Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 7 November

Every year, thousands of individuals take the courageous step of reporting their rape to the police. During a forensic exam of their bodies, which can take between four and six hours, evidence is collected in a “Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit” — a rape kit. Experts estimate there are hundreds of thousands of rape kits sitting untested throughout the country. 

A new website allows users to track the backlog state by state.  Watch this 2010 video about the backlog in Illinois, a state that subsequently enacted reform measures to test the backlog, yet continues to struggle with mandated deadlines: International efforts to end modern day slavery could learn a lot from the visionary activists growing a movement to advance domestic workers’ rights; a movement that has won remarkable achievements. In just two years, ten countries have ratified the ILO Domestic Workers Convention. Governments serious about ending forced labor and trafficking should ensure that a core part of their strategy includes advancing labor rights for all workers. The United States government should ensure that remaining sanctions on Burma are kept up-to-date on human rights abusers.  A leaked 2009 diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Rangoon noted that “many of the real perpetrators of human rights abuses or those who provide significant support to the regime are not yet targeted." This week Saudi authorities resumed a sweeping crackdown on foreign workers violating local labor laws.  Next week, the United Nations General Assembly will select countries to fill 14 vacant seats on the Human Rights Council. Five of the 16 country candidates have for years rebuffed efforts by the council’s human rights experts to visit their countries.