Today is the 20th anniversary of UN’s Convention on Rights of the Child and various ceremonies are being held all over the world to mark the event. This Convention on Rights of the Child (CRC) was signed in 1989 and it endorses and guarantees basic right of all children to life, education, play and protection from abuse. This landmark human rights treaty it seems was ratified by record 193 countries with noteworthy intriguing omission of two nations -US and Somalia.

Has this Convention on Rights of the Child made any difference to the state of children around the world? There are record high number of children dying every day due to disease, lack of proper nutrition and conflicts. Overflowing orphanages, abandoned children, school drop-outs and child labor still exist. Gun totting child soldiers in Congo and other parts of the world are a reality. Scores of children are getting killed, maimed and injured due to continuing conflicts and wars all over the world. Many more are getting abused in the comforts of homes and school.

The only difference is modern world acknowledges child rights and there are various organizations which create awareness for its implementation, legalities to protect children are in place too but we are very far from creating a safe world for our children.

Via Guardian

Most people cherish good memories of childhood and it is best phase in one’s life when mind is full of wonder. But realities are different for some troubled families where the children are ill treated and abused. Childhood is simply denied to these children and they grow up as individuals with deep scars. CAF onlus is a NGO which was founded in Italy way back in 1979 for the children who face ill-treatment and abuse and it works to restore the childhood and all little joys of it for these children. Their print-ad on the eve of 30th anniversary of the organization is extremely poignant and probably depicts the difficult job they do by simply persisting.

The print advertisement shows a girl with a balloon made of stone. The frozen expression on the little girl’s face and the stone balloon depict the burden and pain these abused children carry. An organisation like CAF simply lightens their burdens and brings back the simple. They  heal them and make them connect to the joys and wonders of the childhood thus lightening the weight of that balloon to make it soar.

The campaign by Grey Milan is very thoughtful and creates awareness about grim reality of child abuse and how CAF works positively with children.

Via Inspiration Room Daily

Designer Tim Holley’s Tio ghost is a perfect example of psychology and technology collaborating with marketing techniques. The wall mounted light switch system helps children learn the importance of energy conservation in a child friendly and playful manner. When the household lights have been switched on for a short while, the switch, or “Tio” remains happy and green. When the lights are left switched on for a long time, Tio gets angrier and starts getting redder.

The deepness of the colour red would allow children to learn how much electricity they have used and when it is “becoming too much”. Tio also has smileys which make the energy conservation process an easy and fun task for children. Play and education have thus been used from the psychological point of view to allow children to learn the importance of environment and ecological balance.

These switches make sure that today’s children grow up to be responsible and green individuals who would know that using a lot of energy is bad for not just Tio, but for the larger human populace. Go ahead and get these switches to inculcate the sense of energy responsibility that is required in your growing and curious child.

via: Inhabitots

No matter on which side of the fence you are, one thing now is for certain: the use of cellphone does indeed change the configuration of your brain. But the question of the extent of damage that usage of mobiles can cause is still unanswered. If you were to believe the latest study conducted by researchers at Sweden’s Örebro University, then it seems that the use of mobiles is actually leading to a change that looks useful rather than harmful! Of course that is from the viewpoint of a layman who does not understand the mechanics of the human brain.

In their latest experiments researchers found that cellphone use increases the amount of a protein called transthyretin, which is part of the ceberospinal fluid that cushions and protects the brain. So, should that not mean that it is actually leading to an adaptation that in the long run could be useful? Well, scientists are still not clear about that part, but they state that this conclusively proves that mobile phone usage does leave a lasting impact in your head.

While adults are often far better equipped to deal with radiation that is caused by usage of mobiles, children and teenagers have much thinner skull bones and their brains have a lot more fluid and hence absorb twice the radiation. This is precisely why health experts and environmentalists are now lobbying for a decrease in the acceptable radiation mark. If that happens, expect the cell phone giants in US to make quite a fuss about it all!

Wired

Imagine this scenario. You keep your favorite goodies in the fridge to binge on them in the evening but you do not find them at all! This can be very annoying especially if you are literally starving and when you crave only for those goodies. Worse still is, you find the next moment that they have been nibbled on by your siblings in your absence. This is not an uncommon experience especially when you have too many foodies in the house.

I swear sometimes the so-called family and friends can be a tad too much. So, if you are a regular victim of this experience then you might want to put an end to this. All you have to do is get yourself a “Personal Snack-Urity System”, which is a Fridge Locker. It’s a small cage that you can use to stash your personal food items in it and lock it inside the fridge so that nobody will be able to steal your goodies anymore.

It is a little mean perhaps, but nevertheless worth it if the people in your house have been finishing up all your personal foods. You can buy this cool cage for $19.99. This will be good for some other purpose as well. You can keep all the food items that you want your children to abstain from. Just make sure that you put a big lock on the cage so that the notorious children cannot open it even otherwise.

Via: TecheBlog

Misplacing a television remote is not an uncommon thing. Sometimes, it just gets misplaced nowhere leaving you annoyed and making you search for it all around the television room. This can be even worse when you have your favorite television program to catch up with. In order to help you fix this problem some guy has come up with a weird idea of attaching your television remote control to a gigantic anvil like object with a thick length of chain.

I honestly fail to comprehend the rationale by this anvil like object and the long chain that will keep your remote control intact. Why would one need these objects just to keep a television remote control in a safe place? It’s agreeable that children sometimes go overboard and they do misplace a lot of things and not just a television remote control. Adults are no less in comparison to say the least.

I guess it’s an absolute waste of time to even think about getting a huge object like an anvil and then a long chain to keep a television remote control safely. Just inculcate the small habit of keeping the remote on top of the television after you switch it off.

Via: CrunchGear\ThereIFixedIt

There are quite a few conflict zones in the world today where everyday civilians are being caught in the crossfire, their villages are devastated due to bombing and homes are reduced to rubble. There is no normalcy and hence no regular source of livelihood and income. People live in rehabilitation and refugee camps. More than adults it’s the children who are getting worst affected by these continuing conflicts. Each child has a right to education and safe future but we live in a world where schools and hospitals are bombed too. Imagine future of scores of young children in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, parts of Africa, Burma, Sri Lanka, Middle East – the list is endless. What will happen to these children of war?

In Gaza very young children walk past rubble from their makeshift home to their makeshift school. Their parents are pinning hope on education for a better future. But situation is so very grim that they know their schooling can get interrupted by yet another military operation. Last January a school in Gaza which was run by United Nations was bombed by Israel. Classrooms have been reconstructed and painted but violence and destruction have become part of painful memories of these growing up children.

What affect these wars, violence and killing have on young minds is beyond comprehension. Unfortunately a whole generation is being denied their basic right to normal life, education and future and what about seeds of discontent being sowed in young impressionable minds?

Via BBC

If you have a toddler in the house, you could check out the Twilight Turtle. It is a tiny little toy that comes with a soft glowing lamp. The light emanates from the shell of the turtle and you could even teach your children about the 8 of the most recognizable constellations.

It is perfect for a parent to have it around when he/se is telling stories to the tiny kid. It comes in 3 relaxing colours and being a cool night light, you can expect your children to have pleasant dreams. It even works on the principle of colour therapy. The amber radiates cheer, peace and warmth. Blue calms the mind and spirit. There is also the darker one if you think your child is a little off the track.

I would say, these lamps are just great for children who are below the ages of 5 or 6. Children this age usually do not like the dark and would prefer to have some kind of lamp or light at night. The Twilight turtle costs 30 Pounds and I am sure it is a great bargain if you know your child needs it. So go ahead and get it for him or her.

The most shocking reality of Ceausescu’s regime in Romania was discovery of thousands of children who were found locked away in some 600 notorious institutions. Who were these children? They were victims of Ceausescu’s policy against contraception. Romanian couples were forced to have more children and when they could not afford to raise them, they left infants in state care.

A whole generation was born and raised in appalling and shocking condition till they were rescued after fall of Ceausescu regime. Many international agencies stepped in to take care of these children. But there were thousands of them. In 1990 some 86,000 children were discovered in these institutions and figures went up to 96,000 later and shockingly even in 2005 there were some 80,000 of them. In between some 10,000 children were adopted worldwide.

At present officially there are no big orphanages in Romania. One of the conditions for joining EU was to put an end to these inhuman institutions. But where did these thousands of orphans go? Officials say some have found foster homes, some have left and become independent and some (most of them disabled) have been shifted to smaller better modern institutions. There are more than 2,000 street children in Bucharest alone according to Unicef figures. And these children are exposed to physical and sexual abuse. Infant mortality rate is also high in Romania.

Ceausescu’s regime has ended and Romania is officially a member of EU but future of Romanian abandoned children and orphans remains uncertain.

Via Vivid

The temperatures are really expected to sour high this week in Britain. The weather forecasters are predicting unprecedented heat wave with temperatures reaching above 33 C and parents have been warned to keep children indoors. Meanwhile even elder people have been issued advice about tackling the heat wave and emergency hospital services have been put on alert and standby. The heat is expected to last till Saturday.

It is not just the heat but the added humidity due to winds and thunderstorms is the also worrying factor. The discomfort levels are going to be high and The Health Protection Agency has begun monitoring heat related illnesses among the people.

This could be one of the worse heat waves ever since 2006. But the warning will surely be helpful in preventing instances of sunstroke among young and old. People have been advised to stay indoors during the hottest time of the day.

Heat wave conditions are prevalent in other parts of the globe too. But government agencies and forecasters elsewhere never show such preparedness to tackle the soaring temperatures.

Via DailyMail