Reem Alsalem is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls. / Credit: ADF InternationalWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 16, 2025 / 16:44 pm (CNA).The United Nations (U.N.) Expert on Violence Against Women and Girls Reem Alsalem was joined by detransitioner and activist Chloe Cole last week in urging governments to support parents in protecting their children from "gender transition" medical interventions."Parents and legal guardians must be part of these processes from the very beginning," Alsalem said during a Sept. 8 panel coordinated by the Alliance Defending Freedom International at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva."Yet, in many countries, parents who do not want to endorse a 'gender-affirmative' approach to their children's distress have too often been left unsupported at best, or vilified, ostracized, or even separated from their children," said Alsalem, who opposes the "dangerous narrative" that children can make fully-informed adult-l...
Reem Alsalem is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls. / Credit: ADF International
The United Nations (U.N.) Expert on Violence Against Women and Girls Reem Alsalem was joined by detransitioner and activist Chloe Cole last week in urging governments to support parents in protecting their children from "gender transition" medical interventions.
"Parents and legal guardians must be part of these processes from the very beginning," Alsalem said during a Sept. 8 panel coordinated by the Alliance Defending Freedom International at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"Yet, in many countries, parents who do not want to endorse a 'gender-affirmative' approach to their children's distress have too often been left unsupported at best, or vilified, ostracized, or even separated from their children," said Alsalem, who opposes the "dangerous narrative" that children can make fully-informed adult-level decisions about their health.
The panel was part of a wider event titled "Empowering Parents to Protect Children's Health and Well-Being," which was co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the U.N. in Geneva and ADF International. Sponsors for the event included the permanent missions of The Gambia, Algeria, Argentina, Qatar, Vanuatu, and Uzbekistan, along with nongovernmental organizations such as Juristes pour l'Enfance, Asociación la Familia Importa, Latter-day Saints Charities, the Center for Fundamental Rights, and the Heritage Foundation.
Cole, who detransitioned after having undergone gender transitioning procedures as a teenager, echoed Alsalem, stating: "I appeal to you: We must ensure these failures are never again repeated and that childhood is truly protected as the fragile and yet beautiful part of life that it is."
Detransitioner and campaigner Chloe Cole urged global leaders to strengthen the role of parents and shield children from harmful medical interventions and ideological pressures. Credit: ADF International
"My mom and dad have always advocated fiercely for my safety and health but were not empowered to fulfill their irreplaceable role as guardians of my well-being," Cole told the U.N. representatives gathered in Geneva.
"On the contrary, their protective instincts were undermined by systems and professionals who claimed expertise but withheld the truth," she said. "They stood no chance when doctors gave them the false ultimatum of choosing between losing a daughter to suicide or having a living 'son.'"
Director of U.N. Advocacy at ADF International Giorgio Mazzoli also joined the panel, stating: "The family must not be viewed as a competitor to the state, nor parents as obstacles to children's rights. They are the children's first and best guardians — entrusted by nature and recognized by law."
Mazzoli further called on governments to establish policies that protect parents' rights regarding education, health care, and other identity-related decisions.
null / Credit: Prostock-studio/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 16, 2025 / 14:07 pm (CNA).Ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced an addition to its ongoing National Catholic Mental Health Campaign to amplify local engagement on mental health. The title for the initiative, "Healing and Hope," was taken from the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign's introductory statement, written by Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron."As pastors, we want to emphasize this point to anyone who is suffering from mental illness or facing mental health challenges: Nobody and nothing can alter or diminish your God-given dignity. You are a beloved child of God, a God of healing and hope," the U.S. bishops said this week. The initiative "builds upon the goal of promoting healing and hope for all who struggle with me...
Pallbearers from The Royal Dragoon Guards carry Katharine, Duchess of Kent's coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, into Westminster Cathedral for a Vigil for the Deceased with Rite of Reception and Vespers for the Dead ahead of her funeral on Sept. 15, 2025, in London. / Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 16, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).The British Royal family held its first Catholic funeral in modern history on Tuesday for the duchess of Kent, the first senior British royal to be received into the Church since the 17th century. The duchess died on Sept. 4 at the age of 92 and asked that her funeral be held at Westminster Cathedral in London. She was raised Anglican but joined the Catholic Church in 1994. She described her conversion as a "long-pondered personal decision" but said she was attracted to the solace and clarity of the faith. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent holds a koala during a 1988 visit to Brisbane, Australia. Credit:...
Silvia Toma before participating in the vigil with Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 15, 2025. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN NewsVatican City, Sep 16, 2025 / 15:50 pm (CNA).Silvia Toma has a scar on her soul: Four years ago she buried her 34-year-old only son, who had two little daughters. "It was sudden leukemia. He was admitted on May 25, 2021, and died on June 3," she said, still choked up by the pain.At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic regulations allowed no visitors. Safety measures prevented her from caressing his hand in his slow agony."They never let us visit him. He was hospitalized in the coronary care unit completely alone," she recalled. They could only communicate minimally through WhatsApp messages.Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at his sideThe day before he died, they let her in to see him. "His wife spent 15 minutes with him and I for another 15. I took the opportunity to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with him." The doctors then asked them to leave the room and a fe...
Reem Alsalem is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls. / Credit: ADF International
