• Brazil: Supreme Court Abortion Ruling a Positive Step
    Apr 19, 2012
    Press release
    The ruling by Brazil’s highest court on April 12, 2012, expanding exceptions from criminal penalties for abortion is a positive step toward protecting women’s human rights.
  • Malaysia: Reverse Ban on Sexual Diversity Festival
    Nov 8, 2011
    Press release
    The Malaysian government should immediately rescind a police-imposed ban on the fourth annual Seksualiti Merdeka festival and adopt measures to protect all Malaysians from discrimination. The “sexual diversity” festival, which has been held since 2008 without incident or interference from government authorities, was scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur from November 9 to 13, 2011.
  • US: House Vote Puts Women at Risk
    Oct 13, 2011
    Press release
    The United States House of Representatives approved a bill on October 13, 2011, that would put women’s lives at risk. The bill, if it becomes law, would reverse longstanding federal policy requiring hospitals to provide life-saving care regardless of expense.
  • The Netherlands: Transgender Law Violates Rights
    Sep 13, 2011
    Press release
    The Dutch Civil Code violates the human rights of transgender people, and the government should amend it without delay. The government should revise article 28 of the civil code, which requires transgender people to take hormones and undergo surgery to alter their bodies and be permanently and irreversibly sterilized before they can have their gender legally recognized on official documents Human Rights Watch said.
  • Poland: Reject Blanket Ban on Abortion
    Aug 30, 2011
    Press release
    The Polish parliament should reject the proposed absolute ban on abortion that is up for a vote on August 31, 2011. The draft bill, “On the Protection of Human Life from the Moment of Conception,” would impose an absolute ban on abortion in Poland.
  • Haiti: Earthquake Recovery Failing Women and Girls
    Aug 30, 2011
    Press release
    Women and girls in Haiti are facing gaps in access to available healthcare services necessary to stop preventable maternal and infant deaths. Serious gaps in access to healthcare services are harming vulnerable women and girls still displaced after the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
  • South Africa: Failing Maternity Care
    Aug 8, 2011
    Press release
    A lack of oversight and accountability for recurrent problems in the health system and abuses committed by health personnel contributes to South Africa’s substandard maternity care and undermines one of its top health goals: to reduce its high maternal death rate, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. South Africa’s maternal mortality ratio has more than quadrupled over the past decade, making accountability structures to improve oversight and correct health system deficiencies all the more critical.
  • Iraqi Kurdistan: Law Banning FGM a Positive Step
    Jul 25, 2011
    Press release
    A Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) law that bans female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crucial step in eradicating the practice. The Family Violence Bill, approved by the Kurdistan parliament on June 21, 2011, includes several provisions criminalizing the practice, recognized internationally as a form of violence against women. Several studies by the government and non-governmental organizations estimate that the prevalence of FGM among girls and women in Kurdistan is at least 40 percent.
  • US: Remove ‘Global Gag Rule’ From House Bill
    Jul 20, 2011
    Press release
    The House Foreign Affairs Committee should remove language that would reinstate the so-called “Global Gag Rule” from the draft Foreign Affairs Authorization Act for fiscal year 2012. The “Gag Rule” would outlaw US funding to international groups that provide abortions, counsel women about abortion, or engage in advocacy for abortion rights, even if no US funds would be used for those purposes.
  • Hungary: New Constitution Enshrines Discrimination
    Apr 19, 2011
    Press release
    The new Hungarian constitution approved by parliament contains provisions that could lead to discrimination. President Pál Schmitt should send the constitution back to Parliament to address these and other human rights issues.