Posts Categorized: Human Rights

Human rights are for everyone

by Amelie Clemot Human rights are for everyone, no matter who you are or whom you love. – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, this year’s recipient of the Harvey Milk Medal On Friday, June 26, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the United States Supreme Court ruling that the US Constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage. He called… Read more »

Presbyterian Church (USA) submits comment to UN Human Rights Committee

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) submitted a statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the general discussion on the preparation for general comment on Article 6 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Human Rights Committee is holding a Half Day of General Discussion on the right to life in article 6 of… Read more »

Legally binding obligations to fight violence against women and girls

by Nathan Jumper On this Orange Day to witness and work for an end to violence against women and girls, here’s a proposal for another step in that effort. The United Nations Special Rapporteur* on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo, has called for the creation of a legally binding framework on violence against women and… Read more »

Elder abuse or violence against older persons?

by Willa Van Camp and Amelie Clemot On June 15, a panel discussion was held on Elder Abuse vs. Violence against Older Persons. Sponsored by the Group of Friends for Older Persons, the panel included permanent representatives of member state missions to the UN and representatives of UN programs and non-governmental organizations. The panelists discussed the… Read more »

End sexual violence in armed conflict

by Sarah Hoyle, Willa Van Camp, Amelie Clemot The General Assembly of the UN met today and named June 19th as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict. Many representatives spoke to reiterate the fact that this day should stand out from the others as a rallying cry to end… Read more »

Act now: human rights of Palestinian children

From our partners in the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness: Every year, hundreds of Palestinian children—some as young as 12 years old—are detained and arrested in an Israeli military detention system where ill treatment and abuse are widespread.   Many are taken from their families in night raids, held without charges or due process, and… Read more »

Making It Work

by Sarah Hoyle On June 10, a side event to the 8th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities featured a presentation about the Making it Work initiative. This initiative was begun in partnership with countries around the world that had developed best practices to prevent violence… Read more »

Opportunities for empowerment and inclusion

by Madeline Bacchus On June 10, a side event to the 8th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities featured a panel on Arab youth with disabilities and the opportunities of empowerment and inclusion they have. The panel addressed cases from Palestine, Syria and Morocco.  Among… Read more »

NO to Child Labour—Yes to Quality Education

by Nathan Jumper The following statement was made in June 2014 and is attributable to the President of the General Assembly at the United Nations (UN): Each year on June 12, the United Nations family observes World Day Against Child Labour. 168 million children still engage in illegal forms of labour, mostly in the informal… Read more »