"VIOLENCE"

More than 11,600 children crossed the Central Mediterranean Sea to Italy without their parents or legal guardians between January and mid-September 2023. This is an increase of 60 per cent compared to the same period last year, where around 7,200 unaccompanied or separated children made the perilous crossing. UNICEF

Addressing the Security Council about migrants in the Mediterranean, the Head of the UN Refugee Agency in New York, Ruven Menikdiwela, said, “Saving lives at sea and providing humanitarian assistance is one of the most basic obligations of humanity, and those performing rescue operations or helping in good faith should not be penalized for doing so.” UNIFEED / FILE

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is on track to have record levels of verified grave violations against children for a third consecutive year in 2023. UNICEF

La Porte-Parole du Haut-Commissariat des Droits de l’Homme, Ravina Shamdasani, a dit, “Nous lançons aujourd’hui un appel pour le déploiement d’une mission multinationale de soutien pour aider la Police nationale haïtienne à lutter contre le cycle de violence systémique dans la société haïtienne.” HCDH

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said, “A multinational security support mission needs to be urgently deployed to help the Haitian National Police combat the cycle of violence which has permeated all levels of society and exacerbated a dire security and human rights crisis.” OHCHR

The International Organization for Migration appealed for governments in Central America and Mexico to collaborate to address the immediate humanitarian needs of people on the move as unprecedented numbers of vulnerable migrants transit through the region while also working on long-term solutions to tackle the drivers of migration. IOM

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is “deeply concerned” by escalating tensions and clashes in parts of northern and eastern Mali, including Timbuktu, Gao and Menaka, a UN spokesperson said. UNIFEED

Addressing the Security Council, Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that Israel currently holds 1,264 Palestinians in administrative detention, “the highest number in over a decade.” UNIFEED

A UN spokesperson said that civilians in South Sudan continue to endure ongoing violence, with 395 civilians killed between April and June this year alone. UNIFEED

A recent Brazilian Supreme Court ruling in favour of a case brought by Indigenous Peoples to reject time restrictions on claiming rights to their ancestral land is very encouraging. UNTV CH