In the last few days, while the world has been overwhelmed by the flow of information about atrocities committed by Islamic State (IS) jihadists, public officials and local media channels have confirmed that hundreds of Yezidi and Christian women have been abducted, some of them buried alive and others subjected to rape and sexual slavery.
Operation Protective Edge and the costs of war in the latest round of the Israel-Palestine conflict have dominated all our newspaper headlines in the past month. Images of harm and horror have come to be the stock and trade of the media reporting on the ongoing hostilities. International law has been repeatedly invoked in this war, although often in ways that suggest its breach and even impotence.
“EMPOWERMENT to women around our region is something I feel is very important because we have the lowest rate of female representation at the political decision making tables of the world. So that is concern for me and am sure it is concern for many people around the world.”
Electoral commissioner of Samoa Papali'i Malietau Malietoa highlighted in a press conference on Wednesday.
A United Nations independent expert today called on the world body's General Assembly, as well as civil society, to take action against Israeli and international businesses that are profiting from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
