WASHINGTON: Eight children were killed in a shooting spree early Sunday in the southern US state of Louisiana, in what police said appears to have been an incident of domestic violence. The gunman, who was not immediately identified, was fatally shot by police after a car chase, officials said. The incident took place in the city of Shreveport, in northwestern Louisiana. &quot;This is a rather extensive crime scene spanning between two residences,&quot; police Corporal Chris Bordelon told a press conference, adding that a third residence was also part of the scene being combed by investigators. The victims ranged in age from one to 14, Bordelon said. &quot;Some of the children inside were his descendants,&quot; he added. Two other people were struck by gunfire, but their conditions were not immediately known. The suspect carjacked a vehicle and led police on a chase before officers opened fire and the assailant was killed. &quot;We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations,&quot; Bordelon said, calling the incident a &quot;domestic disturbance.&quot; The United States, where firearms are readily available, is a frequent scene of gun violence, with thousands of people killed every year. &quot;It&#39;s a terrible morning in Shreveport and we all mourn with the victims,&quot; Mayor Tom Arceneaux said at the press conference.

Americas

Eight children were killed in a shooting spree early Sunday in the southern US state of Louisiana, in what police said appears to have been an incident of domestic violence

Eight children dead in US domestic violence shooting: police

GENEVA: Nearly one in three women has experienced intimate partner or sexual violence, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, warning no society &quot;can call itself fair, safe or healthy while half its population lives in fear.&quot; &quot;Violence against women is one of humanity&#39;s oldest and most pervasive injustices, yet still one of the least acted upon,&quot; WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. In a fresh report, the UN health agency estimated that 840 million women globally -- nearly a third -- have experienced violence by an intimate partner, meaning someone they are in a romantic relationship with, or sexual violence in their lifetime. In the past year alone, 316 million women &ndash; 11% &nbsp;of those over the age of 15 -- faced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, the report showed. Progress had been &quot;painfully slow,&quot; WHO said, pointing out that intimate partner violence had declined by only 0.2% annually over the past two decades. LynnMarie Sardinha, with WHO&#39;s department of sexual, reproductive, maternal, child, and adolescent health and ageing, warned that the number of reported cases might even begin to rise. &quot;Increased awareness will likely lead to more reports of violence,&quot; she told reporters. &#39;Stark picture&#39; For the first time, the WHO report also includes national and regional estimates of sexual violence committed by someone other than an intimate partner. It determined that 263 million women had experienced non-partner sexual violence since the age of 15, cautioning that the problem was &quot;significantly under-reported due to stigma and fear.&quot; Wednesday&#39;s analysis covers data collected between 2000 and 2023 across 168 countries, &quot;revealing a stark picture of a deeply neglected crisis,&quot; WHO said. The report lamented that despite mounting evidence on effective strategies to prevent violence against women, funding for such initiatives was &quot;collapsing.&quot; In 2022, for instance, just 0.2% of global development aid went to programs focused on preventing violence against women. Funding has fallen further since the start of this year, after US President Donald Trump led the way on halting foreign aid globally. The report underscored that violence against women begins early. For example, WHO pointed out that in the past 12 months alone, 12.5 million adolescent girls &ndash; 16% of those between the ages of 15 and 19 -- have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner. Conflicts, climate impact Women everywhere are at risk. &quot;The results highlight a tragic reality for women and girls worldwide ... in almost essentially every community,&quot; Jeremy Farrar, WHO&#39;s assistant director-general for health promotion, disease prevention and care, told reporters. However, the data indicates that women in poorer countries and those affected by conflict or global warming are disproportionately affected. Climate change &quot;can result in floods, it can result in famines, it can result in other types of natural disasters,&quot; explained Avni Amin, head of WHO&#39;s rights and equality unit. As with war and conflict, this can drive people from their homes or create economic insecurity, which can increase stress at home and disrupt law and order -- all of which &quot;increases the risk,&quot; Amin said. The worst situation is found in Oceania &mdash; the island countries of the Pacific, excluding Australia and New Zealand. There, 38% of women reported intimate partner violence in the past year -- more than three times the global average of 11%, the report showed. In southern Asia, that figure was 19%, while in Africa it ranged from 14% to 17%. In Europe and North America, meanwhile, 5% of women reported experiencing violence, while 7% did in Latin America and the Caribbean, the report showed.

Europe

In a fresh report, the UN health agency estimated that 840 million women globally have experienced violence by an intimate partner.

Articles tagged with "domestic violence"

Eight children dead in US domestic violence shooting: police

Nearly a third of women face partner or sexual violence: WHO