#conflict-zones

#conflict-zones

In today's conflicts, women and girls are facing escalating violence with near-total impunity. From mass rapes in Sudan to attacks on schools and shelters in Gaza and Syria, and the segregation of women in Afghanistan, protection is collapsing as wars intensify. Speaking to Talk to Al Jazeera, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warns that violence against women is not a side issue but a front-line threat to peace and development.

"If he would truly enter into the suffering of others and stand in solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, then the world would change,'' the pope said. Leo called for "justice, peace and stability'' in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Syria, prayers for "the tormented people of Ukraine,'' and "peace and consolation'' for victims of wars, injustice, political instability, religious persecution and terrorism, citing Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso and Congo.

This short 1986 documentary follows the International Youth for Peace and Justice Tour, a programme in which teenagers from then-conflict zones around the world visited and spoke with high-school students across Canada. Capturing the tour's stop in Montreal, the director Premika Ratnam introduces viewers to teens from unstable or war-torn nations of the period - including Northern Ireland, East Timor, Namibia, Zimbabwe, El Salvador and Guatemala - as they recount their experiences. With wisdom often beyond their years, they discuss a range of hardships, from daily indignities and lack of job opportunities to witnessing torture and murder and fearing for their lives.

The number of health workers killed annually in conflicts has jumped five-fold in less than a decade, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and British Medical Association (BMA) have called for action from the UK government to fully back international criminal court (ICC) prosecutions of perpetrators. There were 175 health worker killings in conflict in 2016, rising to 932 in 2024, according to a new report from the RCN's International Nursing Academy, using data from Insecurity Insights.

The excitement of summer break reveals how vital play is for children's health; it’s not a luxury but essential for their development and well-being.

The exhibit showcases women from conflict zones who defy odds and contribute to peacekeeping efforts, chronicling their resilience through powerful imagery.