for many purposes: Cheap, ‘no-hassle’ adoption, prostitution, organ harvesting, and slave labor are just a few (Random Facts). Even if a child in this trade were adopted, many are resold by their adoptive parents (Listverse). Obviously, human traffickers –and their buyers- aren’t concerned with the safety, health, or quality of life of the newborns babies they are selling for profit.

Ancient Creature on Brink of Extinction in Yangzte River, China

Posted 2014-10-15 10:07:51 | Views: 1,417
Ancient Creature on Brink 
of Extinction in Yangtze River, China
As the mountains rose from the tide, as the earth’s plates collided, as the tides receded to reveal the land- as the seas changed, one thing remained constant in the ever changing currents: the Chinese Sturgeon. This fish has thought to have lived in the murky depths of the Yangtze River for more than 140 million years. Now the Sturgeon, that has swam in the shadows for so long, may completely disappear.
 
The Chinese Sturgeon can reach up to 16 feet in length and weigh on average 1,000 pounds. Nicknamed the ‘living fossil,’ it is a breathing portrait of what scientists believe a fish thriving in the prehistoric seas would have looked like (BBC News). This massive fish has rumored to be traveling the East Chinese Sea since the reign of the dinosaurs, but modern technology has made them an endangered species. The sturgeon migrate from the East Chinese Sea to the Yangtze River, a 2,000 mile journey upstream, to reproduce. After dozens of dams were constructed in the Yangtze River, the Chinese Sturgeon’s population dropped steadily (BBC News).  
As reported by Discovery News, the Chinese Sturgeon, because of the tribulations it has had to face, did not reproduce naturally in the 2013 breeding season. This is the first time in the 32 years researchers have been studying this incredible fish that reproduction did not occur (Discovery News). Not a single Sturgeon was recorded to have laid eggs in their usual spawning ground. This is a devastating setback to this ancient creature’s vital climb out of their endangered species status. “‘No natural reproduction means that the sturgeons would not expand its population and without protection, they might risk extinction,” Wei Qiwei, an investigator with the academy, told China's official Xinhua news agency on Saturday” (Discovery News). Its extinction would not only be a tremendous blow to the scientific community, but also to the ecosystem the Sturgeon contributes to.
 
The unique residents that swim in the banks of the Yangtze River have suffered greatly from the building of the dams. Plus the overfishing, the incessant disruption from shipping traffic, and the shockingly high levels of water pollution have only diminished the Sturgeon’s chances of survival. The Finless Porpoise and the Chinese Alligator will also face complete annihilation if the above factors keep occurring in their river. The negative impact of humans have put the Sturgeons and many other forms of life in the Yangtze River in dire straits (National Geographic).

To keep this ancient fish swimming, the Chinese government has attempted to replenish the Sturgeons’ population. They’ve created a sanctuary designated for a new spawning ground for the sturgeon away from the influence of the dams, but changing a 140 million year migratory cycle is not that easy. They have also bred the carnivorous Sturgeon’s primary food source, the fry, in large numbers in captivity and released them in the wild so finding food is not a challenge. Although these are solid efforts, there has been little improvement as of yet (National Geographic). 
 
While the extinction of this ancient creature may seem inevitable, the Chinese Sturgeons haven’t lived 140 million years without learning a few tricks. Its long history in the Earth’s seas is not all smooth tides and crystal clear waters. “Sturgeons may face long odds, but the fish has survival in its genes… Some reports suggest the sturgeon may already be adapting to its changing environment. Studies suggest its diet is shifting from less abundant bottom dwellers, like clams, to more plentiful earthworms” (National Geographic). This adaptive behavior is a skill necessary for the Sturgeon’s survival.
 
This ancient creature may have thick scales to combat the always changing waters, but extinction is still a possible future for them. While their small improvement is a step in the right direction, the Chinese Sturgeon still have seemingly insurmountable hurdles ahead of them. 
Today, the Chinese sturgeon – one of the oldest living species of animal on Earth – have been reduced to a population of only about 100. “Last year, there was no evidence found of their natural reproduction anywhere along their usual habitat. If action is not taken immediately, they will go extinct…” as Lindsey Weedston of Animal Petitions wrote in her petition letter to the Minister of Environmental Protection in China, Zhou Shengxian.
 
Calling the Chinese Sturgeon “one of the most treasured Chinese icons,” Animal Petition is one of many wildlife conservation organizations that are speaking up to protect one of the oldest living creatures on Earth today. Without their efforts, the extinction of this ancient fish would have gone unnoticed. It likely would not have been found again until hundreds of years later where it would be found in the riverbed of the Yangtze River as fossils, reunited with the dinosaurs that it was born with 140 million years ago. However, its struggle against extinction has been brought to light, which is the first step in every conservation effort. If conservationists and the Chinese government can work collaboratively to reduce pollution and other negative human impacts in the Yangtze River, the Chinese Sturgeon has a chance for 140 million more years on Earth.

Nigerian Businesswomen Demolish Boy's Club in Oil Industry

Posted 2014-10-08 10:45:38 | Views: 1,363
Nigerian Businesswomen Demolish 
Boy's Club in Oil Industry

In Nigeria, there is no glass ceiling thick enough to hinder its powerful businesswomen from dominating the oil and gas industry. The boardrooms are still predominately male, with female employees making up only 11% of its numbers and a dismal 1% in executive positions. However, business savants like the Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke are breaking new ground for women in their country. Diezani Alison-Madueke holds the office of one of the top two biggest cabinet positions in Nigeria. She is also a symbol of empowerment to women in her nation.
 
The oil and gas industries have been the backbone of this West African country since the 1970’s. The article titled, “Economic Growth in Nigeria- Impact of Oil Industry,” describes these industries as the “mainstay of the contemporary Nigerian economy.” As a nation, it is the third largest oil producer in Africa and 14th in the world. While men are traditionally found in these trades, the highest two positions are held by two experienced women. “‘The fact that two of the biggest cabinet positions in Nigeria, petroleum and finance, are held by women, shows how far we have come,’ she [Diezani Alison-Madueke] told at a recent meeting in Vienna, referring to the other prominent female member of the cabinet - Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala” (Nigerian Businesswomen Work to Change Face of Oil and Gas Industry).

These women are not only making their claim for their gender in Nigeria’s most important industry, but they are also creating opportunities for other female entrepreneurs to climb the corporate ladder. Nigeria is making plans to undergo the process of indigenization. Essentially, it’s changing the oil industry to offer more jobs and management positions for its citizens, male and female.
 One of the factors believed to have influenced these businesswomen’s success is the tendency for women to be perceived as more trustworthy than men. According to Doctor Amy Jadesimi, the managing director of the petroleum provider Ladol, “… ‘To be honest, people trust women more,’” (Atlanta Blackstar). Diezani Alison-Madeuke goes further to emphasize what truly brought them so far in this nearly all male profession, “We are there not because we are women. We are there because of our competence as managers” (Atlanta Blackstar).

These incredible businesswomen are realizing their full potential and are refusing to stop until they reach it. Their efforts to make it possible for other women to succeed in business have not only greatly affected the community and industries in Nigeria but have also inspired women in other African countries, like Ghana and Uganda. According to Ghana Oil in their article "Women Have Prospects in Oil and Gas Industry in Africa – Geologist," “‘The emerging oil and gas industry both in Ghana and in Uganda have a lot of prospects and potentials for all women in the two countries,’ Ms. Lyoidah Kiconco, a Ugandan Geologist, said on Tuesday, ‘All the women need to do is to get the required training that will enable them to fit in the various areas available in the sectors’… Ms. Kinconco asked governments in both countries as well as oil companies to assist women to train in the oil sector so that they could also contribute their quota to the industry.”
 
Nigerian businesswomen are thriving in the corporate world of a dynamic and vast industry. By breaking through the gender barrier, defying outdated conventions, and working hard in their respected career, they’ve earned their spot at the top. The challenges that the first determined women faced can be more easily overcome now that they have paved the way for more skilled women to follow. The oil industry in Nigeria is not a Boy’s Club anymore.  


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The Things You Don't Know

Posted 2014-09-19 10:44:35 | Views: 1,356

The Things You Don't Know

There are an infinite number of things that people don't know. You can't know everything. It's impossible. But there are some things in the world that you should know, but you don't ever hear of. I've found that Americans have a very distant view of the world, as if it's struggles and tragedies were just stories that you heard on the nightly news- not real people, not real places, not real lives. I have fought myself lost in this mindset many times.


I became involved with bringing these stories to you, reader, when I was nine years old, but I didn't know it yet. My parents adopted two girls from Ethiopia, Africa seven years ago. I got to travel with them and my older brothers halfway across the Earth to finalize the adoption, and I experienced an entirely different world than my rural life in Minnesota. I heard the loud rumble of monks singing praises in the early morning hours in their monasteries, and I witnessed kids my age playing soccer with an orange peel as a ball. I saw homes made of giant leaves, sticks, and scraps of metal, and I saw children -including my sisters- fill the adoption care center. Poverty surrounded the people there. IT was shoved in their faces from the time they woke up in the dark of the morning to when they laid to sleep late that night.


But what triumphed over the poverty, the sadness, and the pain, was the undeniable, inextinguishable hope in everyone's eyes. Despite the life they had been given, they did not demand pity. They knew that to do so would be, in a sense, admitting defeat So the monks still sang praises in the mornings, and the children laughed as they played soccer with the orange peel. These people opened my eyes to a bigger world, on that I want to share with you- its tragedies, its triumphs, and its people- all of it.


This is the Unheard News,

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The Unheard News

Posted 2014-09-16 09:41:34 | Views: 1,394

Nigerian Businesswomen 

demolish Boy's Club in the Oil Industry 

The Unheard News

Child Marriages:

The Future of Young Girls in Third World Nations

September Issue

10 Shockingly Profitable 

Illegal World Trades

Ancient Creature on Brink of Extinction in Chinese Sea