This distance learning course provides human rights activists with a range of proven human rights advocacy methods and critical concepts as a means for them to reflect on and deepen their own work. The course will look at the theoretical foundations and critical issues of human rights advocacy, elements of advocacy planning, and strategies for action.

Ragged, exhausted and scarred, 74 children apparently sold into bondage were on their way home on Thursday after being rescued from Nigerian granite quarries. The children, some just four years old, told aid workers at least 13 of their companions had died and been buried in shallow graves after succumbing to beatings, hunger, illness and exposure in the pits near the south-western Nigerian city of Abeokuta.

It would appear that over the past nine years civil society organisations (CSOs) and social activists in South Africa have missed many opportunities to ensure improvements in the delivery of socio-economic rights. A common thread running through the strategic failures is the absence of a coherent concept of accountability. Progressive civil society needs to embrace a new brand of social activism informed by a new philosophy of 'direct' and 'active' accountability. In terms of this philosophy, CSOs and social activists should strive to hold elected politicians and public officials directly accountable, for the performance of their duties and responsibilities, in an active and sustained manner, according to Colm Allan, Director, of the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), an anti-corruption body.

Millions of African children working on commercial farms are at high risk of death and injury. Regional experts say governments must act to reduce the number of child labourers. About 70 percent of the world's 250 million child labourers work on farms, and it is common to find children employed on coffee, tea, tobacco, sugar cane, cotton and other plantations in Africa, a child labour conference in Ethiopia heard.

Plans are underway to go ahead with a mass measles immunisation campaign in northern Uganda, despite continued security concerns over rebel activities in the region. It is hoped 12.7 million children throughout the country will be immunised during the period 14-21 October.

Advocacy is an essential component of rights-based programming, focusing on building constituencies around different issues, and working to change the broader context in which an agency works. As with any other development activity, good planning, monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment are essential for good management of advocacy, for accountability, and to make sure lessons are learned to improve practice in the short and long term, according to an article this week in Aid Workers Exchange, a weekly knowledge-sharing bulletin for development and relief practitioners.

The Coalition for the ICC (CICC) has posted a number of new and updated fact sheets in its online press room. New and updated CICC and member fact sheets include:
* 2003 - '04 Calendar of ICC Events
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-2003-04Calendar.pdf
* Q&A: The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-Prosecutor.pdf
* History of the Establishment of the ICC: A Timeline
http://www.iccnow.org/documents/iccbasics/History.pdf
* U.S. Opposition to the ICC: From 'Unsigning' to Immunity Agreements
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-AMICC-USTimeline.pdf
* Q&A: U.S. so-called "Article 98" or Bilateral Immunity Agreements
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-BIAsSept2003.pdf
* The U.S. Government Position on the ICC: How Sanctions Will Affect U.S. Allies http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/factsheets/FS-WICC-BIAanecdotes.pdf

Enviroserve, a waste company in South Africa, is in the process of conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a Medical Waste Incinerator in Shongweni in Durban, South Africa. The proposed plant makes use of two existing incinerators, one of which was closed due to community pressure. Those concerned are requested to sign and fax letters to the Department of Agriculture and Environment Affairs in KwaZulu Natal (DAEA).

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) has been informed by the Sudanese Organisation against Torture, a member of the OMCT network, of the arrest, detention and concerns for the personal integrity of Osman Ahmed Fagharay, a Beja tribe member, in Sudan. He was arrested following his participation in a symposium at Alnilain University, which was organised by the Beja Students Association, where he criticised the health, economic and food security policies in the Red Sea province and demanded action by the government. Those concerned are requested to write to the authorities in Sudan urging them to take all necessary measures to guarantee his safety and release him in the absence of legal charges.

The streets of Accra and other major cities in the country are dotted with children, who engage in the sale of iced water, electrical gadgets, foodstuffs and anything saleable. These children are daily exposed to near death, injuries, and other accidental consequences as they run after, between and in front of vehicles.

Human Rights Watch has launched a campaign to seek the release of abducted children in northern Uganda. Visit the web site provided to find out more information.

In the face of a pandemic that threatens global security while devastating economies and destroying the social fabric of nations, the leader of the most powerful country must have a comprehensive plan to stop global AIDS. With more than three million deaths expected this year, AIDS must become the highest priority foreign policy issue for any credible candidate seeking the 2004 presidential nomination in the U.S. Join the campaign to make that a priority.

In a new report on Niger and Senegal, produced to coincide with the 22-24 September WTO review of those countries' trade policies, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) details continued violations of core International Labour Organisation conventions that the two countries have ratified. The ICFTU calls on the authorities to comply fully with core labour standards and to ensure that more than just a handful of people enjoy these basic rights.

On Saturday 25th October a major conference entitled "A decade of freedom - The decade ahead", is hosted by the South African High Commission in London. It celebrates South Africa's 10th anniversary of its first free and democratic elections marking the end of apartheid. As South Africa celebrates and prepares to enter its second decade of freedom, Zimbabwe, its neighbour, is suffering and dying under the oppressive rule of Robert Mugabe. A Mugabe Must Go mass demonstration will mobilise on this day to increase the pressure on the South African government to stop the murderous path of the ZANU-PF regime.

This working paper from the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) analyzes child labour and education challenges among indigenous and tribal peoples. A number of project and policy approaches are assessed, followed by a list of recommendations for action. Based on a global review of existing evidence and documentation, indigenous and tribal children are identified as a group at particular risk of ending up in child labour.

The last reserve of the rich mangrove forests in Ogoniland and other parts of Rivers State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, is currently facing the greatest threat of its life due to a development project related to liquid gas. Please write to the Nigerian authorities protesting the development.

Last week, South African president Thabo Mbeki, during a state visit to Malaysia, reportedly suggested linking up with groups in developed countries concerned with the negative effects of globalisation. "They may act in ways you and I may not like and break windows in the street but the message they communicate relates," said Mbeki. This week, Mbeki's trade delegation was off to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in Cancun, Mexico, where critics expect little of benefit to emerge for those suffering the negative effects of globalisation. Meanwhile, far away from Cancun and closer to home, in Phiri, Soweto, residents are standing up to the first phase of a plan to install pre-paid water meters by Johannesburg Water (JW). Pre-paid meters stop all water supplies unless water is paid for in advance and the company has been installing the devices under the name 'Operation Gcin'amazni'. The company is linked to French multinational Suez Lyonnaisse des Eaux and the installation of the meters forms part of a strategy of privatisation of basic services. Last weekend, residents in Phiri angrily protested against the meters. Seven people, including former African National Congress councillor Trevor Ngwane, now the leader of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee, a group that has protested against the installation of pre-paid electricity meters, were arrested for allegedly damaging pipes and intimidating workers. On Monday, September 8, resistance continued. Those opposed to the project have been arrested, denied bail and interdicted.

Save the Children's Sudan and south Sudan programmes are looking for an experienced consultant to join three national researchers to design and implement a study on the exploitation of child labour in South Darfur and any associated separation of children from their families.

Share your ICT Story with the world! The 2003 competition is open for submitting your stories through September 26, 2003. By entering the competition, you give visibility to your specific project and experiences.

Almost a million children are being vaccinated in Ethiopia as part of the global polio eradication campaign which aims to eliminate the crippling disease by 2005. Tens of thousands of children aged between six months and 14 years are being targeted under the joint government and United Nations campaign in remote Somali Region.