Human rights committee blames Guatemala for forcing girl who was raped to carry out her pregnancy
A former director of a government-run daycare facility she had attended as a child raped her on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 when she was 13 and no longer attended the center, but she was denied access to abortion, forced to carry out the birth and care for the child, treatment the committee compared to torture.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Humanitarian aid cuts leave victims of sexual violence in global conflicts without help, UN says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Major cuts in humanitarian aid have left victims of sexual violence in conflicts around the world without lifesaving help as clinics and shelters close, a senior U.N. official warned Tuesday. Pramila Patten, U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict, lashed out at the U.N. Security Council and the broader international community for making essential services for survivors the 'least accessible at the very moment they are needed most.' In conflict-torn eastern Congo, clinics are forced to turn away rape survivors because they aren't able to provide basic care, she said. And in conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, northeastern Ethiopia and Gaza, 'health care systems have been decimated' and humanitarian groups are having to do more with less to help victims, Patten said. She decried humanitarian assistance being slashed without naming any countries, but she was clearly referring to the United States and other major donors. President Donald Trump has decided to pull the U.S. back from its position as the world's single largest aid donor, drastically curtailing funding that kept millions of people alive around the world. Even before his move, many other donor nations had reduced humanitarian spending. Acting U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea stressed Trump's commitment to eliminating sexual violence in conflicts globally and expressed support for the work of Patten's office — but her remarks to the council made no mention of funding. Patten warned that as 'militarism is on the march and the clock is being turned back on women's rights,' organizations helping women affected by conflict 'are going from underfunded to unfunded.' 'We are told there is no money for lifesaving aid, even as military expenditure soars, and the world spends more in 24 hours on arms than it does in a year on addressing gender-based violence in conflict,' she said. Patten was presenting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' annual report on sexual violence in conflicts, which was released last week and showed a 25% increase in cases last year. The U.N. chief reported that more than 4,600 people survived sexual violence in 2024, with armed groups carrying out the majority of the abuse but some committed by government forces. The highest number of cases were in the Central African Republic, Congo, Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan. Patten stressed the unseen faces behind the figures, citing as one example a young woman who boarded a bus in Sudan's capital to collect her college diploma and was dragged off by four members of a paramilitary force, gang-raped and left unconscious in a dark alley. She became pregnant and is struggling to care for her baby and deal with her trauma. Patten said she wished she could say the U.N. Security Council and international community would take responsibility for the suffering and stand with survivors and the organizations that help them. 'I wish I could say that the donor and diplomatic community will uphold its values and hold the line on funding for protection and assistance,' she said. 'But we shall see.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iran could face European sanctions if nuclear talks not resumed
The three countries wrote in a letter to the UN and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday to raise the issue unless the Islamic Republic shows willingness to resume talks. Iran will face sanctions by the E3 - France, UK, and Germany - should they fail to resume nuclear talks with the international community, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. The three countries wrote in a letter to the UN and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday to raise the issue unless the Islamic Republic shows willingness to resume talks, the report added. The letter from the three foreign ministers - Jean-Noël Barrot from France, Johann Wadephul from Germany, and David Lammy from the UK - was obtained by the Times, said, "We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, the E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism.' A look into the snapback mechanism The snapback mechanism from the UN is a process that would reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under a 2015 deal in return for restrictions on Iran's nuclear program. The E3 reportedly threatened in late July a snapback mechanism to reimpose sanctions on the Islamic Republic if no progress is reached at the end of August. The letter comes only two months after the United States and Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites. Just over three weeks ago, Iranian deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that reimposing international sanctions on the country would only make the situation over Iran's nuclear issue more complex. Reuters contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tents abandoned as Palestinians flee Israeli advance into Gaza City
Thousands have fled parts of Gaza City in recent days amid airstrikes and advancing Israeli troops, new satellite imagery shows. Israel's advance comes as it prepares to mount a full-scale invasion of the city, where the UN says around one million Palestinians are sheltering. Satellite imagery shows that entire tent camps in southeast Gaza City were emptied between 9 and 17 August as families fled the renewed attacks. The video below shows the moment of an airstrike in southeastern Gaza City on 13 August. Sky News geolocated the footage to a building less than 200 metres from a major tent camp. Another video, taken on 15 August, shows a strike on a building right next to the camp. By the following day, almost all the camp's residents had fled, along with people sheltering at 30 other locations in the area. Fresh vehicle tracks in the area indicate extensive troop movements on the ground. The satellite image below, taken on 17 August, shows at least nine military vehicles in the streets surrounding one former tent camp. Sky News counted 58 military vehicles in the area on 17 August, including 17 bulldozers. The image below shows four IDF vehicles, including a bulldozer, parked next to the remains of one tent camp. Several nearby buildings had been levelled in the days beforehand. Between 9 and 17 August, at least 132 buildings were destroyed in less than one square kilometre of the city. It's unclear how much of the destruction was carried out by IDF bulldozers and how much was a result of airstrikes. On Monday, eyewitnesses reported that Israeli tanks had made further advances into eastern Gaza City. The advances came as Hamas said it had approved a ceasefire deal presented by mediators Egypt and Qatar. Israel has yet to respond to the proposal. Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his country's military to prepare for a full-scale invasion and occupation of the city in order to "free Gaza from Hamas". The UN has said that the invasion risks "catastrophic consequences" for the estimated one million Palestinians sheltering in the city, while UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the plan would "only bring more bloodshed". The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
