Bulletin of the Former ITU Staff Members' Association
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Bulletin of the Former ITU Staff Members’ Association EDITORIAL Christmas: a special time for all children to enjoy December 2009 themselves... and yet… Bulletin No. 26 hristmas this year helplessness of our trades there is. Human Summary Clike all the other super-globalized society trafficking each year Christmases will be in the face of an evil affects between 700,000 1 Editorial heralded by a frenzy of that affects children and two million consumption, mostly worst of all. The end of persons, most of whom 3 Constituant aimed at children. the double term of office are children, and brings General Assembly We are already of the United Nations in about nine billion being submerged by Secretary-General, euros a year. Gangs 3 Health Insurance catalogues of toys, Mr Kofi Annan — who are very efficiently Fund News advertisements, was one of the most organized and are 4 Complementary pictures, fairy lights, remarkable persons to mostly controlled by insurance Christmas markets, head the organization – the mafia. The Figaro mountains of chocolates has given rise to a good article of December 4 Antartica and Yule “bûches”. deal of retrospective 2006 gives some horrific The whole world soul searching, but if details of the goals they 7 Excursion to will be celebrating. there is one area where ruthlessly pursue. Engadine Father Christmases the UN has failed, it is wander about the undoubtedly in the fight Just a few days before 11 Globetrotters’ streets, talking to the against the trafficking I read the article in Corner children they happen of human beings and the Figaro, as I was to meet, who react especially children. casually browsing 11 Walking Tours with delight or a tinge through the offerings 2009 of apprehension. In I thought I would call in a bookshop, a book 17 Surprise stroll America, China, Africa your attention to this caught my eye and and across the globe problem because I know I opened it at once, 17 Our website Christmas is supposed that most of us have because its author to be a festival for all grandchildren whom had been sent by the 18 They have passed children. And yet in we love and spoil and United Nations on a away this festive season, as because perhaps in the mission to Liberia to I was tidying up my light of these Christmas combat the trafficking 19 End of year wishes book shelves, I came festivities we might give of children. The book across an article and a thought to the scourge tells of the full horror 20 Committee of the a book that had moved of child trafficking, of this modern-day Association me deeply at the time, which has shamefully form of slavery, which because they were both been allowed to spread ensnares girls and boys, about children and across the globe and mostly from the poorer they highlighted the which is now one of countries, often from paradoxes and the the most lucrative North Africa, Eastern Page 2 Bulletin of the Association Europe or the Balkans. The form of slavery. At the Warsaw it is protected by “clients” in high “work” of the traffickers is greatly Summit in 2005, the Council of positions. facilitated by the endemic poverty Europe invited its 46 members to affecting certain sectors of the ratify the Convention on Action I warmly recommend Celthia de population. Parents attracted by against Trafficking in Human Lavarène’s book, even though the lure of paid jobs do not hesitate Beings. Only three members it is now three years old. It still to “entrust” their children to the did so, as a result of which the applies in today’s world and is gangs of smugglers. Celthia de Convention has still not come into very moving. It is based on real Lavarène, the head of mission who effect. We elect members to the experience that cannot leave you wrote the book and who earlier held Strasbourg Parliament or those of indifferent. The author has also the same position in Bosnia, has us who live in democracies outside founded an NGO (Stop Trafficking been confronted in Liberia with a Europe vote to elect deputies or of People, STOP). shocking situation. The children are MPs. Let us try to convince our “acquired” or “bought” in countries elected representatives to make the Children are our future. Nowadays that actually host UN peace-keeping eradication of this traffic a priority. it is fashionable to express forces, NGOs and other senior Let us take action and write to repentance for historic atrocities. officials. Some of the passages of the press, to make sure that the This is fine, but it does nothing the book are deeply disturbing. problem, which is never headline to remove the horrors that are Childhood innocence is something news, is at least not forgotten. For all around us and that we are we like to cherish at a time of our the last year, all we have ever read sometimes unaware of, and if a few lives when our own childhood seems about in our dailies and weeklies is brave people are willing to wage far away, yet as Christmas is upon the economic and financial crisis, an uphill battle and to open our us I cannot help casting my mind which is now the number one eyes, we have no right to remain back to the little girls described in priority of all the world leaders. indifferent and complacently “Un visa pour l’enfer” and the hell If we remain silent, the traffic just bask in the light of our they have to endure. will spread its tentacles like an grandchildren’s radiant faces in octopus until it overtakes even drug front of the Christmas tree. Can we do anything about it? Yes trafficking in magnitude, because we can. In the first place, some trading children instead of drugs efforts are being made by European is less risky, because it attracts Governments to combat this latest less public attention and because Françoise Sala Bibliography: – Article: Le traffic d’êtres humains s’étend en Europe (Human trafficking is spreading in Europe), Le Figaro, 27 December 2006 – Book: Un visa pour l’enfer (A visa for hell), Celthia de Lavarène, published by Editions Arthème Fayard, 2006 December 2009 Page 3 Constituent General Assembly on 17th November 2009 he Constituent General On the occasion of the formation of TAssembly of our Association the new Association we would like took place on 17th November to render hommage to the three 2009. Some 75 people took part in founder members (Françoise Sala, it. During this General Assembly Jean Balfroid and Pierre-André the new Statutes were adopted Traub) without whom it would not unanimously by the attending have come into being. We see them members. here on the photo taken at our Anniversary Lunch in Yvoire (see The minutes of the General Bulletin No. 25). Assembly, as well as the new The Committee Statutes of our Association, are enclosed with this bulletin. Health Insurance Fund News s you know, after three 3-year Financial statements and 2008 Meetings of the Permanent Aterms on the Management report Sub-Committee Committee of the Staff Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), I did not This year, once again, and despite The sub-committee met twice to seek a fourth term as I believed it its repeated requests for the past deal with special cases submitted could be useful to have the interests several years, the Committee did by policy-holders. The first meeting of our policy-holders looked not receive the Fund’s monthly was held in mid-September and the after by some colleagues who are accounts, as stipulated in article other one at the end of October; younger than me. 3.11 of the Statutes. 27 cases were examined. Nevertheless, I kept in regular Despite the requests of the Committee Meetings contact with those of our colleagues participants’ representatives, the I have noted that, for more than a at ILO who were re-elected for the annual report for 2008 was not year, there have been no minutes of term 2009-2011, in order to be kept published at the end of the 1st these meetings. appraised of the work of the new semester, 2009. To refresh your Management Committee. memory, the same thing happened Long-Term Care last year. To my knowledge, the Financial Situation Committee received, some time ago, The question is still under a preliminary draft of which the consideration. I regret to inform Despite an increase in medical final version should be published you that no progress has been costs, the financial position of the between now and the end of 2009… made. Fund has remained healthy and the guarantee fund, despite the On this topic, there was a change of Reminder: the ceilings for percentage figure shown at the auditors who modified the method EMS costs [social health-care end of the next section, is greater of calculating the investments; establishments] were increased as than the minimum foreseen in the this gives different results; the of 1st January 2005. Statutes. new method reflects a decline of 4.3% in the guarantee funds “as That is all I can tell you to date. I recalculated for 2007”. It seems shall not fail to keep you informed impossible to get any more precise of the operation of the Fund. explanation for this difference! Jacques Bacaly Page 4 Bulletin of the Association Complementary insurance joint planning meeting was held on 13th October assistance clause was included. The latter was managed A 2009; it brought together the ITU Staff Union and by a contract with International S.O.S.