• Justice in Congo
    Mar 15, 2012

    Lubanga’s name is not as quickly recognizable as Joseph Kony’s, because of the Kony 2012 viral video that educated nearly 80 million people on the atrocities of Kony’s rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). But like Kony, Lubanga has the blood of many Congolese on his hands and is one of the most infamous present-day recruiters of child soldiers.

  • Obama Sends Military Support to Help Combat LRA Rebels
    Jan 12, 2012

    In October, 2011, the Obama administration said it would send 100 US military advisers to central Africa to help the region’s armies combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a vicious Ugandan rebel group. Human Rights Watch has pressed the US government to help bring Joseph Kony and the LRA’s murderous leadership to justice, even appealing directly to President Barack Obama.

  • Justice in Côte d’Ivoire
    Jan 11, 2012
    Late in the afternoon on November 29, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo was removed from his prison cell in the dusty northern town of Korhogo and served with an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was then put aboard a plane to The Hague, where he now faces four counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and persecution.
  • Ending Forced Labor in Vietnam’s Drug Detention Centers
    Nov 16, 2011

    Since its September release, our report on the drug detention centers in southern Vietnam has already compelled two major multinational companies to cut ties with these facilities—US-based Columbia Sportswear Co. and Swiss-based Verstergaard Frandsen.

  • Burma Frees at Least 200 Political Prisoners
    Oct 12, 2011
    The Burmese government yesterday freed at least 200 of its estimated 2,000 political prisoners. Officially, Burma denies having any such prisoners – but Human Rights Watch has worked hard to make sure these imprisoned activists weren’t forgotten. We held high-level meetings with UN and government officials visiting Burma, arming them with the evidence they used to pressure Burma into releasing these journalists, artists, and Buddhist monks.
  • Fashion Week Cancels Show of Uzbek Dictator’s Daughter
    Sep 15, 2011
    The daughter of Uzbekistan’s dictator planned to unveil her spring fashion line at New York City’s prestigious Fashion Week. But her show was canceled after Human Rights Watch and a coalition of like-minded organizations spotlighted her connection to her father’s tyrannical government.
  • Protecting Women from Domestic Violence
    Sep 1, 2011

    The Convention on Domestic Violence –  launched in May and so far ratified by 15 countries – calls for establishing hotlines, shelters, medical and forensic services, counseling, and legal aid services. It is designed to help the estimated 25 percent of women in the European region who experience physical or sexual abused in their lifetime.

  • A Victory for Domestic Workers
    Jun 23, 2011
    Domestic workers -- nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers -- are some of the most exploited workers in the world. But a new international treaty has been adopted to help protect them, thanks in part to 10 years of Human Rights Watch research and advocacy. The treaty is the first of its kind.
  • Putting an End to Excessive Force
    Apr 14, 2011
    Just weeks after Human Rights Watch released a report on India’s Border Security Force’s (BSF) use of excessive and frequently lethal force, the Indian government ordered that BSF guards be issued non-lethal weapons. More than 900 Bangladeshi and Indian nationals were killed in border areas in the last decade when troops used lethal force in an apparent effort to contain smuggling and other illegal activities.
  • Ending Grave Abuses Perpetrated in the Gold Industry:
    Apr 14, 2011
    Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Chris Albin-Lackey investigated and documented reports of horrific abuse taking place at a gold mine in Porgera, a remote part of Papua New Guinea’s central highlands. On the mine’s sprawling dumps of waste rock, security personnel were alleged to have carried out a wide range of crimes, including brutal gang rapes and beatings. While rumors of abuses had long been associated with the mine, Barrick Gold—the Canadian corporation that owns the mine and is the world’s largest gold mining company—had denied these claims as unfounded. When confronted with our findings, Barrick acknowledged for the first time that the allegations had substance and has since taken steps to rein in the abuses we uncovered.