Archive for August 1st, 2025

01/08/2025

Marital Rape: Confronting Religious Misinterpretations, Social Stigma, Despite Legal Clarity

Human Wrongs Watch

KARACHI, Pakistan, Jul 30 2025 (IPS)* “The last thing she asked for was a sip of water,” recalled Najma Maheshwari, referring to 19-year-old Shanti, a newlywed who died last week after brutal sexual violence allegedly inflicted by her husband, who is now in custody.

“Then she closed her eyes and never opened them again,” she said quietly, her voice steeped in sadness.

From beautiful bride, to victim of marital rape, this is the story of Shanti, a 19-year-old whose husband has been charged under the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act of 2013.

From beautiful bride, to victim of marital rape, this is the story of Shanti, a 19-year-old whose husband has been charged under the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act of 2013.

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01/08/2025

Yemen: Water Situation Worsens amid Scant Rains

Human Wrongs Watch

Mureshed, 75, surrounded by his grandchildren in Hajjibah camp, Yemen. Suleiman Al-Shara’abi/NRC

Low seasonal rainfall in Yemen has severely exacerbated an already dire situation, with Yemenis in both rural areas and cities struggling to access clean water, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“With every year that passes, Yemenis see their ability to access water shrink,” said Angelita Caredda, NRC’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director.

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01/08/2025

A Chance to Breathe: How Life-Saving Incubators Are Transforming Newborn Care in Somalia

Human Wrongs Watch

By the United Nations Population Fund*

MOGADISHU, Somalia – “I didn’t know if she would make it.” When Faduma Mohamed gave birth to her daughter at Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu, the silence that followed was terrifying. Her premature daughter was tiny, underweight and barely breathing. 

A health worker in a white UNFPA medical coat smiles as she holds two newborn babies in a hospital ward.
A midwife holds twins at a UNFPA-supported neonatal care health facility in Baidoa, Somalia. © Reado
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The doctors quickly transferred her to the neonatal intensive care unit, a place Faduma feared her newborn might not return from.

Just months earlier, she might not have; the hospital’s newborn intensive care unit was severely under-resourced, lacking essentials such as incubators and oxygen support machines.

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01/08/2025

On Brink of Famine, Gazans Forced to Scour Dirt for Food

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — In Gaza, UN aid teams continued their efforts on Thursday [] to help people of the war-shattered enclave by retrieving urgently needed fuel and other supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south of the Strip.

Crowds move towards an aid delivery point in the northern Gaza Strip.
UN News | Crowds move towards an aid delivery point in the northern Gaza Strip.

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