Archive for August 12th, 2014

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12/08/2014

International Youth Day – Each Year 20 % of World’s Young People Experience a Mental Health Condition

Human Wrongs Watch

12 August 2014 – Each year 20 per cent of the world’s young people experience a mental health condition, the United Nations reported in a new publication launched to coincide with International Youth Day which this year shines a spotlight on the importance of mental health.

Image: United Nations

Image: United Nations

“The United Nations wants to help lift the veil that keeps young people locked in a chamber of isolation and silence,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day, stressing that mental-health should be talked about in the same way as overall health.*

He noted that lack of access to mental health services, stigma, shame, and irrational fears leave people with mental health conditions “more vulnerable to poverty, violence and social exclusion, and negatively impacting society as a whole.”

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12/08/2014

Persistent Unemployment May Leave Young People with a Sense of Growing Despair and Hopelessness

Human Wrongs Watch

12 August 2014, Geneva (ILO)*— Today some 75 million young people are unemployed globally and more than 220 million young workers are struggling for survival in the informal economy and living in extreme poverty.Young people are, on average, three times more likely to be unemployed than adults – in some places it escalates to four and five times more. Many others are disconnecting from the labour market.*

Youth unemployment | Photo: ILO

Youth unemployment | Photo: ILO

The youth employment crisis is a multidimensional crisis. This is undoubtedly a stressful time for young people and in some cases even more so for young women. The theme of this year’s International Youth Day observance “mental health matters” is, therefore, timely.

The scenario of widespread and persistent unemployment or under-employment may leave young people with a sense of growing despair and hopelessness and in a state of heightened vulnerability.The indications are that mental health difficulties have become widespread among youth in recent years. For instance, in many OECD countries up to one in four young people is affected.

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12/08/2014

World Humanitarian Day: More People Than Ever Need Help

Human Wrongs Watch

11 August 2014 – Spotlighting humanitarians who often take great risks to help communities in need, World Humanitarian Day 2014 will feature events ranging from a 5K run/walk in Mogadishu, a wreath-laying ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey, a radio talk show with disaster management experts in Papua New Guinea, and the launch of a postage stamp honoring the late United Nations humanitarian veteran Sergio Vieira de Mello.*

A ‘The World Needs More ___’ blimp flies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on World Humanitarian Day 2013. Photo: OCHA/Gustavo Oliveira

Sergio Vieira de Mello was one of the 22 people killed and more than 150 people wounded in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003.

That attack prompted the UN General Assembly to proclaim August 19 each year as World Humanitarian Day to celebrate the spirit of humanitarian work around the world.

“The recent attacks witnessed in Gaza and South Sudan is a reminder of the bravery of aid workers,” Louis Belanger, spokesperson for World Humanitarian Day 2014, told the UN News Centre, referring to the months of July and August that saw an alarming rise in the level of attacks and incidents involving humanitarian workers. “Humanitarians often take great risk to help communities in need and they deserve to be protected.”

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12/08/2014

UN Rights Council Appoints Commission to Investigate Purported Gaza Violations

Human Wrongs Watch

11 August 2014 – The United Nations Human Rights Council announced today the appointment of three members to its independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate purported violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and particularly in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began on 13 June.*

 

A young girl waiting to cross into Egypt with her family cries at the Rafah Border Crossing in southern Gaza. Egypt has opened the crossing to allow injured Palestinians to receive treatment. Photo: UNICEF/NYHQ2014-0902/El Baba

A young girl waiting to cross into Egypt with her family cries at the Rafah Border Crossing in southern Gaza. Egypt has opened the crossing to allow injured Palestinians to receive treatment. Photo: UNICEF/NYHQ2014-0902/El Baba

In a statement released this afternoon, the Council’s President, Ambassador Baudelaire Ndong Ella (Gabon), announced that the human rights body appointed Amal Alamuddin (United Kingdom), Doudou Diène (Senegal) and William Schabas (Canada) to serve as members on the international Commission. Mr. Schabas will also serve as the Commission’s Chair.

 

One child has been killed each hour in Gaza over the past two days,” Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, told the Human Rights Council. UN/Violaine Martin

One child has been killed each hour in Gaza over the past two days,” Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, told the Human Rights Council. UN/Violaine Martin

The Commission aims to establish the facts and circumstances of violations and crimes perpetrated and to identify those responsible. It will also make recommendations, in particular on accountability measures, all with a view to avoiding and ending impunity and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable, and on ways to protect civilians against any further assaults.

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