Human Rights Watch is committed to showcasing heroic stories of activists and survivors facing human rights issues around the world. We are excited to announce a screening of Strike a Rock, a deeply personal journey which follows two South African activists, grandmothers, and best friends—as they take on the platinum mining company, Lomin Plc. The screening will be followed by a discussion moderated by Isis Ferguson (Associate Director for City and Community Strategy, Place Lab), featuring Komala Ramachandra (Business and Human Rights Research, Human Rights Watch) and Jacqui-Lee Katz (Producer, Strike a Rock).

Monday, December 10th

Gene Siskel Film Center | 7:30 PM

164 North State Street, Chicago

October 24, 2018 | Human Rights Watch Annual Dinner Chicago

Our 2018 Voices for Justice Annual Dinner was our most successful yet, with gratitude to the leadership of Dinner Co-Chairs Sheridan Prior and Shalini Sharma, Committee Co-Chair Terri Abruzzo, and Dinner Committee members Snjeza Barrack, Monica Hughson, Sheila Roche, Ragini Shekhawat, Cindy Soper, Dia Weil, and Rachel Zakaria. We are also deeply thankful to the strong support of the Chicago Committee, sponsors, and guests who joined for the event, or supported us from afar.

This year, we heard from Deputy Executive Director for Program Iain Levine, Director of Disability Rights Division Shantha Rau Barriga, Researchers Mike Bochenek (Senior Counsel, Children’s Rights Division) and Megan McLemore (Senior Researcher, Health and Human Rights). We were especially moved to hear from Imran Mohammad, former Manus Island detainee and friend of the Chicago Committee, as he shared his deeply compelling story. We thank you again for your invaluable support as we continue to work towards justice and defend the rights of people worldwide.

Human Rights Watch believes art translates human rights abuses in a way that urges viewers to take action. Returning for a 6th year to EXPO CHICAGO, HRW highlights inequalities in the global garment industry by featuring new work by The Rational Dress Society: UNDERWEAR, a line of ungendered undergarments. The work calls for sustainable, paticipatory, and transparent labor practices, while challenging narratives about gender indentity. 

September 27, 6 pm: Vernissage

Join us to toast our 6th opening at EXPO CHICAGO

September 28, 5 pm: Under[the]wear: Fashion & Equity for Global Garment Workers

Close the working week with a happy hour discussion about what's under your clothes and who made. We'll explore art and labor rights in the garment industry with a conversation between HRW Executive Director of Women's Rights Liesl Gerntholtz, and Rational Dress Society artists Abigail Glaum-Lathbury and Maura Brewer. 

At 6 pm, stay for a curated tour of EXPO CHICAGO for those interested in art and social justice. 

Human Rights Watch at EXPO CHICAGO
The Fifth International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art
Thursday, September 22 to Sunday, September 25 | Navy Pier, Chicago

Visit the Human Rights Watch booth at EXPO CHICAGO to shine a light on harsh and ineffective US immigration detention and deportation policies. Since 2007, US Congress mandated that Immigration & Customs Enforcement maintain a quota of 34,000 detained immigrants per day in its 250 facilities around the country. This “bed quota” inspired 34,000 Pillows, the featured work from binational artist collaborative Díaz Lewis. The ever-growing pile of pillows reflects the number of beds required to be filled each night, translating the mandate in a bold and compelling way statistics alone cannot.

Each pillow is unique, handmade, and priced at $159, the amount US taxpayers spend per day to detain one person. Pillows are crafted from clothing worn by undocumented individuals in the Chicago area. 100% of each pillow sold will support Human Rights Watch.

Booth Talk: Making the Statistics Human
Friday, September 23 | 12 noon to 1:00 PM
How does art speak to the work of grassroots activists and human rights fact-finders? Join Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Grace Meng along with artists Díaz Lewis and immigration activist and former detainee Lulú Martinez to discuss current immigration policies and realities, and how their different modes of activism approach and effect change.

Monday (July 20), Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation to end mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles. This legislation is in response to the 2012 US Supreme Court ruling that sentencing individuals under the age of 18 to mandatory life without parole is unconstitutional. The new law allows judges to take other factors into consideration when issuing a sentence such as age and prior offenses, but life without parole for minors still remains constitutional in the US. In the 2008 report, “When I Die… They’ll Send Me Home,” Human Rights Watch argues that life without parole for juveniles is unconstitutional. The United States remains the only country in the world to actively practice this cruel and unusual punishment. 

Last week, Cook County Judge Angela Petrone resentenced Adolfo Davis to natural life in prison without the chance of parole. Davis was first ordered to life in prison without parole when he was just 14 years old. HRW has previously stated that this is a violation of human rights, and fails to recognize the fundamental human rights of all children, including their right to special protection. In 2012, SCOTUS ruled that sentencing youth to mandatory life without parole is unconstitutional as it is considered a “cruel and unusual punishment.” This landmark ruling appeared to move the United States in the right direction in regards to international human rights law, namely expectations for the U.N Convention on the Rights of the Child. This treaty is yet to be ratified by two countries: the United States and Somalia. The United States remains the only country in the world to impose sentences of life without the possibility of parole on juvenile offenders.

Chicago Director of HRW, Jobi Cates, was quoted in the Chicago Bureau for her work on juvenile life-without-parole (JLWOP) sentence reform in Illinois.

In 2012, the US Supreme Court declared mandatory JLWOP a “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the 8th amendment. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child also prohibits JLWOP, a treaty only 2 out of 193 nations did not ratify: Somalia and the US.

Since the 2012 Supreme Court decision, however, many states have amended their legislation, accounting for the offender’s youth and life circumstances. While Illinois has yet to make changes, the state is currently considering alternatives to mandatory JLWOP, as well as whether such alternatives should apply retroactively for those already sentenced.

Human Rights Watch is working with the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth and other allies on reform and retroactivity. For more information, please email chicago@hrw.org.

To celebrate the beginning of our 10th year in Chicago and the recent passage of the marriage equality bill in Illinois, the Human Rights Watch Chicago Committee will host a screening of "The New Black" on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 6 PM at the Harold Washington Library. The film, a documentary by Yoruba Richen, explores how the African-American community is grappling with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in light of the marriage equality movement and the fight over civil rights.

A panel discussion and Q&A featuring director Yoruba Richen and noted activist Maxim Thorne will take place following the screening.

Last week, the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Adolfo Davis – who was sentenced to life in prison for a crime he committed at 14 years old – should be eligible for parole. While SCOTUS affirmed in 2012 that sentencing youth to mandatory life-without-parole is unconstitutional as a "cruel and unusual punishment," states are split as to whether the SCOTUS ruling should apply to those sentenced before the 2012 ruling, not just future cases.

Last week, the Chicago Committee proudly presented Libyan activist Hassan al-Amin with Human Rights Watch’s highest honor, the Alison Des Forges Award, at the Voices for Justice Dinner. The Voices for Justice Dinners – which take place in 21 cities throughout the world – celebrate activists who risk their lives to protect the rights and dignity of others. This year, Chicago kicked off the 2013/14 dinner season with an impressive 600 guests in attendance. Honoree al-Amin spoke openly to the crowd of his experiences fighting for reform, including his 27 years in exile, his parliamentary position after the fall of Gaddafi and his hopes for the future. The Dinner raised over $1 million – a new record for the Chicago Committee – all of which will support Human Rights Watch in its mission to investigate atrocities and defend individuals in 90 countries throughout the world.

The Chicago and Midwest division of Human Rights Watch has local events throughout the year: film screenings, seminars, lunches with HRW researchers, advocacy campaigns and more. We also fight for human rights here, in the Midwest, where juveniles are currently serving life without parole in adult prisons – a sentence that violates both the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Join our newsletter to learn more about the Chicago and Midwest division of Human Rights Watch and how you can get involved, or connect with us on the Human Rights Watch-Chicago Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HRWchicago).

The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized sentences imposed upon children must differ from adult sentences.  The Supreme Court now requires judges in all states to carefully consider the age and age-related characteristics of youth facing life without the possibility of parole sentences and provide a “meaningful opportunity to obtain release based on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation.”  (Miller v. Alabama citing Graham v. Florida) California has made significant legislative progress, and Illinois must strive to do the same.  Please sign up for our local e-mail list (above right) to receive more information about this issue in Illinois.