It is hardly surprising news, but a new report shows that girls and women are those hit hardest by the global recession. The study is from the organizations Plan International, which is working to reduce child poverty, and the Overseas Development Institute - the UK's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.
They state that: "The world is failing girls and women." The report's author Nigel Chapman said: "Girls are the largest marginalized group in the world." Mr Chapman added: "Much of the problem lies with 'entrenched gender inequality'." Chapman found that a worsening economy results in females of all ages having to work harder and suffering more domestic abuse.
Mr Chapman's report highlights a tragic increase in mortality rates for female infants. He told the BBC: "The proportion of baby girls who died when the economy shrank rose five times faster than the proportion of baby boys who died….Hence, a 1% fall in economic output increases infant mortality by 7.4 deaths per 1,000 girls against 1.5 for boys."
He paints an equally bleak picture for girls not being able to complete their education. He reports that the global recession saw a fall in primary school completion for girls of 29% compared to 22% for boys. "Girls get sucked into domestic chores," he said. "Once they stop going to school it's very hard to get back into the rhythm of things."
EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What are the names of the organizations behind the report?
2. What kind of issues does the Overseas Development Institute deal with?
3. What do women suffer more because of a recession?
4. What kind of picture is painted by Nigel Chapman?
5. What is it hard for girls to do if they stop going to school?
EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS
1. What can you say about the article?
2. In what ways are women and girls hit by recession?
3. Do women have and get equal opportunities in your country?
4. Do you think women should be allowed to do anything a man does?
5. How can we change the world to be better for women and girls?
Source:
Breaking News English
A British organization has recommended that children as young as five should be given instruction on the dangers of the Internet. The U.K. Safer Internet Centre is co-funded by the European Commission and delivers a wide range of activities and initiatives to promote the safe and responsible use of technology.
Britain's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) welcomed the advice and urged schools to provide appropriate guidance on Internet use. The NSPCC's Claire Lilley warned of the dangers youngsters faced by being online. She said: "We are facing an e-safety time bomb. Young people tell us they are experiencing all sorts of new forms of abuse on a scale never seen before."
The Safer Internet Centre published an online survey of children's reflections on the Internet on February 5th, to coincide with the UK's Safer Internet Day. The report summarizes the opinions of 24,000 schoolchildren. It found that 31% of seven to 11-year-olds said that gossip or mean comments online had stopped them from enjoying the Internet.
Children also said they had been exposed to online pornography, experienced cyber-bullying and had been forced into sending indecent images of themselves to others. The report said: "Promoting a safer and better Internet for children…involves promoting their online rights - to be safe online, to report concerns and to manage their privacy."
EXERCISE 1. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Where does the U.K. Safer Internet Centre get some of its money from?
2. What did Claire Lilley say about we face?
3. How many kids participated in the survey?
4. What two things stopped kids from enjoying the Internet?
5. What have kids been forced into sending to other people?
EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS
1. How was your very first experience of the Internet?
2. What are the good things about the Internet?
3. Have you had any bad experiences on the Internet?
4. From what age should children be allowed on the Internet?
5. What punishment should someone get for abusing kids online?
Artile Resource:
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1302/130207-safer_internet_day.html
