March 28, 2018
By UN Children Fund

...Botten (click here) is all emotion as he describes the loss and hardship of those living in quake zone....


Port Moresby – One month (click here) after a series of earthquakes of magnitude 5-7.5 hit four Highlands provinces of Papua New Guinea, children are still in shock and suffering significant trauma and stress which could have negative consequences to their long-term well-being, UNICEF said today.

“Children are still being confronted by fear, loss, confusion, family separation, deteriorated living conditions and disruption of social and school activities,” said Karen Allen, UNICEF Representative for PNG. “Psychological damage among children should not be overlooked. It can have a negative impact on children’s brain development, mental health and overall wellbeing in the long-run.”

Children who have suffered from trauma have an increased risk of delayed development, mental health disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide, she added.

Before the earthquakes, children in PNG were already at high risk of violence and abuse. Available data indicate that girls and boys in PNG experience some of the highest rates of violence in Asia-Pacific region. About 75 per cent of children report experiences of physical abuse and about 80 per cent experience emotional abuse during their lifetime. A recent Médecins Sans Frontières report showed that 12,000 cases of family and sexual violence are treated each year in Tari Family Support Centre located in Hela Province, where the worst earthquake damage occurred....

Continued from link above at picture:

...The first big quake killed at least 145 people and more fatalities are expected as first responders make their way to villages still left isolated by roads cut off by a combination of landslips and rock falls. Subsequent shocks are reported to have killed a further 36 people.

Botten said that nearly 30,000 people continue to rely on emergency aid and that the majority of that will be carried "the last mile" by Oil Search helicopters flying out of the company's Southern Highland's logistics hub at Moro.

Those Oil Search helicopters have so far made 125 supply drops to villages, moving 150 tonnes of food and medical supplies. Those same copters are ferrying the injured back to medical centres....

The "Shake Map" doesn't show the entire picture. The "Felt Map" is widespread impact (click here).

This part of the world has been having a rough summer season with severe storms. Now this.

"This is a very big deal." Congratulations. China has stated they were interested in peace in the region. It is taking shape.

It took over 50 years to solve a rape crime in New Zealand.

28 March 2018

A 71-year-old man (click here) has been found guilty of historical rape charges from the 60s.

One of his victims said they were able to move on with their lives "at long last" now that Raymond Bradley had been found guilty on a number of rapes and indecent assaults against two Porirua girls 50-60 years ago.

A jury of seven men and four women deliberated for about 13 hours over two days in the Wellington District Court on the charges.

Victims and family members took deep breaths and shed tears in the public gallery as the verdicts were read out just before 8 o'clock tonight....

There is progress made with Mexico by the USA for a more peaceful border.

March 26, 2018
By Kate Schneider

Mexico City - Mexico and the United States (click here) have signed three accords to improve bilateral customs procedures and expedite the flow of agricultural produce across their almost 2,000-mile (3,220-km)border, the two governments said on Monday.

In a joint news conference with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said the first agreement aimed to promote joint cooperation to stop illegal merchandise crossing the border.......

...Border security needs to be ramped up to halt the illicit flow of arms, Mexico’s Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete said in a subsequent joint news conference with Nielsen.

“There needs to be much more caution taken... to reduce gradually but conclusively the high levels of violence when arms enter Mexico illegally,” Navarrete added.

The neighboring nations also need to share the responsibility of attending to refugee and asylum cases, he said....

It is good to see high level talks with Mexico by the USA. Last year the deaths to crossings ratio was exceptionally high. If the deaths are related to drug cartel crossings which might be consistent year after year, the increase may be understandable. But, if these deaths are due to immigrants crossing, it is alarming.

5 August 2017

At least four people died trying to cross the River Grande in July.

More people have died crossing the border from Mexico to the US (click here) in the first seven months of 2017 compared to the year before, even though significantly fewer people seem to be attempting the journey, according to the United Nation’s migration agency.

The number of migrant deaths tallied at the border jumped 17% from 204 in the first seven months of 2016 to 232 migrant fatalities in 2017, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

Meanwhile, the US Border Patrol has reported that about half as many migrants were apprehended during border crossings in the first six months of 2016 compared to the first six months of 2017 – down from 267,746 people to 140,024 people.

Adam Isacson, senior associate for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, said the increase was shocking because of the drop in apprehensions, which indicate fewer people migrating overall. “The ratio to people dying to people trying has to be way higher than 17%,” Isacson told the Guardian....

The problems experienced in Mexico have to be solved. Crime rates are up and the tourist industry, which sustained Mexico for decades or more no longer is an attractive answer for many.

Recently, there was an American family of four found dead in their rental vacation home by what authorities believe was a gas leak. (click here)

But, the increased violence in Mexico due to organized crime accompanied by sincere poverty needs to be as much a concern for the USA as the Mexican leaders. If nothing is done to stem violence and the spread of crime, it will visit the US soon.

March 13, 2018
                        
..."We've been told (click here) that local politicians here have put the press under pressure not to report violence in this area, because if the tourists are scared away from here, it will be an economic disaster not only for Cancun, but for Mexico."

Even when a well-known police commander, his wife and baby nephew were shot dead, in a separate incident during Dateline's visit, nobody was arrested.

'THE PROBLEM IS SPREADING'

There are fears that Cancun is on the brink of ruin and could face a similar demise as that of Acapulco, which was once one of the world's most glamorous locations but is now Mexico's murder capital.

Guru-Murthy also visited Acapulco, and just five minutes after landing was notified of a nearby crime scene with four bodies — including children.

Another night during his stay, he heard gunshots; a taxi driver had been murdered on the street outside.

Investigators in Acapulco are totally overwhelmed, often visiting 10 murder scenes a day.

Troops patrol the city's streets and beaches, extortion and murder are rife and many businesses have been forced to close. There are no foreign tourists in sight, it's simply too dangerous here....