Speaking before the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk stressed that violence against women – including feminicide – had become a global emergency.
Around 50,000 women and girls around the world were murdered in 2024, most at the hands of family members, he said, amid ongoing hearings in the US Congress into the ring of child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and following the shocking case of French woman Gisèle Pellicot, who was drugged by her husband and raped by dozens of men while she was unconscious over a nine-year period:
“Does anyone think that there are not many more men like Dominique Pellicot or Jeffrey Epstein?” questioned the UN human rights chief.
Social enablers
“Such horrendous abuse is made possible by social systems that silence women and girls and insulate powerful men from responsibility.”
The UN High Commissioner expressed deep concern about the increasing number of attacks against women in public life.
“Every female politician I know tells me they face constant misogyny and hate online,” she told the council, which is the UN’s main human rights forum.
Denmark eradicates mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV
Denmark has made a major health breakthrough with Friday’s news that the country has eradicated mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV.
Without treatment, the risk of HIV transmission is 15 to 45 percent, while untreated syphilis can cause half of all pregnancies to end in stillbirth or neonatal death, according to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).
Testimony of a ‘sustained commitment’
Welcoming Denmark’s announcement, the UN agency described it as a milestone due to the Scandinavian country’s “sustained commitment” to addressing the issue, which is a major global health challenge.
WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus identified strong political commitment and sustained investment in primary care as key factors for Denmark to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of the two diseases.
With integrated maternal and child health services, “countries can protect all pregnant women and newborns from these diseases,” Tedros insisted.
Prisoner release welcomed in Belarus, but hundreds remain imprisoned in ‘alarming’ conditions
The UN group of independent human rights experts monitoring Belarus on Friday welcomed the release of more than a hundred political prisoners there, but warned of “alarming” conditions of the release, including forced expulsion.
More than a thousand remain in prison for politically motivated reasons, said the experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, who are not paid for their work and are not UN staff.
Forced expulsion and arbitrary deportation constitute a clear violation of international human rights standards, they continued.
“We urge the Government of Belarus to fulfill its human rights obligations and immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners detained for political reasons,” said Karinna Moskalenko, chair of the Group of Independent Experts.
Silence dissent
Its report, which documents violations perpetuated by Belarusian authorities since May 2020, highlights a state-led strategy to silence dissent through arbitrary arrests and detentions and subjecting detainees to torture, ill-treatment, and inhumane conditions.
The deaths of at least eight people in detention were also reported, “demonstrating the harsh conditions of detention and the denial of adequate medical care.”
The report warned that “a culture of impunity allows these violations to persist and cited “a complete lack of accountability within the domestic legal system.”
“In the absence of domestic justice, I urged the international community to take decisive action… ensuring that those responsible for these systematic violations are finally brought to justice,” the experts’ statement said.
