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 […]

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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, […]

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Jordan: Informal Camp Residents Displaced

(Amman) – Jordanian authorities have forcibly evicted and demolished homes and shops in an informal Palestinian refugee camp in Amman without adequate consultation, notice, compensation process, relocation assistance, or means of redress as part of a road expansion project, Human Rights Watch said today. More families are expected to be affected as the project continues. The urban […]

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‘Killer Robots’ Threaten Human Rights During War, Peace

(New York, April 28, 2025) – Autonomous weapons systems pose grave risks to human rights during both war and peacetime, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Governments should tackle the concerns raised by such weapons systems, known as “killer robots,” by negotiating a multinational treaty to address the dangers.  The 61-page report, […]

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Insurgents in Southern Thailand Kill 16-Year-Old Buddhist Novice

Ethnic Malay Muslim insurgents in southern Thailand shot dead Pongkorn Chumapan, 16, and wounded Pokanit Morasin, 12, on Tuesday when they attacked a pickup truck taking Buddhist monks and novices from Wat Kura temple to collect alms in Songkhla province’s Sabayoi district. Children have frequently been victims of the separatist conflict in Thailand’s southern border provinces, […]

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Maldives: Judiciary’s Independence Threatened | Human Rights Watch

(Bangkok) – The Maldives government should immediately reinstate three Supreme Court justices who were improperly suspended and cease other efforts to undermine judicial independence, Human Rights Watch said today. The three justices had until April 24, 2025, to respond to a Maldives Judicial Service Commission report recommending their dismissal. On February 26, the Judicial Service Commission […]

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FIFA Has No Child Safeguarding Policy for 2026 World Cup

In two months, the FIFA Club World Cup, an international football tournament for club teams, will kick off in the United States, serving as a testing ground for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup next year. But FIFA has inexcusably not put a clear and comprehensive child safeguarding framework in place to protect children from […]

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Texas Bill Would Criminalize Those Transporting Youth for Abortion Care

A harmful bill in the Texas legislature would criminalize transporting youth younger than 18, or funding their transportation, out of state to access abortion without written parental consent.  The legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 2352 and House Bill (HB) 4595, aims to stop young people from getting abortions by making it a second-degree felony, punishable with fines […]

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Haiti: Escalating Violence Puts Population at Grave Risk

(Washington, DC) – Increasing violence in Haiti by criminal groups and clashes with “self-defense” groups are contributing to the dangerous insecurity facing the country’s population, Human Rights Watch said today. Criminal groups have been tightening their grip on Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and expanding into other regions. Opposition leaders and “self-defense” groups have led violent protests against the […]

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