We feel forgotten, say Yazidis battling sex-slavery

An activist helping girls from the Yazidi minority of Northern Iraq escape sexual enslavement by ISIL fighters worries his people are being forgotten. Thousands of members of the Yazidi community were captured and sold into slavery last year by the terrorist group. At briefing at UN headquarters on ISIL and its impact on women, the testimony from one young victim who had been sold into slavery, and then raped was particularly gripping. Matthew Wells reports:

UN agencies band together on LGBTI issues

Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, violates more than their human rights – it also results in lost development and economic opportunities. That’s according to 12 UN agencies that issued a joint statement Tuesday. The statement highlights the link between human rights abuses against LGBTI people and socio-economic challenges. Veronica Reeves spoke to Charles Radcliffe from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and asked him to explain the significance of the joint statement.

US actress represents trafficking victims’ “truth”

The American actress, Mira Sorvino, is using her position as a UN Goodwill Ambassador to publicize the “truth” behind the trafficking of women and men. Ms Sorvino was at UN headquarters this week to discuss how criminal justice policies can better reflect the needs of women as part of the newly adopted global development agenda. Daniel Dickinson began by asking her about the scale of human trafficking worldwide.

Presenter: Veronica Reeves

Production Assistant: Sandra Guy

Duration: 10’00″