West Bank: Spike in Israeli Killings of Palestinian Children
End Systematic Impunity for Unlawful Lethal Force

Many urgent arms-related challenges should be addressed to protect civilians affected by conflict and its deadly legacy. Antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions have been prohibited outright, but the ban treaties need to be universalized and complied with fully. Militaries use a wide-range of explosive weapons—artillery, rockets, mortars, air-delivered bombs and more—in populated areas, frequently causing indiscriminate harm to civilians. Incendiary weapons cause painful and cruel injuries, yet they continue to be used. The development of fully autonomous weapons—“killer robots”—that could select and engage targets without human intervention need to be stopped to prevent a future of warfare and policing outside of human control and responsibility. The Arms Division of Human Rights Watch works to advance humanitarian disarmament and enhance protections for civilians from various weapons that inflict unnecessary harm. We document the negative impact of weapons and promote the establishment and implementation of international treaties and legal norms.
End Systematic Impunity for Unlawful Lethal Force
Investigate Military Air Operations; Compensate Victims
Limited Access to Water, Electricity, Medical Care Fuels Humanitarian Crisis
Justice Needed for Lethal Attacks on Civilians
Treaty Parties Condemn New Use of Widely Banned Weapon
Delivered by Susan Aboeid on behalf of the Cluster Munition Coalition
Delivered by Mary Wareham on behalf of the Cluster Munition Coalition
State-Controlled Media Outlets Reprise Role of Manipulating the Message
Global Report Tracks Civilian Harm from Prohibited Weapon
End Systematic Impunity for Unlawful Lethal Force
Systematic Abuses of Ethiopians May Amount to Crimes Against Humanity
Becomes 112th State Party to International Treaty
Lula Can Act to Reduce Civilian Casualties During Conflicts and Afterward
Unlawful Attack Killed 10 Civilians, Injured 48