Niger’s Military Coup Triggers Child Marriages, Sex Work in Neighboring Countries
‘Living in Fear’: Landowners in Uganda’s Oil Field on Brink of Eviction
Human Wrongs Watch
When Mugisha Jealousy Mulimba learned that the government of Uganda was dragging him to court, he expected justice. But he says he has realized these courts are being used to deprive him of his rights to a fair hearing and the right to fair and adequate compensation for his land and property. —
Germany Confirms Its Collaboration with Genocide
Human Wrongs Watch
By Rick Sterling – TRANSCEND Media Service*
A three-day Palestine conference in Berlin was forcibly shut down after three hours on Friday [12 Apr]. Electricity was abruptly terminated in the midst of the presentation by Salman Abu Sitta, the 87 year old author of the authoritative “Atlas of Palestine”.
Rick Sterling
Former Greek Finance Minister and leader of DIEM25, Yanis Varoufakis, was prevented from entering Germany to attend the conference.
He went on Twitter/X to send a message, “Do you know that the German Interior Ministry has just banned me from entering Germany? Indeed if that were not enough, I have been banned from talking to you via zoom, or indeed through a video message like this, exactly like this. The threat being that I will be tried in Germany for breaking German law. Why?
Israeli Settlers, Soldiers ‘Wiping Palestinian Communities Off the Map’ in the West Bank
Human Wrongs Watch
By Jake Johnson | Common Dreams – TRANSCEND Media Service*
“While the attention of the world is focused on Gaza, abuses in the West Bank, fueled by decades of impunity and complacency among Israel’s allies, are soaring.”
17 Apr 2024 – Israeli soldiers have either passively watched or participated in the uprooting of at least seven communities in the West Bank since October of last year, Human Rights Watch said today [17 Apr 2024] in a new report documenting surging settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territory. Continue reading
First Person: ‘Our tears are dry, we are exhausted’ – Youth Voices in Haiti
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — A youth activist in Haiti has described how years of gang violence, kidnappings and insecurity in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has forced their “tears to run dry”.
© UNOCHA/Giles Clarke | Daily life continues on the streets of Port-au-Prince, despite the insecurity.
The security situation has worsened in the Caribbean country since then. In the first three months of 2024, over 2,500 people have been killed or injured due to gang violence, according to the United Nations mission in the country, BINUH.
‘Barbaric’ Sexual Violence in Sudan
Human Wrongs Watch
Joint Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya:
Burkina Faso: Army Massacres 223 Villagers
By Human Rights Watch*
Undertake Prompt, Independent Inquiry with AU, UN Assistance
(Nairobi) – The Burkina Faso military summarily executed at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages on February 25, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today [25 April 2024].
These mass killings, among the worst army abuse in Burkina Faso since 2015, appear to be part of a widespread military campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with Islamist armed groups, and may amount to crimes against humanity.
‘Blistering Temperatures’ across Gaza Bring New Misery and Disease Risk to Rafah
Human Wrongs Watch
“It is like living in a greenhouse, no-one can tolerate living inside,” the UN agency said, quoting Mustafa Radwan, formerly from Gaza City, in a social media post on X.
282 Million People in 59 Countries Experienced High Levels of ‘Acute Hunger’ in 2023
Human Wrongs Watch
Joint Report by EU/FAO/IFAD/UNHCR/UNICEF/WB/WFP*
Rome, 24 April 2024 (FAO)* – According to the latest Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), nearly 282 million people in 59 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute hunger in 2023 – a worldwide increase of 24 million from the previous year.
Livestock-holding farmers and herders in Rafah, Gaza Strip, receive animal fodder distributed by FAO to support local food production in April 2024. ©FAO / Yousef Alrozzi
This rise was due to the report’s increased coverage of food crisis contexts as well as a sharp deterioration in food security, especially in the Gaza Strip and the Sudan.
Likud Party Charter (1977) – Eretz Israel
Human Wrongs Watch
By Michael Brenner – TRANSCEND Media Service*
Likud Charter:
The Right of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel)
- The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable and is linked with the right to security and peace; therefore, Judea and Samaria will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty. Continue reading
US Vetoes Palestine’s Request for Full UN Membership
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — The Security Council rejected Palestine’s request for UN membership on Thursday [], with the United States casting a veto.
In a vote of 12 in favour to one against, with two abstentions, the Council did not adopt a draft resolution that would have recommended the General Assembly to hold a vote with the broader UN membership to allow Palestine to join as a full UN Member State.
The draft resolution is among the shortest in the Council’s history: “The Security Council, having examined the application of the State of Palestine for admission to the United Nations (S/2011/592), recommends to the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”
Will a Two-State Solution Include Palestine as a UN Member State?
Human Wrongs Watch
But one lingering question remains: will the two-state solution include– or exclude– Palestine as a full-fledged UN member state? Continue reading
Sexual Violence and Severe Hunger Surge as Sudan War Passes One Year
Human Wrongs Watch
Fawzya*, 26, was travelling towards the border with Chad to escape the violence that had engulfed her hometown in Sudan, when fighting broke out just in front of her.
War in Sudan Is ‘A Crisis of Epic Proportions’ As Atrocities Abound
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — The year-long ongoing war in Sudan is “a crisis of epic proportions”, and the world must rethink the way it supports the Sudanese people amid rampant atrocities against civilians and no end in sight, top UN and African Union officials warned the Security Council on Friday [].
The Sudanese people have endured “unbearable suffering” since the conflict started just over a year ago when an outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “brutally interrupted the political transition”, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said.
Europe Climate Change Shocks Cause 94% Spike in Heat-Related Deaths: World Meteorological Organization
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Climate change shocks caused record levels of disruption and misery for millions in Europe in 2023 with widespread flooding and severe heatwaves – a new normal which countries must adapt to as a priority, the UN weather agency said on Monday [].
Haiti: Children Are Suffering Not Just from a Lack of Schooling but also Through Witnessing Violence
Human Wrongs Watch
© UNOCHA/Giles Clarke | A mother helps her child to study at the Delmas 4 Olympique Boxing Arena where they are now sheltering.
United Nations Continues to Face Aid Access Denials in Gaza
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — UN-coordinated food convoys are three times more likely to be denied access to north Gaza than other aid convoys, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported on Tuesday [9 April 2024].
Israeli authorities have not given a clear reason why, said OCHA Spokesperson Jens Laerke, speaking during the regular briefing by UN humanitarian agencies in Geneva.
“They very often deny and that is it, and it ends there. We do not get an explanation,” he said.
Over 8.5 Million Sudanese Have Been Forced to Flee Their Homes
Human Wrongs Watch
‘Fear and loss’ multiplies in Sudan exodus
Thousands more are arriving by the day, agency spokesperson Olga Sarrado told journalists at the regular news briefing in Geneva.
Security Council Urged to ‘End the Bloodshed’ in Gaza
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — The President of the UN General Assembly appealed on Monday [8 April 2024] for “all those with leverage” to use their power to bring an end to the six-month-long war in Gaza.
© WHO | A group of children get together in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza strip.
Dennis Francis convened the UN’s most representative body, comprising all 193 Member States, following the Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution put forward by the United States last month.
The debate was triggered by a 2022 Assembly resolution that calls for a meeting to be held within 10 working days whenever a veto is cast in the Council.
Developing Countries’ Government Debt Crises Loom Larger
Human Wrongs Watch
Developing countries are being blamed for having borrowed and spent irresponsibly. But they have only been doing what foreign powers and financial interests have urged them to do. –
Since the 2008 global financial crisis, developing nations have been told to borrow massively from private finance, even at exorbitant interest rates, to scale funding up ‘from billions to trillions’.
With progress towards sustainable development often in reverse, servicing external debt now blocks progress. Many governments have cut back spending in line with conditions or advice from powerful foreign economic agencies.
Current account tales
Many still believe all national economies should have trade or current account surpluses with others – typically citing Germany’s and Japan’s post-war booms. But of course, not all countries can have surpluses simultaneously.
Every Two Minutes, a Woman or Girl Dies Due to Pregnancy or Childbirth, with the Vast Majority of These Tragedies Preventable
Human Wrongs Watch
How UNFPA helps mothers around the world embrace their right to good health and safe pregnancy
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 5 April 2024 (UNFPA)* -– Everyone has the right to health; and for women and girls, one aspect of this fundamental promise is the right to safe motherhood.
Yet every two minutes, a woman or girl still dies due to pregnancy or childbirth, with the vast majority of these tragedies preventable.
Mother Makes 200Km Emergency Trip across Rural Madagascar to Save Baby
Human Wrongs Watch
“I thought I was going to lose my baby and die on the journey to hospital.”
The chilling words of Samueline Razafindravao, who had to make the harrowing hours-long trip to the nearest specialist hospital in Ambovombe town in the Androy region of southern Madagascar after it became clear she might lose her child if she did not seek urgent medical attention.
People in Northern Gaza Forced to Survive on 245 Calories a Day, Less than a Can of Beans – Oxfam
Human Wrongs Watch
Minuscule amount is less than 12% of the average daily calorie needs
The destruction was caused by the Israeli airstrikes in Al Remal neighbourhood in the middle of Gaza City during the 4th day of the escalation | Source: OXFAM: https://www.oxfam.org/en/what-we-do/emergencies/gaza-crisis-appeal.
(OXFAM)* 3 April 2024 — People in northern Gaza have been forced to survive on an average of 245 calories a day – less than a can of fava beans – since January, as Israeli forces continue their military onslaught. Over 300,000 people are believed to still be trapped there, unable to leave.
Interview: How Hate Speech Triggered Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — In April 1994, a sinister call was broadcast over radio stations across Rwanda, triggering the start of 100 days of genocide that left more than one million people dead. Henriette Mutegwaraba heard that call.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe | Henriette Mutegwaraba, survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and founder of the Million Lives Genocide relief fund, addresses the commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide.
“Every time I talk about it, I cry,” she told UN News, describing how propaganda spread messages of hate that sparked a deadly wave of unspeakable violence. She lost 60 family members and friends in the mass slaughter. Continue reading
Gaza: ‘Systematic Dismantling of Healthcare Must End’: World Health Organization
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — With the largest hospital in Gaza largely destroyed and out of action, access to healthcare has now become “totally inadequate” following six months of brutal fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday [].
What Is UNRWA? Why Has Israel Long Sought Its Demise? What Is the US Actually Supporting in Defunding UNRWA?
Human Wrongs Watch
By Daniel Horgan – TRANSCEND Media Service*
UNRWA IS THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR REGISTERED PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
Displaced Palestinians preparing food to break the fastin the centre of Deir al-Balah, Middle Areas, Gaza Strip, April 2024 @ 2024 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra
Following the 1948 War between Israel and Arab neighbors, UNRWA was established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) on December 8th, 1949 to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees. The Agency began operations on May 1st, 1950. Continue reading
Haiti: Gangs Have ‘More Firepower than the Police’
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Some of Haiti’s gangs have bigger arsenals than the police as criminal groups are becoming “stronger, richer and more autonomous” by using arms trafficking to fuel their growth, according to UN experts.
UNODC | Firearms confiscated during border checks.
Planning the Post-War Reconstruction and Recovery of Gaza
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — The destruction wrought across the Gaza Strip by Israel in the six months since the massacre of Israeli and other citizens by Hamas on 7 October 2023 makes for grim reading – over 33,000 people killed and, according to the World Bank, over one million Palestinians are without homes, close to 90 per cent of health facilities have been damaged or wrecked and schools have been destroyed or turned into shelters for the newly homeless.
Gaza: ‘No protection’ for civilians, aid workers…’
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Aid officials called on the Security Council on Friday [] to step in to stop the carnage in Gaza as the war enters its sixth month amid a man-made famine, Israel’s constant bombardment, targeted killings of aid workers and Palestinians civilians and “zero accountability” for the perpetrators.
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UN in Geneva to Partially Shut Down –for Second Time– Due to Cash Flow Crisis
Human Wrongs Watch
In the earlier cutbacks, some of the Geneva offices remained closed or partially closed from 20 December last year to 12 January 2024. Continue reading
‘The World Is Bigger than 5’
Human Wrongs Watch
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, PhD, Former President of the Republic of Mauritius
The title of this piece is not mine. –
It’s from the President of Turkiye calling for a reform of the United Nations Security Council.
It has since become a motto in the UN reform campaign encapsulating the shared resentment at a global system that gives the five Permanent members – The P5 of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia – unfair and often destructive veto powers that undermines the very ideals for which the UN was established. Continue reading
Explainer: Feeding Haiti in Times of Crisis
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Almost five million Haitians are going hungry and need food assistance, according to recent UN figures, but the violence and related insecurity created by heavily armed rival gangs operating mainly in the capital are posing more questions about how to make sure those beleaguered people get enough to eat, now and in the future.
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WFP Haiti/Theresa Piorr | Farmers in the south of Haiti are struggling to get their goods to markets
Israeli Forces Are Blocking Aid Deliveries into Famine-Stricken Northern Gaza
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Israeli forces are blocking aid deliveries into famine-stricken northern Gaza as the five-month-long war grinds on despite recent strong demands from the top UN court and the Security Council for open aid access into the enclave and for a temporary ceasefire and the return of all hostages taken in October, as the UN plans an assessment mission into Al-Shifa Hospital, which had been occupied by Israeli troops for two weeks.
Eight Ways to Overcome the Waste Pollution Crisis
Human Wrongs Watch
When improperly managed, much of that refuse—from food and plastics to electronics and textiles—emits greenhouse gases or poisonous chemicals.
This damages ecosystems, inflicts disease and threatens economic prosperity, disproportionately harming women and youth.
On 30 March, the world will mark the International Day of Zero Waste.
Living in the Rubble: Alaa’s Harrowing Story of Displacement
(UNRWA)* — Alaa is a young teenager from the Zaytoun neighborhood in the Gaza Strip. She and her family, along with most of the population in Gaza, have been displaced to Rafah, all searching for safety from Israeli bombardments.
Living in the Rubble: Alaa’s Harrowing Story of Displacement
Rafah is now overrun with internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter. Home to only 300,000 people before the start of the war, it now hosts some 1.5 million Palestinians.
Alaa’s story of displacement, fear, and sadness is shared by hundreds of thousands of other children.
“Haïti must rise from her ashes”
Human Wrongs Watch
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haïti, 28 March 2024 (UNFPA)* -– The National Institute for Midwifery in Haïti’s capital usually trains around 80 midwives per year, who go on to help thousands of pregnant women deliver their babies safely.
But when armed gangs stormed and looted the institute in Port-au-Prince at the end of February, students and staff fled in terror; many are not sure if or when they will ever be able to return.
With the latest alarming upsurge in gang violence, health facilities are coming under near-constant attack, stripped of their equipment, medicine and even ambulances.
World Squanders Over 1 Billion Meals… a Day
Human Wrongs Watch
Nairobi, 27 March 2024 (UNEP)* -– Households across all continents wasted over 1 billion meals a day in 2022, while 783 million people were affected by hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity.
Food waste continues to hurt the global economy and fuel climate change, nature loss, and pollution. These are the key findings of a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report published today, ahead of the International Day of Zero Waste.
First Person: ‘We Had to Avoid Stepping on the Bodies in the Streets’ in Darfur
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Sudan, and Darfur in particular, are facing a humanitarian and security crisis after a war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), although ethnic conflicts in Darfur date back more than two decades.
Fatima*, a resident of the city of El Geneina in West Darfur state, where thousands of people have been reportedly killed, escaped with her family across the border as rival militias battled for control of her city.
“We were trapped inside our house for more than 57 days while militias systematically targeted and killed people based on their ethnicity. They did not spare women, children or elders.
Palestine: West Bank Movement Restrictions Make Life Harder for Residents and Aid Organisations
‘Cataclysmic’ Situation in Haiti; Immediate, Bold Action Needed
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Immediate and bold action is required to tackle the “cataclysmic” situation in Haiti, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report issued on Thursday [28 March 2024].
© CAPAC/Jean Vadler Presume | Children in Haiti line up for a hot meal and water distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Port-au-Prince.
Corruption, impunity and poor governance, compounded by increasing levels of gang violence, have eroded the rule of law in the Caribbean country and brought state institutions close to collapse.
The impact of generalised insecurity on the population is dire and deteriorating, severely affecting human rights. Continue reading
There Are “Reasonable Grounds” to Believe that Israel Is Committing Genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — There are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories said on Tuesday [26 March 2024].
Francesca Albanese was speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where she presented her latest report, entitled ‘Anatomy of a Genocide’, during an interactive dialogue with Member States.
“Following nearly six months of unrelenting Israeli assault on occupied Gaza, it is my solemn duty to report on the worst of what humanity is capable of, and to present my findings,” she said.
Gaza: ‘Double-Digit’ Number of Children Reported Killed Overnight
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Intense hostilities in Gaza continued on Tuesday [] between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces with a “double-digit number of children killed overnight” and ongoing aid delivery obstacles that are responsible for near-famine conditions, UN humanitarians said.
Abandoned Children Growing Problem in Northern Syria
Human Wrongs Watch
He was returning from work on December 10, 2023. He stopped momentarily, turned on his mobile phone flashlight to investigate, and spotted a baby girl, around one month old, wrapped in a white blanket, lying by the roadside.
Occupied West Bank: Unlawful Discharge of Untreated Wastewater from Israeli Settlements Destroys Palestinian Lands and Livelihoods
Human Wrongs Watch
By the Norwegian Refugee Council*
A new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has laid bare the devastating environmental and economic consequences of the unlawful discharge of untreated wastewater from Israeli settlements into Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank.
In both sites researched for the report, wastewater, including human sewage and animal waste, flowing from illegal Israeli settlements for long distances has damaged crops and knocked agricultural Palestinian lands out of use.
One in Three Migrant Deaths Occurs en Route While Fleeing Conflict
Human Wrongs Watch
Geneva/Berlin, 26 March 2024 (IOM)* –- As the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project marks its ten-year milestone, a new report reveals alarming trends in migrant deaths and disappearances over the past decade.
More than one-third of deceased migrants whose country of origin could be identified come from countries in conflict or with large refugee populations, highlighting the dangers faced by those attempting to flee conflict zones without safe pathways.