Archive for December, 2024

12/12/2024

Poland: Brutal Pushbacks at Belarus Border

Human Wrongs Watch

By Human Rights Watch*

Border Guards Use Force, Deny Access to Asylum Procedures

(Budapest) – Polish law enforcement  is unlawfully, and sometimes violently, forcing people trying to enter the country back to Belaruswithout considering their protection needs, Human Rights Watch said on 10 December 2024.

A Polish soldier patrols the metal barrier border with Belarus, in Bialowieza Forest, with migrants stranded on the Belarusian side, May 29, 2024.
A Polish soldier patrols the metal barrier border with Belarus, in Bialowieza Forest, with migrants stranded on the Belarusian side, May 29, 2024. © 2024 AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski

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12/12/2024

‘Uprooted Syrians Mulling Return Mustn’t Be Pushed’

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Syria’s historic power reset coupled with the highly volatile situation there, has increased basic needs in a country where nearly 17 million people already depended on aid, UN aid teams insisted on Tuesday [].

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A girl who fled escalating violence in Aleppo with her family arrives at a reception centre in Ar-Raqqa city, Syria.
© UNICEF/Muhannad Aldhahe | A girl who fled escalating violence in Aleppo with her family arrives at a reception centre in Ar-Raqqa city, Syria.
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For those forced to flee the country’s 13-year war, “they are considering how safe Syria is to return to, and how far their rights will be respected before they can make an informed, voluntary decision to return home; they must be given the space to do so without any pressure”, said Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
10/12/2024

Racism

Human Wrongs Watch

By Michael Brenner – TRANSCEND Media Service

2 Dec 2024 – Racism is at the core of Western societies complicity in Israeli’s genocide against the Arab Palestinians. That is self-evident.

The United States and Britain are more than accomplices; they are co-belligerents. The behavior of all has been constant over 14 months of graphic depiction day-by-day of atrocities of the most heinous kinds.

Bremmer, Michael

Racism, though, is a multifaceted phenomenon. It encompasses a wide range of attitudes and actions.

They should be parsed as a precondition for analyzing which have been operative in this case, how they shaped policies and interventions, how reconciled with the values of liberal democracies, and how sustained in the face of such glaring criminal abuses of humanity.

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10/12/2024

Haiti Gang Massacre

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — At least 184 people, including 127 elderly men and women, were killed in Haiti’s Wharf Jérémie neighbourhood of Cité Soleil over the weekend, prompting strong condemnation from Secretary-General António Guterres.

Gangs control the majority of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
© UNOCHA/Giles Clarke |Gangs control the majority of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
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According to local reports, the elderly victims were massacred under the orders of a gang leader in the area who consulted a voodoo priest after his son fell ill and died, who pinned the blame for the mystery illness on elders using witchcraft.
10/12/2024

Latin America’s Poor Are More Urban and More Vulnerable

Human Wrongs Watch

CARACAS, Dec 9 2024 (IPS)* Poverty, while declining in Latin America and the Caribbean so far this century, shows a new face, that of the looming vulnerability of the poor as they become less rural and more urban, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says in a new analysis. | En español 
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The Altos de Florida neighbourhood in southwest Bogotá shows the shift from rural to urban landscapes. Credit: UNDP

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07/12/2024

Migrants and Refugees across Latin America and the Caribbean Face Profound Challenges in Accessing Basic Needs, Safe Living Conditions…

Human Wrongs Watch

By Vibhu Mishra

UN galvanizes regional migrant and refugee response amid persistent challenges

A Venezuelan family makes the long journey from the southern border of Peru to capital Lima.
IOM/Gema Cortés | A Venezuelan family makes the long journey from the southern border of Peru to capital Lima.
 
Migrants and refugees across Latin America and the Caribbean face profound challenges in accessing basic needs, formal employment and safe living conditions, UN agencies reported on Friday [], launching a $1.4 billion regional plan to address their urgent needs.
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The Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V), co-led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced the 2025-2026 regional response plan to support over 2.3 million vulnerable individuals, including host communities, in 17 countries.
07/12/2024

Haiti: ‘Parents have no answer when their children say, I’m hungry’

Human Wrongs Watch

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(UN News)* — Haiti is facing one of the worst food crises in its history, with 5.4 million people in urgent need of assistance.

Recent escalations of violence and displacement have made an already difficult situation worse, further complicating the delivery of aid and pushing families to the brink of survival.

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06/12/2024

Saudi Arabia: ‘Giga-Projects’ Built on Widespread Labor Abuses

Human Wrongs Watch

By Human Rights Watch*

As 2034 FIFA World Cup Decision Looms, Dangers Are Clear

(Beirut, December 4, 2024) – Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia are facing widespread abuses across employment sectors and geographic regions, including at high-profile giga-projects funded by or linked to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on 4 December 2024.
A construction worker passes an advertisement for the King Salman Park gardens and canals development in Riyadh
A construction worker passes an advertisement for the King Salman Park gardens and canals development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 14, 2021. © 2021 Tasneem Alsultan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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06/12/2024

Along Their Journeys, Migrants Face “Unimaginable Violence, Hardship and Risk”

Human Wrongs Watch

By Vibhu Mishr

(UN News)* — Migration is one of the defining issues of our time, with migrants accounting for 3.6 per cent of the global population, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Thursday [], urging coordinated action to find better solutions that prioritise safety, equity and opportunity for migrants.

A group of young migrant men on the move in eastern Africa.
© IOM/Alexander Bee | A group of young migrant men on the move in eastern Africa.
 
“Migration is not just a statistic; it is the lived experience of women, men and children, each with unique identities and vulnerabilities – pursuing better lives and opportunities. But along their journeys, they face unimaginable violence, hardship and risk,” Amina J. Mohammed said, addressing an informal meeting of the General Assembly on the subject.
06/12/2024

Millions of Women and Girls Forced to Flee Face High Risk of Gender-Based Violence

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — More than 60 million women and girls worldwide who are forcibly displaced or stateless face high risks of gender-based violence (GBV), but funding for lifesaving services to support them is woefully lacking, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said.

Thousands of refugees are crossing the border  into Chad fleeing violence in Sudan.
© UNHCR/Aristophane Ngargoune | Thousands of refugees are crossing the border into Chad fleeing violence in Sudan.