THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN GO MISSING IN INDIA
According to a report by child rights organisation Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), almost 11 children go missing each hour in India, and at least four of them are never found. Entitled Missing Children in India: a Pioneering study, the report says 117,480 children went missing between January 2008 and January 2010 across the country. The majority of them, it says, end up in forced labour, brothels and other exploitative situations. Read more >>

CLIMATE DISASTERS POSE GREATER RISK TO WOMEN
Many women in developing countries are facing disproportionately high risks to their health, safety and livelihoods from factors including climate change and human trafficking, according to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme. The report highlighted the link between human trafficking and environmental disasters, such as floods and landslides, which leave women isolated and vulnerable. It also noted that women are more likely to lose their lives than men during natural disasters due to poor education, lack of access to coping strategies and cultural factors that restrict their mobility. The UN has called on Governments to make women's voices, responsibilities and challenges central in their responses to changing climates. Read more >>

ANYA 17: THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING OPERA
Anya 17 is the name of a new opera about to open its doors to audiences in Liverpool and shine a light on the horrific realities of life for of sex trafficking victims in the UK. Telling the story of four young women who are trafficked from Eastern Europe, Anya 17's efforts to raise awareness and engage and inspire the anti-trafficking community have been commended by the United Nations. Anya 17 opens in March 2012. Read more >>

MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES HARBOURING SEVERE POVERTY
New research into poverty around the world has shown that the vast majority of the world's poor live in middle-income countries. Almost 1.19 billion (72 percent) of poor people live in middle-income countries, whereas 459 million live in low-income countries. The results, which came as a shock to researchers, shows that vast numbers of people have been bypassed by their nation's comparative wealth increases, widening the gap between rich and poor citizens. Read more >>

ACCESS TO WATER IS KEY FOR THE DISABLED
Disabled people are the largest socially excluded group of people across the world, and the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities recently brought to light the importance of access to water, hygiene and sanitation in ensuring their dignity, equal rights and well-being. Even though 15 percent of the world's population is disabled, according to the first report on disability ever published by the World Health Organisation, historically they've been widely excluded from development work and research. Read more >>

11 KIDS WHO CHANGED 2011
This is an inspiring list of young activists, some as young as seven, who played their part to make the world a better place in 2011. The list includes charity:water contributor and record breaker Rachel Beckwith, nine year old twins Taylor and Kennedy Everson, who adopted a village in Africa and Peter Larson, who sleeps in a cardboard box to raise awareness of homelessness in his community. Read more >>