Conflict-related Sexual Violence

World | Conflict and Excess
The effects of sexual violence echo across generations, through trauma, stigma, poverty, poor health and unwanted pregnancy. The children whose existence emanates from that violence have been labelled “bad blood” or “children of the enemy”, and alienated from their mother’s social group. Their vulnerability may leave them susceptible to recruitment, radicalization and trafficking. In South Sudan, sexual violence has become so prevalent that members of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan have described women and girls as “collectively traumatized”.

East Turns Stumbling Block For ‘Un’Civil Society

Indo-China | Diplomacy
“Doing good work does not give Civil Society groups immunity from laws,” said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while defending the Indian government’s crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs. This, simply put, summed up the mood of the moment: That India, under the present-day Modi government, was no longer going to put up with illegality.

Countries lacking National Plans on Security

World | Cybersecurity
Only about half of all countries have a cybersecurity strategy or are in the process of developing one, the United Nations telecommunications agency today reported, urging more countries to consider national policies to protect against cybercrime. “Cybersecurity is an ecosystem where laws, organizations, skills, cooperation and technical implementation need to be in harmony to be most effective,” stated the report, adding that cybersecurity is “becoming more and more relevant in the minds of countries’ decision makers.”

Cops Corner

India | Security
Within a week of the terror attack, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Zone 1) Vishwas Nangre Patil, distributed CDs containing edited footage of the operation inside Hotel Taj. The footage was played across all TV channels, projecting Patil as a hero as almost every shot had Patil in the frame, running from one corner to another or taking cover to fire at terrorists. He went on to give interviews to the press, talking about how he kept the terrorists engaged for six hours before reinforcements were brought in.

Human Rights of Victims of Terrorism

World | Terrorism
States have different approaches to countering and preventing the spread of terrorism, however, underpinning all actions is the need to uphold the right to life of their people. Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights explicitly articulates States’ obligations to protect the right of life of individuals under its territory, and it is this obligation that must remain central to the actions of Member States when responding and preventing acts of terrorism.