World News in Brief: Epstein scandal highlights ‘silencing’ of women, Danish breakthrough on HIV transmission, Belarus rights update

Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Türk stressed that violence against women – including femicide – had become a global emergency.

 Around 50,000 women and girls worldwide were killed in 2024, most by family members, he said, amid ongoing hearings in the United States Congress into child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s circle and following the shocking case of French woman Gisèle Pellicot, who was drugged by her husband and raped by dozens of men while unconscious over a nine-year period:

“Does anyone think there are not many more men like Dominique Pellicot, or Jeffrey Epstein?”, the UN rights chief questioned.

Social enablers

“Such horrific abuse is enabled by social systems that silence women and girls and insulate powerful men from accountability.” 

The UN High Commissioner noted his deep concern at the growing number of attacks against women in public life. 

“Every woman politician I meet tells me they face constant misogyny and online hate,” he told the council, which is the UN’s top human rights forum.

Denmark eradicates mother-to-child transmission of syphilis, HIV

A significant health advance has been made by Denmark with news onn Friday that the country has eradicated mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV.

Without treatment, the risk of HIV transmission is 15 to 45 per cent, while untreated syphilis can cause half of all pregnancies to end in stillbirth or neonatal death, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Testimony to a ‘sustained commitment’

Welcoming the announcement by Denmark, the UN agency described it as a milestone owing to the Scandanavian country’s “sustained commitment” to tackling the problem, which is a major global health challenge.

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus identified strong political commitment and consistent investment in primary care as key factors in Denmark eradicating transmission of the two diseases from mother to baby. 

With integrated maternal and child health services, “countries can protect every pregnant woman and newborn from these diseases”, Tedros insisted.

Prisoner releases welcomed in Belarus, but hundreds remain jailed in ‘alarming’ conditions 

The group of UN independent human rights experts on Friday who monitor Belarus welcomed the release of over a hundred political prisoners there but issued a warning over “alarming” conditions for release that include forced expulsion.

More than a thousand remain in prison for politically motivated reasons, said the UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts, who receive no salary for their work and are not UN staff. 

Forced expulsion and arbitrary deportation constitute a clear violation of international human rights standards, they continued.

“We urge the Government of Belarus to abide by its human rights obligations and immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners detained for politically-motivated reasons,” said Karinna Moskalenko, chair of the Group of Independent Experts. 

Silencing dissent

Their report, which documented violations perpetuated by Belarusian authorities since May 2020, highlights a State-led strategy to silence dissent through arbitrary arrest, detention and subjecting detainees to torture, ill-treatment and inhumane conditions.

The death of at least eight individuals in detention was also reported “showcasing the harsh conditions of confinement and the denial of adequate medical care”.

The report warned that “a culture of impunity allows these violations to persist and citied “a total lack of accountability within the domestic legal system.”

“In the absence of domestic justice, it called upon the international community to take decisive action…ensuring that those responsible for these systematic violations are eventually brought to justice,” the experts’ statement said.