Women's rights

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Breaking the Chains: Eradicating Slavery through SDGs Expert Panel organized by the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery Statement by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ambassador Wilde, Distinguished panellists,Excellencies, Colleagues and Friends, We are here to mark the international day to abolish slavery. I begin by reminding everyone that slavery is not just an abomination of the past. People are enslaved, today, in every region of the world – perhaps even every country in the world. The ILO estimates that more than 40 million women, men and children are enslaved: that's more than 5 in every thousand people. Furthermore, one-quarter of the survivors who have escaped modern slavery are children, according to recent research. Almost three-quarters of the survivors are women and girls. Women and girls are forced into sexual slavery or unpaid domestic labour. They end...

Absence of consent must become the global standard for definition of rape, say experts 25 November 2019 On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN and regional experts on violence against women and women's rights* call upon all States to close the gap between international and national laws on rape and sexual violence. "In recent years, through campaigns such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #Niunamenos, #NotOneMore, and others, the voices of rape survivors, both in times of war and in peace, have placed the spotlight on this issue and have reached an upsurge that can no longer be silenced or ignored," the experts said in a joint statement. "As we look to the future, and in order to address the chilling impact that rape and sexual violence against women has on the human rights of women, urgent action must be taken by States, but also by non-State actors, as well as international organisations and independent monitoring mechanisms, civil s...

8th Forum on Business and Human Rights “Stepping up government leadership: from commitments to action” Opening Statement by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Geneva, 25 November 2019 Distinguished Vice-President of the Council, Members of the Working Group on Business, Distinguished panelists, Colleagues and friends, I am delighted to welcome you to the 8th annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights. It is very encouraging to see so many people from different backgrounds coming together to share experiences and thoughts about how to ensure protection and respect for human rights in the context of business. I particularly welcome and pay tribute to human rights defenders, and representatives of workers and communities: we heard some of their stories in the "voices from the ground" session this morning. Throughout history, business and trade have been crucial to human life – and human rights. They have brought higher standards of living a...

Concluding Message to the Geneva commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and handover to the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly Statement by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights My greetings to all the representatives of States, civil society, experts and practioners, UN colleagues – and above all, children – who are present here in Geneva in this symbolic Room XX of the Human Rights Council; who are with us online; and those present at the High-level meeting of the General Assembly, in New York. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols constitute a vital, living body of law. It has been a powerful force guiding the world to better fulfill the rights of children, and today, its 30th anniversary compels us to action. We need to take action to ensure respect for children's rights to raise their voices and participate in decisions about their lives and future. We need to tak...

Saadah Hamood Ahmed Alhuamaidi is a 16 year-old teenage girl from Yemen. In a country at war since 2015, Saadah has been defending and demanding the rights of the children who are bearing the brunt of the human rights consequences. A recent UN report estimates that a child dies due to the repercussions of war in Yemen every 11 minutes and 54 seconds. Saadah herself is visually impaired. She is a member of the Hope Foundation, which focuses on the rehabilitation of visually impaired girls. She is also a member of the Yemeni Children's Parliament*, where she represents visually impaired children. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, we celebrate children like Saadah who are dedicating their spare time to fight for the rights of the people who will lead our future: children. How are you involved with the Children's Parliament? As the representative of blind children, I raise awareness in my community about the challenges...

Amidst global insecurity for journalists and rights activists – and against the backdrop of the five-year long armed conflict in the east, the occupation of Crimea and all-pervading corruption - Ukraine has suffered from a string of attacks and killings. In most cases, impunity prevails. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine is calling for effective investigation into all cases. It is also supporting judicial and legal reforms in the country, and is advising the Government in ensuring accountability. “He was unstoppable, irreconcilable” “He was vocal on matters that others were afraid to cover, mainly on local corruption schemes. His persistence is already missing in the local media landscape,” said Valerii Makeev, a lawyer from Cherkasy, Ukraine, speaking about his late friend, journalist Vadym Komarov. In June 2019, Komarov, 55, died after a brutal attack. “I have no doubts he was killed for his work as a journalist. It is very sad to see no results of the investi...