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Covid-19 Hampers Workplace Safety in Georgia’s Mines

Labor Inspectorate Needs More Resources to Put Reforms into Effect

Two people died in a mining accident in the country of Georgia’s western coal mining town of Tkibuli last week. The accident in itself was tragic, but even more heartbreaking when you consider the context. The dangers of working in Georgia’s mines…
Miners going to work
News

Rich Countries Must Stop Blocking the Covid Vaccine Patent Waiver

Access to Covid-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics Is Part of the Human Right to Health

**This piece was co-authored by Zione Ntaba, Judge of the High Court of Malawi, Rodrigo Uprimny, Commissioner at the International Commission of Jurists, and Zak Yacoob, Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Full list of co-…
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News

Canada Flooding Highlights Need for Inclusive Climate Action

Needs of Marginalized Groups Should Inform Government Response

Canada’s western province of British Columbia is once again reeling from devastation linked to climate change. Following this summer’s deadly heat and rampant wildfires, record rainfall this month has triggered massive flooding, displacing more than…
A woman and children in boat leaving behind car with floodwaters up to the roof in the background.
News

EU Waste Shipment Proposal Takes Steps to Address Plastic Crisis

Need to Protect Communities’ Rights in Importing Countries

Last week, the European Commission proposed new rules governing waste shipments from EU countries. The regulation could be good news for communities around the world impacted by European plastic waste exports. Currently, many EU governments ship…
A pile of garbage and waste next to a road
News

Letter from Human Rights Watch to Institutional Shareholders

Re: Energy Companies in Myanmar and Abuses by the Military Junta

October 20, 2021 We are writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch concerning ownership by your firm (or funds or entities under its control) of energy companies, including Total Energies, PTT (and its subsidiary PTTEP), Chevron, and POSCO, which are…
News

Myanmar: Investors Should Act to Halt Funds to Junta

Revenues from Foreign Companies Keep Military in Power

(New York) – Payments by energy and extractive companies to entities under the control of the Myanmar military are providing key funds to sustain the junta and pose serious legal, financial, and reputational risks to investors in those companies.…
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News

Joint Letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

Re: Request for Information on Approved Draft Amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act

November 11, 2021 Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Royal Thai Government Government House 1 Phitsanulok Road Dusit, Bangkok Thailand Re: Request for Information on Approved Draft Amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act Dear Prime…
News

Papua New Guinea: Address Abuses Raised at UN Review

Countries Criticize Failures on Women’s and LGBT Rights and the Death Penalty

(Geneva) – The Papua New Guinea government should seriously address the criticisms of its human rights record and scores of recommendations raised by United Nations member countries, Human Rights Watch said today. Papua New Guinea appeared…
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Report

Dismantling Detention

Summary As the harmful effects of immigration detention become more widely known and the appropriateness of detaining migrants is increasingly questioned, governments are looking at alternatives to detention as more humane and rights-respecting…
News

Why the Global Climate Emergency is a Human Rights Crisis

A parent’s desire to protect their child from harm is a universally shared emotion. Whether you are raising your children in the suburbs of Perth or in the Gaza Strip, every parent has that instinct embedded deep in their bones. Working as a…
Students call for urgent climate action during the school strike for climate in Perth, Australia.
News

US: The Texas Abortion Ban

The following is a joint statement about the Texas abortion law by the Global Justice Center, Amnesty International USA, and Human Rights Watch; The United States Supreme Court is holding oral arguments on November 1, 2021 on procedural questions…
News

Illinois: Legislature Repeals Harmful Abortion Restriction

Move Will Protect Young People’s Rights, Dignity, Access to Health Care

(Chicago) – Illinois state lawmakers have voted to repeal a harmful abortion restriction that forced anyone under age 18 to involve a parent in an abortion decision, Human Rights Watch said today. Governor J. B. Pritzker should sign the bill into law…
Abortion rally in Chicaco, Illinois, US.
News

Cambodia: Vaccine Mandates Raise Rights Concerns

Covid-19 Vaccination Drive Should Focus on Access, Comprehensive Support

(Bangkok) – Cambodian authorities have imposed Covid-19 vaccine mandates that threaten people’s basic human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s approach risks violating the rights to health, education, and social security, and…
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News

Still No Justice for Killing of South African Mining Activist

Investigate Fikile Ntshangase’s Murder and Hold Killers Responsible

One year ago Fikile Ntshangase, an environmental activist from South Africa, was gunned down in her home in Somkhele in KwaZulu-Natal province, after raising concerns about a coal mine in the area. No arrests have been made. Today, members of her…
Activists from mining communities protesting at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on August 24, 2018, KwaZulu-Natal © 2018 Rob Symons
News

Kenya: Pandemic Health Workers Lack Protection

Ensure Safety During Covid-19; Address Plight of Frontline Workers

(Nairobi) – The Kenyan government has failed to fulfill its pledge to support health workers fighting Covid-19, exposing them to avoidable risks of trauma, infection, and even death, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s haphazard,…
Healthcare workers protest outside the Ministry of Health headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya to honor one of their colleagues, Dr. Stephen Mogusu, a 28-year-old health worker who succumbed to Covid-19.