US Domestic Policy

US Senate: Move Quickly on Sexual Assault Bill

Human Rights Watch — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:46:09 -0800

(New York) - The introduction in the Senate today of the Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act of 2009 is a significant step toward eliminating the backlog of evidence in rape cases, Human Rights Watch said today.

US: Obama Announces End to HIV Travel Ban

Human Rights Watch — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:59:11 -0700

President Barack Obama's announcement today that national travel and immigration restrictions on people living with HIV will be removed should have positive consequences for public health and other countries with similar restrictions should follow suit, Human Rights Watch said.

Youth Producing Change: Call for Submissions:

Deadline: December 10, 2009 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:06:52 -0700

The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in partnership with Adobe Youth Voices seeks youth-produced film, video and animated works on human rights issues made by youth ages 19 and under for its third annual YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE program.

US: Revised Military Commissions Remain Substandard

Human Rights Watch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:50:17 -0700

(Washington, DC) - The military commissions legislation that President Barack Obama signed into law today does not remedy the commissions' inherent flaws, Human Rights Watch said today.

The US Lets Families Down

Janet Walsh — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:43:16 -0700

As Maria Shriver hits the airwaves this week to talk about work-life balance and her new report on women in America, I'm making my own work-life transition.

US: Letter to Senator Durbin Supporting the Elimination of Cocaine Sentencing Disparities

Human Rights Watch — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:41:32 -0700

Senator Richard Durbin
United States Senate
309 Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Durbin:

FBI's Rape News Isn't Good Enough

Sarah Tofte, researcher for the US Program — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:21:35 -0700

Two weeks ago, the FBI released annual crime statistics showing that reported rapes were at a 20-year low.

Vetoing Justice for Rape Victims

Sarah Tofte, researcher for the US Program — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:01:28 -0700

Over the weekend, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California vetoed legislation that would have made California the first state in the nation to collect comprehensive data on the physical evidence collected from rape victims that is sitting in police storage facilities.

US: Send a Bad Law Away, Not People

Alison Parker, deputy director of the US Program — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:52:40 -0700

Every day the U.S. government is forced to grapple with the consequences of harsh and sweeping immigration laws passed by Congress 13 years ago. Under the 1996 laws, detention and deportation are mandatory for thousands of immigrants convicted of nonviolent crimes, and judges are powerless to intervene, even in the most deserving cases.

Chicago Police Stonewall on Rape Investigations

Sarah Tofte — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:27:42 -0700

Julie was a graduate student at the University of Chicago when, in 2007, she was raped by a man she had been introduced to that night as a friend's new boyfriend. They were at a bar, and he was "acting weird toward me. He kept touching me and I kept pushing him away." The man's behavior attracted the attention of the club's manager and bouncer, who kicked him out.