War kills over 100,000 babies a year: Save the Children
Munich, Feb 15: At least 1,00,000 babies die every year because of armed conflict and its impact, from hunger to denial of aid, Save the Children International said on Friday.
In the 10 worst-hit countries, a conservative estimate of 550,000 infants died as a result of fighting between 2013 and 2017.
They succumbed to war and its effects, among them hunger, damage to hospitals and infrastructure, a lack of access to health care and sanitation and the denial of aid.
It said children face the threat of being killed or maimed, recruited by armed groups, abducted or falling victim to sexual violence.
"Almost one in five children are living in areas impacted by conflict -- more than at any time in the past two decades," said the charity's CEO Helle Thorning-Schmidt in a statement.
"The number of children being killed or maimed has more than tripled, and we are seeing an alarming increase in the use of aid as a weapon of war," she said on releasing the report at the Munich Security Conference.
Save the Children said a study it had commissioned from the Peace Research Institute Oslo had found that 420 million children were living in conflict-affected areas in 2017.
This represents 18 percent of all children worldwide and was up by 30 million from the previous year.
The worst-hit countries were Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The total number of deaths from indirect effects over the five-year period jumped to 870,000 when all children under the age of five were included, the charity said.
It also issued a list of recommendations to help protect children, from steps such as committing to a minimum age of 18 for military recruitment to the avoidance of using explosive weapons in populated areas.
Thorning-Schmidt said the rising number of child casualties was very worrying.
"It is shocking that in the 21st century we are going backwards on principles and moral standards that are so simple children and civilians should never be targeted."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana to contest bypoll from Gandey assembly seat
Ranchi, April 25: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Thursday announced that Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former chief minister Hemant Soren, will contest the bypoll from Gandey assembly seat.
The seat in Giridih district fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.
Bypoll to Gandey assembly seat is scheduled on May 20 along with the parliamentary elections in the state.
The party also announced the candidature of Samir Mohanty, the sitting MLA from Baharagora, from Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat.
Kalpana had embarked on a political journey at the 51st foundation day celebration of JMM in Giridih district on March 4, claiming that a conspiracy had been orchestrated by opponents ever since the Hemant Soren coalition government came to power in 2019.
Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud, subsequent to his resignation as CM.
After the ruling JMM-led alliance proved its majority on February 5 and her husband made a fiery speech in the assembly, Kalpana had taken to X to announce that the "fight against injustice and oppression will continue".
Previously considered a frontrunner for the position of chief minister but facing opposition from Sita Soren, she declared, "I have fought, and I will continue to fight! We have won, and we will win!"
A homemaker with MTech and MBA qualifications, Kalpana completed her education in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district and obtained her engineering and MBA degrees in Bhubaneswar.
Hemant's arrest had sparked speculation that Kalpana would assume leadership. However, a family rift emerged, with his sister-in-law, Sita Soren, openly opposing any move to make Kalpana the chief minister.
Sita questioned Kalpana's political inexperience and objected to her potential candidacy, dismissing it as BJP propaganda. Hemant dismissed speculations of Kalpana contesting from Gandey, labeling it as BJP's fabrication.
Speculations regarding Kalpana's candidacy arose following the resignation of ruling JMM's Gandey MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad in December, with the BJP claiming it was to facilitate Kalpana's candidacy in case of ED summonses.
