Category: Human Rights

Gender stereotypes are such a pervasive part of everyday life that it can be hard to even recognize them—but they do extraordinary damage and are at the root of many forms of inequality and violence. Under the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), governments are obligated to eradicate […]

They were all born elsewhere, part of the roughly 300 million people worldwide who have left their countries of origin whether to learn, work, reunite with family or pursue other opportunities.   Migrants contribute to society, including in their homelands, where they send a staggering $1 trillion in remittances each year – eclipsing Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) combined.  ‘An inevitable human reality’  UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock shared this […]

(Brussels) – The European Commission’s announcement that it would not initiate a process to further amend the text of its milestone anti-deforestation regulation paves the way for it to be implemented by the end of 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. However, at the same time, the Commission has proposed to exclude leather from the list […]

The military authorities in Burkina Faso are tightening their grip on what people can see, hear, and know. On May 5, Burkina Faso’s media regulator ordered the suspension of French broadcaster TV5Monde, accusing it of “disinformation” and “apology of terrorism” in its reporting on Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali. The action is the […]

In a statement issued in Geneva, OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said activists Saif Abukeshek and Thiago de Avila were detained in international waters and brought to Israel, where they “continue to be held without charge.” The Global Sumud Flotilla is a civil society initiative seeking to deliver aid to Gaza by sea. It’s reportedly made […]

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report on South Sudan offers a damning indictment of the immense suffering to civilians caused by the country’s warring parties. The report, issued on April 28, warns that the situation is worse than anticipated, with 7.8 million people in desperate need of food aid.  It notes that 73,000 people are […]

When an Uzbekistan court on May 1 found the Karakalpak lawyer and blogger Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov guilty of committing “actions disrupting the work of a penal institution,” sentencing him to five years in prison, he reportedly had a wry grin on his face.  However unjust, Tazhimuratov surely expected such an outcome.  Tazhimuratov was already in prison, serving […]

The US Supreme Court paused on Monday an order by the country’s Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that had inflicted a serious blow to abortion access nationwide. While the immediate danger was temporarily halted, the episode underscores a looming threat to abortion access posed by ongoing litigation in the United States.  On May 1, the […]

Roughly 850,000 Sudanese are now living in Egypt, having escaped the brutal conflict in their homeland which recently entered a fourth year.  Among them is Nawal*, a mother and widow struggling to meet the basic needs of her six children who are not receiving enough food – the youngest of whom is constantly ill.  Supporting refugees and asylum seekers  UNHCR assists Sudanese arrivals through several services, including […]

The commission established to investigate violence during and after Tanzania’s October 2025 general elections submitted its findings to President Samia Suluhu Hassan on April 23, but it missed an opportunity to establish the full truth and lay the foundation for accountability. The commission chair, Mohamed Chande Othman, said the commission documented 518 deaths across 11 […]