 users and researchers.
It looks like JXTA supports seamless behind-the-NAT operation by using dedicated relay nodes (I’m not a JXTA expert by any measure, so I might have gotten this wrong). We could probably add something like that to FreePastry if there’s great enough demand, but such a scheme will have an impact on the ultimate scalability of the network (e.g. with many users relying on a few relays, we’re no longer adding resources to the network proportional to the demand on the network).
I agree that port forwarding is highly unpleasant; it would be nice to do away with it entirely. However, plenty of home Internet users have figured out how to get multiplayer games and other p2p apps running behind their firewalls (either by fiddling with ports or just by checking the “DMZ” box on their router configuration); FeedTree’s setup cost is no greater.
Oh, and, yes, the publisher needs a GUI. Working on it!
Thanks for writing, Dan. You’re right that JXTA is a super-peer network, so it doesn’t scale quite as well as a pure peer one. However, one thing you might be able to do to distribute the load is to have any non-NATed peers self-promote themselves to be JXTA relays. That way you’re not dependent on a few dedicated relays. Your resources will grow along with the number of users, but not at the same rate. I am working on implementing a scheme like this myself, so I can’t say for sure yet how well it works or how difficult it is to do. It’s just a thought."Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers" (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 19). (Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art. 13)
Children and freedom of expression in a nutshell
Freedom of expression is rarely part of children’s rights advocacy – at least as a stand-alone issue - yet it is critical for the realisation of all children’s rights (as well as for our work here at CRIN!). In fact, this right is a good marker for gauging perceptions of children in any society, because the extent to which children are able to express their opinions and feelings can show how much they are recognised as rights holders. And if children are restricted from holding or expressing opinions, or from receiving information through the media (subject to certain, limited, exceptions), how can they describe the ways in which their rights are being respected, fulfilled and respected, or, on the other hand, infringed? Similarly, organisations and media outlets such as CRIN must, in all countries in all regions of the world, feel secure in the knowledge that the information they disseminate will not be subject to unreasonable interference.
Since 3 May is marked as Press Freedom Day, reminding people about the significance of the right to freedom of expression, it serves as a good opportunity to explore the meaning and relevance of this right for children, an opportunity that CRIN will take up each year on this date.
The right to freedom of expression, embodied in article 13 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is closely linked with article 12 on the right to participate. However, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has noted that, while both articles are strongly linked, they do elaborate different rights. In their most recent General Comment on Article 12, the Committee said:.”
On the other hand, the Committee continued, “Article 12…relates to the right of expression of views specifically about matters which affect the child, and the right to be involved in actions and decisions that impact on her or his life.”
The Committee also noted the different obligations created by the different articles. It said:.”
Several other articles within the Convention on the Rights of the Child also relate to freedom of expression. Article 17 is particularly relevant, and addresses the media. It requires States to  14 requires States to respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Article 15 is also crucial for the realization of the right to freedom of expression. It is concerned with the rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly. Restricting children’s right to associate will, of course, also restrict their right to express themselves.
Children’s right to freedom of expression has also been articulated elsewhere, according to different thematic areas. For example the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment 3, on HIV and AIDS, states that children should be given the opportunity to speak out about their experiences of HIV and AIDS.
Violating children’s freedom of expression - examples
In Turkey, a report describes how children have been detained for exercising their freedom of expression. Examples include the cases of a ten-year-old detained for giving Kurdish lessons to other children, and a 13-year-old put on trial for saying “God damn you” to the Prime Minister. The president of the Human Rights Association (İHD) in Adana, southern Turkey, was put on trial after publicly criticising the arrest and punishment of children taking part in demonstrations. He was investigated for "spreading PKK propaganda", but is now on trial for "inciting hatred and hostility."
In Georgia, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed concern at the lack of legal guarantees for the freedom of expression of under 18s and the inadequate attention given to the promotion of and respect for the right of the child to freedom of expression. It is concerned that prevailing traditional societal attitudes, in the family and in other settings regarding the role of children, appear to make it difficult for children to seek and impart information freely.
In the Maldives, the Committee has expressed its concern that access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources is limited for children. It noted “with particular concern that due to the lack of libraries in the atolls children have very restricted access to reading material.”
In Timor-Leste, the Committee notes that “many children in the State party have only limited access to mass media and other sources of information.”
In Sudan, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) called on authorities to unblock access to the country’s vote monitor website, which had been partially or totally blocked for the past six days. A spokesman for the site said: “Our technology is the closest thing to a real-time snapshot of what is happening on the ground during the elections. Users will have access to up-to-date information including streaming video from all over Sudan, everywhere from an election centre in Khartoum to a polling station in Juba, or a remote corner of the country.”
In Honduras, six journalists have been killed since the beginning of 2010. Luis Antonio Chévez Hernández, 22, a presenter with Radio W105, was murdered in the north-west city of San Pedro Sula on 13 April. In some incidents, the children of reporters have been targeted and even killed.
In Venezuela, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has raised the issue of access to information for minority groups. It states that “indigenous children and children of Afro descendants do not receive sufficient information relevant to their needs.”
In the Republic of Korea, in 2003, the Committee said it was “concerned at the limitations on students’ freedom of expression and association due to strict administrative control of student councils and school regulations that limit or prohibit outside political activities of students in elementary and secondary schools. It is further concerned about allegations that Internet chat rooms, set up independently by teenagers, have been arbitrarily closed down by the authorities.”
In Malaysia, the Committee said it was “concerned that the right of the child to freedom of expression, including to present complaints publicly and to receive information, and the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly are not fully guaranteed in practice.”
“Severe restrictions” on the right to freedom of expression, and the lack of a free media, in Eritrea, have been blamed for limited children’s access to information.
In Jordan in May 2009, Human Rights Watch reported that newly proposed amendments to the 2008 Law of Societies did not rectify major deficiencies that violate the right to free association, in particular children's right to associate.
Restricting children’s freedom of expression
There are situations in which children’s right to freedom of expression may be restricted. For example, there is international concern about children’s access to harmful material on the internet, or to websites through which children may be placed in danger. See, for example, the UN-European initiative to protect children online. Strict rules also govern the release of information in the media which may lead to the identification of particularly children, especially when such children have, for example, suffered some form of abuse. However, such restrictions should be balanced with children’s right to receive and impart information through different media.
In fact, arguments couched in child-protecting language have frequently been used as grounds for child rights violations. For example, in Lithuania, the State parliament was criticized for backing a bill that censors certain information, including on homosexuality, from reaching minors. The law, described by an MEP as “a spit into the face of European values”, bans “propaganda for homosexuality and bisexuality” as one of the “detrimental effectors” on children. It would also apply to “other places accessible to youngsters”. Amnesty International warned that the law could be used to prohibit any legitimate discussion of homosexuality, impede the work of human rights defenders and further the stigmatisation of, and prejudice against, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Lithuania. "This law is a