Archive for July 29th, 2021

29/07/2021

Every Country in the World Is Affected by Human Trafficking

Two girls apply makeup.

(United Nations)* — Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labour and sex. Since 2003 the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has collected information on about 225,000 victims of trafficking detected worldwide.

Globally countries are detecting and reporting more victims and are convicting more traffickers. This can be the result of increased capacity to identify victims and/or an increased number of trafficked victims.

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29/07/2021

Trafficking in Women and Girls for Sexual Exploitation, ‘One of the Most Widespread and Abhorrent Forms of Human Trafficking’

Women leave their hand prints in pink and light blue on a poster.

In the midst of a global pandemic, accompanied by rising inequalities and economic devastation, the voices of human trafficking survivors and victims risk being drowned out.

But listening to their stories is more crucial than ever as the COVID-19 crisis increases fragilities and drives up desperation.

As many as 124 million more people have been pushed into extreme poverty by the pandemic, leaving many millions vulnerable to trafficking.

Children are at great and growing risk: they represent one-third of victims globally — a share that has tripled in the last 15 years. Half of victims in low-income countries are children, most of whom are trafficked for forced labour.

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29/07/2021

Sexual Exploitation, Forced Labour, Slavery… The Voices of Human Trafficking Victims Lead the Way

Human Wrongs Watch

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – 30 July 2021

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trafficking-survivors-banner

The stories of human trafficking survivors illustrate the impact of survivor engagement and the need for victim empowerment – each story shows the motivation to engage in anti-trafficking efforts. PHOTO:United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

(United Nations)* — This year’s theme puts victims of human trafficking at the centre of the campaign and will highlight the importance of listening to and learning from survivors of human trafficking.

The campaign portrays survivors as key actors in the fight against human trafficking and focusses on the crucial role they play in establishing effective measures to prevent this crime, identify and rescue victims and support them on their road to rehabilitation.

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29/07/2021

Water Scarcity: Coming Soon

Human Wrongs Watch

HAMILTON, Ontario, Canada, Jul 29 2021 (IPS)* – In 1995, a highly-respected water expert in South Africa, Bill Pitman, in very concise terms illustrated that the country, already battling a growing lack of water then, would likely run out in 25 years if it did not increase its supply.

Water-Scarcity_

Credit: UNICEF

Twenty-five years have now passed and the country is thirstier than ever.

The recent water crisis in Cape Town is just one manifestation of the nation’s chronic water scarcity. And there is likely more water trouble ahead.

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29/07/2021

Bangladesh: Deadly Flooding, Landslides Devastate Rohingya Refugees  

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Three days of strong winds and heavy monsoon rain on sprawling refugee sites in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar have taken Rohingya refugee lives and wreaked havoc and destruction, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday [28 July 2021].

WFP/Nihab Rahman | Strong winds and heavy monsoon rain in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar have taken a severe toll on Rohingya refugees sheltering there, much as it did to the family photographed here in 2019.
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While initial reports revealed that an estimated 2,500 shelters were damaged or destroyed – affecting more than 12,000 refugees, in the last 24 hours alone, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCRsaid that nearly a foot of rain fell on camps hosting more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees. 

29/07/2021

COVID-19: Education Replaced by Shuttered Schools, Violence, Teenage Pregnancy

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — A culture of “safety, friends and food” at school has been replaced by “anxiety, violence, and teenage pregnancy”, with remote learning out of reach for millions, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, on 27 July 2021 said.

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© UNICEF/Pablo Schverdfinger | More than 600 million children globally are still affected by school closures.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “more than 600 million children in countries not on academic break are still affected by school closures”, James Elder, UNICEF spokesperson at a press conference at UN Geneva.

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