Archive for January 14th, 2026

14/01/2026

‘A Torture that Never Stops’: Sri Lanka Failing Survivors of Conflict Sexual Violence – UN

Human Wrongs Watch

By Vibhu Mishra

(UN News)* — Conflict-related sexual violence in Sri Lanka remains largely unaddressed more than 15 years after the end of the civil war, with survivors still denied justice, recognition and reparations, according to a new report by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Tuesday [].

 
A 2007 photograph showing a long shot of a man standing in a damaged, roofless structure in Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, amid conflict and displacement following the 2006 ceasefire collapse.
© UNICEF/Ron Haviv | A 2007 photograph of a standing in a from a damaged, roofless structure in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district, which saw some of the most brutal fighting during the civil war.

It concludes that a legacy of impunity for wartime abuses continues to shape the lives of survivors, many of whom suffer long-term physical injuries, psychological trauma and social exclusion.  

Titled We lost everything – even hope for justice, the report draws on more than a decade of UN monitoring and consultations with survivors, civil society and experts.

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14/01/2026

UN World Court Begins Landmark Hearings on Rohingya Genocide Case against Myanmar

Human Wrongs Watch

By Vibhu Mishra

(UN News)* — Public hearings opened on Monday [] at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a landmark case brought by the Gambia against Myanmar, alleging violations of the Genocide Convention over the military’s treatment of the Rohingya minority.

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Newly arrived Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, walk ashore at Shamlapur beach in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, after a 5-hour boat journey from Myanmar.
© UNICEF/Patrick Brown | In this September 2017 photograph, a Rohingya man carrying his two children wades ashore in Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, after fleeing Rakhine state on a rickety boat across the Bay of Bengal.
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The proceedings, held at the Peace Palace in The Hague, mark the start of the merits phase in the case, after years of preliminary legal arguments.

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14/01/2026

Gaza: A Ceasefire that Still Kills Children Is Not Enough: UNICEF

Human Wrongs Watch

By Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer

(UN News)* — Airstrikes, drone attacks and hypothermia continue in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 youngsters killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday [].

Workers of a WFP-supported hot meals kitchen distribute food in Khan Younis, Gaza. The kitchen prepares over 11,000 daily meals for families affected by the war, continuing to serve the community.
© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour | Children receiving a hot meal at a UN World Food Programme-supported kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza.

“These children are killed from airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones,” he said, speaking from Gaza City. “They’re killed from tank shelling, they’re killed from live ammunition, they’re killed from [remote-controlled] quadcopters.”

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14/01/2026

Gaza: ‘Ongoing Rainstorms Are Damaging and Destroying Fragile Shelters, Leaving Large Numbers of Displaced People Exposed to the Cold’

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — The humanitarian crisis across the Gaza Strip remains extremely serious, with harsh winter weather threatening to reverse recent gains in aid delivery, the United Nations said on Monday [].

A young boy stands in a muddy displaced persons camp in Jabalya, North Gaza, holding a bucket. Tents are visible in the background under a cloudy sky.
© UNOCHA | A young boy walks near tents in Jabalya, northern Gaza.

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14/01/2026

Is the US Moving Towards the UN’s Exit Door?

Human Wrongs Watch

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 13 2026 (IPS)* Judging by the mass US withdrawal from 66 UN entities, including UN conventions and international treaties, is it remotely possible that the unpredictable Trump administration may one day decide to pull out of the UN, and force the Secretariat out of New York– despite the 1947 UN-US headquarters agreement?
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Credit: United Nations

Besides the 66, the withdrawals also include the pullouts from the Human Rights Council, the WHO, UNRWA and UNESCO– while imposing drastic reductions in funding for the remaining UN entities the US has not yet formally exited.

So, will the United Nations, which has come under heavy fire, be far behind?

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