Cities Feature
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Canada: Vote NO on Migrant Detention Bill C31Human Rights Watch is writing to raise concerns about certain provisions of proposed Bill C-31, Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, that we believe are harmful to refugees and asylum seekers and incompatible with international refugee and human rights law. Although the detention provisions of Bill C-31 are ostensibly proposed to deter human smugglers, Human Rights Watch believes that these provisions, in fact, target refugee claimants fleeing persecution, who will suffer their consequences.
In the News
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The Imprisonment of Women and Girls for “Moral Crimes” in AfghanistanThis 120-page report is based on 58 interviews conducted in three prisons and three juvenile detention facilities with women and girls accused of “moral crimes.” Almost all girls in juvenile detention in Afghanistan had been arrested for “moral crimes,” while about half of women in Afghan prisons were arrested on these charges. These “crimes” usually involve flight from unlawful forced marriage or domestic violence. Some women and girls have been convicted of zina, sex outside of marriage, after being raped or forced into prostitution.April 12, 2012 -
The Island of Happiness RevisitedThe UAE is converting Saadiyat Island into an international tourist destination, and will house a campus of New York University and museums, including branches of the Guggenheim and the Louvre. In 2009, Human Rights Watch documented the exploitation of South Asian migrant workers on the island and the lack of legal and institutional protections for workers, urging the developers and institutions to pledge to address the abuses. Three years later, this progress report notes that while these entities have made important efforts to address employer abuses, protection gaps remain.March 12, 2012 -
The Unfinished Revolution: Voices from the Global Fight for Women's RightsAn anthology of essays from women around the world tells the story of the struggle to secure basic rights for women and girls and shows that the fight for women’s equality is far from over.March 12, 2012 -
World Report 2012: Strengthen Support for ‘Arab Spring’The 676-page report, Human Rights Watch’s annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major rights issues in more than 90 countries, reflecting the extensive investigative work carried out in 2011 by Human Rights Watch staff. On events in the Middle East and North Africa, Human Rights Watch said that firm and consistent international support for peaceful protesters and government critics is the best way to pressure the region’s autocrats to end abuses and enhance basic freedoms.January 12, 2012 -
Failure to Protect Women’s and Girls’ Right to Health and Security in Post-Earthquake HaitiThis documents the lack of access to reproductive and maternal care in post-earthquake Haiti, even with unprecedented availability of free healthcare services. The report also describes how hunger has led women to trade sex for food and how poor camp conditions exacerbate the impact of sexual violence because of difficulties accessing post-rape care. It looks at how recovery efforts have failed to adequately address the needs and rights of women and girls, particularly their rights to health and security.November 11, 2011 -
Open Letter to Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Federal Party Leaders on Human Rights PrioritiesHuman Rights Watch strongly urges that 6 specific human rights issues be made a priority during the next legislative session and that concrete solutions are pursued to help Canada improve its role as an advocate for fundamental human rights and its conduct as a responsible global citizen.May 11, 2011