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The Netherlands: Discrimination in the Name of Integration Migrants’ Rights under the Integration Abroad Act In the past years, the authorities in the Netherlands have introduced a series of measures with the stated aim of better integrating its migrant population. One of these measures is the integration test administered to would-be family migrants from some countries before they can join spouses or family members in the Netherlands. This report documents how the overseas integration test is discriminatory, in that citizens from certain countries are exempt altogether, and the test, coupled with increased financial requirements, targets primarily would-be family migrants from two of the three largest “non- western” migrant communities in the Netherlands – Moroccans and Turks. May 15, 2008 Executive Summary: The Rest of Their Lives Life without Parole for Youth Offenders in the United States in 2008 In this update to Human Rights Watch’s work on eliminating the sentence of life without parole for juvenile offenders, a number of findings are presented that illustrate the troublesome nature of the sentence and how it is applied to youthful offenders. Among those findings are that the United States is alone in the world in applying this harsh sentence to juveniles, that an estimated 59 percent of youth who receive the sentence had no prior adjudications or convictions, and that there are currently nearly 2,500 offenders who are serving life without parole for crimes committed while they were a juvenile. Additionally, data reveal that there are stark racial disparities in the imposition of the sentence, with black youth serving life without parole at a per capita rate that is 10 times the rate of white youth. May 13, 2008 Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence Child soldiers are often compelled by their commanders to engage in combat operations, participate in human rights abuses against civilians, and carry out punishments against fellow soldiers under threat of severe punishment or execution. In this backgrounder, Human Rights Watch describes methods of coercion and intimidation used against child soldiers serving in armed conflicts in Angola, Burma, Colombia, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. April 16, 2008 Olympic Corporate Sponsors: Rhetoric and Reality Excerpts from all 12 “TOP” Olympic sponsor companies’ policies on commitment to social responsibility and their comments on China, the Olympics, and human rights. April 16, 2008 Printer friendly version Benchmarks, Consultations and Transparency Making the EU Central Asia Strategy an Effective Tool for Human Rights Improvements This 15-page briefing paper proposes specific benchmarks for each Central Asian country, and urges the EU to clearly link progress on the goals with possible future benefits. A similar position was also taken by the European Parliament in its February 20 resolution, which called for the strategy to include a “definition of clear objectives and priorities for the EU’s relations with each of the five countries,” including in human rights. April 8, 2008 Also available in 
Cluster Munitions and the Proportionality Test Memorandum to Delegates of the Convention on Conventional Weapons The calls for a new international legal instrument to ban or restrict cluster munitions derive in large part from the weapons’ significant and foreseeably grave aftereffects on civilians, which have been thoroughly documented by many, including Human Rights Watch. States parties to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) took a first step toward reducing the impact of unexploded submunitions with CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), but this instrument only provides post-conflict remedial measures. Because the severe and long-lasting aftereffects of cluster munitions on civilians are foreseeable, they can and must be prevented. This paper contends that to reduce civilian harm through preventive measures, the aftereffects of cluster munitions must be taken into account when applying the proportionality test. April 7, 2008 Thailand’s 'war on drugs' International Harm Reduction Association and Human Rights Watch briefing paper The International Harm Reduction Association and Human Rights Watch call on the international community to ensure that Thailand does not reinstate arbitrary killings in the name of a "war on drugs." March 12, 2008 Printer friendly version Chronology of Hu Jia’s Case The following is a chronology of Hu Jia's detention and his case. February 26, 2008 Printer friendly version User State Responsibility for Cluster Munition Clearance Memorandum to Delegates of the Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions A cluster munition convention offers the international community an opportunity not only to prevent future use of cluster munitions, but also to eliminate the existing threat to civilians from remaining cluster duds. It should do so by adopting some version of the international cooperation provisions discussed in this memorandum. They will help advance the core goal of the convention, which is to prevent humanitarian harm to the civilian population February 19, 2008 Crackdown in Burma: Targeted Sanctions Needed Business-Related Recommendations on Burma Human Rights Watch issued a new report in December 2007 documenting the crackdown on popular protests in Burma that began in August. Hundreds of people remain arbitrarily detained. We recommend targeted financial, trade, and investment sanctions, and also make specific recommendations to companies doing business in Burma. January 11, 2008 Printer friendly version Burma’s Gem Trade and Human Rights Abuses Burma produces the vast majority of high-quality rubies on the world market. According to industry estimates, the country accounts for more than 90 percent of the trade by value. It is also the top global producer of jade. Burma’s gem mines are ruled with an iron hand by military authorities and mining companies. Deplorable conditions at the mines reportedly include rampant land confiscation, extortion, forced labor, child labor, environmental pollution and unsafe working conditions for miners. HIV/AIDS, drug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis are increasingly common in mining areas. January 11, 2008 Printer friendly version Libya: Rights at Risk Despite some improvements in recent years, in Libya serious rights abuses persist. The absence of a free press, the ban on independent organizations, the torture of detainees, and the continued incarceration of political prisoners, some of them “disappeared,” remain matters of deep concern. To date, international engagement with the oil-rich country has focused on counter-terrorism and business ties. Human Rights Watch welcomes improved relations between Libya and other governments, but not at the expense of human rights and the rule of law. January 3, 2008 Also available in 
Printer friendly version Ten Steps for Darfur – Implementation Report On December 11, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) is due to consider the final report of the Group of Experts (GOE) appointed on Darfur. As the GOE’s report demonstrates, Sudan has not yet made significant progress in any of the following ten critical, time-sensitive steps. The HRC should extend the mandate of the GOE to continue to urge and monitor Sudan’s implementation of the recommendations. December 5, 2007 Printer friendly version Human Rights Reform in Turkmenistan Rhetoric or Reality? In this new briefing paper, Human Rights Watch said that while Berdymukhamedov has begun to reverse some of the most ruinous social policies of Niazov’s rule and to end the country’s international isolation, the government remains one of the most repressive and authoritarian in the world. November 2, 2007 Also available in
UK: Counter the Threat or Counterproductive? Commentary on Proposed Counterterrorism Measures This 26-page briefing paper analyzes Home Office counterterrorism proposals from July in light of the UK’s international human rights obligations. The measures are likely to form part of a draft counterterrorism bill to be presented to parliament later this year. October 22, 2007 Discrimination against Ethnic Nepali Children in Bhutan Submission from Human Rights Watch to the Committee on the Rights of the Child In this submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Human Rights Watch provided information to the Committee on violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the Bhutanese government against ethnic Nepali children in Bhutan and Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. October 3, 2007 Ten Steps for Darfur Indicators for Evaluating Progress in the HRC Group of Experts Process On September 24, 2007, the Human Rights Council will consider an interim report by the Group of Experts (GOE) appointed on Darfur. The GOE compiled existing recommendations on Darfur in its June report, and has been working with the government of Sudan to foster their implementation. Human Rights Watch urges that the Council look at a number of concrete actions which could contribute to immediate changes on the ground in Darfur. Many of these steps are actions the government of Sudan has said it is already taking or is committed to take. The Human Rights Council should hold Sudan to those commitments, and should specifically call on Sudan, in the context of its work with the GOE, to take the following ten steps before the HRC’s December session. September 24, 2007 Down to Business The Human Rights Council’s Backlog of Work As it enters its second year, the Council must take hold of the many situations that “require the HRC’s attention,” and take action of some sort to address them. The HRC’s efforts to address these situations will provide an important indication of its ability to fulfil the purpose for which it was created. The Council must seize this opportunity to demonstrate its relevance and responsiveness to human rights victims in these countries and beyond. September 10, 2007 Printer friendly version A Call to Action: The Crisis in Zimbabwe SADC’s Human Rights Credibility on the Line This 13-page briefing paper highlights priority areas of concern on human rights and proposes a number of actions to help tackle the crisis in Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe has used methods against critics that range from intimidation, threats and harassment to physical attacks and torture. Hundreds of civil society activists – including human rights defenders, independent journalists and members of the political opposition – have been arbitrarily arrested and beaten by police and other security agents. August 14, 2007 The US-Korea Free Trade Agreement Annex 22-B: A Missed Opportunity on Workers’ Rights in North Korea This 13-page briefing paper looks at Annex 22-B of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and how it flouts the spirit of the recently amended workers’ rights provisions. It also makes recommendations on how to amend Annex 22 in order to effectively protect, in law and practice, the basic labor rights of the workers producing goods under the existing agreement. August 2, 2007 |
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