Showing posts with label rape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rape. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

End To Killing Of Children, UN Committee Urges

THERE are 468 million children worldwide living in armed conflict zones, according to Save the Children’s research, accounting for about 20% of the world’s 2.4 billion children population, based on UNICEF’s statistics. One out of every five children worldwide are living within armed conflict zones.

Read more from Scoop Media
Press Release: UN Treaty Bodies
Dated Tuesday, 21 November 2023, 1:30 am - here is a copy in full:

End To Killing Of Children In Armed Conflict, UN Committee Urges


World’s Children Day
20 November 2023


GENEVA (20 November 2023) – With one out of every five children worldwide living within armed conflict zones, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child marks World Children’s Day in a sombre mood and calls for ceasefires and a return to basics of humanitarian law to safeguard all children. The Committee today issued the following statement:


“World Children’s Day has generally been regarded as a day to celebrate the gains made since the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Thirty-four years later today, it, however, has become a day for mourning for the many children who have recently died in armed conflict. 


More than 4,600 children have been killed in Gaza in only five weeks. This war has claimed the lives of more children in a shorter time and with a level of brutality that we have not witnessed in recent decades.


The Committee has previously urged for a ceasefire. Unfortunately, the UN Security Council has not put its weight behind that call. While the 15 November 2023 resolution of the Security Council calling for humanitarian pauses and corridors is a positive step by the international community, it does not end the war that is waging on children – it simply makes it possible for children to be saved from being killed on some days, but not on other days.


There are 468 million children worldwide living in armed conflict zones, according to Save the Children’s research, accounting for about 20% of the world’s 2.4 billion children population, based on UNICEF’s statistics.


On World Children's Day, the Committee also wants to underscore that while the armed conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is at the forefront of our minds, we remain acutely concerned that thousands of children are dying in armed conflict in many parts of the world, including in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, Haiti, Sudan, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. Verified figures show that in 2022, the global figure of children killed or maimed was 8,630. Of deep concern is the fact that up to 4,000 children were denied humanitarian access last year. 


Given the current situation in Gaza, the number of child victims of these grave human rights violations is rising exponentially.


The plight of girls affected by armed conflict is also at a crisis point. In Sudan and Haiti, there are verified reports of abduction and rape of girls, and concerns have been raised by the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children about the deterioration in access to humanitarian services is driving girls towards being recruited by armed groups.


Children of so-called ‘foreign fighters’ are a further area of concern. The Committee has recommended in three complaints under its communications procedure that children in the camps in Northeast Syria should be repatriated. 


While some States have acted to return children and their mothers, an estimated 31,000 children are still living in abysmal conditions in the camps. The Committee also remains very concerned about boys who are being separated from their mothers when they reach early adolescence, as well as several hundred boys who are in prison.


The Committee recognises World Children’s Day in a sombre mood. In the face of wars affecting children around the globe, we call again for ceasefires, for a return to the basics of humanitarian law, and for thorough investigations by competent authorities of all grave violations against children in the context of armed conflict.”


View original: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2311/S00140/end-to-killing-of-children-in-armed-conflict-un-committee-urges.htm


[Ends]

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Sudanese fleeing Khartoum couldn't handle 2 weeks of what Darfuris have endured over the past 20 years

Tom Bateman @tombateman: But Hosna says she must find nearly US$500 per ticket, as the men running the routes from Khartoum to the border have raised the fares 20-fold due to the demand to escape. Now the poorest are being left behind, the most likely to pay with their lives. 2/2

Monday, August 26, 2019

Sudan Darfur: Widespread epidemic of ethnically-targeted gang rape of girls and women continues

Here is a copy of a tweet with interesting maps posted by Eric Reeves @sudanreeves 25 Aug 2019:  The epidemic of sexual violence in Darfur continues, as the rape of girls and women remains a central weapon in ethnically-targeted war against non-Arab populations.  And not just N Darfur: hese maps indicate just how  widespread this heinous crime is: https://wp.me/p45rOG-1Qy 
To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/sudanreeves/status/1165710404665917441

Saturday, August 24, 2019

S. Sudan: UN rights experts see little headway on peace deal amid spike in local-level violence

UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan:  “The lack of progress in establishing transitional justice mechanisms...is delaying accountability and reparation – Commission member Barney Afako”

Article from and by UN.org
Dated Friday 23 August 2019
South Sudan: UN rights experts see little headway on peace deal amid spike in local-level violence

A United Nations expert group looking at human rights in South Sudan said on Friday that it is “deeply concerned” that, although the overall armed conflict has waned, there has been little progress in adhering to the peace agreement that guided the country thus far.
Photo: Child Soldiers are released in South Sudan in July 2019 as the country's efforts towards peace continue. Credit UNMISS\Nektarios Markogiannis

“Civilians with whom we spoke still raised numerous concerns that they feel are barriers to sustainable peace,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, reporting from Juba on the panel’s seventh field mission, currently under way through 29 August and which includes South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

During their visit, the three Commissioners listened to South Sudanese women, men and children express numerous concerns, including the localization of conflict linked to land, resources, and cattle; and inefficiencies in implementing the Revitalized Peace Agreement, which, signed by the warring parties in September 2018, has been commended as a significant development toward the dawn of peace.
Photo: The UN Commission on Human Rights in Sudan (from left) Yasmin Sooka, Chair, Andrew Clapham and Barney Afako (2018), by UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan /Twitter screen grab

They are also worried about deteriorating living conditions for the internally displaced, security and the continued shrinking space for civic engagement, among many other concerns.

“Despite the numerous challenges we heard, we were encouraged by the fact that committees composed of military and civil actors have been formed to improve civil-military relations and support local justice and reconciliation in Yei River state, where civilians could raise dispute resolutions,” said Commissioner Andrew Clapham.

“Such mechanisms that facilitate communication between armed actors and civilians could be replicated in other locations where violent conflict and violations have been witnessed in the country,” he added.

Little redress for sexual violence
Apprehension over continued impunity for sexual and gender-based violence, which is still at an all-time high, was another major concern – as survivors of sexual violence remained with only limited access for redress.

In Bentiu, the Commission heard testimonies of sexual violence from women who are waiting to share their stories with an accountability mechanism.

“The lack of progress in establishing transitional justice mechanisms, including the Hybrid Court, the commission for truth, reconciliation, and healing and the compensation and reparation authority, which are to be complemented by customary and other community-centred mechanisms, is delaying accountability and reparation for these and other crimes,” said Commission member Barney Afako.

He continued, underscoring that “so long as the voices of victims and survivors are not empowered, and these mechanisms not put in place, it is highly unlikely that South Sudanese women, men, girls, and boys will be able to witness a lasting peace”.

Overcome delays
In closing, the Commission stressed the importance of overcoming delays regarding the Revitalized Peace Agreement, and encouraged the positive work being carried out by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee.

The current mission will continue until Monday, after which the Commissioners will separately visit Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya until 29 August.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an independent body mandated by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to, among other things, determine and report the facts of and clarify responsibility for alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence, with a view to ending impunity and providing accountability.

The Commission will present an oral update on the human rights situation in South Sudan to the Council on 16 September and a comprehensive written report in March 2020.

To visit original article click here: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/08/1044831

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Sudan Gov RSF Janjaweed - UN cooperation with Arab League ‘pivotal’, UN chief tells Security Council

Sudan: Top UN official demands cessation of violence and rape against civilians by security forces

United Nations (UN) Press Release - June 14, 2019

Despite restrictions on communications in Sudan reports of serious human rights violations have emerged since the beginning of the month.
NEW YORK, United States of America, June 14, 2019 -- Following recent reports of attacks and rape by security forces and paramilitaries against the pro-democracy protesters in Sudan who have been holding a sit-in outside army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, expressed “grave concern” on Thursday and called for an “immediate and complete” end to the violence.

According to her Office, despite restrictions on communications in Sudan, reports of serious human rights violations have emerged since the beginning of the month.

These include reported rapes and gang rapes of protesters, women’s human rights defenders and women medical personnel working in hospitals near the sit-in perpetrated by the “Rapid Support Forces” or RSF – a paramilitary group run by the Sudanese Government, primarily composed of the Janjaweed, a party to the Darfur conflict – and other militias.

“I demand the immediate and complete cessation of all violence against civilians including sexual violence,” stated Special Representative Patten, noting that the RSF have consistently been listed in the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on conflict-related sexual violence.

“[They] should take effective measures to prevent and punish sexual violence in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2467,” she added.

After the three-decade autocratic rule of President Omar al-Bashir ended in a military takeover in April, talks faltered in May between protesters and the ruling Transitional Military Council over a timetable for civilian rule.

On 3 June, security forces and paramilitaries fired on pro-democracy protesters holding a sit-in outside army headquarters in the capital Khartoum, leaving a number of people dead and many more injured. Three days later, the African Union suspended the participation of Sudan in all its activities until the effective establishment of a civilian-led transitional authority.

Pending verification of the alleged incidents by relevant UN bodies, Ms. Patten highlighted the fact that “the weakness of the rule of law and a general climate of impunity” is further compounding a highly-volatile context.

“I urge the prompt investigation of all credible allegations of sexual violence and accountability for those responsible,” said the Special Representative, adding that she strongly supports the rapid deployment of a United Nations human rights monitoring team to examine the situation on the ground.

She also called upon the international community, including members of the UN Security Council, to use “all possible diplomatic channels with leaders of Sudan to pave the way for a swift transition to a civilian administration and an end to all forms of violence and intimidation against civilians”.

On Tuesday, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), sounded the alarm over the killing and injuring of dozens of minors in the protests backlash.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations (UN).
SOURCE: United Nations (UN)

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UN cooperation with the Arab League is pivotal

GLOBAL problems require global solutions that rely on “essential” partnerships, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday (13 June 2019), stating that “our cooperation with the League of Arab States is pivotal”. 
Full story: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/06/1040481 
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At Arab League Summit, UN chief reaffirms strong link between UN and people of Arab world
Photo: League of Arab Nations / Video screengrab - United Nations Secretary-General delivers his remarks remarks to the Summit of the League of Arab States, Tunis, 31 March 2019.