• Syria: Opposition Using Children in Conflict
    Nov 29, 2012
    Armed opposition groups fighting in Syria are using children for combat and other military purposes, Human Rights Watch said today. Children as young as 14 have served in at least three opposition brigades, transporting weapons and supplies and acting as lookouts, Human Rights Watch found, and children as young as 16 have carried arms and taken combat roles against government forces. Opposition commanders should make public commitments to end this practice, and to prohibit the use of anyone under 18 for military purposes – even if they volunteer.
  • Syria: Evidence Shows Cluster Bombs Killed Children
    Nov 27, 2012
    Compelling evidence has emerged that an airstrike using cluster bombs on the town of Deir al-`Assafeer near Damascus killed at least 11 children and wounded others on November 25, 2012
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Violence Against Children

  • Syria: Opposition Using Children in Conflict
    Nov 29, 2012
    Armed opposition groups fighting in Syria are using children for combat and other military purposes, Human Rights Watch said today. Children as young as 14 have served in at least three opposition brigades, transporting weapons and supplies and acting as lookouts, Human Rights Watch found, and children as young as 16 have carried arms and taken combat roles against government forces. Opposition commanders should make public commitments to end this practice, and to prohibit the use of anyone under 18 for military purposes – even if they volunteer.
  • Syria: Evidence Shows Cluster Bombs Killed Children
    Nov 27, 2012
    Compelling evidence has emerged that an airstrike using cluster bombs on the town of Deir al-`Assafeer near Damascus killed at least 11 children and wounded others on November 25, 2012
  • Colombia: Obstacles to Care for Abused, Displaced Women
    Nov 14, 2012
    Colombia’s laws on violence against women are not adequately protecting victims displaced by the armed conflict. Approximately two million internally displaced women and girls face high rates of rape and domestic violence. Daunting obstacles impede displaced victims’ access to healthcare, justice, and protection services.
  • Yemen: Security Forces Raiding Aden Hospitals
    Oct 19, 2012
    Yemeni state security forces are threatening health care in Aden by forcibly removing wounded alleged militants from hospitals, exchanging fire with gunmen seeking to block the arrests, and beating medical staff, Human Rights Watch said today. One hospital in that southern port city has suspended operations as a result.
  • Ghana: People With Mental Disabilities Face Serious Abuse
    Oct 2, 2012
    People with mental disabilities suffer severe abuses in psychiatric institutions and spiritual healing centers in Ghana, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Ghanaian government has done little to combat such abuse or to ensure that these people can live in the community, as is their right under international law.
  • Chile: Investigate Police Violence Against Mapuches
    Aug 10, 2012
    The Chilean authorities should carry out a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the alleged unlawful use of force by police against members of the Mapuche indigenous community, Human Rights Watch said today. Officers found responsible for any unlawful use of force should be held to account and the injured civilians ensured an effective remedy.
  • Sudan: Police Fatally Shoot Darfur Protesters
    Aug 3, 2012
    The Sudanese government should forcefully condemn the killing of 12 peaceful protesters in South Darfur by police and other security forces on July 31, 2012, and investigate and prosecute those responsible.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Escalating Levels of Violence in Syria
    Jun 26, 2012
  • Syria: Sexual Assault in Detention
    Jun 15, 2012
    Syrian government forces have used sexual violence to torture men, women, and boys detained during the current conflict. Witnesses and victims also told Human Rights Watch that soldiers and pro-government armed militias have sexually abused women and girls as young as 12 during home raids and military sweeps of residential areas.
  • At the expense of children
    Jun 12, 2012
    Every year, the UN secretary-general publishes a report detailing grave violations committed against children by armed forces and armed groups around the world. From Afghanistan to Yemen it recounts cases of children killed and maimed during hostilities, children used as child soldiers, sexual violence against children, attacks on schools and teachers, and the military use of schools. It can make for some fairly depressing reading.
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