• Angola: Stop Rape, Abuse of Congolese Migrants
    Press release
    May 21, 2012
    Angolan security forces frequently abuse irregular migrants during expulsions from Angola, including sexual violence and other degrading and inhuman treatment, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
  • US: Sexual Violence, Harassment of Immigrant Farmworkers
    Press release
    May 15, 2012
    Hundreds of thousands of immigrant farmworker women and girls in the United States face a high risk of sexual violence and sexual harassment in their workplaces because US authorities and employers fail to protect them adequately, Human Rights Watch said in its 95-page report, “Cultivating Fear: The Vulnerability of Immigrant Farmworkers in the US to Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment.”
  • Testimony of Bill Frelick before the Canadian Parliement on Bill C31 Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act
    Testimony
    May 1, 2012

    Human Rights Watch has serious concerns that certain provisions of proposed Bill C-31, Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, are harmful to refugees and asylum seekers and incompatible with international refugee and human rights law. Although the detention provisions of Bill C-31 are ostensibly proposed to deter human smugglers, Human Rights Watch believes that these provisions in fact, target refugee claimants fleeing persecution, who will suffer their consequences.

     

  • Human Rights Watch's Updated Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on Greece
    Written statement
    Apr 25, 2012
    We write in advance of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (“the Committee”) upcoming periodic review of Greece, to highlight areas of concern we hope will inform your consideration of the Greek government’s (“the government”) compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (“the Convention”).
  • Updated Human Rights Watch Submission to the United Nations Committee against Torture on Greece
    Written statement
    Apr 25, 2012
    This memorandum, submitted to the United Nations Committee Against Torture (“the Committee”) ahead of its upcoming review of Greece, highlights areas of concern Human Rights Watch hopes will inform the Committee’s consideration of the Greek government’s (“the government”) compliance with the International Convention against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ("the Convention").
  • Beyond Breivik, Hate in Europe is on the Rise
    Commentary
    Apr 25, 2012
    With the eyes of the world on the Oslo district court, there are stark contrasts on display. The twisted and hate-filled logic of Anders Breivik contrasts with the calm, dignified and above all fair criminal process against him.
  • Indonesia: Parliament Approves Migrant Workers Convention
    Press release
    Apr 12, 2012

    Indonesia’s ratification of the Migrant Workers Convention will bring new protections for millions of Indonesian migrant workers, Migrant Care and Human Rights Watch said today. The Indonesian parliament adopted the international treaty on April 12, 2012, without reservations in a plenary session.

  • Netherlands: Joint NGO Letter to Minister Leers
    Letter
    Apr 2, 2012
    We, the undersigned 5 human rights organizations, are writing to urge you not to return Abu Kurke Kebato, a 23-year-old Ethiopian, and his 21-year-old wife Seena Tafse Mohammed, also an Ethiopian national, to Italy. We understand that both were detained on March 29, 2012 pending deportation to Italy on April 5, 2012.
  • Bill to fight human smuggling only punishes victims
    Commentary
    Mar 30, 2012
    Parliament is currently debating legislation that would require one-year, mandatory detention for certain migrants arriving in Canada, including 16- and 17-year-old children. Ostensibly intended to prevent human smuggling, this bill in fact punishes victims of human smuggling, including those desperately fleeing persecution and violence.
  • A sick system abuses its refugees
    Commentary
    Mar 18, 2012

    South Africa's tourism website describes the country as the "land of good times and friendly people". Sadly, Araya Y, a pregnant Somali refugee living in Port Elizabeth, did not experience this side of the country. Instead, when she went to a government district hospital in July 2010 to give birth, she was abused by medical staff and denied care.