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 […]
World should send 60 million COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea, UN investigator says
Seoul, South KoreaReuters The international community should form a strategy to provide North Korea with at least 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to head off humanitarian disaster, an independent UN human rights investigator said on Wednesday. The vaccines could be a way to persuade the country to ease lockdowns that have left some of […]
Warming-hit nations get closer to creating UN climate rights envoy
London, UK/Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation A long-standing push by climate-vulnerable nations for a new United Nations’ special envoy on climate change and human rights is making headway, as leaders call for stepped-up measures to deal with the “biggest threat to human rights this century”. Since 2019, the call for a new UN special rapporteur – a […]
Failure to tackle worker abuse breeds modern slavery, UN expert warns
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A failure to hold companies to account for lesser labour abuses from late wage payments to excessive overtime creates a breeding ground for the worst forms of modern slavery to thrive, the top United Nations expert on human trafficking said. Businesses are judged only on their efforts to curb extreme forms […]
At Amazon synod, UN expert says Catholic Church still behind on gender equality
Vatican CityRNS A United Nations representative for the rights of Indigenous peoples who is participating in the Catholic bishops synod on the Amazon said Tuesday that the church still has a ways to go in terms of women’s representation. Victoria Lucia Tauli-Corpuz, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, criticised the lack […]
Togo failing in mission to eradicate child labour, says UN rapporteur
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Child labour is still widely accepted in Togo and the government is not doing enough to stop it, said the U.N. Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery in an interview on Friday. Many children in the West African country are forced into domestic servitude or hard labour at a young […]
UN raps nations for ignoring victims trafficked at home
Thomson Reuters Foundation Countries are ignoring the growing number of people trafficked within their own borders, focusing instead on the international trade in human beings, a top United Nations official said. UN special rapporteur Maria Grazia Giammarinaro said children were also increasingly vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers, be it for sex, begging or even their […]
Senior UN officials calls for restoration of internet in DRC following December election
A senior UN official has called for authorities to restore internet service in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying that a general network shutdown is a “clear violation of international law and cannot be justified”. Internet and text services were cut following the recent election in the DRC. A government spokesman has reportedly said the […]
Uzbekistan should ‘protect religious freedoms, not see religion as a threat’, says UN Special Rapporteur
World Watch Monitor Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief PICTURE: UNHCR Uzbekistan should invest more time in protecting religious freedoms in its ongoing reforms rather than see religion as a threat, a UN expert has concluded after an official visit to the country. “Resilience against religious extremism can be […]
Christian Solidarity Worldwide expresses concern over reports 122 Christians detained in Eritrea in May
Christian Solidarity Worldwide has expressed concern over reports that 122 Christians were detained in Eritrea in May as part of a crackdown on members of unregistered churches, calling it a “clear indication that the severe repression of freedom of religion or belief continues unabated” in the nation. The UK-based religious freedom advocacy says the detentions mark […]