Progress on Addressing Violence against Women in Africa
On May 2, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ (ACHPR) is scheduled to meet for its first public session since the African Union adopted the Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (CEVAWG) and the ACHPR adopted a landmark resolution on the need to Develop Guidelines on the Elimination of Obstetric Violence and […]
Women’s Participation Has Proven Worth in Bringing Peace
At least, we thought ruefully, the women, peace, and security agenda—backed in the United States by the first Trump administration—is safe. We thought this could remain true even amidst the current Trump administration’s assault on women’s rights. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth apparently did not get the memo. Women, peace, and security, or WPS, […]
The Long List of Trump’s Harmful Reproductive Rights Restrictions
A report compiling harmful actions taken by US President Donald Trump against reproductive rights was released today by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), a legal organization defending reproductive rights globally. It’s a long list, including policy positions, personnel appointments, website takedowns, administrative changes, government agency shutdowns, and funding cuts. Like Human Rights Watch’s feature […]
For ‘Bread, Work, Freedom,’ Afghan Women Are Still Resisting
It has been over three and a half years since Afghan women from all walks of life first took to the streets chanting “Bread, Work, Freedom,” a fierce assertion of their right to work and to be free from the Taliban’s systemic oppression. This International Workers’ Day, their call is more urgent than ever. Since […]
US: Repeal Alien Enemies Act
The Trump administration is the first in US history to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 outside a context of a declared war. The Alien Enemies Act is incompatible with US obligations under international human rights and refugee law. Congress should repeal the act, which, as recent enforced disappearances of Venezuelans show, is too […]
Türkiye: Don’t Deport Turkmen Activists
(Berlin, April 30, 2025) – Turkish migration authorities should immediately suspend any plans to deport two detained Turkmen activists to Turkmenistan, Human Rights Watch said today. If deported they would be at grave risk of torture and arbitrary imprisonment. On the morning of April 28, 2025, migration authorities in Sinop, northern Türkiye, detained the two activists, Alisher […]
Deadly Attack on Tourists in Jammu and Kashmir
The April 22 attack by gunmen that killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, in the town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir state has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The Indian authorities say the assailants are allied to a Pakistan-based Islamist group who, according to witnesses, confirmed that the victims were Hindu before shooting them. India’s Prime […]
Trinidad and Tobago Nationals Remain Stranded in Northeast Syria
Trinidad and Tobago’s newly elected prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, should act quickly to repatriate more than 90 of the country’s nationals, including at least 50 children, who remain unlawfully detained in northeast Syria and Iraq for alleged association with the Islamic State (ISIS). On April 25, two Trinidadian children who spent years in northeast Syria […]
Venezuela: Brutal Crackdown Since Elections
Venezuelan authorities and pro-government armed groups have committed widespread abuses since the July 28, 2024 presidential elections that officials said Nicolás Maduro had won, despite substantial evidence to the contrary. The Venezuelan government has killed, tortured, detained, and forcefully disappeared people seeking democratic change and many others have fled the country. Governments should support accountability […]
Guatemala: Indigenous Leaders Face Terrorism Charges
(Washington, DC) – Guatemala’s Attorney General’s Office has detained two Indigenous leaders on spurious terrorism charges tied to their participation in peaceful protests, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 23, Guatemalan police detained Luis Pacheco and Hector Chaclán in Guatemala City, after prosecutors accused them of serious crimes – including terrorism – in connection with their participation […]