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The Children's Rights Division monitors human rights abuses against children around the world and works to end them. We investigate all kinds of human rights abuses against children: the use of children as soldiers; the worst forms of child labor; torture of children by police; police violence against street children; conditions in correctional institutions and orphanages; corporal punishment in schools; mistreatment of refugee and migrant children; trafficking of children for labor and prostitution; discrimination in education because of race, gender, sexual orientation, or HIV/AIDS; and physical and sexual violence against girls and boys. Children's physical and intellectual immaturity makes them particularly vulnerable to human rights violations. Their ill-treatment calls for special attention because, for the most part, children cannot speak for themselves, their opinions are seldom taken into account and they can only rarely form their own organizations to work for change. Letter to the Minister of Education regarding concern over continued use of corporal punishment against childrenWe are writing to urge you to take decisive action on the problem of violence against children, and specifically corporal punishment in schools and in other settings. We believe that in your new role as Minister of Education, you will have a crucial function in improving the future of young Kenyans and protecting their rights. July 23, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version Letter to Minister for Gender and Children Affairs regarding concern over continued use of corporal punishment against children We are writing to urge you to take decisive action on the problem of violence against children, and specifically corporal punishment in schools and in other settings. We believe that in your new role as Minister of Gender and Children Affairs, you will have a crucial function in improving the future of young Kenyans and protecting their rights. July 23, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version Letter to Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affair regarding concern over continued use of corporal punishment against children We are writing to urge you to take decisive action on the problem of violence against children, and specifically corporal punishment in schools and in other settings. We believe that in your new role as Minister of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs, you will have a crucial function in improving the future of young Kenyans and protecting their rights. July 23, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version Kenya: Government Should End All Corporal Punishment The government should make it a priority to end violence against children whether in the home, school or elsewhere, five human rights organizations said today in joint letters to Kenya’s ministers of education, gender and children affairs, and justice. July 23, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version India: Protect Those Displaced from Chhattisgarh Violence Andhra Pradesh Should Not Punish Families That Fled Violence Andhra Pradesh should protect and assist thousands of families who have fled the conflict in neighboring Chhattisgarh, Human Rights Watch said today. State officials should act immediately to end the government’s discrimination against the displaced people, Human Rights Watch said. July 16, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version “Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” Government, Vigilante, and Naxalite Abuses in India’s Chhattisgarh State
HRW Index No.: 1-56432-356-0 July 15, 2008 Report Download PDF, 1700 KB, 172 pgs Purchase online Read Press Release India: End State Support for Vigilantes Prosecute Rights Violators and Protect Internally Displaced Communities The Indian central and Chhattisgarh state governments should hold accountable government security forces and state-backed vigilantes responsible for attacking, killing, and forcibly displacing tens of thousands of people in armed operations against Maoist rebels since mid-2005 in southern Chhattisgarh, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. July 14, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Respect Human Rights in School Discipline Policies Letter to the Jackson, MS Public School District Board of Trustees from Human Rights Watch and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative As national and international human rights organizations, we urge the Jackson Public School District to adopt a new policy that utilizes Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) and restorative practices in school discipline. These methods are effective for reducing disciplinary incidents and improving learning in schools, and are consistent with international human rights standards. July 14, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version In Support of Provisions on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders in US Juvenile Justice Legislation Letter to Senators Leahy and Specter of the US Senate Judiciary Committee Human Rights Watch urges the Senate Judiciary Committee to incorporate language in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act to promote early identification of mental health and substance abuse disorders among juveniles in the justice system, increase training for staff and juvenile justice stakeholders on mental health and substance abuse problems, and provide an increased focus on rehabilitating young people in home- and community-based care. July 14, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version ICC: Good Progress Amid Missteps in First Five Years Court Needs Continuing International Support for Challenges Ahead The International Criminal Court (ICC) has made notable progress in bringing justice for the worst crimes despite mistakes in policy and practice, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today that assesses the court’s first five years. Human Rights Watch urged greater international support of the ICC to meet the political and financial challenges ahead. July 11, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Enforcing the International Prohibition on the Juvenile Death Penalty Submission for the Secretary-General's report on a death penalty moratorium Human Rights Watch's submission documents laws and practices resulting in the death penalty against juvenile offenders in the five countries known to have executed juvenile offenders since January 2005: Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. July 7, 2008 Legal Submissions Printer friendly version Iran: Spare Four Youths From Execution Enforce International Prohibition on Death Penalty for Juvenile Offenders Today 24 international and regional human rights organizations called on Iranian authorities to spare four youths facing execution and to stop imposing the death penalty for crimes committed by juvenile offenders – persons who commit crimes while under the age of 18 – and to uphold their international obligation to enforce the absolute prohibition on the death penalty. July 7, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version When peace talks undermine justice Published in International Herald Tribune Diplomats, judges, lawyers, human rights activists and members of nongovernmental organizations are currently marking the 10th anniversary of the completion of the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. The court's creation was an extraordinary step in extending the reach of law to those responsible for the mass slaughter of civilians and the use of rape as a weapon of war. July 4, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version UK: Abusive Ex-Commander Allowed to Return to Sri Lanka Colombo Should Now Prosecute Karuna Amman The British government today regrettably allowed an abusive former Tamil Tiger leader who had been in its custody to return to Sri Lanka as a free man, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on the Sri Lankan government to investigate and prosecute Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, known as Colonel Karuna Amman, for war crimes committed as a commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and later as head of an anti-LTTE armed group. July 3, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version Human Rights Watch Supports the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2008 Letter to Senators Leahy and Specter of the US Senate Judiciary Committee Human Rights Watch is pleased to offer strong support for S. 3155, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2008 (JJDPA). In supporting this legislation, we encourage the Senate Judiciary Committee to continue to work on strengthening the JJDPA core protections for children and youth as this critical legislation moves through the Committee. In particular, we hope the Committee will amend the legislation to gradually eliminate all statutory authority for the incarceration of status offenders. July 3, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version Reforming Juvenile Injustice By Carol Chodroff, advocacy director, US Program Published in The Huffington Post Juvenile justice policies in the United States are replete with contradictions between practices proven to prevent crime, and punitive laws politicians promote to get elected. Juvenile and criminal justice principles, scientific research on prevention, intervention, and adolescent brain development, and US treaty obligations argue against the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" policies that harm children, increase recidivism and exacerbate crime. Next week, the US Senate should act on reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act (JJDPA) and amendments to improve juvenile justice in this country. Improvement is long overdue. July 2, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version The war on teen terror The Bush administration's treatment of juvenile prisoners shipped to Guantánamo Bay defies logic as well as international law. By Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director Published in salon.com Although most of the 20 juvenile detainees have now been released, three remain, having spent more than a quarter of their lives at Guantánamo. The US continues to turn a blind eye to their juvenile status at the time of capture, has not provided opportunities for their rehabilitation, and has subjected them to prolonged isolation and ill-treatment such as a sleep deprivation regime known as the "frequent flyer" program. June 24, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version UN: Council Should Help End Fresh Abuses by Uganda’s LRA Boys, Girls Among Hundreds Abducted Across Three Countries (New York, June 19, 2008) – The UN Security Council should adopt a resolution or presidential statement supporting efforts to rein in the capacity of the Lord’s Resistance Army to attack civilians and to ensure justice for the most serious crimes committed during the northern Uganda conflict, Human Rights Watch said in a letter released today to council members. The Security Council will be briefed on June 20 by the former president of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, who is the UN secretary-general’s special envoy to areas affected by the insurgent Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). June 19, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version International Criminal Court’s Trial of Thomas Lubanga “Stayed” Questions and Answers Common questions on the "staying" of the ICC trial of Thomas Lubanga answered. June 19, 2008 Questions and Answers Also available in
Printer friendly version Letter to Security Council Members in Advance of the June 20 Briefing by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on the LRA-Affected Areas We write in advance of the briefing to the Security Council on June 20 by the Secretary-General’s special envoy for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)-affected areas, the former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano. June 19, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version |
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