• A 14-year-old unaccompanied migrant boy from Afghanistan stands outside the abandoned house in which he lives with 25 other Afghan migrants in Patras, Greece. Like many other migrants, he is trying to stow away on ships to Italy to claim asylum. © 2012 Human Rights Watch
    © 2012 Human Rights Watch
    Italy: Summary Returns to Greece Violate Rights
    Italy is summarily returning unaccompanied migrant children and adult asylum seekers to Greece, where they face a dysfunctional asylum system and abusive detention conditions, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today. Stowaways on ferries from Greece, including children as young as 13, are sent back by Italian authorities within hours without adequate consideration of their particular needs as children or their desire to apply for asylum.
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Reports

  • Race to the Bottom
    Exploitation of Migrant Workers Ahead of Russia’s 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi
  • Turned Away
    Summary Returns of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Adult Asylum Seekers from Italy to Greece
  • “The Law Was Against Me”
    Migrant Women’s Access to Protection for Family Violence in Belgium
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Migration

  • Universal Periodic Review: HRW Submission on Russia
    Apr 18, 2013
    Starting in June 2012, the Russian government reversed small, positive steps taken since the previous UPR, which had slightly loosened excessive government control over civil society organizations and aimed to improve pluralism in the political system. It launched a broad crackdown on freedom of assembly, association, and expression. Abuses in the counterinsurgency campaign in the North Caucasus continue. Several Russian regions have adopted homophobic laws, and preparations for the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi have been tainted by abuses.
  • US: Senate Immigration Plan Important Yet Flawed
    Apr 16, 2013
    The US Senate is set to take an important step toward establishing landmark protections for unauthorized immigrants. The plan could grant eventual legal status to millions of people and reduce their vulnerability to human rights abuses. A summary of the proposed bill was made public on April 16, 2013, outlining significant changes to the complex array of immigration laws in the United States.
  • US: Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee for Hearing on "Comprehensive Immigration Reform"
    Feb 13, 2013
    On February 13, 2013, the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” Human Rights Watch submitted the following written statement for the record. The US immigration system should respect and protect families – including binational same-sex couples.
  • Qatar: Promises, Little Action on Migrant Workers’ Rights
    Feb 7, 2013
    Qatar has not delivered on its pledges to improve migrant workers’ rights, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference in Doha about its World Report 2013. More than two years after it won the right to host the 2022 World Cup, It is high time for Qatar to deliver on its promises for reforms to prevent the trafficking and forced labor of migrant workers, Human Rights Watch said. The Qatar Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022 – the tournament’s quasi-governmental delivery committee – has made encouraging pledges on workers’ rights, but these lack detail. Nor do they mask the failure of the Qatari authorities either to reform exploitative laws, such as the kafala system of sponsorship-based employment and the prohibition on trade unions, or to enforce the prohibition on illegal recruitment fees and the confiscation of passports.
  • Russia: Migrant Olympic Workers Cheated, Exploited
    Feb 6, 2013
    Migrant workers building sites and infrastructure for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, have been cheated and exploited.
  • US: Statement to the House Judiciary Committee on "America's Immigration System"
    Feb 5, 2013
    On February 5, 2013, the US House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, held a hearing entitled “America’s Immigration System: Opportunities for Legal Immigration and Enforcement of Laws against Illegal Immigration.” Human Rights Watch submitted this written statement for the record.
  • North Korea: Activists Welcome Japan’s Support for Inquiry
    Feb 5, 2013

    The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK), consisting of over 40 leading human rights organizations and activists, today welcomes Japan’s strong position in favor of the establishment of a new United Nations commission of inquiry on serious human rights violations committed by the North Korean Government at home and abroad.

  • UAE: Backsliding on Human Rights
    Jan 31, 2013
    The Human Rights situation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deteriorated rapidly during 2012, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • US: Senators’ Bipartisan Immigration Proposal a Promising Start
    Jan 28, 2013
    The bipartisan framework for immigration reform released by eight United States senators on January 28, 2013, includes helpful language but needs more work on the details to protect basic rights.
  • Uzbekistan: Forced Labor Widespread in Cotton Harvest
    Jan 25, 2013
    Uzbek authorities have increased the use of forced labor by adults and older children in the cotton sector during the past year. The move was apparently made to shift the burden away from younger children in response to public scrutiny and international pressure.
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