Steve169

Dont think i really need to say anything about it, video speaks for itself, the producer asked me to try and forward it on to raise awareness.

Its still a work in progress.

YouTube - 18-Child Abuse Horror

Steve

Santas Elf

IMHO Africa is a shytehole, always has been and always will be.... any effort expended there is a complete waste of time...

What's 'unacceptable' here (children working the rubbish tips, prostitution, etc.) is a way of life there... take one child out of the system and there's a 1000 ready to take their place...

Change can only be introduced through political will.... not charity, and lest we forget "charity begins at home"

*bet I'm feckin popular now*

mamoon2

To be honest i agree with you. Maybe if certain African countries governments stopped spending all there money on arms, then they might be able to help themselves.

The Zohan

Sadly i fear you are right, it is cynical but tbh it has been prved to be the case so many times.

gazza-uk

nicely put

was walking thru town last week and some hippy Oxfam girl stopped and asked me to sign up to pressurize our gov'mt to cancel world debt.

I told her where to stick her petition... imo the countires concerned should be helping themselves, no const relying on us!

davegtt

Swings and roundabouts, these abused children will just grow up and abuse the next generation, thats the way off life there and until they help themselves theres no point in us helping them.

Sad but true.

PeteBrant

I think the replies in this thread so far deserve a special prize t-shirt

http://www.8ball.co.uk/productimages/26872-1.jpg

Santas Elf

Thanks.... I'll wear it with pride

mamoon2

Large please

gazza-uk

I prefer this t-shirt

Santas Elf

The Zohan

Gazza - Brilliant!

Peterbrant
Just giving money and sympathy does not work and has been proved, political pressure is the only way forward.

scoobynutta555

TBH I don't give a rats **** about any of Africa, especially sub-sahara. It's been the most backward part of the world for a long time, and will continue to be so despite any intervention that may happen in the future. Just look at Zimbabwe, (formally Rhodesia before independence from the UK). When under our control Zimbabwe was the richest nation in Africa with the highest life expectancy rates in the continent. Now, it has probably the worst economy coupled with the worst life expectancy, around 33 years?

And what do we see now in South Africa with the new chairman of the ANC, quite possibly another Mugabe.

Can't people sort out the multiplicity of problems we have in this country first before do-gooding across the globe?

PeteBrant

Of course political pressure is needed. But to suggest that money doesn't help is silly.


Even if only 50% gets to where its needed, 50% or something is better than 100% of nothing

Fact is , people are dying of starvation, lack of medical supplies and diseased water. And in this day and age it really is an absolute disgrace. If that means a tenner of my tax bill (because thats all it amounts to really) a year goes to help those people, Im not going complain about it

gazza-uk

I do my bit for poorer countries, I drink that fairtrade coffee at service stations .

Santas Elf

That'll be a first

The Zohan

Morning Mr Pedant

Ok, "does little good"

Majority goes to the govenment or militia or whoever is really in control, it is used or sold for personal and/or military needs thus perpetuating the cycle which will never end unless proper pressure is applied.
No, i do not have the answers or even claim to but i know what i know, SSA is a harsh lawless and often corrupt land.

PeteBrant

Like I said, political pressure needs to be applied too- And it is working


DFID | Country Profiles | Africa

But you cannot withdraw aid, it is just morally reprehensible.

Thankfully some of your taxes go to international aid, and there is nothing you can do about it - I win

David Lock

What a sad thread.........

So you can't sort everything out so you just give up do you? I was quite proud of the British action in Sierra Leone which more or less brought some harmony to the place, for a while anyway.

But what the hell - they're only poor black kids and miles away from us so why bother. And, of course, it's all their fault

dl

davegtt

Who said anything about being black David? Youre such a racist

gazza-uk

dont make this a race thread, the colour of somebodys skin makes no difference to me.

Santas Elf

You're taking this thread completely out of context.

It's about stopping poverty by political means rather than Bill and Brenda taking a car full of teddy's to Africa...

No one's saying don't bother, they're saying in order to end it 'political will' is needed... rather than sporadic jestures that have little to no impact on the root cause of the problem...

PeteBrant

Sounds a bit like "Don't bother" to me


Anyway, what *are* people suggesting then? Remove all financial aid until they promise to stop fighting/being corrupt?

What do the people that are dying now do until that point?
Like I said, they might not get all of the aid, but they get some of it - and I bet if you are dying of thirst you would rather have some of what is sent, rather that all of what isn't sent.


We, as the fifth richest nation on the planet have a moral duty to help those less well off than ourselves.And that's exactlty what some of our taxes go to do.

OllyK

AIUK : Zimbabwe: New Report Reveals Political Manipulation of Access to Food

David Lock

I rather took your comments "any effort expended there is a complete waste of time..." to mean don't bother.

Of course I agree about political will - whatever that really means. As for the race aspect I have no wish to switch this to a black/white thing except to offer one point. If Mugabe, for example, had been white he'd have been taken out years ago.

I also question your description of Africa as a Shytehole. Yes in some aspects, as per video, but overall it's a fantastic exciting continent with some wonderful people. Its colonial past brought some benefits but my big gripe is that they plundered the assets and didn't put enough back by way of education. So you end up with leaders who think taking a shower will prevent AIDS and where BAE, a British company will (allegedly) leave a big brown envelope on the table.

And don't even start me on banks and their part in corruption...... dl

Santas Elf

Leslie

Used to happen in this country too!

Les

PeteBrant

Like I said, some of it doesn't get through - But what's the alternative? Don't send anything?
A "poll" shows no such thing.
Quite possibly - but like I keep saying, anything extra will help - and the situation is far better than it was.
So because people think that Africa created its own downfall (Presumably by controlling the weather? thus creating drought and famine?) Then we shouldn't help out?

What was this, a poll for cvnts or something? Oh wait, it was Telegraph readers - Same thing.

Ms Gooner 1

Its all very sad - of course it is! However, I beleive that charity begins at home and there are many thousands of kids in THIS country who are put through worse than slavary! And what do they get from our government - f*** all! chairties such as NSPCC and Gt Ormand street - get nothing from government - only on donations from the public - I think we should stop being so generous to other countries and start realising whats going on in our country!!!!

(I'll get off my soap box now)

scoobynutta555

All well saying that even if a very small amount goes to where it's supposed to, that leaves the larger amount going to murderous egomaniac nut jobs who use the money to keep their grip on oppression. IMHO this whole aid thing is just dogooders slapping themselves on the back when in reality their misguided actions are prolonging death and misery as well as wasting funds.

I'd be willing to lay money that the same people lobbing for aid now had the same mindset and beliefs as those calling for the colonies in Africa to be made independent several decades ago.