Reports

Discriminatory Fines Target Black and Arab Youth in France

The 60‑page report, “Paying the Price of Police Harassment: Discriminatory Fines Target Black and Arab Youth in France,” documents the experiences of the boys and young men from low-income households receiving abusive and discriminatory fines for allegedly committing offenses of noise nuisance, littering, and illegal discharge of unsanitary liquids, when they are simply carrying out ordinary activities such as talking outside their homes or playing sports in a neighborhood park. These fines are issued based on police officers’ subjective observations, without judicial scrutiny, while the fined person has no basic fair trial guarantees.

A mother faces her sons’ unpaid fine debt of tens of thousands of euros resulting from dozens of fines they received throughout their childhood, Paris, France, June 2026.
A man holds a flower and the message "Humanity for All" in front of a line of soldiers

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  • May 2, 2002

    The United States and the Rights of Children

    What is the UN General Assembly Special Session for Children? What does Human Rights Watch hope the session will accomplish? What role has the United States taken during these negotiations? Why is the Convention on the Rights of the Child important to the Special Session? Why hasn't the United States ratified the Convention?
  • April 25, 2002

    Child Labor and Obstacles to Organizing on Ecuador's Banana Plantations

    Banana workers in Ecuador are the victims of serious human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch charged in a new report released today. In its investigation, Human Rights Watch found that Ecuadorian children as young as eight work on banana plantations in hazardous conditions, while adult workers fear firing if they try to exercise their right to organize.
  • April 4, 2002

    Haitians And Dominico-Haitians In The Dominican Republic

    Over the past decade, the Dominican government has deported hundreds of thousands of Haitians to Haiti, as well as an unknown number of Dominicans of Haitian descent.
  • March 1, 2002

    We recognize the many challenges presented by the pressures of increased migration and the government's commitment to honor international protection obligations. We believe that efficient immigration management and potential national security concerns can be reconciled with the protection of fundamental human rights guarantees for migrants and asylum seekers.
  • February 21, 2002

    Rights Violations Against Migrants and Asylum Seekers

    The government of Spain is violating the rights of migrants and asylum seekers who arrive illegally on Spanish shores, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.
  • February 12, 2002

    Sex Discrimination in the Guatemalan Labor Force

    Women in Guatemala's largest female-dominated labor sectors face persistent sex discrimination and abuse, Human Rights Watch charges in this report. The 147-page report examines two sectors, export processing and private households, which employ tens of thousands of women sewing clothes for sale in the United States and working as live-in domestic workers.
  • October 18, 2001

    The Impact of the September 11 Attacks on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants in the Afghanistan Region and Worldwide

    The backlash against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants throughout the world is a serious side effect of the September 11 attacks. While governments have legitimate security concerns, there must be a balance with human rights and refugee protection standards.
  • September 30, 2001

    Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel's Schools

  • September 27, 2001

    Amidst the intensive coverage of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington and the west’s preparations for a military response, there have been suggestions in the media that Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaida organisation may have recruited and trained children for military actions.
  • September 1, 2001

    The global scandal of violence against children is a horror story too often untold. With malice and clear intent, violence is used against the members of society least able to protect themselves—children in school, in orphanages, on the street, in refugee camps and war zones, in detention, and in fields and factories.
  • June 2, 2001

    HIV/AIDS and Children's Rights in Kenya

    Human immuno-deficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a national disaster for the people of Kenya, children and adults alike. Kenya is estimated to have the ninth-highest prevalence of HIV in the world with about 14 percent of the adult population infected.
  • May 1, 2001

    Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools

    In this report, Human Rights Watch documents attacks on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth who are subjected to abuse on a daily basis by their peers and in some cases by teachers and school administrators.
  • May 1, 2001

    Children and Adults forcibly recruited for Military Serivce in North Kivu

    This report, based upon a mission to the region in December 2000 and subsequent research, documents an intensive campaign of forcible recruitment of adults and children begun by RCD-Goma and its Rwandan allies in the last quarter of 2000.
  • March 1, 2001

    Sexual Violence Against Girls in South African Schools

    In schools across South Africa, thousands of girls of every race and economic group are encountering sexual violence and harassment that impede their access to education, Human Rights Watch charged in a report released today.