UN expert decries “mass arbitrary detention” of children in Syria
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters A United Nations expert voiced concern on Friday that tens of thousands of children were being detained arbitrarily in north-eastern Syria based on their alleged ties to Islamic State and in violation of international law. Fionnuala Ni Aolain, a UN Special Rapporteur, said a day after returning from the region that she was […]
Ethnic tensions in India’s north-east forces evacuation of thousands to guarded camps
Guwahati, IndiaReuters Authorities in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur have evacuated some 20,000 people to camps under army protection to prevent escalation of ethnic violence just days after clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups. There have been incidents of looting and arson in parts of the remote state bordering Myanmar in recent days and at […]
Earthquake death toll passes 46,000; desperation for signs of life
Antakya/Kahranmanmaras, Turkey Reuters More than 46,000 people have been killed in the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria and the toll is expected to soar, with some 345,000 apartments in Turkey now known to have been destroyed, and many still missing. As Turkey attempts to manage its worst modern disaster, concerns were growing over the […]
US-backed report says Russia has held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children for “re-education”
Washington DC, US Reuters Russia has held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children – likely many more – in sites in Russian-held Crimea and Russia whose primary purpose appears to be political re-education, according to a US-backed report published on Tuesday. The report said Yale University researchers had identified at least 43 camps and other facilities […]
Not just churches: In the US, camps are also prone to child sexual abuse
RNS Day and overnight camps are a staple of summer, a welcome relief for working parents. But they can also present opportunities for sexual predators. Last week, Noah Paradis, 19, a staffer at a LifeWay camp in Arizona, was arrested on five counts of inappropriate touching. PICTURE: Liam Macleod/Creative Commons The abuse allegedly took place during CentriKid Camp, which was held at […]
Hundreds of refugees and Roma homeless in Italian eviction drive
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation Hundreds of migrants and Roma have been left homeless following two days of evictions in Italy, as its interior minister said on Wednesday that he was restoring order to the country. Volunteers running the Baobab camp in Rome said that police forcibly evicted about 150 refugees and undocumented migrants on Tuesday […]
COLOMBIA: DESPERATE VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS FACE HOMELESSNESS AS CAMP CLOSES
ANASTASIA MOLONEY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from Bogota, Colombia, on the closing of a camp for Venezuelan immigrants…
Christian summer camps closed down, priests dismissed, in China
World Watch Monitor China has closed several Christian summer camps for children and dismissed two priests for holding a camp, reports Catholic news agency UCAN. The two priests belonged to one of the only two unregistered Catholic churches in Tianshui diocese, in China’s northwest Gansu province. Young people playing at a Christian summer camp in 2008. PICTURE: […]
Plant trees in refugee camps to stop forest loss and conflict, UN says
Thomson Reuters Foundation With a record 69 million people driven from their homes by war and persecution, the United Nations this week urged countries hosting large numbers of refugees to plant more trees as deforestation risks denuding landscapes and triggering conflict. Four out of five people who flee their homes rely on firewood for cooking […]
TRAFFICKING: LURED WITH A HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER DREAM, ROHINGYA GIRLS SOLD IN INDIA
ROLI SRIVASTAVA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from India…