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Bangladesh: Protests Erupt Over Rape Verdict

Judge Appears to Blame Victims; Activists Renew Calls to Repeal Harmful Law

(New York) – Women’s rights activists are protesting following the acquittal of all five men accused in an alleged gang-rape of two women in Dhaka in 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. The judge said that the police had failed to provide credible…
Students and activists take part in a torch procession demanding for the government to take action against murder and rape in Bangladesh. 
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South Asia: Justice, Services Can Curb Sexual Violence

Death Penalty Push Ignores Real Solutions to Regional Failings

(New York) – South Asian governments should disregard populist death penalty rhetoric and listen to their own experts to prevent and end sexual violence against women, Human Rights Watch said in a video released today. Experts on sexual violence from…
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Bangladesh: Pivotal Moment to Stop Violence Against Women

Enforce Policies, Provide Services, End Barriers and Corruption in Justice System

(New York) – Women and girls in Bangladesh are facing increased domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting long-term systemic barriers to legal recourse, protection, and social services, Human Rights Watch said in a report released…
A crowd of women holding candles
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Bangladesh: Protests Erupt Over Rape Case

Government Should Respond with Overdue Reforms

(New York) – Protests in Bangladesh erupted this week after a video of a group of men attacking, stripping, and sexually assaulting a woman went viral, Human Rights Watch said today. Protesters called for the resignation of Home Minister Asaduzzaman…
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Brands Abandon Asia Workers in Pandemic

Companies Canceling Orders, Adding to Job Loss, Unpaid Wages

  (London) – Apparel brands’ business practices in response to COVID-19 are exacerbating the economic plight of millions of garment workers in Asia, Human Rights Watch said today. Scores of clothing brands and retailers have canceled…
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Clothing Brands’ Business Practices Fuel Factory Abuses

Time and Cost-Cutting Pressures Are Incentives for Labor Abuses

(London) – Clothing and footwear brands should end business practices that provide incentives for factory labor abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 66-page report, “‘Paying for a Bus Ticket and Expecting to…
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Bangladesh: Ensure Justice for Murdered Student

Young Woman Killed After Bringing Sexual Assault Complaint

(New York) – The Bangladesh government should thoroughly investigate the murder of a madrassa student and fairly prosecute all those responsible, Human Rights Watch said. The murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was killed after she filed a…
Organizations hold a protest rally against the murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 12, 2019.
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Malaysia: Drop Investigation of Women’s March Organizers

Repeal Draconian Sedition Act

(New York) – The Malaysian authorities should halt the investigation targeting organizers of the Women’s March in Kuala Lumpur on March 9, 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. The march’s organizers are being investigated for possible violations of…
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, left, passes the opening speech to King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah during the opening of the 14th parliament session at the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, March 11, 2019.
News

Bangladesh: Investigate Dismissals of Protesting Workers

Unions Claim at Least 7,500 Dismissed Arbitrarily From Work, Others Targeted in Violent Police Raid

(New York) – Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate garment worker and union leader allegations of arbitrary dismissals and false criminal cases following a recent protest demanding a wage hike, Human Rights Watch said…
Bangladesh police chase protesting garment workers in Savar, outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, January 9, 2019.
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Combating Sexual Harassment in the Garment Industry

  Sexual Harassment in Garment Factories Eleven women garment workers from a factory in southern India sent a hand-written letter to a local union in late 2016.[1] They wrote: “The plight of women workers … we don’t have anyone who would…
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Malaysia: Human Rights Make Major Gains

New Government Faces Challenges in Carrying Out Reforms

(New York) – Malaysia’s human rights situation improved significantly in 2018 after the election of a new government that ran on a manifesto promising make the country’s rights record “respected by the world,” Human Rights Watch said today in…
Attendees hold up smartphones and wave Malaysian national flags and People's Justice Party flags at a Pakatan Harapan alliance event in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, on Wednesday, May 16, 2018.
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Burma: Widespread Rape of Rohingya Women, Girls

Soldiers Commit Gang Rape, Murder Children

(New York) – Burmese security forces have committed widespread rape against women and girls as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. …
Rohingya women refugees who crossed the Naf River from Burma into Bangladesh continue inland toward refugee camps.
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Burma: Military Commits Crimes Against Humanity

Expulsions, Murder, Rape, Persecution of Rohingya

(New York) – Burmese security forces are committing crimes against humanity against the Rohingya population in Burma, Human Rights Watch said today. The military has committed forced deportation, murder, rape, and persecution against…
Rohingya refugees shortly after arrival in Bangladesh.
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Bangladesh: Stop Persecuting Unions, Garment Workers

Brands Should Make Binding Commitments to Protect Freedom of Association

(New York) – Dozens of garment workers and labor leaders are facing unfair or apparently fabricated criminal cases in Bangladesh after wage strikes in December 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. Arbitrary arrests by the Bangladesh police are growing…
Bangladesh police stand guard in front of garment factories in Ashulia on December 26, 2016, when factories re-opened after a five-day shut down in response to garment workers’ wage strikes.
News

Burma: Security Forces Raped Rohingya Women, Girls

New Eyewitness Accounts Show Systematic Attacks Based on Ethnicity, Religion

(New York) – Burmese government forces committed rape and other sexual violence against ethnic Rohingya women and girls as young as 13 during security operations in northern Rakhine State in late 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. The Burmese government…
A Rohingya Muslim woman walks at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on February 4, 2017.
News

Burma: Rohingya Recount Killings, Rape, and Arson

Video Testimony Matches Satellite Images of Attacks

(New York) – The Burmese military has conducted a campaign of arson, killings, and rape against ethnic Rohingya that has threatened the lives of thousands more, Human Rights Watch said today. Refugees who fled the recent violence told Human Rights Watch…
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Bangladesh: Improve Protections for Migrant Domestic Workers

Show Leadership on Migrant Worker Protections during International Forum

(London) – Bangladesh should improve protection for its domestic workers migrating to the Middle East, Human Rights Watch said today. Bangladesh is hosting the Global Forum on Migration and Development on December 10-12, 2016, a meeting…
A migrant domestic worker watches over a child playing in the Magic Planet, City Centre Muscat, a shopping mall in Oman.
News

Bangladesh: Halt Mass Arbitrary Arrests

Carry Out Proper Investigations to Identify and Prosecute ‘Machete Attacks’

(New York) – The Bangladeshi authorities should investigate attacks on secular writers, gay rights activists, and religious minorities, and identify and prosecute the perpetrators, but should immediately stop arbitrarily arresting people without proper…
Police stand guard during a rally by activists demanding capital punishment for a group of bloggers in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 12, 2013.
News

Bangladesh: Garment Workers’ Union Rights Bleak

Ease Rigid Union Laws, Punish Union-Busting

(New York) – Garment workers face daunting challenges to unionization, and remain at risk of interference and threats by factories three years after the Rana Plaza building collapse, Human Rights Watch said today. The Bangladesh government should urgently…
Fatema holds a picture of her son Nurul Karim, one year after both he and her daughter Arifa died in the April 24, 2013 Rana Plaza collapse.
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France Can Help End Child Marriage in Bangladesh

“Before the house is swept away you should get her married,” a neighbor said to Khushi’s mother. Khushi (not her real name) had recently left school because her family could not afford to pay for school costs. Her parents arranged a marriage and Khushi…

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