Search Results

Sort by
News

FIFA Should Listen to Families of Qatar’s Migrant Workers

Provide Remedy for Abuses Before 2022 World Cup

Mairul Khatun recalls panicking when she could not contact her husband, Mohammad Naddaf, a migrant worker in Qatar, for four days. A search team of friends and relatives found his body four days later. “His body was in no condition to be brought…
Workers walk toward a sports stadium under construction
News

No ‘Dignity and Pride’ in World Cup Labor Abuses

FIFA Should Uphold Rights Responsibilities to Migrant Workers

At a May 2 conference entitled “Managing the Beautiful Game,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino shockingly downplayed deaths and hardships of migrant workers in Qatar who have literally built the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In doing so, he reminded the world…
Workers walk toward a sports stadium under construction
News

Pregnant Girls and Young Mothers in Kenya Have the Right to Education

Education Ministry has a Crucial Role in Addressing Teen Pregnancies

“I want to [talk] about female candidates who sat for the…examination [while] in hospitals. As I celebrate, I also want to castigate our parents in the most severe terms possible.” These were the words of Kenya’s cabinet secretary for education,…
young mothers collect books library
News

Middle East/North Africa: End Violent Punishment of Children

Human Rights Watch Introduces Country Index Based on Laws, Policies

(Beirut) – Governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) should outlaw the violent discipline of children, Human Rights Watch said today, introducing an index categorizing countries in the region based on their laws and policies. The MENA…
2020 Dadu Shin for Human Rights Watch
News

Qatar: Wage Abuse Action Shortchanges Workers

Workers Still Owed Wages for Months After Informing Government of Abuse

(Beirut) – Qatari authorities have failed to provide redress for hundreds of migrant workers who are suffering from months of unpaid wages at two companies, even though authorities have repeatedly been informed of these abuses, Human Rights Watch said…
Former and current employees of Imperial Trading and Construction Company (ITCC) protest months of delayed and unpaid wages outside the company's headquarters. 
News

My Sister, a Teacher and a Hero for Girls

On Human Rights Day, Celebrating People Who Make the World Better

This Human Rights Day I’m celebrating my sister’s commitment to lifting up the lives of girls and giving them a chance at realizing their potential. I think of my sister Vicky as a warrior in the fight for human rights, and on December 10, I’m…
Vicky, a teacher in a girls’ school in Kenya, is dedicated to empowering girls. 
News

Qatar: Significant Labor and Kafala Reforms

Enforcement Needed, Other Provisions in Effect Still Carry Risk of Abuse

(Beirut) – The success of the significant labor reform measures that Qatar introduced on September 8, 2020, will depend on how well the government enforces and monitors them, Human Rights Watch said today. The reforms will allow migrant workers to…
Workers in Katara cultural heritage village in Doha, Qatar.
News

Impact of Covid-19 on Children’s Education in Africa

35th Ordinary Session

Human Rights Watch respectfully submits this written presentation to contribute testimony from children to the discussion on the impact of Covid-19 on children at the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of…
Schoolchildren attend class at a school in Norton, west of the capital Harare, Zimbabwe, September 10, 2019.
Report

"How Can We Work Without Wages?"

Summary   When “Henry,” a Kenyan man, received the complete list of required documents that allowed him to work in Qatar, he thought all his prayers had been answered.[1] To secure a plumbing job in Qatar, he had to take a loan at a 30…
News

Kenya: Denying Education to Pregnant Teens and Young Mothers

Harms Girls and Reduces Nation's Potential

"I didn't go back to school, because I didn't have anyone to give me advice," "Harriet" told me. "I wish someone would've come to talk to me about school and encourage me." We were sitting in   her brother's home in Migori county, western…
News

Qatar: Little Progress on Protecting Migrant Workers

As World Cup Draws Closer, Government Yet to Meet Key Reform Promises

(Beirut) – Qatari authorities’ efforts to protect migrant workers’ right to accurate and timely wages have largely proven unsuccessful, Human Rights Watch said in a report and an accompanying video released today. Despite a handful of reforms in…
Migrant workers in Qatar represent about 95 per cent of the country’s labor force. These workers are building the country’s infrastructure, hotels, and stadiums, and powering its service sector. 
Video

Qatar: Little Progress on Protecting Migrant Workers

Qatari authorities’ efforts to protect migrant workers’ right to accurate and timely wages have largely proven unsuccessful, Human Rights Watch said in a report and an accompanying video released today. Despite a handful of reforms in recent years,…
News

Qatar: Protect Migrant Workers During Pandemic

Positive Steps but Additional Measures Needed

  (Beirut) –  Qatari authorities should ensure that migrant workers receive adequate protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, a coalition of 16 nongovernmental organizations and trade unions said in a letter on March 31, 2020…
Logos of civil society organizations and trade unions.
News

Qatar: Wage Protection System Falls Short

Months of Delayed Wages on World Cup-Related Sites

  (New York) – Qatari authorities failed to address an employer’s months of delayed wages to employees despite a 2015 system built to ensure employers paid their employees on time and in full, Human Rights Watch said today. The…
Workers walk towards the construction site of the Lusail stadium which will be build for the upcoming 2022 Fifa soccer World Cup during a stadium tour in Doha, Qatar, December 20, 2019.
News

Qatar: End of Abusive Exit Permits for Most Migrant Workers

But Domestic Workers Will Have to Notify Employers Before Leaving

  (Beirut)—Qatar announced on January 16, 2020 that most migrant workers previously prevented from leaving the country without their employer’s permission, including domestic workers, will no longer need an exit permit, Human Rights Watch…
A picture taken on December 4, 2018, shows workers at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor, a city in northeastern Qatar. © 2018 David Harding/AFP
News

Marathoners Wilt in Qatar’s Oppressive Heat

Migrant Workers Toil with Far Less Protections Everyday

Nearly half the athletes participating in the women’s marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha on Sunday pulled out of the race in what The Telegraph described as “shocking scenes of multiple athletes collapsing in distress.”…
Italy's Giovanna Epis is pushed in a wheelchair during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships, in Doha, Qatar.
News

Kenya: Reverse Move to Close Refugee Camp

No Forced Returns of Refugees

  (Nairobi) – The Kenyan government should abandon a renewed push to close the enormous Dadaab refugee camp, Human Rights Watch said today. The move threatens the rights and safety of 250,000 people, mostly Somali refugees…
Photo: Refugees stand outside their tent at the Ifo Extension refugee camp in Dadaab, near the Kenya-Somalia border in Garissa County, Kenya, October 19, 2011.

Refine Search

Filter by Country
Filter by Topic
Filter by Type
Filter by News Category