Myanmar's military raided the Yangon headquarters of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party late Tuesday, officials said, as the United States (US) joined the United Nations (UN) in "strongly" condemning violence against protesters demanding a return to democracy.The latest assault on Myanmar's civilian leadership came as anger at last week's coup and the detention of Suu Kyi by the generals has driven hundreds of thousands of people into the streets, defying a j

The centre of Washington was in lockdown Thursday as more than 20,000 armed National Guard troops were mobilized following the deadly assault on the Capitol and the threat of more violence at the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden.Police Chief Robert Contee said the United States (US) capital was facing "a major security threat" after supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building a week ago in a violent bid to block Biden's confirmation that lef

There was deep silence on the House floor as the gavel struck Wednesday heralding the second impeachment of United States (US) President Donald Trump.With hands clasped atop a lectern on which rested the results of the chamber's historic vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the charges, making Trump the only president in US history to be impeached twice, this time for "incitement of insurrection" against the Capitol.During the document's subsequent sober signing, the mood

The tattoo-chested man in a horned headdress, the middle-aged intruder with his foot on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk and the woman shot dead by police: Their images have been beamed around the world but who are the Donald Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol?Pro-Gun CampaignerRichard Barnett, 60, from Gravette in northwest Arkansas, barged into the office of House Democrat leader Pelosi where he was photographed leaning back in a chair with his left foot on her desk.Barnett, known loc

Donald Trump's supporters stormed a session of Congress held Wednesday to certify Joe Biden's election win, triggering unprecedented chaos and violence at the heart of American democracy and accusations the president was attempting a coup.Moments after an extraordinary rally by Trump seeking to overturn the election, a flag-waving mob broke down barricades outside the Capitol and swarmed inside, rampaging through offices and onto the usually solemn legislative floors.One woman died

Back in May, a Thai woman reported at a local police station that her 14-year-old granddaughter had been raped over the course of more than a year. The attacks, said to have been perpetuated by five teachers and two male alumni occurred several times at the girl’s school in north-eastern Thailand.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), defines violence against children (VAC) as “all forms of physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.” Article 1 of the CRC defines a “child” as every human being below the age of 18 years. Today, VAC is not just limited to conventional spaces (e.g., home, school, community). There are new forms of VAC taking place online or in cyberspace.

In March 2019, Vietnamese were outraged after a man was fined only US$8 for forcibly kissing a woman in an elevator which was caught on CCTV footage.Like any other country in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is no stranger to stories of sexual assault of women and children. Nevertheless, the ASEAN member state has seen remarkable progress on women’s rights and leadership in some areas, notably on access to education and maternal health and in strengthening the legal and institutional framewor

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war has unleashed widespread and systematic killing with "near impunity" for offenders, a United Nations (UN) report said Thursday, calling for an independent probe into human rights abuses.Police have been encouraged by the highest levels of government to use lethal force on drug suspects and thousands have been killed by officers and unknown gunmen since 2016, the UN human rights office said. Many suspects had been put on &

Violence against women and children is the most prevalent human rights violation. Unfortunately, cases of gender-based violence – especially against women – is nothing new in Southeast Asia.Based on a report by the United Nations University - International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) in Malaysia, intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of gender-based violence, with 28 percent of women in the region having to deal with it.