From the Editor
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Abdul Abyad, MD, MPH, MBA, AGSF, AFCHSE (Chief Editor)

Address correspondence to:
Abdul Abyad, MD, MPH, MBA, AGSF, AFCHSE (Editor)
Abyad Medical Center & Middle East Longevity Institute
Azmi Street, Abdo Center, 2nd Floor
PO BOX 618, Tripoli LEBANON
Tel & Fax: 961 6 443684/5/6
Email: aabyad@cyberia.net.lb
Web: www.amc-lb.com

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This is a special issue of the journal dealing with the Global theme of Poverty and Human Development, with science and medical jiorunals worldwide co-rerleasing in this date. The MEJFM is particularly looking at the effect of poverty on health. It is known that half the world - nearly three billion people - live on less than two dollars a day. In addition the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world's countries) is less than the wealth of the world's three richest people combined.

We have witnessed a great international interest in the effect of poverty on health and there a number of initiatives by the UN, governmental organizations and NGOs to deal with the issue. Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. In addition less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen. We felt strongly that the segment of the population most strongly affected are the children, which is why we launched Child Watch movement.

Poverty hits the most vulnerable populations the most with 1 billion children living in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day). Therefore the movement that was started by the Ruler of Dubai to raise a large fund to teach one million poor children in the World is of great importance.

In this issue we have a number of papers related to poverty and development. A paper from Iraq discusses the effect of one of the mounting health crises that civilians are facing in war-torn Iraq. The author stressed that more than 700,000 internally displaced people live in temporary camps in and around Kirkuk and Suleimania cities where access to clean water, basic sanitation facilities, food and health care is rudimentary at best. The author pinpoints that he main cause of this epidemic is the non chlorinated open wells which were dig up unofficially due to the shortage of running tap water and the high temperatures (45-49) C.

A paper from Bangladesh investigated the reality of whether adolescents and young adults are vulnerable to HIV infection. The paper also defines how HIV AIDS has increased, and why adolescents are vulnerable to it. Finally, the paper provides a number of suggestive policy measures that planners and implementers may consider for rescuing them from such socially and culturally humiliating jobs.

In another paper from Bangladesh a multiple linear regression model was applied to study migrants from 505 respondents. It was observed that people migrate to certain places due to economic reasons and migration can alter the lifestyle of individuals and families. People migrate to new places with the hope of improving their social and economic status.

A second paper from Bangladesh discussed Human Rights of Accused Women in Criminal Justice in Bangladesh. Laws are made with the intention to reduce women-related crime and the main aim of this study is to give vent to the inhuman conditions where the accused women are found to be victims of cruel and heartless treatments in the jails.

Motamedi SH and Dadkhah A discussed the social and family factors effect on committing suicide among university students in Iran. The authors utilised a total of 100 students' attempts to investigate the relationship between social and family factors and the idea of committing suicide among university students in Iran. The paper concluded that singles were more inclined to commit suicide than the married

Members of the Executive Board of Child-Watch, Pocock, L.A., Butt M, Al Hilfy T and Beasley J, have provided a paper on the state of global child health and rights on this day, October 22, 2007 and also provide suggested solutions and projects to combat this residual and growing problem.