Tag: human rights

Citing information received, 10 experts issued a joint statement saying that systemic racism in childcare institutions between the 1940s and 1990s, has “resulted in the higher institutionalization rate of children of African and Irish descent”. During their prolonged time there, children were exposed to heightened risk of corporal punishment, sexual, physical and verbal abuse, with lifelong consequences, including infringing their… Read More

The finding came in the first report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which was set up in March this year, at the request of Human Rights Council Member States. Much of the Commission’s work focused on investigations in the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Sumy, where allegations of the most serious rights violations were made against… Read More

In their first, extensive report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said that they believed that crimes against humanity had also been committed in the on-off war that erupted in the northern region in November 2020. #HRC51 | Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia told the Human Rights Council that it found reasonable grounds… Read More

The UN chief was speaking in New York at an event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.  Countries are meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly to critically assess progress of the landmark document.  ‘Outright inaction and negligence’  Mr. Guterres was… Read More

Presenting its new report to the Human Rights Council 51st session, the Working Group on the use of mercenaries said that this was due to the particularity of the perpetrators and the way they operate. They also noted that the proliferation of mercenaries, contractors operating as soldiers for hire and private security companies in conflict, post-conflict and peacetime settings, has increased the… Read More

Despite commitments and measures taken by the government, the human rights situation there has not changed in a substantial and sustainable way, said Fortuné Gaétan Zongo, who was appointed on 1 April as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi. “It is crucial and urgent to initiate reforms and a credible and inclusive democratization process in Burundi to avoid a recurrence… Read More

“Civic space is shrinking. Distrust and disinformation are growing. And polarization is undermining democratic institutions,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in his video message marking the day.  Raise the alarm He said that “now is the time” to raise the alarm, and “reaffirm that democracy, development, and human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing”. “Now is the time to stand up for the… Read More

In the wake of their on-going war in Ukraine, Mary Lawlor also urged authorities to repeal “restrictive and discriminatory laws”, and reiterated her and other experts’ call made in July, against the Russian ‘civil society shutdown’.  “I…continue to be concerned about the use of the criminal provisions introduced shortly after the invasion of Ukraine to target critical voices. Under the… Read More

Just over 200 days since Russia invaded its neighbour, acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif said that throughout Ukraine, “the suffering of the civilian population continues”. The special Independent Commission Of Inquiry On Ukraine is due, for the first time, to deliver its findings on possible war crimes to the Council on 23 September. In particular, it was tasked with investigating… Read More

The latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and international human rights group Walk Free, revealed that last year, some 50 million people were living in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriages. “It is shocking that the situation of modern slavery is… Read More