Category: Human Rights

(New York) – India’s new government should reverse laws and policies that discriminate against religious minorities and other vulnerable populations and end the crackdown on civil society and the media, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi was sworn in as prime minister on June 9, 2024. The […]

(Taipei) – The Chinese government has suppressed fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong in the five years since protesters began occupying city streets on June 12, 2019, and staged months long pro-democracy demonstrations, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have since arrested over 10,000 people for their involvement in the protests, prosecuted 2,910 of them, and […]

On June 18, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, will present to the UN Human Rights Council his latest report, which powerfully calls for the Taliban to be held accountable for their crimes against women and girls. The report, issued today, examines the Taliban’s “institutionalized system of discrimination, segregation, […]

Today, the United Nations marks the first International Day of Play, designed to recognize the vital importance of play, particularly for children’s development. It’s a chance to remember what is often described as a forgotten right, perhaps because many adults view playing and leisure as a luxury, or falsely assume it’s a given in every child’s life. […]

Today, Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management, attends the high-level conference in Jordan titled “Call for Action: ‘Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza’, co-chaired by His Majesty the King of Jordan, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, with the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres. On this occasion, the […]

“When children are subjected to physical or verbal abuse at home, or when they are deprived of social and emotional care from their loved ones, it can undermine their sense of self-worth and development,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. The UNICEF data was released on Tuesday on the first-ever International Day of Play (IDOP). […]

Some 260 people were abroad the vessel that had departed from Bossaso, in northeast Somalia, in the early hours of Sunday, bound for Yemen, about 330 kilometres (about 205 miles) away. “This recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety and security […]

Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission on June 10 boldly entered uncharted waters by accusing state officials of the enforced disappearance of nine exiled Thai activists in neighboring countries. Under the military rule of Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha, who took power following a coup in May 2014, Thai authorities aggressively pursued exiled critics of the monarchy who […]

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, has issued the following statement: “Today, I represented the European Commission at the Gaza Humanitarian Summit “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza” in Amman, conveying the firm imperative to end the suffering of people in Gaza. The vast majority of the population of the Gaza strip is […]

The agency surveyed over 3500 young people in early June, the majority of whom believe their rights are rarely or never respected. “When I ask children if their rights in Haiti are being respected, the answer is often a resounding: “no”,” said Samarre Tercier Marcellin, Youth Advocate for UNICEF Haiti.  “Children are abused, die of […]