• Men and children work in the mines outside of Bagega. They dig deep to find the rock and then crush these rocks to extract the gold ore. Inside the rocks are deposits of other metals, including lead, which has poisoned many of the children in the village.
    © 2011 Marcus Bleasdale/VII for Human Rights Watch
    Nigeria: Show Commitment on Child Lead Poisoning
    High-level Nigerian government participation is needed at an upcoming international conference to make progress in ending a lead poisoning epidemic among children in Zamfara State, Human Rights Watch said today.
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  • Health and Human Rights

    Promoting and protecting health and respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights are inextricably linked, and every country in the world is now party to at least one human rights treaty that addresses health-related rights and the conditions necessary for health. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family.” Download the complete brochure (4MB).

     

Reports

  • Against All Odds
    Prison Conditions for Youth Offenders Serving Life without Parole Sentences in the United States
  • A Poisonous Mix
    Child Labor, Mercury, and Artisanal Gold Mining in Mali
  • Somsanga’s Secrets
    Arbitrary Detention, Physical Abuse, and Suicide inside a Lao Drug Detention Center

Health

  • The Paradox of Losing Life While Giving Life in Africa
    May 25, 2012
    Giving life is a leading cause of death of women and girls in Africa. And in the last 20 years, few African countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, have made enough progress in bringing down the number of maternal deaths.
  • Joint Letter to UN Special Rapporteur on Health
    May 9, 2012
    Human Rights Watch, Positive Voice, and the European AIDS Treatment Group write to the special rapporteur on two issues of urgent and serious concern in Greece: the administrative detention and compulsory medical testing of immigrants and asylum seekers based on health status and the arrest, criminal prosecution and compulsory HIV testing of sex workers.
  • Nigeria: Show Commitment on Child Lead Poisoning
    May 6, 2012
    High-level Nigerian government participation is needed at an upcoming international conference to make progress in ending a lead poisoning epidemic among children in Zamfara State, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Maternal mortality under scrutiny
    May 4, 2012
    Since the 1990s South Africa has not reduced the number of women who die needlessly each year from preventable and treatable causes linked to pregnancy and childbirth.
  • Brazil: Supreme Court Abortion Ruling a Positive Step
    Apr 19, 2012

    The ruling by Brazil’s highest court on April 12, 2012, expanding exceptions from criminal penalties for abortion is a positive step toward protecting women’s human rights.

  • US: Investigate Ethics in China Drug Study
    Apr 18, 2012
    A study about heroin cravings partially funded by a US agency and conducted in two Chinese drug rehabilitation centers raises serious questions about research ethics, Human Rights Watch said today. The research on memory retrieval and extinction in rats and Chinese drug users was published in an article in Science on April 13, 2012.
  • Putting Women on the Agenda in Cartagena
    Apr 13, 2012
    Happening every three years, the Summit of the Americas brings together the heads-of-state of the region to talk about pressing concerns. Over the weekend in Cartagena, Colombia, the theme will be “Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity,” but some of the liveliest debates are likely to focus on discussions around decriminalization of personal drug use.
  • Peru: Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
    Apr 12, 2012
    This memorandum, submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ahead of its upcoming review of Peru highlights areas of concern that Human Rights Watch hopes will inform the Committee’s consideration of the Peruvian government’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
  • Letter to Peruvian Congress on Involuntary Detention of Persons With Disabilities
    Apr 2, 2012
    Human Rights Watch expresses its concern about Law No. 29737 and related provisions in Peruvian law that permit involuntary detention for treatment of people with psychosocial or mental disabilities and those who suffer from addiction, in circumstances that do not comply with international human rights law.
  • US: Letter to Department of Labor on Application of Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service
    Mar 21, 2012
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