Jacqueline Adikini’s Post

🚨 As the debate over the proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia intensifies, we are deeply concerned by the potential reversal of decades of work invested in protecting the rights and dignity of women and girls. We stand in solidarity with survivors, activists, civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, and all those working tirelessly to end this human rights violation. #StandUp4HumanRights and see the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF joint statement: unf.pa/3Tw2MOo #EndFGM #GlobalGoals

Asking for help is not a weakness. It is the first step you must take in your healing process and when you take that step it only means you are strong and courageous enough to fight. #TogetherWeRise #EndGBV #EmpowerSurvivors #safehavencmr #EmbraceEmpowerEvolve #survivorstories UN Women United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Plan International Plan International West and Central Africa Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa African Union UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women ActionAid Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) United Nations

Child trafficking is the exploitation of girls and boys for commercial sex or labor, such as domestic servitude, agricultural work, and factory work.     At times children are trafficked by a family member or someone they know and trust, and they are lured by false promises of education and a "better" life. They are often held in slave-like conditions without enough food, shelter, or clothing, and are often severely abused and cut off from all contact with their families.     Trafficking often leads to children being forced to leave school, risk their lives, and are deprived of what they deserve - a future.  The USAID Pacific RISE-CTIP Program has partnered with Homes of Hope Fiji, a trusted organization which provides long-term care, trauma-informed therapies, and holistic training for girls, young women and children who are victims of or vulnerable to forced sex. The staff at Homes of Hope recently compiled a toolkit on countering trafficking in persons. The toolkit will be shared with other Pacific RISE-CTIP implementing partners in Fiji and the region.     In partnership with USAID, The Asia Foundation is implementing the five-year Pacific RISE CTIP program in Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga, to strengthen national responses to protect, prevent, and prosecute against trafficking in persons. #HumanTraffickingAwareness  #EndModernSlavery  #HumanRights  #AntiTrafficking  #PreventHumanTrafficking  #asia_foundation  #USAID  #USAIDpacificislands 

On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Democracy International stands with our partners worldwide in the fight against trafficking and the pursuit of justice for all. This year’s theme, “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking,” underscores the vulnerability of children globally and urges accelerated action to end child trafficking. As part of our work, Democracy International supports the Government of Armenia’s implementation of a nationwide Counter-Trafficking in Persons campaign. This initiative highlights legal changes, National Action Plan activities, consequences for TIP perpetrators, services for victims, and how to report TIP suspects. This campaign is part of the Protection, Inclusion, and Empowerment Activity, which Democracy International implements with funding from USAID. Its goal is to create awareness among vulnerable groups in Armenia, including children, youth, women, the unemployed, working migrants, people with disabilities, and individuals displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh region. #WorldDayAgainstTrafficking #EndHumanTrafficking #LeaveNoChildBehind #Armenia

❓Many humanitarian professionals ask us how #Communities and broader Accountability to Affected Populations approaches (#AAP), converge with Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (#PSEA) at community level, and about the benefits of bringing these 2 areas of work closer in practice. A lot know it makes sense but are not sure how to do it. 🌍Based on UNICEF’s experience in 15 countries We in UNICEF developed this #technical #brief to guide our teams on how to do it. But the brief can also relevant for anyone else outside of UNICEF if working in humanitarian action and looking to strengthen community-focused approaches for AAP and PSEA (and in particular those working for organisations where PSEA and AAP are led by different people). In this tech brief you can find topics like: 👉 Community participation in the design and monitoring of AAP and PSEA approaches. 👉 Communication with communities to build awareness for both AAP and PSEA. 👉 Complaints and feedback handling to responding to both non-sensitive and sensitive community reports/complaints. Check it out and let us know if this was helpful! Thanks Emily Rogers for this brilliant piece of work! #AAP #PSEA

𝐇𝐑𝐂 𝟓𝟓: 𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 The Special Representative of the Secretary-General presented her report on the violence against children at the Human Rights Council on 13th March 2024. Millions of children have been identified as suffering from violence, child labour and trafficking all over the world, triggering irreversible trauma. Ms. Najat Maalla M'jid, the former Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, raised alarms over the situation children separated from their family, and lacking access to resources, find themselves in. Children’s vulnerability to poverty and exploitation is of high concern. Her report combined data on children on the internet, children in relation to environmental risks, and children on the move. She urgently called for the State's commitment in strengthening investments and advocating for the protection of children’s rights as a duty of international human rights law. The European Union’s statement emphasised the need to connect countries together. Regarding children on the move, Belgium recommended the facilitation of access for children seeking asylum, the condemnation of discrimination, as well as difference of treatment. The urgent need to uphold the 2030 Sustainable goals and the obligations of the Convention of the child in times of armed conflict and international instability is incontestable. The dire situation and pervasive insecurity experienced by the children of Gaza necessitated urgent action and increased awareness of the realities on the ground. The United States emphasised the important role of NGOs and the necessity for intervention and regulatory policies that promote the freedom and interest of the child on a global basis. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 (𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐉) condemns the torture and trauma perpetrated on children and urges the States and international community to gather all ressources available to promote children’s rights, especially those exposed to armed conflicts, poverty, or separated from their families. #Geneva4Justice #GenevaInternationalCentreforJustice #ChildrensRights #ViolenceAgainstChildren #ChildTrafficking #ChildProtection #HumanRightsLaw #NGOs #ConventionOnTheRightsOfTheChild #GazaChildren

How can we better support the health and well-being of children living in refugee settings? Findings from the first-ever #HVACS4Health suggest that we need intensified sexual violence prevention efforts during childhood years, interventions that respond to both physical and emotional violence in refugee contexts, and more. Explore other recommendations for violence prevention to keep #EveryChildSafe: https://lnkd.in/eiU5hKSx Together for Girls, Baobab RPC, Population Council - Kenya

Child trafficking remains a critical issue during times of conflict. The United Nations Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict has released a groundbreaking study that explores the links between child trafficking and the six grave violations against children in armed conflict: recruitment, sexual violence, abduction, killing, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access. The risks to children in this context are deeply gendered, with young girls often facing sexual exploitation and forced marriage, while boys are predominantly recruited into armed groups. These trends create a relentless cycle of abuse that has a devastating effect on children in conflict zones. Addressing these issues is crucial to breaking this cycle and ensuring the protection of all vulnerable children. Strategic Goal 4 of the Santa Marta Group aims to promote international laws and commitments to combat human trafficking. By advocating for stronger legal frameworks, we can ensure that protections are established and actively enforced, thus safeguarding the rights of vulnerable children during times of conflict. It is vital to address these challenges to achieve sustainable peace and security. We must collaborate in our efforts to combat child trafficking and uphold the rights of the child. UNICEF #UN #HumanTrafficking #ModernSlavery Read the full report at: https://lnkd.in/dM9FUFVY

Although men account for most victims of reported violence worldwide, and dominate labour trafficking figures, they remain largely ‘unseen’ in anti-trafficking and financial inclusion efforts during conflicts and crises.     This problem is particularly acute for men who are disabled; refugees or migrants; homeless; of diverse sexual orientation, gender identify, and expression; or from a racial minority group. Modern slavery risks for these ‘diverse men’ during times of crisis are known to be largely under-appreciated in data, practices, policy, and funding.     A new FAST report, in collaboration with United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) and All Survivors Project, seeks to address this knowledge gap. It focuses on two country case studies – Haiti and Poland – to explore how international policy and guidance is impacting national policy and local actors in their work to implement gender-responsive actions for preventing #modernslavery and financial exclusion.    The findings help to identify and shape several recommendations – designed to enhance efforts to combat modern slavery and promote financial inclusion, inclusive of diverse men, during times of crisis. Access the report here: https://lnkd.in/eE7F6hQY #HumanTrafficking #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth #EndHumanTrafficking #EndTrafficking    

Roundtable on Combating Antisemitism ✔ A joint event featuring leading speakers and innovators in advocacy and combating antisemitism was hosted by the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency's Diaspora Affairs Department, and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. While the solutions discussed were similar to those discussed earlier that week at the roundtable, what made this event stand out was the participation of gap year students from Mexico, providing interesting insight. At a special panel focused on preventing online antisemitism, FOA Executive Director Tomer Aldubi highlighted the concerning rise in antisemitism since the war's outbreak, emphasizing the organization's high removal rate achieved in the same period. He added that NGOs of all sizes and new initiatives must work together to fight antisemitism, including the Israeli government, with multiple departments dedicated to antisemitism, which he believes is excessive This conference was a great catalyst for networking and brainstorming ways we can make an even bigger impact. #antisemitism #combatinghate #roundtablediscussion #advocacy #innovation #jewishagency #worldzionistorganization #ministryofdiasporaaffairs #onlineaddres #FOA #NGOs #collaboration