Tag: #children

  • France MPs vote to ban kid smacking

    Mother hitting daughter Image copyright Thinkstock

    French MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a invoice that will ban oldsters from smacking their children.

    The bill on “corporal punishment or humiliation” seeks to verify that parental authority is exercised with out violence. it’s going to now go the Senate.

    Campaigners say approximately EIGHTY FIVE% of French oldsters lodge to corporal punishment.

    Previous attempts to outlaw smacking at house have failed, even though the practice has long been banned in French colleges.

    France holds again the anti-smacking tide French boy ‘killed for not doing homework’

    French lawmakers subsidized the bill in a 51-1 vote early on Friday, following a past due-night debate.

    MP Maud Petit, who sponsored the measure, mentioned the invoice’s major objective was instructional, to encourage society to switch its perspectives on the issue, the AFP information agency reports.

    Like different Eu states, France criminalises violence in opposition to youngsters, but it surely also recently permits oldsters the right to self-discipline their youngsters at a low level.

    What constitutes low-stage discipline and what constitutes prison violence is left to the courts to make a decision – and often sparks controversy, correspondents say.

    Last week, four participants of the similar circle of relatives were arrested after a nine-year-vintage boy was beaten to death within the eastern town of Mulhouse.

    Police sources instructed local media that the boy had refused to do his homework and used to be hit with a broom handle.

    If the invoice is adopted by way of the Senate, France turns into the 55th united states of america to outlaw corporal punishment of children, AFP says.

  • Fresh call for smacking to be outlawed in the home

    Woman smacking child Image copyright Getty Images

    Smacking is harmful to children’s mental health and should be banned, school psychologists say.

    The Association of Educational Psychologists has tabled a motion to the TUC Conference calling for physical punishment to be outlawed.

    Presently, although corporal punishment is banned in schools, parents can “smack” or physically chastise a child as long as it is deemed “reasonable”.

    Psychologists say there are many better ways of teaching right from wrong.

    Member of the AEP national executive committee, John Drewicz, will tell the conference in Manchester: “Smacking is harmful to a child’s mental health, it models aggressive behaviour and it says to them that it is OK to use violence.”

    He will add: “Sixty countries already have full bans, including Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Germany and Portugal, and it is time to make violence against children illegal in the UK in all settings, including the home.”

    The motion also notes that the Welsh government is taking steps towards removing the defence of reasonable chastisement for parents.

    But some campaigners have argued that parents would be criminalised if a smacking ban were to be passed.

    There are also moves in the Scottish Parliament to ban physical chastisement of children.

    ‘Higher aggression’

    A bill, lodged by Green MSP John Finnie, has been backed by the government and looks certain to pass at Holyrood.

    Psychologists cite research suggesting that when force is used by parents, there are changes in their brain activity which mean the degree of force used on the child can escalate.

    They argue that physical chastisement also leads to a lower quality of parent-child relationship, poorer mental health in childhood and adulthood, as well as higher levels of aggression in the child and more anti-social behaviour.

    The biggest teaching union, the National Education Union, is seconding the motion.

    Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the union, said parents and carers had a right to set boundaries for their children to help them develop social skills and good behaviour.

    “However we need to ensure that children are legally safeguarded in their own homes.

    “We are not talking about dictating to parents how this is done but what we are saying is that it in 2018 beating children in anger, or as part of a pre-meditated punishment, is neither acceptable or defensible.”

  • Executive proposes power drinks ban for youngsters

    Energy drinks Symbol copyright Technology Photograph Library

    The sale of energy beverages may well be banned in England to anyone below 18, amid fears they’re destructive kid’s well being, the high minister has stated.

    The executive has introduced a public consultation on its plans to make it illegal to promote the drinks to children.

    Power beverages include top levels of sugar and caffeine and feature been associated with obesity and different health issues.

    The govt is looking for views on what age the ban must apply to, however gave below 16 and below 18 as options.

    Scotland, Northern Eire and Wales have the power to put into effect their own bans.

    Image copyright Getty Pictures

    Food labelling rules already state that any comfortable drink with greater than 150mg of caffeine in line with litre should elevate a caution about its top caffeine content material and aren’t advisable for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women.

    Prime Minister Theresa Might said: “Early Life weight problems is considered one of the best well being demanding situations this united states of america faces, and that is the reason why we are taking important motion to scale back the amounts of sugar ate up by teens and to assist households make more fit possible choices.

    “With thousands of adolescents ceaselessly consuming power drinks, often because they’re sold at inexpensive costs than soft beverages, we will consult on banning the sale of energy drinks to youngsters.

    “it’s necessary that we do all we can to make sure youngsters have the most productive start in existence and i inspire everybody to put ahead their perspectives.”

    Symbol copyright PA Symbol caption Outlets will ban the sale of power drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine consistent with litre

    what’s in energy drinks?

    Power drinks contain high levels of caffeine, usually approximately 80mg in a 250ml can.

    In comparability, a 330ml can of vintage Coca-Cola contains 32mg and a can of Nutrition Coke 42mg.

    Energy beverages also include a variety of sugar as well as different meals together with nutrients and minerals or natural supplies.

    A Few smaller “energy shot” merchandise can contain as a lot as 160mg of caffeine in a 60ml bottle.

    Image copyright Technological Know-How Photograph Library Top levels of caffeine can lead to anxiety, panic assaults and larger blood pressure Pregnant and breast-feeding ladies are steered not to have greater than 200mg of caffeine over the process an afternoon Eu recommendation says that the majority other adults are protected to drink up to 400mg a day

    Supply: NHS Choices

    What are the health harms of too much sugar?

    too much sugar in our diets is associated with a spread of illnesses including:

    Weight Problems Teeth decay Type 2 diabetes

    Duncan Selbie, leader govt of Public Health England, mentioned: “Youngsters do not want power drinks to get throughout the day – they offer nothing more than needless sugar.

    “Proscribing the sale of those beverages is another daring step had to turn the tide on formative years obesity.”

    Prof Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Kid Well Being, mentioned: “There Is no proof that energy beverages have any nutritional worth or place within the nutrition of youngsters and youngsters.

    “It Is subsequently worrying that so many young people are shopping for those drinks at low costs and eating them on a typical basis.”

    The British Soft Beverages Affiliation has prior to now said that power beverages had been “deemed secure” by means of regulators however that they weren’t marketed or promoted to below-16s.

    It mentioned it had presented a voluntary code of apply in 2010, which included policies at the suitable labelling and advertising of power beverages towards adolescents.

    The public session follows the June 2018 newsletter of the most recent bankruptcy of the executive’s Youth Weight Problems Plan, which commits to halve childhood weight problems by way of 2030.

    it’ll remaining for 12 weeks.

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  • Hong Kong girl marries stranger after being ‘tricked’ by paintings

    A bride has her hands buried in her face Symbol copyright iStock Image caption The Woman did not have an understanding of she was married till she returned to Hong Kong

    A 21-yr-old Hong Kong girl has mentioned she was once tricked into marrying an entire stranger on the mainland whilst taking part in a “mock” wedding.

    The Woman has stated she was informed that she had to play the function of a bride in a simulated wedding as a part of her coaching to be a wedding planner.

    During the rite she and the man signed a genuine marriage document.

    She only realised she was actually married after returning to Hong Kong, where she sought prison assist.

    Local police had been unable to assist as a result of a lack of proof that a crime had taken place, so she approached the Hong Kong Federation of Industry Unions (FTU).

    “It’s A new type of marriage rip-off,” Tong Kamgyiu, director of the Rights and Advantages Committee of FTU, advised the BBC.

    “i feel disillusioned and can’t imagine it is even happening in modern Hong Kong.”

    ‘Taken good thing about’

    In May, the 21-yr-antique – who has now not been named – saw an inventory on Facebook for a make-up artist apprenticeship.

    But after making use of, she was yes by way of the company to change to a wedding planner position.

    She was given a week’s price of loose training in Hong Kong and was told she had to participate in a mock marriage ceremony in the Chinese Language province of Fuzhou to move the path.

    In July, she signed a marriage software file in a neighborhood govt centre. according to the South China Morning Put Up, the corporate advised her the wedding can be “void” afterwards.

    But after coming again to Hong Kong, certainly one of her classmates yes her that it was once a rip-off.

    She continues to be married for now and may have to practice for a divorce. it is unclear who the person she married is, or if he entered Hong Kong after the marriage.

    “The 21 year-vintage lady used to be taken advantage of at the same time as she knew not anything in regards to the instances,” stated Mr Tong.

    “Her largest loss is to have a marriage document and it has brought about her psychological damage.”

    per annum, Hong Kong police see a regular of A THOUSAND pass-border marriage rip-off circumstances.

    Chinese citizens who are married to a Hong Kong partner are ready to apply to reside within the town.

  • Youngsters ‘getting sight problems because of eye take a look at delays’

    A child getting an eye test Symbol copyright Getty Photographs

    Kids are growing permanent problems with their imaginative and prescient as a result of they’re not being given eye assessments early enough, optometrists have warned.

    An Association of Optometrists survey of one,2 HUNDRED folks indicated 1 / 4 of faculty-age youngsters had not been taken for a sight check via their oldsters.

    Of folks surveyed, FIFTY TWO% concept exams can be given in primary faculty.

    While some colleges do be offering screening, the assessments are less complete than the ones equipped free at the NHS.

    Delayed diagnosis can make treatment for sight issues equivalent to amblyopia, referred to as “lazy eye”, much less effective.

    ‘It made me feel like a bad figure’

    Image caption Jane Thompson’s daughter, Eve, used to be diagnosed with amblyopia on the age of 7

    Jane Thompson’s daughter, Eve, was once recognized with amblyopia at the age of 7.

    The optometrist in her case mentioned it was once too past due to take a look at eye-patching for Eve, even supposing prescription glasses have helped strengthen her vision.

    Eve is now 14.

    Jane, from West Yorkshire, stated: “It made me feel like a negative parent, really, because you want to do your very best through your children after which learning that there may be an issue that might’ve been taken care of earlier, however you were not aware of it, was once actually onerous to deal with.”

    Eve said: “I’d all the time been seeing out of my proper eye and did not fully grasp anything else was improper.

    “My proper eye – i will be able to see and it’s how it must be. However then as soon as they quilt it up and everything’s blurry, it is quite horrifying – i can’t see out of this eye.”

    Image caption Chloe was identified with amblyopia at the age of three

    by contrast, Nicola Rothera’s daughter, Chloe, 5, was diagnosed with amblyopia on the age of 3 and used to be younger sufficient to make use of a watch patch.

    “If I’d had left her eyesight the way in which it was, then the left eye shouldn’t have been inside the felony using limits, so it might have limited her in future existence,” stated Nicola, from Bradford.

    “a watch take a look at at a certain age need to be compulsory because it could also be the case with some youngsters they could now not have their first eye test until they’re perhaps six, or possibly older, and at that time you might be proscribing time, if there is an issue, by which to be able to proper their vision.”

    ‘Massively vital’

    The Affiliation of Optometrists (AOP) also surveyed 1,246 practicing optometrists and located:

    SEVENTY FOUR% had noticed kids within the prior 12 months whose vision issues could had been handled extra effectively with an earlier diagnosis of these, 89% had recognized cases of amblyopia within the prior yr that might had been better treated if they have been spotted earlier

    Farah Topia, from the AOP, said: “Catching conditions early will also be vastly essential for a child’s development.

    “For amblyopia, treating a condition early signifies that the probabilities of bettering the vision in that eye are a lot higher.

    “All youngsters below SIXTEEN are entitled to an NHS-funded sight take a look at.

    “It’s in point of fact essential for us to make parents conscious that that is to be had for them and to be had for his or her children to get admission to.”

    The AOP’s A B See marketing campaign calls on folks to take their youngsters for an NHS-funded sight check at native opticians each and every years, or more often if their optometrist recommends it.

  • Upward Push in kind 2 diabetes in children in England and Wales

    Group of young women Image copyright Getty Photographs

    The collection of children and youngsters being treated for kind 2 diabetes in England and Wales has long past up from 507 to 715 in four years, new figures show.

    More than three-quarters had been also obese, consistent with the NHS knowledge.

    Child well being experts said the upward push used to be “alarming” and the formative years weight problems epidemic used to be “beginning to bite”.

    Councils mentioned more had to be done to take on the obesity concern in kids, specifically among minority ethnic teams, who were such a lot affected.

    Kind 2 diabetes can result in a variety of illnesses similar to middle disease, strokes and kidney issues.

    The situation occurs while the frame cannot produce sufficient insulin to regulate blood sugar ranges. it might be associated with weight problems.

    The figures come from an audit published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Kid Well Being of kind 2 diabetes instances in professional paediatric units.

    They display an increase in youth receiving take care of the condition among 2013-14 and 2016-17, but they make up a tiny share of the full population of under-25s.

    Almost 1/2 the ones handled for sort 2 diabetes in 2016-17 have been black or Asian, the figures display. They were additionally more likely to be feminine and dwelling in a deprived area.

    ‘Extremely being worried’

    The Local Govt Association, which gets funding for public health from the federal government, says the actual number of youngsters affected could be higher.

    It mentioned it was “extremely being concerned” that extra youngsters are developing the condition.

    Official data presentations that one in 5 10 and ELEVEN-12 months-olds is overweight, and one in 10 4 and 5-year-olds is obese in England.

    Prof Russell Viner, president of the RCPCH, stated: “a rise in Sort 2 diabetes of this importance is alarming and displays that the youth obesity epidemic is starting to chew.”

    Kathryn Kirchner, clinical guide at Diabetes UNITED KINGDOM, stated considered one of essentially the most necessary possibility elements for kind 2 diabetes used to be being overweight or overweight, which is one thing that may also be prompted.

    “Those figures are a stark reminder that we have a collective responsibility to push for the actions defined in essentially the most up to date chapter of the formative years weight problems plan, together with clearer and more consistent food labelling.”

    A Division of Well Being and Social Care spokeswoman mentioned: “We’ve Got invested billions in public well being services and products and feature already removed the an identical of FORTY FIVE million kilograms of sugar from comfortable beverages yearly.

    “Our new childhood obesity plan will now get children exercise extra in schools, and reduce their exposure to sugary and fatty meals.”

  • Yemen war: Saudi-led coalition to probe air strike on bus

    Symbol copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Kid graves had been dug

    The Houthi-affiliated well being ministry now says the demise toll from the strike has risen to FIFTY ONE in general, including FORTY children, with a further 79 injured.

    UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres has called for an “impartial and advised investigation” into the strike, his spokesperson stated.

    Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, chief of the Houthi Ideal Revolutionary Council, tweeted that he was ready to co-perform with a global inquiry.

    What came about in Saada?

    The bus used to be hit as it passed through Dahyan marketplace, transporting native civilians, including many schoolchildren, Yemeni tribal elders told the Associated Press information agency.

    The kids were on their long ago to college from a picnic when the motive force of their bus stopped to get a drink, the charity Shop the youngsters said it have been informed by its body of workers.

    The car used to be desk bound whilst the assault took place, it added.

    Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Houthi health ministry says at least 40 youngsters have been killed in the assault Yemen difficulty: who is preventing whom? Yemen warfare: What existence is like for kids within the us of a

    Why is there a struggle in Yemen?

    Yemen has been devastated by way of a war that escalated in early 2015, when the Houthis seized keep watch over of so much of the west of the country and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to escape out of the country.

    Media playback is unsupported for your software

    Media captionThe war in Yemen has been raging for years – however what is all of it about?

    Alarmed by the rise of a bunch they saw as an Iranian proxy, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and 7 different Arab states intervened in an try to restore the government.

    Almost 10,000 people – -thirds of them civilians – were killed and 55,000 others injured in the fighting, in line with the UN.

    The preventing and a partial blockade through the coalition have additionally left 22 million people in want of humanitarian assist, created the world’s largest food safety emergency, and led to a cholera outbreak that is idea to have affected 1,000,000 other people.

    (more…)

  • Brad Pitt hits again at Angelina Jolie’s kid beef up claims

    Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Symbol copyright Reuters Symbol caption The Hollywood couple had been together considering the fact that 2005 however best married in 2014

    US actor Brad Pitt has rebutted claims made via his estranged spouse Angelina Jolie that he has did not strengthen their youngsters.

    In a courtroom filing on Wednesday, the megastar’s prison workforce said he had paid greater than $1.3m (£1m) in costs and loaned $8m to Jolie to assist her buy a house.

    On Tuesday, Jolie’s legal professional mentioned Pitt had paid “no meaningful kid give a boost to” due to the fact that she filed for divorce in 2016.

    The couple had been together because 2005 however simplest married in 2014.

    In the files, Pitt’s lawyers also stated Jolie’s claims regarding kid toughen were a “thinly-veiled attempt to manipulate media coverage.”

    There has been no immediate reaction from Jolie’s representatives.

    Angelina Jolie ‘now not playing being single’ Brad Pitt reveals therapy after divorce How Brad Pitt fastened his symbol problem

    “Pitt has a statutory accountability to pay kid beef up. As of provide, he has paid no significant child make stronger on account that separation,” her lawyer said within the filing on Tuesday.

    “given that the casual arrangements across the cost of the youngsters’s expenses have not been ceaselessly sustained… for over a year and a part, Jolie intends to record… for the status quo of a retroactive kid fortify order,” the files stated.

    Jolie pointed out “irreconcilable differences” whilst she filed to end the wedding, and the pair changed into embroiled in a bitter child custody dispute in the months following the announcement.

    Pitt used to be investigated for imaginable child abuse after shedding his temper in front of some of the youngsters, however used to be later cleared of the allegations.

    The couple have been known as “Brangelina” by fans and met on the set of the 2005 movie Mr and Mrs Smith.

    The marriage was once Pitt’s 2nd, having up to now wed Pals celebrity Jennifer Aniston, and Jolie’s third after actors Billy Bob Thornton and Jonny Lee Miller.