The UN says preliminary data indicate that some 950 human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists were killed or forcibly disappeared worldwide in 2025.

This was contained in the latest global dataset documenting attacks on rights defenders titled, ‘Human Rights Count’, published by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

According to the most comprehensive data, one human rights defender, journalist or trade unionist is killed or disappeared every 10 hours.

“Every 10 hours, a human rights defender, journalist or trade unionist is killed or disappeared,” the report stated. “Every hour, a child dies in armed conflict. One in five people have experienced discrimination in the past year.”

Projected totals for 2025 indicate that at least 743 defenders were killed and 202 disappeared, with no sign of reversal in the upward trend.

OHCHR said civilian deaths in armed conflict documented by UN Human Rights continued at alarming levels.

At least 37,163 civilians lost their lives in 2025, from a record high of 48,011 in the preceding year.

“Every 14 minutes, a civilian dies in armed conflict. Nearly one in five people worldwide indicate that they have experienced discrimination in the past 12 months,” noted the report.

OHCHR lamented that violence against human rights defenders has reached record levels, with at least 5,995 killed since 2015.

According to the UN rights agency, violence against human rights defenders has reached record levels, with at least 5,995 killed since 2015.

The UN human rights office said the number of human rights defenders who were murdered or disappeared in 2025 was more than double the number a decade ago.

According to the report, attacks against human rights defenders have reached record levels over the past year.

OHCHR regretted a surge in attacks on defenders, civilian deaths in conflicts, patterns of discrimination worldwide and the state of institutions tasked with protecting universal human rights.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, stated, “Behind every data point is a real life lived — or lost. These new global human rights data show that discrimination, violence and exclusion are systemic and continue to affect those already at the margins.” 

(NAN)