This would effectively ban all public LGBT activities and organizations in the country.
Nine experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said the ruling takes Russia “significantly further away” from its obligations under international law to promote and protect human rights for all.
Experts sent an official letter to the Russian government on Monday, citing a continuing trend of reported state-sponsored human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other gender diverse (LGBT) people living in Russia. He outlined urgent concerns.
Bars and clubs are targeted
They reported that Russia has carried out raids in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the past few days on LGBT-friendly bars, clubs and other places frequented by LGBT people.
“Police officers wearing balaclavas stormed the premises and carried out unauthorized searches, while visitors had their IDs checked and photos taken, further risking harassment and misuse of personal information. ” said a press release issued by the United Nations Office for Rights (OCHR).
“These police actions were immediate and highly publicized and appear to be aimed at terrorizing and intimidating Russia's LGBT community,” UN experts said.
They warned that human rights defenders and organizations working to protect the LGBT community are currently being forced to shut down “for fear of criminal prosecution”, adding that many lawyers and human rights defenders who represent LGBT clients are It added that the department had already suspended its activities.
“This jeopardizes legal representation and access to justice for victims of discrimination, violence and other crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” the experts said.
“In line with the Russian president’s declared intention to keep anti-LGBT positions at the heart of his political agenda, this decision marks the latest step in a series of legislative initiatives and related actions, and provides a final warning to LGBT people. “It erodes the remaining human rights guarantees in Russia,” the expert said.
UN special rapporteurs and other rights experts are not paid for their work and act in their individual capacities without representing any government or organization.
'Unprecedented' malnutrition crisis in Africa: 75% can't afford healthy food
More than one billion Africans cannot afford a healthy diet, and nearly one in three children on the continent are stunted due to malnutrition.
These are the grim findings of a report released Thursday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the World Food Program (WFP) and the African Union Commission.
The report found that 78 percent of Africa's population (including many living above the extreme poverty threshold) lacks the means to eat a healthy diet, compared to 42 percent globally. It warns that.
One in five Africans are undernourished, reaching nearly 282 million people, a quarter more than before the COVID-19 pandemic The book says: According to this study, the prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age was 30% in 2022.
The authors say that alarming statistics showing an “unprecedented” food security and malnutrition crisis “spark new momentum for Africa's agricultural system transformation” and build agricultural systems to be more inclusive and resilient. He expressed his hope for making it sustainable.
Experts call for new focus on long-term health issues from childbirth
At least 40 million women are likely to experience long-term health problems caused by childbirth each year, according to a new study published in The Lancet Global Health and highlighted by the United Nations Health Agency (WHO). It is said to be expensive.
The study, part of a special series on maternal health, shows the enormous burden of postnatal conditions that persists for months and even years after birth.
These include pain during intercourse (known as dyspareunia), lower back pain, anal incontinence, and urinary incontinence, which affect more than a third of postpartum women.
Other symptoms include anxiety, depression, perineal pain, fear of childbirth, and second child infertility.
The authors call for greater awareness within health systems of these common problems, many of which occur beyond the point at which women typically receive postnatal services, WHO said.
They argue that effective care throughout pregnancy and childbirth is also an important preventive factor to detect risks and avoid complications that can lead to lasting health problems after birth. I am.
daily suffering
“Many postpartum illnesses cause tremendous suffering, both emotionally and physically, in women's daily lives long after giving birth, but they are largely underestimated, underrecognized, and underreported. ” said Dr. Pascal Allotey, Director of the World Center's Division of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research. Health organization.
“Women receive a wide range of services from health care providers who listen to their concerns and respond to their needs throughout their lives and into motherhood, so that they can not only survive childbirth, but enjoy a healthy quality of life. must be used.”
Despite their common occurrence, these conditions have been largely ignored in clinical research, practice, and policy, the paper notes.
The authors conclude that there are no recently published high-quality guidelines in the past 12 years that support effective treatment for approximately 40 percent of the 32 priority diseases analysed, and that there are no identified that not a single high-quality guideline could be found.