Civilian deaths in conflict surged by 40 per cent last year, according tonew datareleased by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) with already marginalised groups facing disproportionate levels of discrimination.

The ongoing crises in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Sudan are in the spotlight this week at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.

Eighty years after the United Nations was established to end war, uphold fundamental human rights and promote justice and international law, those founding principles are increasingly under threat, the UNs human rights chief warned on Monday.

At least 48,384 individuals mostly civilians were killed in 2024, based on casualties recorded byOHCHR.

Behind every statistic is a story. Behind every data point, a person, said UN rights chief Volker Trk.

This alarming rise in civilian deaths exposes major failures to protect some of the most vulnerable in both peacetime and conflict situations,painting a picture of a global human rights landscape in need of urgent action, he said.

Human rights defenders

Just over 500 of those killed in 2024 were human rights defenders, with the number of journalists killed also rising by 10 per cent, comparing 2023 to 2024.

The level of targeting of human rights defenders and journalists remained alarmingly high:at least one human rights defender, journalist, or trade unionist was killed or forcibly disappeared every 14 days.

Detentions of rights defenders was most widespread in northern Africa, central, southern and western Asia. Killings were most prevalent in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Alarming rise in deaths of women and children

Violence against children and women in armed conflicts has been devastating over the past two years.

Between 2023 and 2024, approximately four times more children and women were killed in armed conflicts than during 20212022.

Women reported experiencing gender-based discrimination at more than twice the rate of men, and the poorest households were hardest hit, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.

Discrimination does not exist in isolation, said Mr Trk, as OHCHRs findings revealed widespread and compounding discrimination, with nearly one in three persons with disabilities reporting having experienced discrimination, compared to fewer than one in five without disabilities.