Human Rights

Lebanon: End Systemic Violence Against Transgender Women

Protect Against Discrimination, Simplify Legal Gender Recognition

Transgender women in Lebanon face systemic violence and discrimination, Human Rights Watch, Helem, and MOSAIC said in a report and video released on Sep 03, 2019. Transgender women face discrimination in accessing basic services, including employment, healthcare, and housing, as well as violence from security forces and ordinary citizens.

US: Meatpacking Workers’ Rights Under Threat

Deregulation Will Worsen Hazardous Conditions

Trump administration policies threaten to worsen the already dangerous conditions for meatpacking workers in the United States, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Sep 04, 2019. The Trump administration is weakening oversight of chicken, hog, and cattle producers, and lifting limits on production speeds.

US: Suit Over Indefinite Detention of Children

Amicus Brief Supports Plantiffs’ Challenge to New Rules

A Trump administration administrative rule could result in severe harm to migrant children detained in the United States, Human Rights Watch said on Sep 03, 2019 after filing with Amnesty International USA a friend-of-the-court brief on August 30, 2019 in the case. The brief, setting out relevant international human rights standards, supports lawyers for detained children who are challenging the new rule.

Syrians Deported by Lebanon Arrested at Home

New Policy Forcibly Returns Thousands, No Due Process

At least three Syrians deported by Lebanon’s General Security back to Syria have been detained by the authorities upon their return, Human Rights Watch said on Sep 2, 2019. General Security said it deported 2,731 Syrians between May 21 and August 28, 2019, following its May 13 decision to deport all Syrians who entered Lebanon irregularly after April 24, and directly handed them to the Syrian authorities. However, General Security has in at least three cases deported people who entered Lebanon before April 24. There is no evidence that any of the three could meaningfully challenge their deportation in a Lebanese court.

Lebanon: Migrant Family Detained

Longtime Residents Facing Deportation, Separation

Lebanon’s General Security has detained a Sudanese-Sri Lankan family of seven, including four children under age 18, threatening to deport the parents to different countries for lacking residency papers, the Anti-Racism Movement (ARM), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) said on August 29, 2019. General Security, the agency responsible for the entry and exit of foreigners, should free the family, pending the resolution of the family’s deportation proceedings, and should ensure that the family can remain together. If specific and compelling reasons exist to impose restrictions on the family, then General Security should take measures other than detention. In no case, however, should children be detained for migration-related purposes, as detention can be extremely harmful to them.

Cluster Munitions: Ban Treaty Is Working

Glaring Exception is Syria, Where Attacks Continue

No state party to the 2008 treaty prohibiting cluster munitions has violated the prohibition on using these weapons, while very few outside the treaty engage in this banned activity either, Human Rights Watch said on August 20, 2019 during the release of the Cluster Munition Monitor 2019 report.

India: Restore Kashmir’s Internet, Phones

Shutdown Infringes Basic Freedoms, Affects Essential Services, Harms Economy

The Indian government’s lengthy shutdown of the internet and telephones in Jammu and Kashmir inflicts disproportionate harm on the population and should be immediately lifted, Human Rights Watch said on August 28, 2019. The disruption to services since August 5, 2019, has exacerbated an information blackout, stopped families from communicating, prevented people from accessing medical services, and disrupted the local economy.

‘There has never been a more urgent time,’ to safeguard children’s right to safe water and sanitation, says UNICEF

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A young boy carries water in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Iraq: School Doors Barred to Many Children

Affects Thousands Who Lived Under ISIS Rule

The Iraqi government is denying thousands of children whose parents have a perceived Islamic State (also known as ISIS) affiliation of their right to access an education, Human Rights Watch said on August 28, 2019. The children, who were born or lived in areas under the control of ISIS between 2014 and 2017, lack the civil documentation the Iraqi government requires for school enrollment and the government is making it difficult for them to acquire it.

Nigeria: Anguish, Poverty Confront Trafficking Survivors

End Detention in Shelters, Provide More Support

Many survivors of sex and labor trafficking struggle with unaddressed health challenges, poverty, and abhorrent conditions upon their return to Nigeria. Nigerian authorities have failed to provide the assistance that survivors need to rebuild their lives and have unlawfully detained many of the already traumatized women and girls in shelters.