copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2022-01-22): Kids as young as 3 wander along the streets, their hands outstretched, narrowly avoiding the perilous open drainage ditches. If they collect a few thousand Ugandan shillings, maybe 50 cents or a dollar, it goes straight to their parent or someone posing as a parent. Mostly, though, they’re ignored by passers-by and motorists, many of whom believe they’re simply feeding the problem and incentivizing begging if they give a handout.
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2023-12-07): Some Jordanian and Syrian girls are forced to drop out of compulsory school to perform domestic service in their families’ homes; some of these girls are vulnerable to trafficking. Jordanian boys employed within the country in the service industry, agricultural sector, and as mechanics, street vendors and beggars may be victims of forced labor. NGOs and an international organization reported, in 2018, an estimated 3,000 children begging in the streets in Jordan, some of whom are highly vulnerable to trafficking. Traffickers exploit Lebanese, North African, and Eastern European women in sex trafficking who have migrated to Jordan to work in restaurants and nightclubs; some Jordanian women working in nightclubs may also be exploited in sex trafficking. As reported by an NGO in 2016, some Egyptian women are exploited in forced begging or sex trafficking by their Jordanian husbands.
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2024-04-12): Media outlets, including newspapers, play a significant role in shaping public opinion. Recently, they have reported figures on the number of street children and child beggars in Sri Lanka, notably claiming that around 30,000 children are begging in the streets. These figures have raised concerns and led to investigations into their accuracy. Our aim here is to provide a comprehensive fact-check on the origins and accuracy of these estimates. [...] Explanation 30,000 Street Children Hypothesis: Reports have cited a figure of 30,000 children currently begging in the streets of Sri Lanka, purportedly based on a survey conducted by Peradeniya University. However, the professor attributed these claims, Professor Wasantha Athukorala, clarified to us that this number is a hypothesis he and a few academics formulated based on informal interviews with residents of several cities in Sri Lanka. This hypothesis lacks formal backing through any survey or research conducted by Peradeniya University, rendering it speculative rather than empirically supported. [...] The claims regarding the number of street children and child beggars in Sri Lanka, particularly the assertion of 30,000 children begging in the streets, lack empirical support and are based on speculative hypotheses rather than formal surveys or research. While concerns regarding the welfare of vulnerable children are valid, it is crucial to rely on verified data and evidence-based research when addressing such issues. Efforts to clarify the origins and accuracy of these estimates should continue through transparent methodologies and collaborations between relevant authorities, academics, and organisations dedicated to child welfare in Sri Lanka.
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2024-03-28): Mr. Wasantha Athukorala, Professor of the Department of Statistics and Data Studies at the University of Peradeniya, says that about 30,000 children have fallen into the street. Sri Lanka Latest News The parents or guardians have employed these children for prostitution or other money-making activities. [...] The Inspector General of Police further told the newspaper that the Ridhigama camp, where the beggars are kept, is now overcrowded.
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2014-09-01): After the fire, President Sall and his then-premier, Abdoul Mbaye, announced the repatriation of all non-Senegalese talibés, and banned child begging on the streets and all daaras throughout the country. [...] Additionally, the abscence of child begging on the streets only lasted a few days though, because of pressure from the Islamic community. [...] He said that, since almost all of the child beggars are from the majority ethnic peulh tribe where early or forced marriages are common, it is imperative that family planning methods be instituted along with laws that will punish rape and outlaw forced or early marriages.
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2022-12-31): An adult male begging each day in high tourist season may struggle to gather enough to feed his family. A young child begging will generate much more, as we feel an emotional obligation to give more to the ‘poor little child’, than to the adult. Children have become the working, money generating tools in the family network. Quite the opposite of what we’re used to at home. Yet many tourists, who have for the most part good intentions, continue to support this harmful situation. What risks does a begging child face? First, there are immediate ones – physical and emotional abuse, abduction, rape, and accidents. Longer term there are others… an increased likelihood of drug use to ease this hard lifestyle, along with the risk of being coerced into other dangerous work or bad situations (prostitution, forced labour, unsafe migration), involvement in crime plus a growing disconnection from their family and community.
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2014-03-21): A recent government survey found that more than 30,000 of Dakar’s 54,837 Koranic students practiced begging as part of their "education", said Awa Ndour, a representative of the Ministry of Justice’s anti-trafficking unit. [...] When President Macky Sall was elected in 2012, he promised to put an end to child begging and to improve the living conditions at Koranic schools. [...] Police must investigate the conditions of children found begging on the street and judges must enforce the laws and punish those found guilty of breaking them.
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2000-10-03): For Roma, there is often little choice but to take their children with them while begging or working. Ms M.D., a Romani woman who earns approximately 30,000 Italian lira (around 15 euros) a day begging by the metro stop near St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, lives in the Casilino 700 camp in Rome, where more than 1200 predominantly Romani inhabitants lived until mid-Summer 2000 in dismal conditions. "There is no way that I can leave my five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son alone in the camp all day," Ms M.D. told the ERRC. "The children get tired, and so do I, being on the street from 9 AM to 5 PM, but there is no one I can leave them with and I don't make enough money to afford a babysitter. In the end, what choice do I have?"7
Claim: Around 30,000 children are begging in the streets of Sri Lanka !! (Social Media Users, 2024-03-30)
Evidence (2015-04-20): Tens of thousands of children face rampant abuse and exploitation despite the 2005 law, the groups said. Social workers, government officials, and activists Human Rights Watch interviewed in January 2015 said they believe the number of boys, known as talibé, enduring abuse in the Quranic schools, which are not regulated, is increasing, with more and younger children affected. A 2014 government census of daaras, or Quranic schools, found over 30,000 boys subjected to forced begging in the Dakar region alone. [...] Several state and non-state social workers and activists noted that over the last year the situation has deteriorated. One social worker who has worked with talibés for five years said exploited children are now being forced to bring back even higher daily quotas from begging and are exploited not only by their teacher but also often by his wife, teaching assistants, and older talibés. [...] Growing Numbers of Children Subjected to Forced Begging
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2020-12-05): From our investigation it was clear that even though ITI had tested Fonterra dairy products along with 3 other dairies mid-2013, all subsequent tests done by number of other parties including ITI itself had confirmed that there was no DCD contamination in Fonterra dairy products since then. There is dispute about the test methodology of the DCD positive test carried out by ITI in 2013 as well, however all these are out of context since there had not been any incident of DCD contamination since then. Hence we can conclude that these reports being circulated in present day context are misleading the public.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2013-08-13): WELLINGTON/COLOMBO (Reuters): New Zealand-based dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Ltd. said on Sunday it had withdrawn milk powder under orders from the Sri Lankan authorities for showing traces of the toxic agricultural chemical dicyandiamide (DCD), although it disputed the accuracy of the testing. It said two batches of milk powder had been removed from shops last month after Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health had said they tested positive for DCD, a nitrate inhibitor used in fertilisers. Sri Lanka also imposed a ban on advertising by Fonterra’s Anchor powder brand. [...] In February, the presence of DCD in low levels in some Fonterra products was revealed, four months after the chemical was detected, causing widespread concern in China and Taiwan.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2023-07-03): It was as far back as in early March that the Nation newspaper boldly informed the public of Sri Lanka about hazardous milk powder sneaking into Sri Lankan market. Milk powder containing DCD (Dicyanidiamide – a hazardous agrochemical) produced by New Zealand Dairy Company Fonterra whose flagship brand "Anchor" is popular in Sri Lanka. Is it because Fonterra controls 60% of the milk market that authorities remained mum and waited for China and Russia to take action to join them to ban and suspend milk imports months later? We wonder what other type of imported items that the Sri Lankan consumer is poisoned with and the authorities are keeping silent about. We also wonder to whose benefit the Health Ministry continued to claim milk powder was safe for consumption when the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) insisted that the powdered milk was contaminated. How much does it take for people to keep silent in the larger interest of the country and its people? This serves as a good lesson for the Sri Lankan public too in preferring to consume everything foreign instead of helping the local producers.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2013-08-12): New Zealand-based dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Ltd said on Sunday it had withdrawn milk powder under orders from the Sri Lankan authorities for showing traces of the toxic agricultural chemical dicyandiamide (DCD), although it disputed the accuracy of the testing. [...] But Fonterra's chief executive said the product was clean and safe and it was contesting the Sri Lankan results and the ban. "We are definitely fighting it, because we have clear certificates - DCD-free, stamped, when it was exported, when it was imported - all clear," Theo Spierings told Television New Zealand. He said Fonterra's own testing and that of independent bodies had shown the milk powder was safe. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health, however, said it has solid evidence to prove the presence of DCD. "The tests were done by Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) of Sri Lanka and they have submitted a report on this. That is the evidence we have. We can prove it in the case of a legal battle," a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2020-09-23): Minute traces of DCD have been found in various dairy products already in the supply chain from a variety of companies. [...] Fonterra last month said the testing had found "only minute traces" of DCD in samples of some products, most of which were sent to export markets. [...] "These findings confirm our expectations. There's no DCD in fresh milk now, and the quantities that were found in products from when DCD was being applied are at very low levels, and our dairy products are safe."
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2013-01-31): New Zealand has been struck with a food contamination scare: laboratory tests have revealed traces of dicyandiamide (DCD) in milk, one of the country’s most prized exports. [...] On 24 January, dairy company Fonterra announced the suspension following the discovery of ‘very low levels’ of DCD in test samples of dairy products. This was followed by assurances from Fonterra and the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) about the safety of contaminated milk, citing trade as the reason for the intervention. [...] The European Commission has published an opinion on acceptable daily intake of DCD. According to MPI director general Wayne McNee, based on the highest contamination reading, a 60kg person would have to consume more than 130 litres of liquid milk or 60kg of milk powder to reach the Commission’s limit.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2008-10-08): (Sept. 5, 2013) It was announced on August 29, 2013, that Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved a set of measures designed to make imported food safe for consumers. The immediate concern is the contamination of imported milk powder with dicyandiamide (DCD), a chemical used in agriculture, and of whey protein concentrate with the bacteria clostridium botulinum. These measures follow the appointment on August 15 of a Cabinet sub-committee to look into the contamination of imported milk powder. This sub-committee is headed by the Senior Minister for Human Resources, D.E.W. Gunasekara, and includes six other ministers. (Sri Lanka Cabinet Approves Measures to Ensure Food Safety, COLOMBO PAGE (Aug. 29, 2013).) In early August 2013, Sri Lanka required the New Zealand company Fonterra to withdraw its shipments of milk powder from the Sri Lankan market, due to tests in the country finding DCD contamination in the powder. Fonterra disputed the finding, claiming that the testing had been inaccurate. Previously, infant formula, sports drinks, and animal feed exported by Fonterra to a number of countries were recalled due to the possibility they had been contaminated with the clostridium botulinum bacteria; that fear proved to be unfounded. Sales of Fonterra products have resumed in Sri Lanka. (Fonterra Withdraws Milk Powder from Sri Lanka, THE NEW YORK TIMES (Aug. 11, 2013); Fonterra Products Didn’t Have Botulism Bacteria After All, New Zealand Tests Show, REUTERS (Aug. 28, 2013).)
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2013-08-12): DCD misinformation "These inaccurate testing results have caused a lot of confusion for the public and we want to ensure that people know that they can continue to consume Anchor, a product that many Sri Lankans grew up on," said Clement. [...] Fonterra hopes that by working with the Sri Lankan government it can "correct the misinformation about DCD in Fonterra’s milk powder products, following the inaccurate testing results produced by Sri Lanka’s Industrial Technology Institute (ITI)." [...] Concerns about DCD first emerged in January 2013, when it was revealed that low levels of the substance had been discovered in samples Fonterra milk powder.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2013-08-11): The Government says Sri Lankan tests which show high levels of DCD contamination in some batches of Fonterra milk powder are wrong. The Sri Lankan Government has ordered the New Zealand dairy co-operative to recall two batches of milk powder, claiming it contained residue of the farm chemical dicyandiamide (DCD). [...] Low-level residues of DCD were found by Fonterra in milk powder in September 2012, prompting New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries to suspend the chemical's use in January this year.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2023-12-01): Unfortunately, in January 2013, Dicyandiamide (DCD) was reported in New Zealand's Milk, and later found that it has been accumulated in milk through the food chain. Dairy farmers widely use DCD to promote the growth of grass. It also reduces the adverse effects of greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate leaching into waterways. It is also used to make pharmaceuticals, drilling mud for oil wells, dyestuffs, fertilizers, and explosives. However, the contamination of DCD in high concentrations in food products was reported to be toxic to humans(Lin et al., 2015). As a result, the New Zealand government banned the sale of milk products containing DCD. [...] DCD, or Cyanoguanidine, is a guanidine with a cyano group replacing one of its amino hydrogens, exhibiting two tautomeric structures, as shown in Figure 1. The form of protonation and the nitrogen bonding to which the nitrile group is attached vary between the two isomers(Yogesha et al., 2019). According to the molecular structure, the nitrogen content of DCD is relatively highly similar to melamine. Hence, this could be easily used as a protein adulterant. Therefore, developing a reliable quantitative screening method for determining the concentration of DCD in Milk is essential.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2018-07-03): Fonterra pulls ‘DCD’ milk powder in Sri Lanka, disputes test New Zealand-based dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative said on Sunday it had withdrawn milk powder under orders from the Sri Lankan authorities for showing traces of the toxic agricultural chemical dicyandiamide (DCD), although it disputed the accuracy of the testing. It said two batches of milk powder had been removed from shops last month after Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health had said they tested positive for DCD, a nitrate inhibitor used in fertilisers. Sri Lanka also imposed a ban on advertising by Fonterra’s Anchor powder brand.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2013-01-28): Traces of the agricultural compound DCD in New Zealand milk are not a direct cause for concern, says an agriculture expert. Small amounts of dicyandiamide (DCD), a compound used to prevent nitrogen leaching in pasture, are detectable in New Zealand milk products. Following concerns that the presence of trace amounts of DCD in milk could negatively affect international milk sales, some New Zealand suppliers have taken steps to end or limit the use of DCD on dairy farms.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2016-01-13): Furthermore, dicyandiamide is a nitrogen-rich compound that is classified with compounds such as melamine as a potential economic food adulterant to enhance the apparent protein content of the food Product. It’s a fertilizer by product that also causes health problems, from getting in to rivers and lakes. Though there are no international standards for the acceptable level of DCD in food products, in high doses of substances is toxic to human. In Sri Lanka, in past few years, the milk powder industry was faced a crisis with the presence of small amounts of DCD in imported milk powder. In large scale importers, it was stated that if a ban is to be imposed it will greatly affect their individual industries as well as the market on the whole. All imported milk powder will lead to a massive imbalance in demand and supply of milk powder as Sri Lanka does not have a sufficient supply of milk. Laboratory tests have revealed low levels of DCD residues in whole milk, skim milk powder, butter and milk powder.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2022-02-21): A letter claimed to be from Medical Faculty Student’s Union of University of Colombo from 2013 has gained lot of traction over the past few days. From our investigation revelated that these posts shared in present day context about DCD contamination in milk power is misleading. Even though ITI had tested Fonterra along with 3 other dairies mid-2013, all subsequent tests done by number of other parties including ITI itself had confirmed that there was no DCD contamination. [...] The article mentioned that an official from Technology and Research Ministry had stated that tests carried out by them had confirmed four brands of imported milk powder were indeed contaminated with DCD (Based on a report by ITI) and two brands of locally manufactured milk powder were free of DCD. Most of other news reports in 2013, had carried similar stories. [...] The official went on to state that there were number of sample tests of Fonterra and other daily brands (both local and foreign) since 2013 and all resulted DCD in permissible levels. The official went on to say that DCD test reports of 2013 are really out of context in current scenario, as no DCD has been detected in milk brands recently. However, along with Ministry of Health ITI continues to test the DCD level in milk powder and annually around 250-300 samples are being tested even in current scenario.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2008-07-24): occluded controlled release plant nutrients, such as fertilizers mixed with waxes, resins or other inert materials and formed into particles; and products containing water soluble nitrogen such as ureaform materials, urea formaldehyde products, methylenediurea (MDU), dimethylenetriurea (DMTU), and dicyanodiamide (DCD). [...] a maximum crude fat guarantee in the guaranteed analysis immediately following the minimum crude fat guarantee in addition to the mandatory guaranteed analysis information as specified in part 1510.2530, subpart 1, item A; and the comparative statement printed in type of the same color and style and at least one-half the type size used in the claim. A comparison on the label between products in different categories of moisture content, for example, less than 20 percent, 20 percent or more but less than 65 percent, 65 percent or more, is misleading.
Claim: Misleading Claims On DCD Levels In Milk Powder (Social Media Users, 2020-12-05)
Evidence (2013-08-22): The court order was issued within days of news that Fonterra had been ordered by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health to recall two batches – totalling 39 tonnes – of its Anchor brand milk powder, after tests conducted by the country’s Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) detected levels of dicyandiamide (DCD) in the batches. [...] Concerns about DCD first emerged in January 2013, when it was revealed that low levels of the substance had been discovered in samples Fonterra milk powder. DCD, which is a chemical applied to pasture by farmers to prevent nitrate seeping into rivers and lakes, has never been considered to be a food safety risk, but there is no international standard for it in food.