Human rights under assault worldwide: UN chief
Geneva: UN chief Antonio Guterres launched a "call to action" on Monday against rising attacks on human rights worldwide, highlighting the persecution of minorities and "alarming levels of femicide".
"Human rights are under assault," said the secretary general as he opened the UN Human Rights Council's main annual session in Geneva.
"People are being left behind. Fears are growing," he said, pointing to swelling divisions and political polarisation in many countries.
"A perverse political arithmetic has taken hold: divide people to multiply votes," he said, warning that "the rule of law is being eroded".
Guterres said civilians were being "trapped in war-torn enclaves, starved and bombarded in clear violation of international law" as well as "human trafficking, affecting every region in the world, preying on vulnerability and despair".
He also said women and girls were being "enslaved, exploited and abused", "activists tossed in jail, and religious and ethnic minorities groups persecuted" and "minorities, indigenous people, migrants, refugees, the LGBTI community vilified as the 'other' and tormented by acts of hate".
Guterres launched a "call to action" to the entire UN system, to governments, parliamentarians, the private sector, civil society and to "people everywhere".
He laid out seven areas where he said concrete action could "achieve a quantum leap in progress or avert the risk of backsliding", including boosting efforts to halt violence against women and girls -- "the world's most pervasive human rights abuse".
"We see a pushback against women's rights, alarming levels of femicide, attacks on women human rights defenders, and the persistence of laws and policies that perpetuate subjugation and exclusion," Guterres said.
"We also continue to see chronic stagnation in women's participation in political leadership roles, peace processes and economic inclusion," he said.
He stressed that work towards gender equality "starts within", pointing out that as of January 1 this year, the UN achieved "gender parity across our senior-most ranks".
"We pledge to reach gender parity throughout the UN system at all levels by 2028," he said, adding that the UN would apply "a gender perspective" to all its work.
Other areas of specific human rights focus, he said, included offering broader protections for people trapped in conflict situations, increased efforts to protect civic space, including free expression and assembly, and to recognise the rights challenges posed by the climate crisis and new technologies. (AFP)
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
