World news in brief: IMO tanker attack warning, UN Women on new Afghanistan law, counter-terrorism in Vietnam, Paralympic technology
“The risk of an oil spill, which poses an extremely serious environmental hazard, remains high,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, noting that the tanker was carrying about 150,000 tonnes of oil.
“There is widespread concern about the damage such a spill could cause in the region,” he added.
‘Unacceptable attack’
Referring to the situation involving the MV Sounion oil tanker that was attacked while transiting the southern Red Sea, he said “this is another unacceptable attack on international shipping, endangering the lives of innocent seafarers”.
Since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023 following Hamas-led attacks on Israel, Yemen’s Houthi forces have carried out attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in the besieged enclave on ships with ties to Israel.
“Merchant ships delivering essential supplies and the seafarers who serve on board must be able to travel freely around the world unimpeded by geopolitical tensions,” he said, reiterating his call for “an immediate end to the illegal, cowardly and unjustified attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea region.”
Mr. Dominguez expressed gratitude to all those involved in the rescue effort who ensured the safe evacuation of all crew members, noting that IMO is in contact with national, regional and United Nations organizations as well as other relevant parties regarding the ongoing incident and will closely monitor the situation.
UN Women deeply concerned about Afghanistan’s new morality law
United Nations Women issued a statement on Wednesday expressing deep concern about the Taliban’s new morality law targeting women, which imposes sweeping restrictions on personal conduct, “effectively eradicating women from public life.”
The gender equality agency said the law on “promoting virtue and preventing vices” deepened severe restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, including requiring women to cover their entire body and face, and banning women from speaking out in public.
Women are also forbidden from associating with non-Muslims, using public transport alone, and looking at men to whom they are not related by blood or marriage.
More than 70 laws erode women’s rights
In the three years since taking power, the Taliban have imposed more than 70 edicts, directives and decrees on Afghan women and girls, depriving them of basic rights.
According to a new UN Women survey, only one percent of women surveyed felt they had influence over decision-making in their community, 64 percent said they did not feel safe leaving their homes on their own, compared to two percent of men, and eight percent said they knew at least one woman or girl who had attempted suicide since August 2021.
“UN Women stands in solidarity with all Afghan women and girls subjected to these measures and we will continue to work with our partners to support the full realization of their rights,” the statement concluded.
Vietnam under scrutiny for alleged misuse of anti-terrorism laws
For Vietnam, where the government has been accused of abusing anti-terrorism laws alarm reminder from leading independent rights experts.
In a warning about the treatment of indigenous Montagnards and Christian religious minorities in the Southeast Asian nation, human rights experts have highlighted a mass trial by a mobile court that convicted 100 people on terrorism-related charges.
The hearing was held in response to attacks on two police stations in Dak Lak province last June, which left nine people dead.
Independent rights experts, including Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorismasserted that the government had incited militia from a majority ethnic group to “pursue” suspects believed to be from the Montagnard community.
Torture, forced confession
“Some detainees were subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment during detention, including forced confessions. One detainee also died in detention… following torture,” the experts, who reported to Human Rights Council in Geneva and is not a United Nations employee.
They explained that the 100 defendants convicted were “mostly charged with vague and overly broad terrorism offences” in the mass trial. They asserted that the circuit court “lacked a clear legal basis and was not independent of political influence”.
As the 2024 Paralympic Games get underway in Paris, the head of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has pushed for greater access to so-called “assistance technology” tools that many people with disabilities rely on.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said equipment, including running blades, wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs, were of immense importance to today’s Paralympic athletes, “but around the world, many people still lack access to vital assistive technology due to high costs and low availability”.
Integration with primary care
Tedros called on governments, donors and civil society to “prioritize these neglected but important products by integrating them into primary care programs” in the name of universal health coverage, a key Sustainable Development Goal.
WHO estimates that more than 2.5 billion people today lack access to assistive technology. Only 5 to 35 percent of the 80 million people who need wheelchairs actually have access to them, depending on where they live, and only one in 10 people who need hearing aids have them.
