Fulfill Your Obligations or Leave

Any government worth its salt is measured by how it cares, attends to the needs of and implements policies for the most vulnerable in society. Regardless of how credible its members are and regardless of how they got their positions, they must fulfill the obligations of their esteemed offices or get out. Simple as that.

When a report by the World Food Programme and UNICEF comes out stating that 19 percent of children under the age of five in rural Armenia are stunted, while 15 percent are overweight because of the lack or ignorance of proper nutritional habits, you begin to wonder.

"A DUAL BURDEN OF MALNUTRITION EXISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AMONG CHILDREN UNDER 5, WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF BOTH STUNTED AND OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN."
http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp282578.pdf

The Armenia Comprehensive Food Security, Vulnerability and Nutrition Analysis states, "Child stunting was significantly linked with household poverty, poor consumption, poor care and feeding practices, and lower education of mothers. The prevalence of overweight was the same across poor and rich households, indicating the need for greater awareness on healthy eating and lifestyle across the entire population."

For a nation that prides itself on its attitude and care toward children, these numbers are disheartening and point to a whole other trend. According to the analysis, we are resistant to change and prone to both internal and external economic shocks. One third of the population is living in poverty, unemployment continues to soar (official numbers place it at 18 percent), and hope has been ebbing away if not lost completely for many.

Children need to be protected, they need proper nutrition and care and most of all they need to have the right to have a fighting chance.