A 14-year-old girl in the Al Wihida Neighbourhood (Unity) of Niyala in Darfour has been sentenced to 100 lashes of the whip because she is unmarried and nine months pregnant. Click on the web link provided to find out more about the case and to write to the Sudanese authorities urging them to immediately repeal the sentence.

The World Organisation Against Torture has received information about the neglect and maltreatment of so-called "child-witches" in Cameroon. Children are alleged to have been forced, with chains on their feet, to break and pick up rocks in the mountains. Click on the web link provided to find out who you can write to in order to voice your concern.

Eighteen-year-old Gnoulla Yempabou started as a farmhand in cotton fields in Benin, when he arrived from neighbouring Burkina Faso a few years ago. Now, Yempabou has his eyes on other business: he is slowly becoming interested in joining the child-trafficking racket. The work is less backbreaking and the profit is good. Statistics on child labour, as well as on child trafficking, varies in Benin. Some rights groups put the figure to as high as 150 000.

Human rights campaigners in Zambia have won a major victory when President Levy Mwanawasa recently refused to sign death sentences, and commuted all sentences to life imprisonment. The criminal justice system in Zambia imposes the death penalty for three offences: murder, treason and aggravated robbery. Home Affairs Minister Ronnie Shipakwasha, a close ally of Mwanawasa, who is opposed to the death penalty, says: "The president, in his own wisdom, has gone ahead and refused to carry out the death penalty and commuted them to life imprisonment.” There are about 250 people on death row in Zambia.

ARTICLE 19 has agreed to lead in the drafting of a Charter that will set out the standards to which the disclosure policies of the international financial and trade institutions (IFTIs) should conform. This will form a centrepiece of ARTICLE 19's campaign to promote broader notions of the right to access information and the obligations of global governance actors.

I am happy to make this presentation on behalf of the National Coalition of Civil Society Groups against Mining in Ghana's forest reserves. The presentation I am about to make focuses on concerns we as a coalition have about national decision-making efforts for mining in Ghana's forest reserves. Knowing that we are all interested in the sustainable development of our natural resources we are hopeful that by the end of the presentation many would see our campaign as justified and worthy of support. The Government of Ghana has declared her intention to release portions of Ghana's closed forest reserves for mining. Five mining companies are already lined up for mining leases to exploit mineral resources in the forest reserves. Therefore, we the Civil Society Coalition against mining in forest reserves are concerned about this decision by the government, and we call on her to withdraw the decision and to revoke those mining leases if already granted.

Ethiopia has vowed to combat the problem of child labour in the country, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on Wednesday. The Ethiopian parliament has backed an international convention that aims to wipe out the “worst forms” of child labour and could result in jail sentences for businesses employing children.

Nigeria's main opposition presidential candidate has filed a court petition to nullify the re-election of President Olusegun Obasanjo on the grounds of widespread vote rigging and other irregularities. Muhammadu Buhari, who came a distant second to Obasanjo in the 19 April ballot, filed his claims on Tuesday at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. The court serves as a tribunal to consider complaints arising from the elections. No date has yet been fixed for a hearing.

One of the biggest promises of the Internet was the transformation of political activism. No longer would change come about solely through the actions of large organisations, claimed the Web's early enthusiasts. Now, several years after these enthusiastic pronouncements, there has been a reconsideration of the effectiveness of online activism.

UNICEF has identified a loophole in the British legal code that allows children to be smuggled into the United Kingdom for non-sexual forced labour. The U.N. agency, which plans to publish a major study on child trafficking this summer, says that although the British government has made the smuggling of children for prostitution an offence punishable by up to 14 years in jail, those who traffic children for labour in sweatshops or private houses face no such penalty.

The International Federation of Journalists has described the decision by Zimbabwe to deport Andrew Meldrum, veteran Africa correspondent, as a low point in the continuing struggle for press freedom in the country. "The twilight world of independent journalism has been rendered dark by this malicious and spiteful act from the regime of Robert Mugabe," said Aidan White, General Secretary of the IFJ.

Kubatana.net believes it is important that abuse of power is monitored and reported. “You have the ability to help curb human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Become vocal, become active and participate in creating democracy in Zimbabwe. Instead of just listening to stories of brutality and feeling outraged and then bottling it up, use the telephone to express your concerns. Let the authorities know that you are aware of what is happening. The more calls they get, the more difficult it will be for them to continue with their violent actions. The idea is to express your concern,” says the organisation.

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) has highlighted the case of child soldiers in the DRC and asked those concerned to write to the authorities in the DRC voicing their protest over the sentencing to death of child soldiers in that country.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was established last year by the seven richest countries in the world (the G7) and the United Nations to address AIDS, TB and malaria, which kill over 6 million people each year. The Fund has distributed US$ 2.2 billion to finance 160 AIDS, TB and malaria programs in 85 countries around the world, but now faces a critical funding gap. Fund The Fund (www.FundTheFund.org) is a global initiative to promote advocacy for increased investment in the Global Fund and pressure G7 countries to mobilize the additional US$ 1.4 billion required to finance the next round of programs.

Please add your organisation's name to this letter asking G8 leaders to put HIV/AIDS at the core of their 2003 summit. Please share this e-mail with colleagues.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Wednesday launched a regional campaign to fight the stigma and discrimination surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Supported by the African Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAP+), the poster competition seeks to promote greater understanding and compassion for people living with HIV/AIDS in East Africa.

What would your life be like if you never had the chance to go to school? It may be difficult to imagine, but this is the reality for 115 million children around the world. At last year's G8 Summit, eight of the world's richest nations agreed to provide the funds needed to help the poorest countries ensure education for both boys and girls. A year later, they have done little to fulfill their commitment. Don't let world leaders break their promise. Please sign the petition to make sure G8 countries are reminded of their commitment when they meet again this June.

A life-saving measles vaccination campaign has reached 2.1 million Angolan children so far, the UN Children's Fund said. The vaccination campaign was launched in late April and is spearheaded by the Ministry of Health with key financial, logistical and training support from UNICEF.

The organisation Focus on the Global South has set out some basic demands for peace and social justice activists to put to the US, the UK, the UN and the international community. The organisation has consulted widely, including with Iraqi friends and activists from various social movements and campaigns, and hopes that the demands reflect a clear and common position that many will support.

ARTICLE 19 released on the eve of World Press Freedom Day a campaign pack on defamation and insult laws in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. This pack is the result of ongoing research that is examining the way defamation or insult suits against journalists have been used in a number of cases brought by public officials/figures. The pack has been designed an developed for Article 19 by Fahamu.