Archive for ‘Latin America & Caribbean’

12/10/2024

‘Today’s Generation of Girls Is Disproportionately Affected by Global Crises of Climate, Conflict and Poverty…’

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — As the world marked the International Day of the Girl Child on , a town hall held at UN Headquarters provided an opportunity for young women activists to engage directly with policymakers and offer recommendations on what they need to fully realise their rights. 

Young girls fetch water in Jampur, South Punjab, Pakistan.
© UNICEF/Juan Haro | Young girls fetch water in Jampur, South Punjab, Pakistan.
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“The importance of insisting on completely equal rights of women and young girls is an official commitment of the United Nations, but it is also a personal commitment for which we must wage a combat,” the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSCOC), Bob Rae, who hosted the meeting, stated.
12/10/2024

Over 370 Million Girls and Women Globally Subjected to Rape or Sexual Assault as Children – UNICEF

Human Wrongs Watch

First-ever estimates on sexual violence in childhood reveal alarming prevalence, with devastating impact on children.

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Silueta de una niña
UNICEF/UNI229285/Vincent Tremeau

NEW YORK (UNICEF)* – More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, according to new UNICEF estimates released on 10 October 2024.

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11/10/2024

‘Pivotal Moment’ as Violence against Children Reaches ‘Unprecedented Levels Worldwide,’ with Up to a Billion Vulnerable to Abuse

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Violence against children remains a pervasive global issue, with up to a billion children vulnerable to various forms of abuse, according to United Nations  Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.  

Poverty caused by factors including climate change can make children more vulnerable to Violence.
© UNICEF/Sukhum Preechapanich | Poverty caused by factors including climate change can make children more vulnerable to Violence.
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In a report released on Thursday [], Najat Maalla M’Jid said that violence against children had reached unprecedented levels.
11/10/2024

Haiti: Children Trapped by Criminal Violence and Hunger

Human Wrongs Watch

By Human Rights Watch*

In Haiti, hundreds, if not thousands, of children driven by rising hunger and severe poverty have joined criminal groups, where they are forced into illegal activities and face abuse, Human Rights Watch said today [9 October 2024].

A 17-year-old Carrefour resident, associated with a criminal group, stands on a terrace, gazing out over the horizon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 2024. © 2024 Nathalye Cotrino/Human Rights Watch

A recent increase in criminal groups’ recruitment of children appears to be in response to the operations of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission and the Haitian National Police.

10/10/2024

With Climate Change, Government Apathy, Who Should Kerala’s Fishworkers Turn To?

Human Wrongs Watch

Fishworkers are often invisible in discussions about climate change, yet they are at the heart of food security, feeding millions while struggling to feed their own families. Their fight for survival is not just about tradition or livelihood—it’s about justice. Shouldn’t their futures be at the forefront of climate justice debates?

The iconic Chinese fishing nets along the Kerala coast offer a picturesque scene that draws tourists from around the world. However, the fishworkers that have used them for centuries livelihoods are in peril. Credit: Aishwarya Bajpai/IPS

The iconic Chinese fishing nets along the Kerala coast offer a picturesque scene that draws tourists from around the world. However, the fishworkers that have used them for centuries livelihoods are in peril. Credit: Aishwarya Bajpai/IPS

KOCHI, India, Oct 10 2024 (IPS)* Every morning before dawn, fishworkers along the shores of Kochi, Kerala, head out to sea, casting their nets in the shadow of the iconic Cheenavala—the Chinese fishing nets that have become a symbol of their community.

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10/10/2024

Six Shocking Facts You Didn’t Know about Extreme Weather

Human Wrongs Watch

09/10/2024

‘Drought Is on Track to Hitting Three in Four People Globally by 2050’

Human Wrongs Watch

Five Drought Myths Experts Say Must Be Shattered

Stockholm, September 2024 (UNCCD)* — Drought is on track to hitting three in four people globally by 2050. Around the world, scientists and practitioners have amassed a wealth of knowledge on what it takes to anticipate, prepare for, respond and adapt to drought.

09/10/2024

‘2023, the Driest Year for World’s Rivers in over Three Decades’

Human Wrongs Watch

WMO report highlights growing shortfalls and stress in global water resources

7 October 2024 — (WMO)* — The year 2023 marked the driest year for global rivers in over three decades, according to a new report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which signaled critical changes in water availability in an era of growing demand. 
 

The last five consecutive years have recorded widespread below-normal conditions for river flows, with reservoir inflows following a similar pattern.

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07/10/2024

What Happens If Nuclear Weapons Are Used?

Human Wrongs Watch

By The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)*

Nuclear weapons are the most destructive, inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created. Both in the scale of the devastation they cause, and in their uniquely persistent, spreading, genetically damaging radioactive fallout, they are unlike any other weapons.

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A single nuclear bomb detonated over a large city could kill millions of people. The use of tens or hundreds of nuclear bombs would disrupt the global climate, causing widespread famine.

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07/10/2024

US Nuclear Tests in the Marshall Islands Between 1946 and 1958 Left Communities Displaced, Contributed to Radioactive Land and Sea Pollution 

Human Wrongs Watch

UN Human Rights Council Examines Nuclear Legacy Consequences in the Marshall Islands

A boy stands on a seawall that protects his family home from the rising seas in Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
© UNICEF/Vlad Sokhin | A boy stands on a seawall that protects his family home from the rising seas in Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
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(UN News)* — The UN Human Rights Council held a dialogue on Friday [] to examine the nuclear testing legacy in the Marshall Islands, which representatives from the Pacific nation said has left their people with some of the highest rates of cancer globally.