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Americas Child Soldier Global Report 2008 Summary The Child Soldier Global Report documents military recruitment legislation, policy and practice in more than 190 countries worldwide – in conflict and in peacetime armies – as well as child soldier use by non-state armed groups. This summary provides an overview of facts and figures. May 20, 2008 Printer friendly version 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 The Omar Khadr Case A Teenager Imprisoned at Guantanamo In this backgrounder, Human Rights Watch said that although Khadr was just 15 when he was arrested, the United States has completely ignored his juvenile status throughout his detention. The US government incarcerated him with adults, reportedly subjected him to abusive interrogations, failed to provide him any educational opportunities, and denied him any direct contact with his family. June 1, 2007 Ensure Access to Condoms in US Prisons and Jails The management of infectious disease in prisons is a human rights imperative as well as a matter of public health. Given the high level of HIV infections among those who enter prison, making condoms readily accessible to inmates is an effective and inexpensive measure that corrections officials should take to limit the spread of infection. The experience of correctional systems that have distributed condoms indicates no adverse security consequences associated with those policies. Human Rights Watch urges prison officials and policymakers to comply with best practice based upon international human rights standards, US constitutional law, and the recommendations of correctional health experts to ensure that condoms are available to inmates. March 14, 2007 Cases Involving Diplomatic Assurances against Torture Developments since May 2005 This briefing paper shows how EU states have relied upon empty promises of humane treatment, known as “diplomatic assurances,” in efforts to justify the return of terrorism suspects to countries where they risk being tortured. In the report adopted today, the European Parliament’s Temporary Committee on illegal CIA activity in Europe focuses on CIA flights and US-sponsored transfers of terrorism suspects. It also calls on EU member states to oppose the use of “diplomatic assurances” on torture in returning terrorism suspects. Europe pioneered the use of these “no torture” promises in the 1990s, well before the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. January 23, 2007 Also available in 
Human Rights Watch Recommendations With Respect To The Regulatory Decree For Law 975 Of 2005 Law 975 of 2005 does not contain effective mechanisms to achieve a genuine demobilization and dismantlement of armed groups. At the same time, the Law does not satisfy international standards about truth, justice, and reparation for victims. October 29, 2005 Also available in 
Printer friendly version Ecuador: Petition Regarding Ecuador's Eligibility for ATPA Designation September 2005 In September 2003 and September 2004, Human Rights Watch argued for partial or total suspension of tariff benefits when we submitted Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA) petitions to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). In those petitions, we detailed Ecuador’s failure to meet the ATPA and ATPDEA workers’ rights criteria. However, USTR has yet to rule on these petitions, and Ecuador has made little progress in addressing the violations of workers’ rights that we identified. This petition serves to reinforce and update our prior petitions, particularly our September 2004 submission. September 19, 2005 Decisions Denied: Women’s Access to Contraceptives and Abortion in Argentina Women in Argentina face arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on their reproductive decisions and access to contraceptives and abortion. As a result, many women must choose between an unwanted or dangerous pregnancy and birth or an illegal and unsafe abortion that might seriously injure or even kill them. June 15, 2005 Also available in 
US/Canada: Transfer of Maher Arar to Torture Human Rights Watch Report to the Commission of Inquiry on Maher Arar On June 7, Julia Hall, Senior Researcher for Human Rights Watch, testfied before a Canadian Commission of Inquiry that is investigating the transfer of Maher Arar to Syria, where he alleges he was brutally tortured. Arar, a Canadian citizen, was transferred by U.S. authorities to Jordan with the understanding he would be turned over to Syria. Hall presented a report written by Wendy Patten, former U.S. Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch, that detailed U.S. rendition policy. The U.S. government has come under increasing scrutiny for its policy of accepting assurances of proper treatment from countries that routinely use torture. June 7, 2005 International Human Rights Law and Abortion in Latin America Latin America is home to some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. While only three countries—Chile, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic—provide no exceptions or extenuating circumstances for the criminal sanctions on abortion, in most countries and jurisdictions, exceptions are provided only when necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life and in certain other narrowly defined circumstances. Even where abortion is not punished by law, women often have severely limited access because of lack of proper regulation and political will. May 1, 2005 Also available in
Printer friendly version A Dose of Reality Women’s Rights in the Fight against HIV/AIDS Governments around the world have done far too little to combat the entrenched, chronic abuses of women’s and girls’ human rights that put them at risk of HIV. Misguided HIV/AIDS programs and policies, such as those emphasizing abstinence until marriage, ignore the brutal realities many women and girls face. By failing to enact and effectively enforce laws on domestic violence, marital rape, women’s equal property rights, and sexual abuse of girls, and by tolerating customs and traditions that subordinate women, governments are enabling HIV/AIDS to continue claiming the lives of women and girls. Human Rights Watch has interviewed hundreds of women and girls living with HIV around the world. This briefing paper focuses on the links between HIV/AIDS and abuses of women’s and girls’ human rights. March 21, 2005 Also available in
Printer friendly version Ecuador: Comments to USTR on Ecuador's ATPDEA Eligibility Human Rights Watch welcomes this opportunity to present views regarding whether Ecuador meets the eligibility criteria of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA). These criteria include those in the original Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA), as well as those added in the ATPDEA, which extended and expanded the ATPA in 2002. March 18, 2005 Colombia: Letting Paramilitaries Off The Hook Two years after the start of negotiations for the demobilization of paramilitary groups, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe plans to present a draft law to govern demobilization at an international donors’ conference in Cartagena, Colombia, on February 3-4, 2005. Donors should closely scrutinize this proposed legal framework before providing any support—political or financial—to the demobilization process. January 18, 2005 Also available in
Printer friendly version Venezuela: HRW Reiterates Concern Over New Supreme Court Law In a memorandum published today, Human Rights Watch seeks to clarify some of the questions and misconceptions that have arisen in response to our recent report regarding threats to judicial independence in Venezuela. July 14, 2004 Also available in
Child Domestics: The World's Invisible Workers A Human Rights Watch Backgrounder Child domestic workers are nearly invisible among child laborers. They work alone in individual households, hidden from public scrutiny, their lives controlled by their employers. Child domestics, nearly all girls, work long hours for little or no pay. Many have no opportunity to go to school, or are forced to drop out because of the demands of their job. They are subject to verbal and physical abuse, and particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse. They may be fired for small infractions, losing not only their jobs, but their place of residence as well. June 10, 2004 Printer friendly version CAFTA's Weak Labor Rights Protections: Why the Present Accord Should be Opposed A Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper, March 2004 On February 20, 2004, President George W. Bush notified Congress of his intent to sign the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)-an accord that the United States recently negotiated with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. According to U.S. law, the president must wait ninety days from the date of notification before signing the agreement and can send it to Congress for a vote any time thereafter. March 10, 2004 Also available in
Printer friendly version Haiti: Recycled Soldiers and Paramilitaries on the March Rebel forces are advancing on Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, sparking fears of widespread bloodshed. Among the leaders of the insurgency are such notorious figures as Louis Jodel Chamblain, a former paramilitary responsible for countless atrocities under the military government that ruled Haiti from 1991 to 1994. The reemergence of such violent and lawless men is a worrying portent for Haiti’s future. February 27, 2004 Printer friendly version Labor Rights Protections in CAFTA In January 2003, U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) negotiations began among the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The final negotiating round is scheduled for early December 2003. CAFTA presents an important opportunity to raise labor standards throughout Central America. Free trade alone, however, cannot guarantee greater respect for workers’ rights. Instead, meaningful protections for workers’ human rights should be built into CAFTA. October 14, 2003 Printer friendly version Colombia's Checkbook Impunity Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has presented a bill to his congress that would allow paramilitaries who have committed atrocities to skip prison for a fee. Among them are men that have ordered and carried out the killings of thousands of Colombian civilians. September 22, 2003 Printer friendly version Discreet Path to Justice?: Chile, Thirty Years After the Military Coup While Chile has taken impressive steps forward on justice and accountability since 1998, the underpinnings of accountability remain fragile. This briefing provides an overview of recent developments. After a brief discussion of the Pinochet case, it analyzes the status of dozens of other court cases addressing past human rights crimes, highlighting prosecutions that resulted in convictions notwithstanding the amnesty decree. It concludes with an examination of justice proposals put forward by the government of President Ricardo Lagos and the state of civil-military relations in Chile today. September 9, 2003 |
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