Reports

Dismantling Detention

International Alternatives to Detaining Immigrants

The 94-page report “Dismantling Detention: International Alternatives to Detaining Immigrants,” examines alternatives to detention in six countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Human Rights Watch found that alternatives to detention such as case management services, can effectively address government interests in immigration enforcement while protecting migrants’ rights and often offering a range of other benefits.

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  • Automated Hardship

    How the Tech-Driven Overhaul of the UK’s Social Security System Worsens Poverty

    The 68-page report, “Automated Hardship: How the Tech-Driven Overhaul of the UK’s Benefits System Worsens Poverty,” details how a poorly designed algorithm is causing people to go hungry, fall into debt and experience psychological distress.

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  • Nothing Left in the Cupboards

    Austerity, Welfare Cuts, and the Right to Food in the UK

    This report examines how deep, austerity-motivated cuts to the welfare system, exacerbated by the introduction of the Universal Credit system and other changes, have left many families with children in England going hungry and dependent on food aid from charities.

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  • Unmet Needs

    Improper Social Care Assessments for Older People in England

    For this report, Human Rights Watch spoke with older people and their relatives in 12 cities and towns across England. Some said that assessors appeared not to understand their disabilities and support needs.

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  • Following the Money

    Lack of Transparency in Donor Funding for Syrian Refugee Education

    This report tracks pledges made at a conference in London in February 2016.

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  • Hidden Away

    Abuses against Migrant Domestic Workers in the UK

    The 58-page report documents the confiscation of passports, confinement to the home, physical and psychological abuse, extremely long working hours with no rest days, and very low wages or non-payment of wages.

  • Whose Development?

    Human Rights Abuses in Sierra Leone’s Mining Boom

    This 96-page report documents how the government and London-based African Minerals Limited forcibly relocated hundreds of families from verdant slopes to a flat, arid area in Tonkolili District.

  • Losing Humanity

    The Case against Killer Robots

    This 50-page report outlines concerns about these fully autonomous weapons, which would inherently lack human qualities that provide legal and non-legal checks on the killing of civilians.

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  • Without Suspicion

    Stop and Search under the Terrorism Act 2000

    This 64-page report examines the use of the stop-and-search power under section 44 of the act. The power is intended to prevent terrorism.

  • “No Questions Asked”

    Intelligence Cooperation with Countries that Torture

    The 62-page report analyzes the ongoing cooperation by the governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom with foreign intelligence services in countries that routinely use torture. The three governments use the resulting foreign torture information for intelligence and policing purposes.

  • Fast-Tracked Unfairness

    Detention and Denial of Women Asylum Seekers in the UK

    The 69-page report documents how women asylum seekers with complex claims are being routed into a system designed for much simpler claims. The women are held in detention largely for the UK’s administrative convenience, have very little time to prepare a legal case, and have only a few days to appeal if refused.

  • Cruel Britannia

    British Complicity in the Torture and Ill-treatment of Terror Suspects in Pakistan

    This 46-page report provides accounts from victims and their families in the cases of five UK citizens of Pakistani origin - Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Rangzieb Ahmed, Rashid Rauf and a fifth individual who wishes to remain anonymous - tortured in Pakistan by Pakistani security agencies between 2004 and 2007.

  • Not the Way Forward

    The UK’s Dangerous Reliance on Diplomatic Assurances

    This 36-page report focuses on two important appeals in the House of Lords this month that will test the reliability of no-torture promises from the governments of Algeria and Jordan.

  • UK: Counter the Threat or Counterproductive?

    Commentary on Proposed Counterterrorism Measures

    This 26-page briefing paper analyzes Home Office counterterrorism proposals from July in light of the UK’s international human rights obligations. The measures are likely to form part of a draft counterterrorism bill to be presented to parliament later this year.