Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 3 February 2014

The United Nations Secretary General just released it's first report to the Security Council on the violence against children in the Syrian conflict. The report documents serious abuses by government forces including the "arbitrary detention, ill treatment and torture of children." This comes on the heels of the conclusion of the first round of the "Geneva II" talks on Syria with no sign of key elements needed for a durable peace, like justice. The government's indiscriminate bombing and razing of entire neighborhoods continue, and humanitarian aid is still severely restricted or blocked in many areas. Tomorrow, the European Parliament will vote on a report calling for action to protect undocumented women migrants in Europe. It's an opportunity to send a clear message to all EU governments: all women have a right to be protected from violence, regardless of immigration status.  Uganda, potentially on the verge of a mining boom, is repeating the mistakes made by many of its resource-rich neighbors: exploitation of vast natural resources without oversight and designed to benefit only a few. From this morning: The fate of democracy in Thailand is "hanging by a thread". The election weekend was marred by violence on Saturday and followed months of spiraling political unrest, though voting on Sunday - where possible - was largely peaceful.