• Human Rights Watch interviewed 10 children, some as young as 11, working in tanneries. Many children work 12 or even 14 hours a day, considerably more than the five-hour limit for adolescents in factory work established by Bangladeshi law. Dhaka, June 2012.
    © 2012 Arantxa Cedillo for Human Rights Watch
    Bangladesh: Tanneries Harm Workers, Poison Communities
    Workers in many leather tanneries in the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, including children as young as 11, become ill because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and are injured in horrific workplace accidents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The tanneries, which export hundreds of millions of dollars in leather for luxury goods throughout the world, spew pollutants into surrounding communities.
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ESC Rights

  • Joint Letter and Submission to President Kim Re. World Bank Safeguards Review
    Dec 20, 2012

    Given the fundamental importance of safeguards in helping countries develop in a sustainable manner, we believe that the Safeguards review provides a critical opportunity to strengthen the Bank’s development model. The Bank should strive to be a standard-setter among development institutions, and this review provides an opportunity to lead a race to the top in establishing strong and effective safeguards.

  • Egypt: Forced Eviction by Military Leaves One Dead
    Nov 21, 2012
    Military prosecutors should immediately refer to the civilian judiciary 25 civilians arrested on November 18, 2012, during an attempted forced eviction by the military police that left one of the inhabitants dead. Civilian prosecutors should investigate the excessive use of force by the military police, in particular the lethal shooting, and prosecute any members of the military responsible for unlawful use of force.
  • Joint Letter to President Kim: World Bank Group Should Commit to Human Rights
    Nov 8, 2012

    We write to congratulate you on your appointment as president of the World Bank Group (WBG). In this position, you have the opportunity to provide global leadership in the pursuit of poverty eradication and sustainable development. We were pleased to hear in your recent remarks to the United Nations that restoring the World Bank’s role in the international system is a priority for your future work. To achieve this goal, it will be essential to ensure that the WBG fully upholds human rights and acts consistently with international human rights law.

  • World Bank Support for “Development” by Force
    Oct 11, 2012
    Ethiopia remains in much need of development aid, particularly in the areas of food security, health, and education. But donors need to hold true to their own policies to ensure that they don’t fund harmful projects, directly or indirectly.
  • Bangladesh: Tanneries Harm Workers, Poison Communities
    Oct 8, 2012
    Workers in many leather tanneries in the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, including children as young as 11, become ill because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and are injured in horrific workplace accidents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The tanneries, which export hundreds of millions of dollars in leather for luxury goods throughout the world, spew pollutants into surrounding communities.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue With the Independent Expert on Sudan
    Oct 3, 2012
    Human Rights Watch deeply regrets that the shift of the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sudan from Item 4 to Item 10 was used by the Sudanese authorities to restrict the ability of the mandate holder to monitor the human rights situation in the country and to prevent the identification of human rights violations and abuses.
  • Letter to HH Sheikh Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Treatment of the Bidun
    Sep 27, 2012
  • UN Human Rights Council: Adoption of the Outcome of South Africa's UPR
    Sep 20, 2012
    Human Rights Watch welcomes the UPR report on South Africa, which includes important recommendations concerning South Africa’s full compliance with international human rights law, the progressive realization of economic and social rights, protecting freedom of expression, and upholding women’s rights and the rights of vulnerable groups.
  • Sochi Olympics have an ugly side
    Aug 10, 2012

    As the London Olympics wind down, preparations are full speed ahead for the next Games — in Sochi, Russia, the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Yet while athletes and fans the world over are celebrating summer sport triumphs, few in Sochi are feeling the Olympic glow.

  • Ethiopia, Kenya: World Bank Approves Controversial Loan
    Jul 12, 2012
    The World Bank undermined the rights of indigenous peoples and the environment with its approval on July 12, 2012, of a US$684 million loan. The loan is for a 1000-kilometer transmission line that would supply power to Kenya from Ethiopia’s controversial Gibe III dam.
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