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The Hidden Cost of Jewelry

Precious minerals and stones are mined in dozens of countries around the world, and then typically traded, exported, and processed in other countries. Although their supply chains can be long and complex, jewelers and watchmakers have a responsibility to…
News

World Health Assembly: Pledge to Act on Mercury

Ministers Should Endorse, Implement Minamata Convention

(Geneva) – Health ministers should pledge to take comprehensive action to prevent and treat the negative health effects of mercury, a toxic chemical, Human Rights Watch said today. The World Health Assembly is scheduled to discuss a resolution on the new…
News

Mercury Treaty: Last Chance to Address Health Effects

In Final Talks, Western Governments Should Agree to Include Prevention, Treatment

A proposed international treaty to address the damaging effects of mercury should include specific provisions to protect the health of children and other vulnerable populations, Human Rights Watch said today. Governments are to meet in Geneva beginning…
News

Mercury Treaty: Ban Mercury Use by Child Gold Miners

Public Health Strategies Needed in Treaty to Address Toxic Threat

(Punta del Este, Uruguay) – Negotiations for an international treaty to limit the use of mercury should seek to protect the health rights of artisanal gold mining communities, Human Rights Watch said today, in advance of a new round of meetings on the…
News

Nigeria: UK Conviction a Blow Against Corruption

Nigerian Politician Stole Millions, Laundered Fortune Overseas

(London)– The money laundering conviction and 13-year prison term for the Nigerian politician James Ibori on April 17, 2012, is a landmark in the global fight against corruption, Human Rights Watch said today. Ibori, one of Nigeria’s enduring symbols of…
News

Corporate Crime and Punishment

Should corporations have immunity for human rights abuses? On February 28, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that will decide whether corporations will be exempted from a crucial law that allows foreign victims of serious human rights abuses…
News

Nigeria: Child Lead Poisoning Crisis

Treat Thousands of Affected Children; Clean Villages; Improve Gold Mining Practices

(Lagos) – Thousands of children in northern Nigeria need immediate medical treatment and dozens of villages remain contaminated two years into the worst lead poisoning epidemic in modern history, Human Rights Watch said today while releasing a video on…
News

Nigeria: War on Corruption Hangs in the Balance

Urgent Need to Fix Key Anti-Corruption Agency

(Lagos) – The new administration of President Goodluck Jonathan should fix Nigeria’s key anti-corruption agency and refrain from political interference in its work, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Endemic government corruption has…
News

Lead Poisoning in Nigeria "Unprecedented"

For a Nation Speeding Forward, Health Is Left Behind

Lead poisoning usually causes life-long debilitating illness, not immediate death. Yet in the state of Zamfara, a poor, arid region in northern Nigeria, lead poisoning has killed more than 400 children in the past six months. The soil in this area is…
News

Decisive Moment for Global Transparency Effort

Most Countries Miss Deadline to Demonstrate Openness on Petroleum, Mining Revenues

(Washington, DC) - An international initiative that seeks to promote more openness about how countries profit from their oil, gas, and mining resources should not weaken its modest membership standards because governments are unable or unwilling to meet…
News

Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous

How to keep foreign dictators from living large in the U.S.

In sunny Malibu a real estate agent named Neal Baddin helps the playboy son of one of the world's most corrupt leaders buy a $30 million mansion. Teodoro Nguema Obiang lives off money taken from the coffers of Equatorial Guinea, a tiny but oil-rich…
News

US: Adopt Anti-Corruption Proposals

Senators’ Investigation Follows the Hidden Money Trail from Foreign Kleptocrats

(Washington, DC) - The Obama administration should adopt recommendations in a report issued today to help stop the flow of stolen money into the United States, Human Rights Watch said. The report is the result of a detailed investigation by Senators Carl…
News

Nigeria's Delta blues

Nigeria's oil industry is beset with corruption. The result is higher oil prices and widespread human rights abuses

When Gordon Brown met Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua in London this week, improving the security of energy supplies from the Niger Delta was high on the agenda. Sabotage and oil theft have cut production in the world's eighth-largest oil exporter to…
News

Nigeria: Niger Delta Gang Violence Goes Unpunished

Failure to Prosecute Gang Leaders, Politicians Will Fuel Bloodshed

(Abuja) - The Nigerian government’s failure to hold accountable politicians and gang leaders responsible for a deadly wave of post-election violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta threatens to bring further bloodshed, Human Rights Watch said in a report…
Report

"Chop Fine"

Chop Fine* The Human Rights Impact of Local Government Corruption and Mismanagement in Rivers State, Nigeria Summary Recommendations Methodology Background and Context: Oil, Poverty and Governance in Nigeria State and Local Government in Nigeria Oil and…
News

Nigeria: Corruption and Misuse Rob Nigerians of Rights

Rivers State Local Governments Squander Oil Revenues Instead of Funding Health, Education

(Lagos, January 31, 2007) – Local government officials in Nigeria's wealthiest oil-producing state have squandered rising revenues that could provide basic health and education services for some of Nigeria's poorest people, Human Rights Watch said in a…
News

Nigeria: Fight for Oil Wealth Fuels Violence in Delta

Government Must Combat Impunity; Oil Industry Should Ensure Transparency

(London, February 4, 2005) — In the oil-rich Niger Delta, the struggle among local leaders for oil revenue and government funds has fueled violent clashes between rival armed groups, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. An escalation in…