Children of The World: Victims of Malnutrition, Hunger, and Starvation

M.R.Moinfar

Abstract :One third of 6 billion human beings living on earch today are children under the age of 15 . Eighty per cent of these children are living in poor and under developed parts of the world.

One of the most important human right violations is children’s tragic deprivation of food, medical care, education, housing, water, and other basic needs. One in three children under five years of age (nearly 182 million) in developing world is malnourished. (1)Every day 100,000-150,000 men, women, and children around the world die of hunger, malnutrition, and starvation while 40,000 of them are children. Due to poor nutrition, annually, 30 million infants are born with intrauterine growth retardation, and half of the world’s one billion reproductive-age women are anemic and malnourished.

1.2 out of 6 billion people inhabiting the earth live below the international poverty line, which to the world band is defined as $ 32.74 per month or $ 1.08 per dey . More than hundred nations depend to one degree or another upon just one the following producer: United States, Canada, Australia, Newzeland, South Africa, Argentina Thailand, and China. (2). Over one billion of world’s people are in danger of iodine deficiency disorder, and an estimated 3.5 billion are affected by iron deficiency anemia .More than 250 million children under five years are affected by sub chinical vitamin A deficiency . In 1998, the global starvation among children reached in 600 – year peak. (3). Globally: 1.1 billion people lacking access to safe drinking water and 2.9 billion lack access to sanitation, resulting more than 28 million disease-related death per year.

(4). There is enough food in the world, providing 3500 calories of nutrition per day per person, and the cause of hunger is not lack of food, bou global poverty and inequality of distribution of food. (5).

War and migration to refugee camps, deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, improper cultivation techniques, lack of administrative knowledge, corruption, poor public health, inappropriate population growth, refugee migration, ecological and climate changes due to air and water pollution, and finally colonialism and exploitation are causes of global famine. To improve the nutritional status of children reduce the prevalence of infectious diseases. Active immunization, passive immunization (breast feeding), public health education . imporoved environmental sanitative and water supply, oral hydration therapy, are the most effective measures for interruption of malnutrition- infection cycle. (6).

Solving and ending global hunger and starvation needs: Cessation of excessive global military spending, ending, military aggressions and wars, and diverting over one trillion dollars military spending for providing foods, sanitation, medical care, housing, water supply, and education for children and all. (7).

Preserving regional and global resources, cessation of deforestation and desertifification, implementation of plan parenthood program, easing population growth, ecological and environmental development,termination of colonialism and exploitation for profits are among the major efforts are to be taken in order to eradicate the global tragedy of hunger and starvation.