Ontario Community Newspapers

Oakville Beaver, 30 Sep 2010, p. 8

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905-849-4998 www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 A+ Rating comwww. *See dealer for details 9 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER #1 in Home Comfort Since 1990 We service Lennox *Call for details, offers cannot be combined, On new orders only ** OAC Prime rate subject to change. ELIGIBLE FOR$3830* IN GOVERNMENT & FACTORY REBATES* UP TO System for Your Home GAS FURNACE, CENTRAL AIR, AIR PURIFIER & HUMIDIFIER Or Central Air Conditioner from $39/month** THE BIGGEST SALE EVER SAME DAY INSTALLATIONS AVAILABLE Furnace Diagnostic Service ONLY $49 $89/month** w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , Se pt em be r 3 0, 2 01 0 8 Lewis urges girls here to champion change world. He said a study conducted by various non-government organiza- tions said that some 150 million girls were sexually assaulted in the year 2002. He said the lowest level of sexu- al violence against women is in Japan, where 14 per cent of women are said to have been abused. The highest level is in rural Ethiopia where 71 per cent of women had acts of sexual violence done to them. He added that the nations of Canada, U.S., and the U.K. are in the 30-35 per cent rate of sexual violence against women. The physical and sexual vio- lence thats been visited on young women and girls in so many parts of the world have become a kind Continued from page 7 of epidemic. And in many of the countries where there is a high rate of HIV and AIDS, naturally through sexual violence those viruses are transmitted, he said. To stop this trend, he said women need to be given strength and power. He said places such as the Congo need strong women on the ground. Because of the acts against women, the other problems are per- sistent. Speaking of the AIDS virus, he said, Women are so disproportion- ately infected. When the parents die of AIDS, there are no plans for the care of their children. He said in Uganda there are 2 million orphans and no one knows how to handle the prob- lem. Lewis spoke of hunger and poverty, which is the UNs first goal on the list. He said there is a lack of funding and resources, which means people in impoverished nations are in des- perate situations. He said there are 1.4 billion peo- ple in the world living on less than $1.25 a day and 3 billion people liv- ing on less than $2 a day. I dont have a word to convey to you the excruciating consequences of poverty, he said. When he visits poor nations and sees sick and hungry people, Lewis said the first thing people ask for is food. You cant imagine how incredi- bly hungry people are in country after country where they are living impoverished lives. Of the mortality rates he said, eight to nine million children under the age of five die each year from things such as pneumonia, diarrhea, dehydration or malnutri- tion and as many as half a million women die during childbirth every year. Of getting children to school, Lewis said there are 75-100 million young people who cannot go to school because of its expense. He added the impact of poverty is felt most dramatically among young girls, because when parents can only afford to place one child in school, they choose the boys. He also told the students that there will be a terrible catastrophe in the world within their lifetimes as a result of all the carbon that humans have put into the atmos- phere. He added that cannot be changed, but if humans act rigor- ously, maybe further cataclysmic catastrophes can be prevented. Of the final UN goal, he said the fight to bridge the impoverished nations with the developed ones is never ending. But he stressed, that no matter what the problems around the world are, he said, Its always women and girls who are vulnera- ble. He said school-aged children such as his listeners Tuesday morn- ing, should join social clubs at school or to get involved with NGOs, or if schools are associated with an NGO, to join the groups. I dont have a word to convey to you the excruciating consequences of poverty. Stephen Lewis

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