UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem on Thursday called for stronger protections for older women, warning that ageism and sex discrimination continue to leave violence, exploitation and neglect largely invisible in laws, policies and support systems. Alsalem’s Report A/81/133, entitled “Violence against older women,” highlighted persistent gaps in legal protection, [...]

World leaders on Thursday approved by consensus the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that rising seas are already threatening homes, livelihoods and the future of coastal communities worldwide. The declaration  taken during the meeting of the General Assembly in New York, marks the first UN-wide political framework devoted [...]

UN experts on Wednesday raised concern over Meta’s proposed multibillion-dollar settlement with US state attorneys general over alleged harms to children and adolescents, warning that privately negotiated agreements should not replace transparent regulation developed with participation from young people and affected communities. The experts described bringing social-media platform design within accountability mechanisms as a necessary [...]

Amnesty International on Friday accused Zambian authorities of using administrative powers to silence government critics after the passports of six opposition figures, academics and commentators were cancelled on “national security” grounds. The cancellations immediately rendered the documents invalid for travel and identification, while the government has not publicly detailed the specific security allegations against each [...]

UNICEF on Thursday reported that nearly one in five internet-using children aged 12 to 17 across 21 countries experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse within a single year, with an estimated 20 million children subjected to at least one form of abuse. The findings expose a substantial enforcement gap fewer than one percent of the [...]

Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticized Ecuador’s newly enacted adoption law, which took effect on August 14 after lawmakers approved it 118-0, saying that provisions restricting adoption by lesbian, gay and bisexual persons and permitting the loss of parental authority over certain medical decisions involving transgender children violate equality and child-rights protections. The Organic Reform [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday criticized recently adopted changes to Türkiye’s juvenile justice system that could allow children to receive life sentences, urging authorities to ensure that the treatment of child offenders remains consistent with international human rights law. The UN rights chief stressed that even children accused or convicted [...]

Amnesty International on Wednesday reported that Indigenous leaders Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán were released from Guatemalan prison and continue their criminal cases under house arrest, more than 15 months after they were detained over their role in protests that followed the country’s disputed 2023 election period. Pacheco and Chaclán were arrested on April 23, [...]

The European Commission on Friday announced that its AI Office in Brussels and national regulators will begin enforcing key provisions of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, including new duties to identify deepfakes, label AI-generated material and oversee risks linked to powerful AI systems. This move gives EU regulators greater power to inspect advanced AI models, [...]

The European Commission on Friday issued preliminary findings that TikTok failed to meet child-safety requirements under the Digital Services Act (DSA) by allowing minors’ accounts and content to remain too widely visible, including to adults and people without TikTok accounts. The commission said the current settings could expose children to unwanted contact, cyberbullying, and predatory [...]