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Latest News RSS News Feed   Mexico: Supreme Court Upholds Mexico City Abortion Law Landmark Decision Confirms Right to an Abortion up to 12th Week of Gestation In a historic decision today, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that Mexico City’s law decriminalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of gestation is constitutional. In a publicly broadcast proceeding, the court voted 8-to-3 in favor of upholding the Mexico City law, which came into force in 2007. A written decision is expected from the court within days. August 29, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Syria: Wives of Islamist Suspects Detained, Whereabouts Unknown The Syrian government should immediately release three women detained by state authorities since July 31, 2008, unless they have evidence that these women have committed criminal offenses and intend to try them for these, Human Rights Watch said today. August 18, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version The costs of marital rape in Southern Africa By guest author Nada Ali Published in The Independent August 18, 2008 - For years now, women’s groups in Southern Africa have campaigned tirelessly to ensure that the Southern African Development Community adopt the Protocol on Gender and Development. Yesterday, the SADC finally took that historic step. Member states will be obliged to amend their laws to ensure equal rights for women across a wide range of issues, from provisions that require member states to enshrine equality in their constitutions, to firm commitments to reduce maternal mortality by 75 per cent. But while that’s a cause for celebration, the Protocol still does not refer explicitly to domestic violence, and it still doesn’t oblige states to introduce legal provisions that criminalise marital rape. August 18, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version SADC: Adopt Gender and Development Protocol Summit Leaders Should Act on Equality for Women Southern African leaders should adopt the proposed Gender and Development Protocol at their upcoming summit after amending it to include crucial provisions deleted in 2007, Human Rights Watch said today. One of the most important provisions that should be put back in to the protocol would commit states to criminalize marital rape. August 14, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version HRW Oral Statement at the Informal Meeting of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Transcript of oral statement by Juliana Cano Nieto, researcher of the LGBT Rights Program, presented before the CEDAW Committee in an informal meeting on the discussion of a General Recommendation for Article 2 of the CEDAW The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) sets out to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and guarantee equality. In article 1 States commit to eradicate "any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex ... on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field." July 23, 2008 Oral Statement Printer friendly version A Test of Justice for Rape Victims By Sarah Tofte, US Program researcher Published in The Washington Post Every two minutes, someone is raped in the United States. Every year, more than 200,000 rape victims, mostly women, report their rapes to police. Most consent to the creation of a rape kit, an invasive process for collecting physical evidence (including DNA material) of the assault that can take up to six hours. What most victims don't know is that in thousands of cases, that evidence sits untested in police evidence lockers. July 22, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version Saudi Arabia: Implement Proposed Labor Reforms Government Should Immediately Abolish Sponsorship System Saudi Arabia should immediately implement its proposed reform to the kafala sponsorship system and extend labor protections to domestic workers, Human Rights Watch said today. Responding to the Saudi government's reaction to a recent report, "'As If I Am Not Human’: Abuses Against Asian Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia," author Nisha Varia said, “It’s a real shame when Saudis try to deflect attention from abuses against domestic workers by arguing that employers are the victims or focusing only on those women who have positive experiences.” July 21, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version DR Congo: Peace Accord Fails to End Killing of Civilians Murder, Rape, Looting Continues Six Months After Goma Agreement The killing and rape of civilians in the eastern province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues at a horrifying rate despite the signing of a peace accord six months ago, Human Rights Watch said today. The agreement was supposed to stop such attacks. July 18, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Whose interests does justice serve? Published in European Voice The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) took a bold and controversial step when, on 14 July, he requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. July 18, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version Doing the right thing for Darfur An ICC indictment of Sudan’s president serves peace and justice Published in Los Angeles Times Last July, I went to Chad to look into how the International Criminal Court, which has a field office in Abeche and works with refugees in the camps, is performing on the ground. As part of my assessment, I interviewed dozens of refugees. July 15, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version International Criminal Court’s Action Against al-Bashir Question and Answer On July 14, 2008, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested a warrant of arrest for Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir on charges of ten counts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The request for a warrant raises a number of questions, answers for some of which are below. July 14, 2008 Questions and Answers Also available in
Printer friendly version War Criminals, Watch Out The pace of proceedings is quickening at the International Criminal Court. On July 3, Jean-Pierre Bemba, the former vice president of Congo charged with war crimes, arrived in custody in The Hague. And today, July 14, the ICC prosecutor is expected to request new arrest warrants based on alleged crimes in Darfur against senior Sudanese officials, reportedly including the Sudanese president. Those are real accomplishments for a judicial institution whose underlying statute is now seeing only its 10th birthday. July 14, 2008 Commentary My Rights, and My Right to Know Lack of Access to Therapeutic Abortion in Peru
HRW Index No.: 1-56432-347-1 July 9, 2008 Report Also available in
Download PDF, 250 KB, 53 pgs Purchase online Read Press Release Peru: At-Risk Women Denied Legal Abortions Government Obstacles, Misinformation Impede Access The Peruvian government’s deliberate refusal to streamline procedures and approve guidelines for legal abortion is endangering the lives and health of women and girls who are often forced to use unsafe solutions for risky pregnancies, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Although international attention has been drawn to these violations, the Peruvian government has failed to abide by recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Committee and others. July 9, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Saudi Arabia: Domestic Workers Face Harsh Abuses Key Reforms Stalled, Few Remedies for Slavery-Like Conditions Saudi Arabia should implement labor, immigration, and criminal justice reforms to protect domestic workers from serious human rights abuses that in some cases amount to slavery, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Employers often face no punishment for committing abuses including months or years of unpaid wages, forced confinement, and physical and sexual violence, while some domestic workers face imprisonment or lashings for spurious charges of theft, adultery, or "witchcraft." July 8, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version "As If I Am Not Human" Abuses against Asian Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia
HRW Index No.: 1-56432-351-X July 8, 2008 Report Also available in
Download PDF, 466 KB, 137 pgs Purchase online Read Press Release The Trap of Sponsorship By Christoph Wilcke and Nisha Varia Published in Al-Hayat In its new report, “As If I Am Not Human,” Human Rights Watch presents an in-depth look into the lives of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia. After two years of research and more than 140 interviews with Asian domestic workers, recruiters, and government officials, the report details cases of forced labor, human trafficking, and slavery-like conditions and the much more widespread abuses of non-payment of salaries, forced confinement, food deprivation, excessive workload, and instances of severe psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. July 8, 2008 Commentary Also available in
Printer friendly version Protecting Domestic Workers’ Rights By Christoph Wilcke and Nisha Varia Published in Arab News DURING our last visit in March 2008 to Riyadh, we talked with a Sri Lankan woman in her fifties who worked as a housemaid. She told us that she was returning home, because her mother was dying. A year earlier, she had come to Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker after her husband had died in the 2004 tsunami, and her house and life savings were washed away. Her salary as a schoolteacher was insufficient to support her two sons in university. July 8, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version When peace talks undermine justice Published in International Herald Tribune Diplomats, judges, lawyers, human rights activists and members of nongovernmental organizations are currently marking the 10th anniversary of the completion of the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. The court's creation was an extraordinary step in extending the reach of law to those responsible for the mass slaughter of civilians and the use of rape as a weapon of war. July 4, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version Lost promise for rape victims A backlog in the testing of rape kits in Los Angeles means that many crime victims still wait for answers. By Sarah Tofte, US Program researcher Published in The Los Angeles Times At the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, where women (and men and children) get emergency medical care and counseling immediately after they have been raped, Human Rights Watch was researching how the center's nurse practitioners collect evidence for a "rape kit." The process – which can last more than four hours – is careful and meticulous. But the truth is, the police may never open the rape kit, much less send it in for testing. June 30, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version | |  | |
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