Author: Human Rights Watch

(Johannesburg) – Zambian authorities should address recent reports that polluted water and soil from an acid spill in Zambia’s copper mining region pose a serious health risk, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 18, 2025, a dam in Chambishi, Copperbelt province, holding mining waste from Chinese mining company, Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, burst its walls and released […]

Health professionals in Ethiopia plan to resume striking on September 15 to demand better wages and living conditions, marking the second round of strikes in recent months. Following months of organizing spearheaded by the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement (EHPM), public health care workers launched a nationwide walkout in May, halting nonemergency health services. The professionals raised numerous grievances, […]

(Istanbul, September 12, 2025) – Türkiye’s slowing down (throttling) of social media and messaging platforms at moments of social or political importance is denying people important information and impeding democratic participation, 15 groups including Human Rights Watch said in a statement released today. The following is their statement: Türkiye: Stop Throttling Social Media Platforms and Messaging […]

What may seem like a technical exercise in global health bureaucracy, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) update to its Essential Medicines Lists, will in fact have life-changing consequences for millions of people around the world. By adding therapeutic sunscreen and rapid-acting insulin analogues on September 5, the WHO sent a clear signal to governments: these […]

Catastrophic floods from heavy rainfall in Pakistan this past week displaced at least four million people, destroyed thousands of acres of crops, and severely damaged critical infrastructure. At least 900 people died. Thousands of those displaced are in relief camps; many more lack shelter and are in dire need of assistance. The loss of life, damage to buildings […]

(Bangkok) – Police in Nepal used lethal force to suppress youth protests on September 8, 2025, that killed at least 19 people and injured over 300, Human Rights Watch said today. Young people, identifying themselves as “Gen Z,” organized a protest movement after the government announced a widespread ban on social media on September 4. Many also expressed […]

Forces belonging to the Houthis, who control much of Yemen, raided several United Nations offices and detained at least 19 UN staff on August 31, adding to dozens of UN and civil society staff already detained since 2024. The previous arrests have led to a suspension of UN aid, endangering the lives of many Yemenis […]

(Johannesburg, September 4, 2025) – A South African-owned company is providing access to toxic lead-bearing waste in the Zambian city of Kabwe despite immense health risks for local residents, Human Rights Watch said today. The material derives from waste material at a former mine that has never been cleaned up and has been the source […]

Pacific leaders preparing to gather for the Pacific Islands Forum in Solomon Islands this month have accepted a collective responsibility: to act decisively for the many Indigenous communities already living the sobering realities of climate displacement. Over the last decades, abnormally high “king tides” and storms forced one such community, the Solomon Islander people of […]

Momentum is mounting for a new global treaty to secure every child’s right to free education. This week, countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva to advance negotiations on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The proposed treaty would close a gap in international law. The convention guarantees free primary […]