Readers' letters - September 5

The world knows Gaza is in crisis.

No clean water, only three to four hours of electricity a day and not enough medicine.

Two million people live besieged in conditions the UN described as a human dignity crisis.

It’s not a natural disaster – it is a political choice to punish the Palestinian people, the decision made by Israel, with support from the governments of the US, UK and the EU.

Three years ago this month, Israel ended its devastating military offensive on Gaza with 3,000 Palestinians killed, including 600 children.

To deliberately incarcerate people in their own land, refuse the right to travel and trade and deprive them of the essential means of survival is a clear breach of international law.

The UN warned that Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020.

Israel controls Gaza by land, air and sea, effectively sealing it from the world.

The only solution is 
to eliminate the causes 
and end the 50-year occupation and 10-year siege of Gaza.

The world must act and abide by their obligations under international law.

The British Government must intervene to end this crisis we have helped create.

All imports and exports should be allowed and the blockade lifted.

We all must call for an end to the man-made crisis.

Also Israel must remove all obstacles to the exercise of human rights by Palestinians in Gaza, including rights to travel and trade.

Royston Jones

via email

Keeping children safe online

Around 90 per cent of households now have internet

access and children’s internet use continues to increase, with five to 15-year-olds spending an average of 15 hours each week online.

Research tells us almost half of young people living at home say their parents only know some of what they do online. And although there is a lot of child-friendly content on the internet, there are also some things that could be dangerous.

At Barnardo’s we know first-hand how children are particularly at risk of online grooming and sexual exploitation through social media and messaging apps, and can quickly be manipulated into potentially harmful situations, including sexually abusive ones.

Parents can equip themselves with the knowledge to start having conversations with their children about online safety by reading Barnardo’s free Be Safe guide, which is available on our website www.barnardos.org.uk/barnardos_be_safe_guide.pdf

It’s crucial parents are aware of the dangers their children face online and equally crucial they can talk to them about how they can keep themselves safe.

Janice Hawkes

Barnardo’s

Bake to help change lives

Baking and cakes are a British tradition so Medical Detection Dogs couldn’t think of a more fun and delicious way to raise funds to help our dogs save and change even more lives.

There’s no better excuse to bake a cake than raising money for a local charity.

Whether it’s a tea party with friends and family, coffee break with colleagues in the office, or a bake sale, all Medical Detection Dogs asks is that you have fun and raise funds while you enjoy some tasty treats.

So, if you’re a secret baker keen to show off your skills, or if you simply want to do something that will give pleasure and benefit others, why not arrange your own Bake Off? It’ll be the icing on the cake!

It’s easy to take part and all the help you need to host your own Bake Off can be found on our website www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/fundraising/bakeoff/ or you can email [email protected] or phone 01296 655888.

Francesca Hockham

Medical Detection Dogs