Reports

“You Have to Move!”

The Cruel and Ineffective Criminalization of Unhoused People in Los Angeles

The 337-page report, “‘You Have to Move!’ The Cruel and Ineffective Criminalization of Unhoused People in Los Angeles,” documents the experiences of people living on the streets and in vehicles, temporary shelters, and parks in Los Angeles, as they struggle to survive while facing criminalization and governmental failures to prioritize eviction prevention or access to permanent housing. Law enforcement and sanitation “sweeps” force unhoused people out of public view, often wasting resources on temporary shelter and punishments that do not address the underlying needs. Tens of thousands of people are living in the streets of Los Angeles; death rates among the unhoused have skyrocketed.

Police remove an unhoused woman from her tent
Nadia, a Sudanese refugee who has fled the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, hugs her friend Khadidja, beside makeshift shelters near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad on May 11, 2023. 

World Report 2024

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  • June 13, 2007

    “We Have the Upper Hand”

    Freedom of assembly in Russia and the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people

    For the second year in a row, on Sunday, May 27, 2007, a small group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists and their supporters tried to stage a peaceful public demonstration in Moscow to claim their rights. For the second year in a row, anti-gay nationalist groups assaulted them, beating some severely, pelting others with rocks and eggs.
  • June 10, 2007

    “No One Has the Liberty to Refuse”

    Tibetan Herders Forcibly Relocated in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and the Tibet Autonomous Region

    This 79-page report documents how the government’s policy of forced resettlement has violated the economic and social rights of Tibetan herders. It draws on interviews conducted between July 2004 and December 2006 with some 150 Tibetans from the areas directly affected.
  • June 7, 2007

    Off the Record

    U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the “War on Terror”

    This 21-page briefing paper, published by six leading human rights organizations, includes the names and details of 39 people who are believed to have been held in secret US custody abroad and whose current whereabouts remain unknown. The briefing paper also names relatives of suspects who were themselves arrested and detained, including children as young as seven.
  • June 5, 2007

    In the Name of Prevention

    Insufficient Safeguards in National Security Removals

    This 92-page report examines administrative expulsions of imams and others deemed to foment extremism. It also documents the criminal deportation of persons convicted of terrorism-related offenses. Based on 19 case studies, the report concludes that the procedures lack the necessary guarantees to prevent serious violations of France’s obligations under international human rights law.
  • June 5, 2007

    The 2007 US Trade Policy Template

    Opportunities and Risks for Workers’ Rights

    On May 10, 2007, congressional leaders and the US Trade Representative (USTR) reached an historic agreement on a “new trade policy template” (template) that has the potential to be an important step towards ensuring that workers’ rights are better protected in US trade accords.
  • June 1, 2007

    The Omar Khadr Case

    A Teenager Imprisoned at Guantanamo

    In this backgrounder, Human Rights Watch said that although Khadr was just 15 when he was arrested, the United States has completely ignored his juvenile status throughout his detention. The US government incarcerated him with adults, reportedly subjected him to abusive interrogations, failed to provide him any educational opportunities, and denied him any direct contact with his family.
  • May 25, 2007

    Human Rights Council Membership Requires Steps to Address Violations

    A Briefing Paper by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Human Rights Watch

    In this 13-page briefing paper, Human Rights Watch and the EIPR said that Egypt’s terrible human rights record made that country a poor choice for membership. They nevertheless welcomed the Egyptian government’s public pledges to improve its practices domestically and to strengthen the capacity of the council.
  • May 16, 2007

    Last Hope

    The Need for Durable Solutions for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal and India

    This 86-page report discusses the possible solutions to this protracted refugee situation and the choices the refugees now face.
  • May 15, 2007

    “They Pushed Down the Houses”

    Forced Evictions and Insecure Land Tenure for Luanda’s Urban Poor

    This 103-page report documents 18 mass evictions in Luanda that the Angolan government carried out between 2002 and 2006. In these evictions, which affected some 20,000 people in total, security forces destroyed more than 3,000 houses, and the government seized many small-scale cultivated land plots.

  • May 15, 2007

    Belarus’ Pledges: Fiction and Fact

    Analysis of Belarus’ Assertions on its Suitability for UN Rights Council Membership

    General Assembly resolution 60/251 requires that states “take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto” in voting to elect members of the Human Rights Council (HRC).
  • May 2, 2007

    Bashing Dissent

    Escalating Violence and State Repression in Zimbabwe

    This 39-page report documents the Zimbabwean government’s crackdown on peaceful protest and dissent since March.
  • April 30, 2007

    Discounting Rights

    Wal-Mart's Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association

    In this 210-page report, Human Rights Watch found that while many American companies use weak US laws to stop workers from organizing, the retail giant stands out for the sheer magnitude and aggressiveness of its anti-union apparatus. Many of its anti-union tactics are lawful in the United States, though they combine to undermine workers’ rights. Others run afoul of soft US laws.

  • April 25, 2007

    Survey of Cluster Munitions Produced and Stockpiled

    Briefing Paper Prepared for the ICRC Experts Meeting on Cluster Munitions

    This presentation is an introduction to the wide variety of cluster munitions currently available. The functional characteristics of these munitions as well as estimates of the numbers in current stockpiles are included in the presentation.
  • April 24, 2007

    Dying for Change

    Brutality and Repression by Guinean Security Forces in Response to a Nationwide Strike

    This 64-page report documents how Guinean security forces brutally repressed demonstrations across the country. It details how security forces abused, intimidated and arbitrarily arrested journalists and members of civil society. The report also shows how security forces were responsible for excessive use of force, as well as reckless and undisciplined fire.
  • April 19, 2007

    The EU Central Asia Strategy

    An essential opportunity for human rights

    In this 10-page briefing paper, Human Rights Watch articulates how the European Union should make respect for human rights an integral part of its new Central Asia strategy. The strategy, an initiative of the German EU Presidency, replaces years of an uncoordinated approach by the European Union to the five Central Asian countries, which were once part of the Soviet Union.