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End child soldier scourge

The European Union, we are glad to note, has lent its considerable weight to the growing international campaign against the child soldier phenomenon, which has shaken the conscience of mankind and prompted the world community to call for its immediate elimination.

Accordingly, the EU would be launching an action plan, covering Uganda, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka, to end the inhuman practice of the deployment of child soldiers.

When the EU refers to Sri Lanka, what it means is - of course - the LTTE, which has already earned stinging UN strictures over its sadistic use of children as armed combatants. In fact the LTTE is the only organisation mentioned by the EU.

The EU action plan, we are told, would aim at - among other things - increasing international cooperation over the curbing of the child soldier syndrome.

It stresses the importance of ending the impunity which some violators have been enjoying on this issue over the years and fully subscribe to the recommendations of the UN Secretary General on this question.

In this context, the EU is fully cognizant of the effective role the International Court of Justice could play in deterring violators and bringing them to justice.

In a highly positive development, the UN Security Council recently took up for consideration the UN Secretary General's proposals for curbing the child soldier blight. Chief among these proposals is the creation of a monitoring and reporting mechanism for the containment of the scourge.

The UN Secretary General was, of course, acting on the feedback he had been receiving over the past few years from his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, who had first-hand knowledge of even the child soldiers problem in Sri Lanka's North-East.

Although Otunnu has spoken of an improvement in the situation of vulnerable children worldwide, he has made no bones of the fact that the evil practice of recruiting child soldiers is continuing.

We know this to be true of Lanka's North-East because some reputed human rights organisations and even UNICEF spoke of attempts by the LTTE to prey on children left helpless by the recent tsunami destruction.

Right now, the LTTE is attempting to pose as the offended party in alleged ceasefire violations in the North-East. If that is really so, it should prove its innocence by refraining from building its war machine.

This however, is not happening because it is intent on increasing its armed cadres by preying on vulnerable children of the North-East.

We call on the world community to unmask the LTTE and to make it accountable for its human rights violations, including the callous recruitment of child soldiers. A monitoring and reporting mechanism which could bring the LTTE to heel, is indeed the need of the hour.

Of snakes and hearts

Snakes kill people, as we in Sri Lanka know all too well. Sri Lanka has the highest number of snake bite deaths in the world. The problem is acute in rural areas, where every kind of poisonous snake roams the jungles and footpaths. Not all hospitals have all anti-venom injections, complicating the picture.

At the other end of the scale, heart attacks and heart failure also account for a substantial number of deaths, especially in the urban areas. A failed heart can sometimes be revived, but it is often too late for the victim as many factors such as transport and adequate emergency care are involved.

So what connects snakes and hearts ? Australian researchers have now discovered that the venom extract from one of the world's deadliest snakes offers a potential treatment for congestive heart failure (CHF), which occurs when the heart is weakened and lacks the strength to adequately to pump blood around the body.

University of Queensland chemist Paul Alewood said the venom from the taipan snake had already proved effective in preventing CHF in rabbits and there were hopes human trials could be set up in a few years.

The team has isolated a unique set of active molecules from the taipan venom. Research shows they are extremely effective at easing the heart's workload.

They are also extremely stable, which is an attractive feature for new drugs. The human body generates molecules similar to the snake venom that helps the heart operate but they last only a few hours, while the taipan molecules could last for days.

Snake venom is already used for a variety of purposes. This is a new avenue for using snake venom to save lives. Sri Lankan scientists too must study the Australian project, especially the forthcoming human trials, and conduct research on whether venom from some endemic snakes could be used in a similar manner.

That said, better awareness and preventive measures could reduce deaths resulting from both snake bites and CHF. Most people fail to follow immediate life-saving measures following a snake bite and sometimes even ignore it altogether. Such delays can literally be a matter of life and death.

The same goes for heart failure, as many ignore good health practices, dietary recommendations and preventive measures until a life-threatening stroke occurs. The media can play a vital, life-saving role in this regard by educating people on health and related issues.

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