• US: All Immigration Detainees Deserve Protection from Rape
    The exclusion of immigration facilities from standards on preventing, detecting, and responding to sexual assault in custody is unjustifiable. It ignores the history of sexual assault in immigration detention and is inconsistent with the intent of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Human Rights Watch and 38 other organizations urge President Obama to instruct the Department of Justice to cover immigration detention facilities in the final PREA regulations and to instruct the Department of Homeland Security to acknowledge that PREA applies to its facilities.
    Dec 7, 2011
  • US: Pennsylvania – Don’t Include Juveniles in Sex Offender Registry
    Human Rights Watch is concerned about the impact of House Bill 1958 on Pennsylvania children adjudicated delinquent or found guilty of sex offenses, in particular language that would require youthful offenders to participate in the registration and notification requirements under the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) of the Adam Walsh Act (AWA).
    Dec 1, 2011
  • US: Immigration Facilities Should Apply Prison Rape Elimination Act Protections
    A letter from Human Rights Watch and 10 other organizations urges US President Barack Obama to direct the federal government to apply Prison Rape Elimination Act standards to detainees in US immigration facilities.
    Feb 15, 2011
  • US: Accept UPR Recommendations on Pressing Human Rights Challenges
    The United States has shown a spirit of engagement during the Universal Periodic Review process. The US should take the next step and give full consideration to the recommendations and to accept all those that would significantly improve US compliance with international human rights standards.
    Jan 25, 2011
  • US: UPR a Chance to Address Domestic Human Rights Challenges
    The 29-page US government report represents an important effort to frame a series of human rights issues facing the country. Nevertheless, we are concerned that the report, when discussing a particular human rights issue or achievement, often fails to acknowledge ongoing human rights challenges central to that same topic.
    Aug 31, 2010
  • The US Department of Justice Should Enact Standards for the Elimination of Prison Rape
    If adopted, the June 2009 standards submitted by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission would go far toward eliminating rape in adult prisons and jails, juvenile and immigration detention facilities, and community corrections.
    Jan 5, 2010
  • California: Pass Legislation Requiring Rape Kit Statistics Reporting
    AB 1017 requires law enforcement agencies in California to report statistics regarding rape kits—including the number of untested rape kits in law enforcement facilities to the California Department of Justice. By passing this bill, California would take a significant step toward eliminating California’s backlog of rape kits.
    Sep 18, 2009