Bring Back the Girls

    Slavery is illegal worldwide, nevertheless in some countries it remains in the form of child domestic labour. One country where it continues under the disguise of house-help to the elite, is Nigeria.

    As the world prays that the girls who were kidnapped from the school in Chibok, Nigeria, are returned home safely; the fact that child labour has not been eradicated in this country will continue to endanger the life of every child there.

    The children are used in domestic service, the commercial agriculture industry, prostitution, forced marriages and sometimes willingly given away by their families because of the financial renumeration involved.

    The ilo.org continually works hard with countries including Nigeria, by providing educational programmes and their current programme, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor, has aided children throughout the world escape a life of drudgery. Unfortunately, Sub-Saharan Africa, has not responded as well and this abusive activity is a long way from ceasing there.

    Therefore, unless the government in Nigeria recognises that child exploitation is wrong and they themselves begin to respect the lives of their children, they will be powerless in controlling acts of lawlessness, as this kidnapping is. #Bringbackourgirls  



   

Books behind Bars

 

    Authors, Miguel de Cervantes, John Bunyan, Marquis de Sade and Jeffrey Archer all have something in common other than being well known writers, they all penned stories whilst behind bars. 

    But a ruling by the Ministry of Justice in England will put an end to prisoners being gifted writing material, by their friends and relatives; therefore it is unlikely that many masterpieces will ever be created from within the prison cell again.

    Yes, the prisoner can use the money that can be earned through privileges to purchase such items, but as there is a ban on any kind of items being gifted to inmates, their limited funds will have to stretch along way. (Unless under special circumstances.)

    Prison of course is a punishment and rightly so, however this ban will also stop books being sent. It has been proven that education can help with rehabilitation and this restriction will mean that offenders will only be able to read a book that is stocked in their prison's underfunded library, or use their privilege money to buy through Amazon.

    Surely in the 21st century we recognise that books and other creative activities can be used constructively, the foundation for a better way of life. For this reason I hope Mr Grayling, the Justice Secretary, reviews this harsh rule.

   

       

   

   

The Root of the Problem

    Kids today are constantly accused of being disrespectful of their fellow humans and property that belongs to others. But whilst out shopping yesterday for new furniture in a well known store, it was obvious that it's too easy to point the finger at them.

    Being a bank holiday weekend the store was buzzing with families and in the area that was dedicated to bedrooms, some of the youngsters  who were bored with the mums and dads arguing over the furniture choice amused themselves opening drawers and sliding wardrobe doors along the overworked, squeaky metal runners.

    However, as is normal with youngsters left to their own devices they can become a little high spirited and when the drawer, or a door slams they then find themselves being scolded by the  now weary parents.

    But when I saw one woman kicking the drawer of a chest shut with a thud, I wondered if their should be someone in the store in charge of teaching some parents respect. I concluded from my observation of this adult that before kids are blamed of being unruly we should examine the root of the problem, which in yesterday's situation was the adult.

   

   

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Cala San Vincente, Mallorca

    For those of you who regularly drop by my blog you'll know by now that I love large expanses of water. Whether it's a sea, ocean, canal, lake, or loch; I believe there is nothing more calming than the sound of the water as it laps gently onto the shore, or on the side of small boats as they bob about in a harbour. Watching its changing hues as it reflects the ever altering sky above, is fascinating and I appreciate the life it nurtures.

Marina Sur, Las Galletas, Tenerife

    Therefore I found a recent research article titled, Marine Litter Distribution & Density in European Seas, from the Shelves to the Basins, published in PLOS ONE very disturbing. We know we have to do something about the overfilling of our landfill sites, but our desire for disposable items continues to be a problem and we are now littering our sea floors too.

Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera.

    Is it out of sight, out of mind that helps us ignore the impact our lives are having on the marine life that call H20 home? I don't know, but we certainly need to clean our act up. If you want to read the article you'll find it here http://www.plosone.org/
 

Linlithgow Loch, Scotland

   

A Penny for Them

   

Wall inside cottage of Robert Burns

    April the 30th 1952 is the day the UK first read the words of Anne Frank, when Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl became available in bookshops; seven years after her death at the age of fifteen in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp.

    Anne's diary of her terrifying experiences whilst in hiding with her family from Hitler's army during World War ll, caught the world's attention because the atrocities recounted from her viewpoint could have been written by any one of the millions of children who lost their lives in the Holocaust.

    School motivated me as a child to keep a diary with an exercise called, My Daily Diary. My first private one which I kept tucked away in my top drawer, actually belonged to my father. Using a pre-owned one comes with its problems though, especially if it's from the previous year and there are already entries written on the pages.

    However, the pencil entries were easily erased and at the age of eight one date is as much as the next. Thankfully I didn't witness any horrific incidents to retell as many children do, I just wanted to get my thoughts down on the page.

    Even if a child isn't living in a war torn country; it's unlikely they will grow up without encountering something that they find distressing, difficult to comprehend, or maybe even cope with. Writing certainly has a cathartic effect, it can also help put things into prospective, if it needs to be that is. Importantly though, it can help a child tell a story that needs to be told and someone needs to listen to, as Anne Frank did.

Local Heroes

   

Ochil Hills, near Stirling

     The Scottish tennis player, Andy Murray, was honoured by his hometown this week; he was awarded the freedom of the city of Stirling and an honorary degree from the University of Stirling.

The Wallace Monument

    Stirling in Central Scotland, plays a significant part in Scottish history with names such as Robert Bruce, William Wallace and Rob Roy all having lived here.

Stirling Bridge

        Therefore this modern day hero's name will go down amongst other local heroes.

Stirling Castle

   

Keeping Boys Reading

   

    On April the 23rd, it will be World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO International Day of the Book, a day assigned to celebrate the written word. Although it seems the female gender celebrates the written word much more than their male counterparts, according to a recent study carried out on behalf of the Reading Agency.

    But should we be surprised by this? I personally don't think so, after all it is a well known fact that boys don't read as much as girls. Therefore it's unlikely when the boy becomes a man, he's going to start reaching for a book.

    According to the survey, men would rather watch a film adaptation of a book, or turn on the computer when he has some free time. Why? The answer to this point of debate is as elusive as to how we can calculate book sales from Amazon's sales rank and I can only voice my own opinion.

    Having been brought up in a household full of boys, I know that boys love nothing better than to be running around, playing games and sports, leading very active lives indeed. For that reason the material that they're given to read has to reflect their interests, if they're going to keep reading through into adulthood.

    Whether it's football, tennis, cars, spaceships or warriors; if it grabs their attention for even five, or ten minutes at a time, boys will realise that reading can take them to any world they want to be part of. No ticket necessary.

    That's my opinion. What do you think?