Citizens for Justice and Peace
EU policies contributing to “extreme abuse” of migrants in Libya
21-Jan-2019
According to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, the European Union’s policies are contributing to “extreme abuse” of migrants in Libya, including extortion, forced labour, arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence, the Guardian reported. HRW said that it has spoken to more than 100 detained asylum seekers and migrants, including eight children, as well…
In 2018, billionaires’ wealth increased even as wealth of world’s poorest declined: Oxfam
21-Jan-2019
A new report from anti-poverty organisation Oxfam has found that the the 26 wealthiest billionaires own as much in assets as the 3.8 billion people who comprise the poorest half of the world, the Guardian reported. According to Oxfam, billionaires’ wealth rose by $900 billion in 2018, or $2.5 billion per day, an overall increase…
20 million people in Yemen are hungry: UN official
12-Dec-2018
The United Nations’ Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock recently stated that “20 million Yemenis are hungry,” CBS News reported. Speaking after having traveled to the country, Lowcock said that there has been a “dramatic deterioration” of the situation in Yemen, and that compared to 2017, 15% more of Yemen’s…
Poverty and conflict spurring major increase in global migration: ILO
12-Dec-2018
Increasing poverty and conflict have spurred a 20% spike in the number of international migrants in a four-year period, according to a report from the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO), the Guardian reported. The ILO report indicated that “the number of people who left their home country in search of work, to join family,…
Hate crimes in Canada up by 47% in 2017
12-Dec-2018
Hate crimes in Canada rose by 47% in 2017, according to data from Canadian statistical agency Statistics Canada, Reuters recently reported. The largest increase was in crimes against Muslims; these incidents increased by more than 100%, going from 139 to 349. Crimes against Black people rose by 50%, going from 214 to 321. Crimes targeting…
Amnesty rescinds honour awarded to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi
16-Nov-2018
Amnesty International has stripped Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi of its highest honour, the Ambassador of Conscience Award, BBC reported. She was awarded the prize in 2009, while she was under house arrest. In a letter, Amnesty Secretary General Kumi Naidoo wrote, “We are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of…
Three million people have fled Venezuela since 2015: UN
12-Nov-2018
The United Nations recently stated that around three million Venezuelans have fled “economic and political crisis” in the country since 2015, the Guardian reported. New data indicates that around one in 12 Venezuelans has left due to hyperinflation, shortages of medication and food, and violence. According to William Spindler, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency…
UN official calls for stemming biodiversity loss
12-Nov-2018
“The loss of biodiversity is a silent killer,” Cristiana Pasca Palmer, executive secretary of the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), has told the Guardian, adding, “It’s different from climate change, where people feel the impact in everyday life. With biodiversity, it is not so clear but by the time you feel what is…
India saw most pollution-linked deaths of children under 5 in 2016: WHO
31-Oct-2018
According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2016, India saw the highest number of deaths of children aged under five that could be tied to PM2.5 exposure, The Wire reported. Overall, the number of such deaths in 2016 was 60,987, with the death rate for the age group being 50.8…
UN rights expert calls for global recognition of the right to a healthy environment
31-Oct-2018
According to an announcement from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN rights expert David R. Boyd called for the UN to formally recognise the human right to a healthy environment in his recent report to the General Assembly. Boyd is the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and…