PAKISTAN: 7 CHILDREN DIE DUE TO COLD (JANUARY 12, 2003)

7 children have died in three different Afghan refugee camps on Afghanistan-Pakistan's border.
Unhappy refugees mentioned that the camps set up by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) one year back lacked health care facilities and the basic health units did not have proper treatment facilities.

NEPAL: 14 CHILD LABOURERS RESCUED FROM BONDED LABOUR (JANUARY 11, 2003)

Nepal police rescued 14 children between the ages of 14 to 17 who were forced to work as bonded labourers from a weaving factory in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.
The children were working as wool spinners in a secretly run factory. Police said that the factory was dark and the rooms extremely cold. The children had not been paid for their work and were being treated inhumanely.

MALAYSIA: PENAL CODE AMENDED TO PROVIDE STIFF PUNISHMENT FOR INCESTUAL RAPE (JANUARY 10, 2003)

The Malaysian government has decided to amend the penal code and include a provision for a stiff penalty for incestual rape, meting out a jail sentence of between 15 and 30 years including 10 strokes of the rotan (whip). However, the punishment for incest of six to 20-years jail sentence will not be increased.
The cabinet also decided that incestual rape offenders above the age of 50 be subjected to caning, which was not allowed for by the law now.

AFGHANISTAN: MORE SCHOOLS ON THE WAY FOR EAGER AFGHAN CHILDREN (JANUARY 10, 2003)

Since the fall of the Taliban, Afghan children have been returning to school with renewed enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. Several schools have shown a ten-fold increase in enrolment since last year.
Many girls who have not been able to attend schools for the past 6 years and boys who were only allowed to learn the Koran are now thronging school corridors and classrooms in the hope of learning what most other children learn in schools.
However, this has created a great stress on the limited resources that Afghanistan has and has resulted in overcrowding of schools.

INDIA: BANK ACCOUNTS FOR STREET CHILDREN (JANUARY 09, 2003)

Chetna, an NGO working in the capital city of India, Delhi, is helping street children open bank accounts and save the money they earn through their labour.
Sanjay Gupta of Chetna says: ‘‘For two years we have been trying to help street children in opening bank accounts so that they have some form of financial security. But no bank was willing to help them because they don’t have permanent addresses, ration cards or any other form of security document.’’ The gulmohar branch of the Central Bank heard heard the organization's plea and Sujeet Anurag and Rizwan were among the first street to have their own bank accounts.