Gender equality is a human right, but our world faces a persistent gap in access to opportunities and decision-making power for women and men.
Globally, women have fewer opportunities for economic participation than men, less access to basic and higher education, greater health and safety risks, and less political representation.

Guaranteeing the rights of women and giving them opportunities to reach their full potential is critical not only for attaining gender equality, but also for meeting a wide range of international development goals. Empowered women and girls contribute to the health and productivity of their families, communities, and countries, creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone.

The word gender describes the socially-constructed roles and responsibilities that societies consider appropriate for men and women. (Source) Gender equality means that men and women have equal power and equal opportunities for financial independence, education, and personal development. (Source) Women’s empowerment is a critical aspect of achieving gender equality. It includes increasing a woman’s sense of self-worth, her decision-making power, her access to opportunities and resources, her power and control over her own life inside and outside the home, and her ability to effect change. (Source) Yet gender issues are not focused on women alone, but on the relationship between men and women in society. (Source) The actions and attitudes of men and boys play an essential role in achieving gender equality. (Source)

Education is a key area of focus. Although the world is making progress in achieving gender parity in education, girls still make up a higher percentage of out-of-school children than boys. (Source) Approximately one quarter of girls in the developing world do not attend school. Typically, families with limited means who cannot afford costs such as school fees, uniforms, and supplies for all of their children will prioritize education for their sons. (Source) Families may also rely on girls’ labor for household chores, carrying water, and childcare, leaving limited time for schooling. But prioritizing girls’ education provides perhaps the single highest return on investment in the developing world. An educated girl is more likely to postpone marriage, raise a smaller family, have healthier children, and send her own children to school. She has more opportunities to earn an income and to participate in political processes, and she is less likely to become infected with HIV.

Women’s health and safety is another important area. HIV/AIDS is becoming an increasingly impactful issue for women. (Source) This can be related to women having fewer opportunities for health education, unequal power in sexual partnership, or as a result of gender-based violence. Maternal health is also an issue of specific concern. In many countries, women have limited access to prenatal and infant care, and are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth. This is a critical concern in countries where girls marry and have children before they are ready; often well before the age of 18. (Source) Quality maternal health care can provide an important entry point for information and services that empower mothers as informed decision-makers concerning their own health and the health of their children.

A final area of focus in attaining gender equality is women’s economic and political empowerment. Though women comprise more than 50% of the world’s population, they only own 1% of the world’s wealth. (Source) Throughout the world, women and girls perform long hours of unpaid domestic work. In some places, women still lack rights to own land or to inherit property, obtain access to credit, earn income, or to move up in their workplace, free from job discrimination. (Source) At all levels, including at home and in the public arena, women are widely underrepresented as decision-makers. In legislatures around the world, women are outnumbered 4 to 1, yet women’s political participation is crucial for achieving gender equality and genuine democracy. (Source)

The World Economic Forum recently ranked the United States as 19th in the world on its gender gap index. (Source) With women comprising less than one fifth of elected members of Congress, the report identifies political empowerment as the greatest gender equity issue for the United States. The U.S. ranked higher in economic empowerment, but women’s earning power remains approximately 20% lower than men’s. (Source) Women in the United States have a very high ranking of educational attainment, though, with high levels of literacy and enrollment in primary, secondary, and university education. At present, there are more U.S. women attending college than men. (Source)

Posted By king dave Larita

Childhood obesity: causes and consequences
Krushnapriya Sahoo, Bishnupriya Sahoo, […], and Ajeet Singh Bhadoria

Additional article information

Abstract
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed as well as in developing countries. Overweight and obesity in childhood are known to have significant impact on both physical and psychological health. Overweight and obese children are likely to stay obese into adulthood and more likely to develop non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. The mechanism of obesity development is not fully understood and it is believed to be a disorder with multiple causes. Environmental factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural environment play pivotal roles in the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide. In general, overweight and obesity are assumed to be the results of an increase in caloric and fat intake. On the other hand, there are supporting evidence that excessive sugar intake by soft drink, increased portion size, and steady decline in physical activity have been playing major roles in the rising rates of obesity all around the world. Childhood obesity can profoundly affect children’s physical health, social, and emotional well-being, and self esteem. It is also associated with poor academic performance and a lower quality of life experienced by the child. Many co-morbid conditions like metabolic, cardiovascular, orthopedic, neurological, hepatic, pulmonary, and renal disorders are also seen in association with childhood obesity.

Keywords: Childhood obesity, consequences, epidemiology, lifestyle, non-communicable disease, overweight
Introduction
The world is undergoing a rapid epidemiological and nutritional transition characterized by persistent nutritional deficiencies, as evidenced by the prevalence of stunting, anemia, and iron and zinc deficiencies. Concomitantly, there is a progressive rise in the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and other nutrition related chronic diseases (NRCDs) like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer. Obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries. The highest prevalence rates of childhood obesity have been observed in developed countries; however, its prevalence is increasing in developing countries as well.[1] Females are more likely to be obese as compared to males, owing to inherent hormonal differences.

Posted by Christian Gumera

The forces which affect homelessness are complex and often interactive in nature. Social forces such as addictions, family breakdown, and mental illness are compounded by structural forces such as lack of available low-cost housing, poor economic conditions, and insufficient mental health services. Together these factors impact levels of homelessness through their dynamic relations. Historic models, which are static in nature, have only been marginally successful in capturing these relationships.

Methods
Fuzzy Logic (FL) and fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) are particularly suited to the modeling of complex social problems, such as homelessness, due to their inherent ability to model intricate, interactive systems often described in vague conceptual terms and then organize them into a specific, concrete form (i.e., the FCM) which can be readily understood by social scientists and others. Using FL we converted information, taken from recently published, peer reviewed articles, for a select group of factors related to homelessness and then calculated the strength of influence (weights) for pairs of factors. We then used these weighted relationships in a FCM to test the effects of increasing or decreasing individual or groups of factors. Results of these trials were explainable according to current empirical knowledge related to homelessness.

Results
Prior graphic maps of homelessness have been of limited use due to the dynamic nature of the concepts related to homelessness. The FCM technique captures greater degrees of dynamism and complexity than static models, allowing relevant concepts to be manipulated and interacted. This, in turn, allows for a much more realistic picture of homelessness. Through network analysis of the FCM we determined that Education exerts the greatest force in the model and hence impacts the dynamism and complexity of a social problem such as homelessness.

Conclusions
The FCM built to model the complex social system of homelessness reasonably represented reality for the sample scenarios created. This confirmed that the model worked and that a search of peer reviewed, academic literature is a reasonable foundation upon which to build the model. Further, it was determined that the direction and strengths of relationships between concepts included in this map are a reasonable approximation of their action in reality. However, dynamic models are not without their limitations and must be acknowledged as inherently exploratory.

Keywords: Homelessness, Complex social system, Fuzzy logic, Fuzzy Cognitive Map, Network analysis
Background
Homelessness
Homelessness is a complex social problem with a variety of underlying economic and social factors such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, uncertain physical and mental health, addictions, and community and family breakdown. These factors, in varying combinations, contribute to duration, frequency, and type of homelessness. To be fully homeless is to live without shelter; however, many experience partial homelessness that can include uncertain, temporary, or sub-standard shelter. Homelessness is difficult to define, thus governments struggle with uncertainty when creating and implementing policies they hope will effectively manage or eradicate this problem.

Levels of government, in countries like Canada, add to the complexity of dealing with homelessness. Being governed at three different levels, federal, provincial, and municipal, requires high levels of agreement to effectively create and administer policies. In Canada, each level of government is responsible for different facets of homelessness. The federal government, responsible for the whole of Canada, creates and administers policies and funding for aboriginal peoples (a segment of Canada’s population over-represented in homeless counts), seniors, and social housing, as well as transfers funds to the provinces to help pay for their social programs. The provincial government, responsible for needs of the provinces and territories, creates and administers policies regarding mental illness, addictions, welfare, minimum wage laws, landlord and tenant acts, and child protection services and shares responsibility with the federal government for seniors and social housing. The municipal governments, are seen as the hands or arms of the provincial government, and are technically not responsible for homelessness; however are often involved in choosing sites for social housing, supporting emergency shelters and hospital emergency wards, as well as providing support, in a variety of ways, to facilitate these initiatives. The fact that there is no comprehensive national housing strategy to co-ordinate these levels of government often leads to inadequate policies and funding that fall far short of meeting the country’s housing needs .

Posted by Freyz Lauron

Social and Economic Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect
The social and economic costs of child abuse and neglect are difficult to calculate. Some costs are straightforward and directly related to maltreatment, such as hospital costs for medical treatment of injuries sustained as a result of physical abuse and foster care costs resulting from the removal of children when they cannot remain safely with their families. Other costs, less directly tied to the incidence of abuse, include lower academic achievement, adult criminality, and lifelong mental health problems. Both direct and indirect costs impact our society and economy.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Responseexternal link(opens in new window)
University of Albany & Prevent Child Abuse America
Seeks to connect research data and its potential for real-world application to prevent adverse childhood experiences and their consequences through policy and program leadership, community development, and direct practice.

Bringing Back the Dads: Changing Practices in Child Welfare Systemsexternal link(opens in new window) (PDF – 1,407 KB)
American Humane Association (2011)
Protecting Children, 26(2)
Presents a collection of articles offering perspectives on issues facing nonresident fathers. The articles identify promising casework and legal and judicial best practices, raise awareness of factors that reduce barriers to engagement, and explore policies that affect the engagement of nonresident fathers.

Chronic Child Neglect
Series Title Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
Download (PDF – 359KB)
Year Published 2019
Provides professionals with an overview of chronic child neglect, its implications for child welfare, and casework practice to address it. The bulletin also explores multisystem collaboration and partnerships, evidence-informed interventions, and the importance of hope in combatting chronic neglect. It features examples of State and local efforts to address chronic child neglect.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Two Child Abuse and Neglect Primary Prevention Programs for US Statesexternal link(opens in new window)
Peterson, Florence, Thomas, & Klevens (2018)
Prevention Science, 19
Analyzes how child abuse prevention programs are cost effective given the long-term economic consequences of child abuse and neglect.

Posted by Necasio son

Alcohol and Drug Problems
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Topic Overview
The overuse or misuse of alcohol (alcoholism) or other drugs is called a substance use problem . It can cause or worsen many medical problems and can destroy families and lives.

If you think you may have a problem with drugs or alcohol, take a short quiz to evaluate your symptoms:

Assess Your Substance Use [PDF] (What is a PDF document?)
Alcohol
Alcohol misuse causes over 100,000 deaths in the United States and Canada each year. It is the drug most commonly used by children ages 12 to 17. Alcohol-related car crashes are the leading cause of death in teenagers. People who drink alcohol are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior , have poor grades or job performance, use tobacco products, and experiment with illegal drugs . Alcohol and drug use may be an unconscious attempt at self-treatment for another problem, such as depression .

You have an alcohol problem if your use of alcohol interferes with your health or daily living. You develop alcoholism if you physically or emotionally depend on alcohol to get you through your day.

Long-term heavy drinking damages the liver, nervous system, heart, and brain. It can lead to high blood pressure , stomach problems, medicine interactions, sexual problems, osteoporosis, and cancer. Alcohol misuse can also lead to violence, accidents, social isolation, jail or prison time, and problems at work and home.

Symptoms of an alcohol problem include personality changes, blackouts, drinking more and more for the same “high,” and denial of the problem. A person with an alcohol problem may gulp or sneak drinks, drink alone or early in the morning, and suffer from the shakes. He or she may also have family, school, or work problems or get in trouble with the law because of drinking.

The use of alcohol with medicines or illegal drugs may increase the effects of each.

Alcohol misuse patterns vary. Some people drink and may be intoxicated (drunk) every day. Other people drink large amounts of alcohol at specific times, such as on the weekend. It is common for someone with an alcohol or drug problem to call in sick for work on Monday or Friday. He or she may complain of having a virus or the flu. Others may be sober for long periods and then go on a drinking binge that lasts for weeks or months.

Someone with alcohol dependence may suffer serious withdrawal symptoms , such as trembling, delusions, hallucinations, and sweating, if he or she stops drinking suddenly (“cold turkey”). After alcohol dependence develops, it becomes very hard to stop drinking without outside help. Medical detoxification may be needed.

Drugs
Drug misuse includes the use of illegal drugs-such as marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, or other “street drugs”-and the misuse of legal prescription and nonprescription drugs. Some people use drugs to get a “high” or to relieve stress and emotional problems.

Drugs like ecstasy (MDMA), ketamine, GHB, Rohypnol, and LSD, which are known as “club drugs,” may be found at all-night dances, raves, trances, or clubs. The use of club drugs accounts for increasing numbers of drug overdoses and emergency room visits. Inhalants like nitrous oxide may also be used at these clubs. Drugs come in different forms and can be used in different ways. They can be smoked, snorted, inhaled, taken as pills, put in liquids or food, put in the rectum or the vagina, or injected with a needle. Teens and young adults may be at risk for becoming victims of sexual assault or violent behavior in situations where these drugs are used.

Prescription medicines that may be misused include opioids (morphine and codeine), diazepam (Valium), hydrocodone and acetaminophen (Norco), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and oxycodone (OxyContin).

Some nonprescription medicines, such as cold medicines that have dextromethorphan as an ingredient, are being misused by teens and young adults as a way to get a “high.” Glue, shoe polish, cleaning fluids, and aerosols, are common household products with ingredients that can also be used to get a “high.”

In the United States and Canada, approximately 40% of adults will use an illegal drug at some time during their lives. This does not include the use of alcohol or prescription medicines. Many people use more than one illegal substance at a time.

Drug dependence or addiction occurs when you develop a physical or emotional “need” for a drug. You are unable to control your use of a drug despite the negative impact it has on your life. You may not be aware that you have become dependent on a drug until you try to stop taking it. Drug withdrawal can cause uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous symptoms. The usual treatment is to gradually reduce the dose of the drug until you can completely stop using it.

Posted by John simon Labiste

Crime And Social Policy

Crime is a feature of all societies at all times. Nevertheless, certain trends and patterns appear consistently at different times and places. In general, traditional societies—i.e., rural and agricultural societies that lack significant economic development—tend to have more violent crime and less property crime than economically developed societies. In traditional societies, violent crimes such as murder, rape, and assault may be fairly common and often are accepted and tolerated as an unavoidable part of ordinary life. As these societies modernize and become economically developed, violent acts become increasingly unacceptable as they also become increasingly rare. At the same time, while valuable property exists in traditional societies, it generally is not very portable—the most valuable property may include such things as land and animals—and thus there is little property crime. Ownership of valuable, portable goods expands rapidly with economic development, and with that expansion comes a vast increase in the stealing of those goods, along with a vast increase in the ways in which those goods can be stolen (e.g., stealing with a pen rather than with a gun).

Posted by Jason Gabutan

Facebook Cautions Against the Pitfalls of Too Much Personalization in New Report

Personalization has become a buzzword in digital marketing in recent times, with every other marketing guru urging people to connect with other people, to be more human, and to address each individual’s specific needs.

And that’s reasonable advice, to a degree. But as Facebook notes in its latest report, it’s not always applicable, and in some cases, increased personalization can actually have negative impacts on campaign performance.

As explained by Facebook:

“A common belief is that personalization means providing completely different offerings to each consumer, but this doesn’t always create the most desirable impact for a brand. We’re currently witnessing brands that have built hugely successful businesses over decades on the back of mass marketing suddenly pivot towards extreme personalization for small niches of consumers, only to see disappointing returns. Industry buzzwords such as “1:1 marketing” are contributing to the assumption that this is the way to go for all brands – which is far from the truth.”

That’ll be a blow to a lot of keynote speakers out there.

Facebook says that while personalizing your outreach can have distinct benefits, each brand and/or product fits onto a “personalization spectrum”, which ranges from “same offerings for all” to “tailored offering for each individual”. And it’s important to understand where your business lies before designing a personalization strategy.

“Here’s an example of a product at each end of the personalization spectrum: A mouthwash brand with the single core benefit of “freshness” and a few flavor variants at best is unlikely to have consumers with vastly different needs they can cater to. A brand like this would fall on the left side of the spectrum, providing a similar offering for large consumer segments. However, footwear brands have more complex matrices for their offerings depending on factors such as their identified target segment’s lifestyle and gender, and should tailor their offerings to provide more nuanced personalization in sizes, colors, styles, heel height and more.”

Facebook’s personalization spectrum
It makes a lot of sense – Facebook, essentially, says that despite the buzz around personalization, the actual practicality of such is relative to the product, and then, further than that, the audience for each.

“Brands with products that have multiple core benefits, several “benefit” variants, or a need to serve varying core messages to different segments within their brand’s target audience are likely to benefit from raising their personalization game.”

Facebook advises that businesses should analyze the extent to which personalization is relevant to their offerings, then, once determined that there is a need for such segmentation, that they should drill-down into their data sources in order to identify the markets they want to appeal to with variable messaging.

Facebook data pyramid
But Facebook again advises caution around the over-use of certain segmentations, simply because you can:

“While planning your segments, do also consider how segments link back to your overall brand growth strategy. For example, if your brand needs to drive higher relevance with urban youth, having them as a separate segment with distinct messaging is likely to benefit the brand. However, purely “passion point” or interest-based segments with no clear business-linked hypothesis behind them can often be counter-productive. We often come across definitions such as “music lovers”, “fashionistas” and “excitement seekers”, and encourage marketers to exercise caution before using them.”

Posted by mico jakoaalem

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