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Reports
on Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons and Asylum Seekers


Neighbors In Need
Zimbabweans Seeking Refuge in South Africa
This 119-page report examines South Africa’s decision to treat Zimbabweans merely as voluntary economic migrants and its failure to respond effectively to stop the human rights abuses and economic deprivation in Zimbabwe that cause their flight and to address their needs in South Africa. Human Rights Watch spoke to almost 100 Zimbabweans in South Africa about their plight.

HRW Index No.: 1-56432-343-9
June 19, 2008
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Rot Here or Die There
Bleak Choices for Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon
This 66-page report documents the Lebanese government’s failure to provide a legal status for Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and details the impact of this policy on the refugees’ lives.

HRW Index No.: E1908
December 4, 2007
Also available in  arabic 
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Last Hope
The Need for Durable Solutions for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal and India
This 86-page report discusses the possible solutions to this protracted refugee situation and the choices the refugees now face. It describes conditions of the ethnic Nepali refugees who have languished in exile in Nepal and India, and also documents continuing discrimination against the ethnic Nepalis still living in Bhutan, who live in fear that they too could be stripped of their citizenship and expelled from the country.
HRW Index No.: C1907
May 17, 2007
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"The Silent Treatment"
Fleeing Iraq, Surviving in Jordan
After fleeing violence and persecution in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis living in Jordan face a daily threat of arrest, fines and deportation because the Jordanian government treats them as illegal immigrants rather than refugees. Since the war in Iraq began in 2003, more than 1 million Iraqis have fled, but none of Iraq’s neighbors, nor the United States, treats them as refugees. This 110-page report documents the hardships faced by Iraqis who have fled persecution and violence in Iraq, but who do not have permission to stay in Jordan.
HRW Index No.: E1810
November 28, 2006
Also available in  arabic 
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Stemming the Flow
Abuses Against Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees
This 135-page report documents how Libyan authorities have arbitrarily arrested undocumented foreigners, mistreated them in detention, and forcibly returned them to countries where they could face persecution or torture, such as Eritrea and Somalia. From 2003 to 2005, the government repatriated roughly 145,000 foreigners, according to official Libyan figures.

HRW Index No.: E1805
September 13, 2006
Also available in  arabic 
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Nowhere to Flee
The Perilous Situation of Palestinians in Iraq
This 42-page report documents the drastic deterioration in the security of the estimated 34,000 Palestinian refugees in Iraq since the fall of Baghdad in April 2003. Since then, militant groups have targeted Iraqi Palestinians for violence and have evicted them from their homes, largely because of the benefits these refugees received from Saddam Hussein’s government and their perceived support for the insurgency.
HRW Index No.: E1804
September 10, 2006
Also available in  arabic 
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Zimbabwe: Evicted and Forsaken
Internally displaced persons in the aftermath of Operation Murambatsvina
This 61-page report documents the government’s denial of assistance and protection to people internally displaced as a result of Operation Murambatsvina (“Clear the Filth”), which began in May. The report also examines the role of international agencies, and in particular the United Nations country team, in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe.
HRW Index No.: A1716
December 1, 2005
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Ukraine: On the Margins
Rights Violations against Migrants and Asylum Seekers at the New Eastern Border of the European Union
This 77-page report documents the routine detention of migrants and asylum in appalling conditions, including severe overcrowding, frequently inadequate bedding and clothing, and little or no access to fresh air, exercise and medical treatment. The report also documents the physical abuse, verbal harassment, robbery and extortion suffered by those in detention. Migrants and asylum seekers in detention often have no access to a lawyer and are unable to apply for release. The asylum system is barely functioning, leading to the forced return of people to countries where they face persecution or torture.
HRW Index No.: D1708
November 30, 2005
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Living on the Margins
Inadequate Protection for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Johannesburg
This 66-page report documents how refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa’s largest city often encounter abuse by police and other obstacles throughout the refugee-status determination process. Asylum seekers and refugees in Johannesburg are often subjected to harassment, mistreatment and extortion by the police. Police officers required to verify the immigration status of a person are often unfamiliar with the specifics of refugee and asylum law and procedures. Police often question the validity of the array of official identity documents which increases the risks of deporting a refugee or asylum seeker to a place where they may face persecution.
HRW Index No.: A1715
November 17, 2005
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Colombia: Displaced and Discarded
The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons in Bogotá and Cartagena
The families interviewed for this 60-page report described fleeing their homes after receiving threats, being subjected to torture, or seeing relatives or neighbors killed. When they flee their communities and seek shelter elsewhere, they may wait weeks or even months for emergency aid, are often denied medical care, and may be unable to enroll their children in schools.
HRW Index No.: B1704
October 14, 2005
Also available in  spanish 
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Uprooted and Forgotten
Impunity and Human Rights Abuses in Northern Uganda
This 76-page report documents how the ongoing lack of accountability and civilian protection in the north has fueled atrocities by both sides. In each of the displaced persons camps visited, Human Rights Watch found cases of abuse by Ugandan government forces as well as rebel combatants.
HRW Index No.: A1712
September 20, 2005
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"They Came and Destroyed Our Village Again"
The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons in Karen State
While the nonviolent struggle of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi against the Burmese military government’s continuing repression has captured the world’s attention, the profound human rights and humanitarian crisis endured by Burma’s ethnic minority communities has largely been ignored. Decades of armed conflict have devastated ethnic minority communities, which make up approximately 35 percent of Burma’s population.
HRW Index No.: C1704
June 10, 2005
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Still at Risk
Diplomatic Assurances No Safeguard Against Torture
This 91-page report documents the growing practice among Western governments—including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands—of seeking assurances of humane treatment in order to transfer terrorism suspects to states with well-established records of torture. The report details a dozen cases involving actual or attempted transfers to countries where torture is commonplace.
HRW Index No.: D1703
April 15, 2005
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Coming Home
Return and Reintegration in Angola
This 39-page report documents how most families have returned to locations that still lack minimal social services, such as health care and education, let alone employment. Elderly and disabled persons, widows and female-headed households experience the worst shortfalls in government assistance, particularly in rural areas.
HRW Index No.: A1702
March 17, 2005
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“Still critical”
Prospects in 2005 for Internally Displaced Kurds in Turkey
This 37-page report details how the Turkish government has failed to implement measures for IDPs the United Nations recommended nearly three years ago. Since the European Union confirmed Turkey’s membership candidacy in December, the Turkish government appears to have shelved plans to enact those measures.
HRW Index No.: D1702
March 7, 2005
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“If We Return, We Will Be Killed” Consolidation of Ethnic Cleansing in Darfur, Sudan
This report documents the continuing climate of violence and insecurity in Darfur, and the urgent need for an expanded international protection force, especially near the camps that hold many of Darfur’s 1.6 million displaced persons. Just this week, as the U.N. Security Council prepared to meet in Nairobi, Sudanese security forces brazenly overran camps for the displaced persons.
November 15, 2004
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Claims in Conflict
Reversing Ethnic Cleansing in Northern Iraq
This 82-page report documents the increasing frustration of thousands of displaced Kurds, as well as Turkomans and Assyrians, who are living in desperate conditions as they await a resolution of their property claims. Human Rights Watch details how the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority failed to act even as the situation grew more volatile.
HRW Index No.: E1604
August 3, 2004
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Aceh Under Martial Law: Problems Faced by Acehnese Refugees in Malaysia
In this report, Human Rights Watch documents the failure of the Malaysian government to offer protection and assistance to Acehnese refugees fleeing persecution and armed conflict in Aceh. Malaysia’s treatment of Acehnese in Malaysia falls far short of internationally accepted standards for treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. Statements by Malaysian officials suggest that the government fears that by granting protection to refugees it would open up a floodgate of asylum seekers to the country. Such fears do not justify the abuses of Acehnese in Malaysia that are detailed in this report, nor the Malaysian government’s policy of routinely expelling Acehnese, who face the possibility of summary execution, forced disappearance, torture, detention, or persecution upon return to Indonesia.
HRW Index No.: C1605
April 1, 2004
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Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Thai Policy Towards Burmese Refugees and Migrants
This 50-page report documents Thailand’s repression of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrant workers from Burma. The Thai government is arresting and intimidating Burmese political activists living in Bangkok and along the Thai-Burmese border, harassing Burmese human rights and humanitarian groups, and deporting Burmese refugees, asylum seekers and others with a genuine fear of persecution in Burma.
HRW Index No.: C1602
February 25, 2004
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Trapped by Inequality
Bhutanese Refugee Women in Nepal
Bhutanese refugee women in Nepal encounter gender-based violence and systematic discrimination in access to aid.This 77-page report examines the uneven response of UNHCR and the government of Nepal to rape, domestic violence, sexual and physical assault, and trafficking of girls and women from refugee camps. These problems persist despite reforms UNHCR introduced after internal investigations uncovered “sexual exploitation” of refugee women and girls by aid workers in Nepal and West Africa in 2002. The Human Rights Watch report shows how Nepal’s laws constrain the prosecution of gender-based violence. Specific domestic violence legislation does not exist in Nepal. A 35-day statute of limitations and burdensome medical reporting procedures prevent rape victims from filing complaints with the police and pressing criminal charges. The same obstacles have prevented any prosecution of aid workers and Nepalese government employees accused of “sexual exploitation” in October 2002.
HRW Index No.: C1508
September 24, 2003
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Displaced Children in Sierra Leone
A Sierra Leonean child stands outside a classroom for internally displaced children in Freetown, May 2000. © 2000 by Molly Bingham for Human Rights Watch 

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