Archive for September, 2025

06/09/2025

Water Crisis in Gaza: Precious Drops That Save Lives

Human Wrongs Watch

By the Norwegian Refugee Council* | Text and design: Roald Høvring

Photo: Nasser Harara/NRC

Since October 2023, Israel has repeatedly attacked water facilities, wells, pipelines, desalination units and sewage systems in Gaza.

Most of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has now been damaged or destroyed by Israel’s forces, leaving 96 per cent of households without enough water to cover even basic needs.

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06/09/2025

Amid Escalating Attacks in Gaza, UN Rights Chief Calls on US to Withdraw Sanctions against Palestinian Human Rights Groups

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Sanctions imposed by the United States on three prominent and well-respected Palestinian human rights groups are “completely unacceptable and should be withdrawn”, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Friday [].

UNRWA teams in Gaza City continue to screen children for malnutrition in Gaza, where a UN-backed food monitoring group has raised alarms about famine.
© UNRWA | UNRWA teams in Gaza City continue to screen children for malnutrition in Gaza, where a UN-backed food monitoring group has raised alarms about famine.

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05/09/2025

‘Reparatory Justice’ Key to Ending Racism against Africans and Their Descendants

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Governments, academia and other stakeholders must “double down on delivering reparatory justice” for people from the African diaspora, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report published on Wednesday []. 

Most Haitians are of West African descent, mostly speaking Creole, a blend of French and African languages.
© UNICEF/Maxence Bradley | Most Haitians are of West African descent, mostly speaking Creole, a blend of French and African languages.

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05/09/2025

UN Human Rights Extremely Concerned over Escalation in Gaza City, Annexation Plans for West Bank

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — A senior official from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Thursday [] he was extremely concerned over intensifying Israeli military operations in northern Gaza – including Gaza City – and warned against any attempt to annex parts of the West Bank. 

A tent city west of Gaza City.
© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel | A tent city west of Gaza City.
 
Ajith Sunghay, Head of OHCHR’s Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), told UN News that the escalation has caused extensive destruction to residential buildings in southern parts of North Gaza governorate and in northeastern areas of Gaza City.

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05/09/2025

The ‘Unthinkable’ Is Underway in Gaza City – UNICEF

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called on Thursday [] for the international community to do everything possible to prevent catastrophe in Gaza City as Israel ramps up military operations ahead of a planned full takeover.

Families seek food at a community kitchen in western Gaza City.
UN News | Families seek food at a community kitchen in western Gaza City.

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05/09/2025

More than 1 Billion People Are Living with Mental Health Disorders

Human Wrongs Watch

By the World Health Organization (WHO)*

2 September 2025 More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), with conditions such as anxiety and depression inflicting immense human and economic tolls.

WHO / Christopher Black | Community mental health teams are one way of providing mental health care, Ukraine, 2023.

While many countries have bolstered their mental health policies and programmes, greater investment and action are needed globally to scale up services to protect and promote people’s mental health.

Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in all countries and communities, affecting people of all ages and income levels.

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04/09/2025

Q&A: Reparations for Historical and Ongoing Colonial Atrocities

Human Wrongs Watch

By Human Rights Watch*

4 September 2025 — In this Q&A, Human Rights Watch examines the application of the right to reparation to redress past and present harms stemming from colonial atrocities, including enslavement,[1] systemic racial inequalities, and other related human rights violations.

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Hundreds of people of African descent took part in the African Emancipation Day Reparations March in London, August 1, 2017.  © 2017 Wiktor Szymanowicz/Shutterstock
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It examines the right globally, not specific to one geographic or historical context. 

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04/09/2025

Rich Countries Meet Only 4% of Funds East Africa Needs to Address Climate Change

Human Wrongs Watch

By Oxfam International*

4 September 2025 — Rich countries have broken their climate finance promises to a key grouping of eight highly vulnerable African countries.
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A group of shepherds and their livestock arrive in the community of Sincaro, in the Sanag region, Somalia, where Oxfam has built a water supply system for people and animals. Credit: Pablo Tosco/ Oxfam

Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda – collectively called the IGAD region – have together received, on average, $1.7 billion annually, between 2013 to 2022, in “grant equivalents”, being the true value of climate support after interest and debt repayments.

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04/09/2025

Climate Change Is Deepening Child Poverty in Latin America and Caribbean

Human Wrongs Watch

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 4 2025 (IPS)* – 2025 has been marked by a significant escalation of the climate crisis and its effects on vulnerable populations, as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that average global temperatures could exceed the 1.5°C threshold within the next five years.
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A family prepares a banner to protest the effects of climate change on children outside their house in the village of Patzité, Quiché, Guatemala. Credit: UNICEF/Patricia Willocq

In Latin America and the Caribbean, rising temperatures and emissions continue to strain access to essential services and deepen poverty, particularly among children.

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04/09/2025

Funding Cuts Could Push 6 Million More Children Out of School – UNICEF

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Global education funding is facing sharp reductions that could leave an extra six million children out of school by 2026, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Wednesday [3 September 2025].

Young girls who have earned their high school diplomas at their school in a village in Mali.
© UNICEF/Harandane Dicko | Young girls who have earned their high school diplomas at their school in a village in Mali.

Such a decline would push the number of out-of-school children worldwide from 272 million to 278 million, UNICEF said – the equivalent of shutting every primary school in Germany and Italy combined.

“Every dollar cut from education is not just a budgetary decision, it’s a child’s future hanging in the balance,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

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