• Trafficking of Burmese Women and Girls into Brothels in Thailand
    Jan 31, 1994
    The Thai government is guilty of complicity in the trafficking of Burmese women and girls into Thailand for forced prostitution, according to A Modern Form of Slavery, released today by Human Rights Watch. The 160-page report documents the direct involvement of Thai police and border guards in the illicit sex trade, and the Thai government's routine failure to punish its own officials and others who engage in or profit from this abuse. It concludes that in 1993 alone the Royal Thai Government, rather than punishing officials and other traffickers, has wrongfully arrested and deported hundreds of Burmese victims, in clear violation of Thailand's obligations under national and international law. Human Rights Watch urges the Chuan administration to investigate and prosecute officials and other traffickers, to stop the unwarranted arrest and deportation of trafficking victims and to ensure the women and girls' safe return to Burma.
  • Police Violence Against Gypsies
    Mar 31, 1993
    On June 29, 1992, police surrounded a Gypsy neighborhood in Pazarszhik, a town 120 km. east of Sofia, and attacked its inhabitants, conducted abusive house searches, damaged property and confiscated possessions. Many Gypsies suffered serious injuries as well as significant property damage as a result of the police conduct.
  • Police Abuse of Women in Pakistan
    Jun 21, 1992
    In "Double Jeopardy: Police Abuse of Women in Pakistan," released today, Asia Watch and the Women's Rights Project, two divisions of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, charge the government of Pakistan with responsibility for an epidemic of unpunished police violence against women. The 106-page report finds that more than 70 percent of women in police custody are subjected to physical and sexual abuse by law enforcement agents, yet not a single police official has been subjected to criminal penalties for such abuse.
  • Fund Cites Persecuted Writers
    May 20, 1991
    At the request of the estates of the American writers Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett, the Fund for Free Expression administers a special fund for writers of fiction or non-fiction, anywhere in the world, who are in financial need as a result of political persecution. The grants are made annually by a five-member selection committee consisting of members of the Fund for Free Expression, one of the six committees of Human Rights Watch. The second round of grants has recently been awarded -- a total of $195,000 to 22 writers in 16 countries.