Human rights

Human rights, inherent to all individuals regardless of nationality, sex, ethnicity, or any other status, play a pivotal role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations. These 17 global targets, established in 2015, envision a future where poverty, inequality, and climate change are eradicated, with human rights at the core. Goal 1, for example, aims to end poverty in all its forms, a direct echo of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, asserting the right to an adequate standard of living. Similarly, Goal 5 of the SDGs, aimed at achieving gender equality, is intimately linked with the human right to non-discrimination, as stipulated by Article 2 of the Declaration. Climate action, Goal 13, is interconnected with the rights to life, health, and development, making climate change not just an environmental issue, but a human rights issue. The eradication of hunger, goal 2, links with the right to food, and quality education, goal 4, enshrines the right to education. Each SDG, directly or indirectly, resonates with one or more human rights, demonstrating the inextricable tie between them. The realization of human rights, in turn, contributes to the achievement of the SDGs, as it leads to social justice, peace, and sustainable development. Thus, any strategy for the successful implementation of the SDGs must place a particular emphasis on the respect, protection, and fulfillment of human rights. It is vital to recognize that the SDGs and human rights are not separate agendas, but intertwined elements of a broader, universal commitment to a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive world.

The nature of armed conflict throughout the world is intensely dynamic. Consequently, the protection of non-combatants and the provision of humanitarian services must continually adapt to this changing conflict environment. Complex political affiliations, the systematic use of explosive weapons and sexual violence, and the use of new communication technology, including social media, have created new challenges for humanitarian actors in negotiating access to affected populations and security for their own personnel.
In this conversation of the “World We Want” podcast series, RELX’s Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, Dr Márcia Balisciano, talks to Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu about leadership.
Women and children bear substantial morbidity and mortality as a result of armed conflicts. This Series paper focuses on the direct (due to violence) and indirect health effects of armed conflict on women and children (including adolescents) worldwide. We estimate that nearly 36 million children and 16 million women were displaced in 2017, on the basis of international databases of refugees and internally displaced populations.
In this second conversation of the “World We Want” podcast series, RELX’s Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, Dr Márcia Balisciano, talks to Mary Robinson about leadership.
Scene from South-East Asia, woman walking past a building
LexisNexis Legal & Professional has created a rule of law impact tracker using a range of data sets. The rule of law impact tracker is an interactive tool which quantifies the relationship between the rule of law and social and economic development. The rule of law plays a vital part in underpinning all of the SDGs and in particular the targets of SDG 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Background: Sexual dysfunction and sexual distress are common during pregnancy, but the effects of exposure to sexual violence on sexual dysfunction and sexual distress in pregnant women is unknown. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of sexual violence on female sexual dysfunction and sexual distress. Methods: This is a descriptive study. Data were collected between December 2019 and April 2020 from 605 pregnant women.
Elsevier,

Forensic Science International: Reports, Volume 2, December 2020, 100121

Contributing to SDGs 3, 5 and 16, this paper examines the demographic profile of female victims with intellectual disablities who were sexually assaulted and the characteristics of sexual assault.

Background: Research has revealed that survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) have elevated sexual dysfunction and distress. Nevertheless, a vast majority of studies examining sexual dysfunction and distress among CSA survivors were conducted among women only, and the moderating role of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms between a history of CSA and sexual dysfunction and distress is yet to be investigated.

Background: Stay-at-home orders (lockdowns) have been deployed globally to control COVID-19 transmission, and might impair economic conditions and mental health, and exacerbate risk of food insecurity and intimate partner violence. The effect of lockdowns in low-income and middle-income countries must be understood to ensure safe deployment of these interventions in less affluent settings. We aimed to determine the immediate impact of COVID-19 lockdown orders on women and their families in rural Bangladesh.
Background: Stay-at-home orders (lockdowns) have been deployed globally to control COVID-19 transmission, and might impair economic conditions and mental health, and exacerbate risk of food insecurity and intimate partner violence. The effect of lockdowns in low-income and middle-income countries must be understood to ensure safe deployment of these interventions in less affluent settings. We aimed to determine the immediate impact of COVID-19 lockdown orders on women and their families in rural Bangladesh.

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