• Human rights violations have become systematic in northern Mali, according to a senior UN human rights official who has visited the country. He says Islamic extremists who control the region have imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law. The official says there are also cases of drastic punishments including executions, amputations and public floggings. [...]
One out of every three young women between 20 and 24 was married before the age of 18, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a UN meeting on ending child marriage. The event took place on the first International Day of the Girl Child, observed on 11 October, which focused on the issue of child marriage. [...]
Many girls grow up dreaming about their wedding day. But for millions of girls across the world, the dream can become a living nightmare if they are married off while still children. In 2010, nearly 70 million girls in developing countries, excluding China, were married before they turned 18, according to the UN Population Fund [...]
Inequalities persist in Namibia 20 years after independence, according to a United Nations independent expert on extreme poverty and human rights. Magdalena Sepúlveda visited Namibia from 1 to 8 October to collect first-hand information on the situation of people living in extreme poverty in the Southern African country. During her mission, she met with the [...]
It does not make sense to sideline women who make up over 50 per cent of the world population. That's what Archbishop Desmond Tutu said at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Thursday where he participated in the observance of the first International Day of the Girl Child. Archbishop Tutu said that it [...]
Approximately 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired nearly 40 million of whom are blind, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). World Sight Day is being observed on 11 October this year to focus attention on the issues of visual impairment and what is being done to restore sight. Gerry Adams reports World Sight [...]
Too many girls around the world suffer sexual abuse and violence but they want their rights to be promoted and protected. That's the message from Michelle Bachelet, the head of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, known as UN Women, on the first International Day of the Girl Child. The [...]
The number of people who are using information and communications technology is continuing to grow, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In its Measuring the Information Society Report, the ITU says 86 out of every 100 people worldwide are mobile phone subscribers. South Korea is the world's most advanced ICT economy followed by Sweden, [...]
More than a third of the world's population is now connected to the Internet, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In its annual Measuring the Information Society Report, which tracks development in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, the ITU says 86 out of every 100 people worldwide are mobile phone subscribers. The [...]
The brutal shooting this week of schoolgirls in Pakistan highlights the lengths to which some people will go to stop girls from getting an education. Poor access to schooling is one example of how the human rights of millions of girls worldwide are being trampled on. Another is early marriage, which increases the risk of [...]
