Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 23 September

The United Nations General Assembly kicks into high gear tomorrow as President Obama is set to address world leaders amid speculation he could unofficially meet with Iran's President Rouhani. Among the numerous issues Human Rights Watch will be following closely at the UNGA: Syria, humanitarian aid, and whether the Security Council will keep the prospects of an ICC referral alive; the large scale attacks on civilians in the Central African Republic; the post-2015 development agenda; and what steps governments of the world will take to protect privacy in the digital age.  In an open letter, a member of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot, announced she would begin a hunger strike to protest the atrocious treatment she has received at penal colony 14. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was one of three women found guilty of "hooliganism" and has been in detention since March of 2012. Every day she has been in prison has been an injustice. The women of Pussy Riot should never have been charged with a hate crime. New statistics released today show that while number of child laborers worldwide has dropped by one-third since 2000, from 248 million to 168 million, the number of children still engaged in child labor is staggering. Governments should end dangerous child labor by better enforcing child labor laws, ensuring children go to school, and prosecuting the employers who exploit children. As the Syrian crisis rages on, refugees are rapidly exhausting their meager savings and resources.  During the high-level meetings and general debate at the UNGA, donor countries should greatly increase pledges of financial assistance and ensure the funds are dispersed rapidly and effectively.         Despite new press freedoms since 2012, Yemen is becoming a country where expressing an opinion can get you killed. Since a transitional government took office in Yemen in February 2012, there has been an alarming rise in attacks on journalists. If the Hadi government truly wishes to create an environment for free speech, it needs investigate and prosecute people who threaten and attack journalists.