1. Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’
Since taking office on June 30, 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has carried out a “war on drugs” that has led to the deaths of more than 12,000 Filipinos to date, mostly urban poor. Human Rights Watch has chronicled the brutal campaign since the beginning.
2. South Africa: Decriminalize Sex Work
Sex workers in South Africa face arrest, detention, harassment, and abuse from police, which also deters them from reporting rape or other brutal attacks. All over the world Human Rights Watch and other rights groups find the same patterns of abuse where sex work is criminalized.
3. ‘Just Let Us Be’: Discrimination Against LGBT Students in the Philippines
Schools should be safe places for everyone. But in the Philippines, LGBT students too often find that their schooling experience is marred by bullying, discrimination, lack of access to LGBT-related information, and in some cases, physical or sexual assault. These abuses can cause deep and lasting harm.
4. Rohingya Crisis
Since late August 2017, more than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh, to escape the military’s large-scale campaign of ethnic cleansing. The atrocities committed by Myanmar security forces including mass killings, sexual violence, and widespread arson, amount to crimes against humanity. Now, the Rohingya refugees face new dangers in overcrowded camps.
5. Saudi Arabia: 10 Reasons Why Women Flee
Earlier this year, Rahaf Mohammed, a Saudi woman who managed to successfully flee her allegedly abusive family, shed new light on the countless women trapped under the abusive male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia. Though the government has lifted or modified some of the system’s cruel restrictions, many remain in place.
6. ‘All We Want is Equality’: Religious Exemptions and Discrimination against LGBT People in the US
Over the past decade, LGBT people have made significant legal and political gains in the United States, including the freedom to marry. But federal law does not expressly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in fields like employment, housing, and access to services. Without these protections, LGBT people across the US lack clear recourse and redress when they are fired, evicted, or refused service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
7. You Should Be Worrying About the Woman Shortage
We are learning right now what happens when the natural sex ratio becomes wildly out of whack, through a huge unintended experiment. In the world’s two most populated countries—China and India—there is a serious woman shortage.
8. China’s Algorithms of Repression: Reverse Engineering a Xinjiang Police Mass Surveillance App
In early 2018, Human Rights Watch obtained a copy of a mass surveillance app used by police in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has subjected 13 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims to widespread restrictions, in violation of their basic rights. The app provides an unprecedented window into mass surveillance in Xinjiang.
9. ‘Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?’: Barriers to Girls’ Education in Pakistan
Pakistan's government is failing in its obligation to deliver essential services like education—and girls lose out the most.
