Ecuador’s Slow Progress Tackling and Preventing School-Related Sexual Violence
The 60-page report, “‘Like Patchwork’: Ecuador’s Slow Progress Tackling and Preventing School-Related Sexual Violence,” documents significant gaps in the government’s response to prevent and tackle abuses in Ecuador’s education system. Many schools still fail to report abuses or fully implement required protocols. Judicial institutions do not adequately investigate or prosecute sexual offenses against children, affecting survivors’ ability to find justice.
Inadequate Protection for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Johannesburg
This 66-page report documents how refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa’s largest city often encounter abuse by police and other obstacles throughout the refugee-status determination process. Asylum seekers and refugees in Johannesburg are often subjected to harassment, mistreatment and extortion by the police.
Human Rights Watch respectfully offers the following submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee’s inquiry into the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Bill (No. 2) 2005 (hereafter “the Bill”).
Online Censorship in the Middle East and North Africa
This 144-page report documents online censorship and cases in which Internet users have been detained for their online activities in countries across the region, including Tunisia, Iran, Syria and Egypt.
This briefing paper documents cases where Burundian soldiers summarily executed five civilians and tortured others whom they suspected of being collaborators with the last active rebel group, the National.
The Trial Phase of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
This 46-page report evaluates the conduct of the U.N.-backed court for war crimes in Sierra Leone during trials, which began in June 2005.The report details concerns regarding court operations that should be addressed to ensure that the court functions as fairly and effectively as possible.
Testimony contradicts government’s version of events
On May 13, 2005 Uzbek government forces killed hundreds of unarmed protesters as they fled a demonstration in Andijan, in eastern Uzbekistan. To date the government has taken no steps to investigate or hold accountable those responsible for this atrocity. Instead it is denying all responsibility and persecuting those who seek an independent and transparent investigation.
Law 975 of 2005 does not contain effective mechanisms to achieve a genuine demobilization and dismantlement of armed groups. At the same time, the Law does not satisfy international standards about truth, justice, and reparation for victims.
The High Cost of U.S. and Cuban Travel Restrictions
This 69-page report shows how the travel policies of both countries infringe upon the internationally recognized right to freedom of movement, which includes the right to leave and return to one’s own country. In the case of parents and children forced to reside in different countries, the policies also violate the international prohibition on the involuntary separation of families.
This briefing paper provides a concise explanation of human rights concerns arising from the statute of the court created to try Saddam Hussein and others: the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal (formerly known as the Iraqi Special Tribunal).
The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons in Bogotá and Cartagena
The families interviewed for this 60-page report described fleeing their homes after receiving threats, being subjected to torture, or seeing relatives or neighbors killed. When they flee their communities and seek shelter elsewhere, they may wait weeks or even months for emergency aid, are often denied medical care, and may be unable to enroll their children in schools.
Life without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States
The United States is one of the few countries where a crime committed by a juvenile regularly results in a life sentence without any possibility of parole. This 167-page report documents state and national trends in this type of sentencing and analyzes the race, history and crimes of the young offenders and is a joint project with Amnesty International.
Government Neglect and the Right to Education for Children Affected by AIDS
This 55-page report is based on firsthand testimony from dozens of children in three countries hard-hit by HIV/AIDS: South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. It documents how governments fail children affected by AIDS when they leave school or attempt to return.
This 52-page report documents a range of crimes against minorities since 2003, including physical assaults, attacks on religious and cultural buildings, and cemetery desecration. The Serbian government’s response to these attacks has been inadequate.
This report is the most detailed study to date of abuses by insurgent groups. It systematically presents and debunks the arguments that some insurgent groups and their supporters use to justify unlawful attacks on civilians.
This briefing paper warns that Liberia’s transition from a near-failed state to a democratic country governed by rule of law cannot be considered complete until there is considerably more progress in several key areas. First, Liberia’s judicial system, which remains plagued by striking deficiencies, must be rebuilt with the help of the international community.
