The Philippines violated the rights of women victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the Second World War by failing to redress the continuous discrimination and suffering they have endured, a UN women’s rights committee said in a decision published on Wednesday.
Although the Philippines has made gains in combatting the sale and sexual exploitation of children, greater effort needs to be made to protect them, a UN-appointed human rights expert has said.
Humanitarians are scaling up assistance in the Philippines to assist hundreds of thousands still impacted by Typhoon Rai which struck the islands seven weeks ago, the UN said on Wednesday, launching a $169 million revised appeal to meet the urgent and growing needs.
Reports of “utter devastation” caused by Super Typhoon Rai have continued to come in from the Philippines, where the UN is helping respond to urgent needs.
Philippines indigenous leader Victoria Tauli-Corpuz is not afraid of a fight.
As a young woman in the 1970s, she joined the movement to protect her mountain homeland from major dam and logging projects.
Her home was raided during martial law a decade later, but she insists it was all “fine.”
But now Ms. Tauli-Corpuz, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, finds herself on the frontline of a new battle.
Earlier this year, the Philippine authorities included her name on a list of people declared as “communist terrorists”.
Recognition from the UN for helping to alleviate the risk of flooding was met with joy and pride on Tuesday, in the English city of Salford.
The historic city in the north of England was one of eight communities recognised as Champions of Disaster Risk Reduction, by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, based in Geneva (UNISDR).
The other communities honoured are in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, Italy, the Philippines, Sudan and the Pacific island of Vanuatu.