Children – Sexual Abuse – Digital Space
(UN News) About 20 million children aged 12 to 17 – one in five across 21 countries – were sexually exploited by perpetrators using technology such as social media, according to a UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report released on Thursday. Key points: nearly 60 per cent of cases occurred on social media; many children do not report abuse; UNICEF calls for safer platforms and stronger laws. More than 15 million children in this age group were exposed to unwanted sexual content, nine million were asked to engage in sexual conversations or share sexual images against their will and four million had sexual images of themselves shared without their consent. UNICEF said the total figures are likely much higher. “The report reveals a painful reality,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said. “More than 20 million children across the countries studied were subjected to unwanted explicit sexual content or exploitation online, often in the digital spaces where they learn, play and connect with friends.” – One in five children in 21 nations faced tech-facilitated sexual abuse: UNICEF | UN News
Climate Action
(UN News) Fuelled by exceptionally warm Pacific waters, the El Niño climate pattern is intensifying and has yet to peak. Forecasters are almost certain it will persist through February 2027 – with unusually warm conditions expected across much of the world in the coming months. El Niño is strengthening rapidly in the Pacific Ocean, raising the prospect of months of extreme heat, floods, drought, and disruptive weather around the globe. The phenomenon, already firmly established, is expected to become “very strong” and peak around the end of the year, according to new forecasts from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The likelihood that El Niño will persist through February 2027 is now close to 100 per cent. Never before has the UN weather agency issued such an unequivocal forecast for El Niño or its cooler counterpart, La Niña. – El Niño is surging. Months of extreme heat could follow | UN News
Nepal
(UN News) More than a week after flash floods struck the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river basin in Nepal, at least 22,000 children urgently need safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene support, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday. Water systems have been damaged across affected districts, while toilets and other sanitation facilities have been damaged or destroyed, raising the risk of waterborne and infectious diseases. “Every parent in these districts is now making the same calculation several times a day,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative in Nepal. “Where can I get water, and is it safe to give to my child?” – Nepal floods leave 22,000 children without safe water: UNICEF | UN News
Sudan
(UN News) Foreign recruitment and external support networks are fuelling the brutal conflict in Sudan, independent UN human rights investigators said on Thursday in a new report, calling for accountability as fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This action is strengthening the military capabilities of the warring parties and enabling increasingly sophisticated military operations with devastating consequences for civilians, according to the report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan. The report documented the involvement of transnational entities operating in several countries in recruiting, training, and deploying foreign personnel to support the RSF, as well as facilitating the transfer of weapons, ammunition, and military technology, and providing logistical support. It also concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the SAF used foreign-supplied drones in operations that harmed civilians and civilian objects. – Outside forces fuel Sudan war, new report finds | UN News
