Authorities and security forces in Ethiopia’s contested Western Tigray Zone are arbitrarily detaining ethnic Tigrayans and imposing a discriminatory system that severely restricts their movements, employment, and access to services.

Australia’s ‘Most Decorated’ Soldier Charged with Five War Crimes of Murder [Melanie O’Brien is Professor of International Law and Deputy Head of School (Research) at the University of Western Australia Law School; and visiting scholar with the University of Minnesota Law …

My piece in @opiniojuris.bsky.social on the arrest & charging of Ben Roberts-Smith for 5 #warCrimes of murder. An incredibly significant legal development in #Australia, but also in the general global fight against impunity for international crimes. #intLaw #IHL opiniojuris.org/2026/04/15/a...

International Force in Haiti Allegedly Responsible for Sexual Violence A United Nations report has found that members of a UN-authorized force operating in Haiti, the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, were responsible for four cases of sexual violen...

🇭🇹Members of the Kenya-led mission in Haiti were allegedly responsible for sexual violence according to the UN. As
the Gang Suppression Force deploys, urgent safeguards, independent investigations, and accountability are essential to prevent further abuse.

Read more: www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...

Toxic lead from a Zambian mine has poisoned generations of children. This week @hrw.org & IHRDA will spotlight the case & call for justice:

PANEL: Spotlight on Kabwe
🗓 16 April 09h00 – 10h40
📍 ACERWC CSO Forum, Lesotho
With experts, activists & Kabwe residents

Join online tinyurl.com/458yy5kd

Finnish cuisine too! 🇫🇮 I guess some people just can’t handle the heat of a spice like dill.

273 Million Children Out of School A new United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report delivers a sobering message: the number of children out of school has risen for the seventh consecutive year, re...

The number of out-of-school children has risen for 7 years in a row, reaching 273 million. A proposed free education treaty could push countries to act.
www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...

Justice for Children in the Future Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity – Crimes Against Humanity Treaty Now Download paper

Dozens of child rights experts agree: how the future #CrimesAgainstHumanity treaty can provide justice for children: cahtreatynow.org/justice-for-...

Children are mentioned only twice in the treaty's current draft. Countries can fix that. Children deserve justice.
@Veroaubert

Countries are working towards a NEW treaty on #CrimesAgainstHumanity that could criminalize recruitment and use of children.

This new paper from
@PrincetonLISD
explains why they should: lisd.princeton.edu/publications...
@JanineMorna

@lauraperez1966

2 gaps:
1. recruiting and using children ages 15-17 is not consistently recognized as a war crime
2. Neither is recruitment outside of situations formally classified as armed conflicts.

There's an opportunity now to fill those 2 gaps.

173 countries agree via the Child Soldiers Treaty that children should not be conscripted/used in wars. Good progress but more work to do.

Here's why the future #CrimesAgainstHumanity Treaty should criminalize child recruitment and use: hrw.org/news/2026/04... #CAHTreatyNow

Burkina Faso: Crimes Against Humanity by All Sides The Burkina Faso military with its allied militias and an Al Qaeda-linked armed group have killed more than 1,800 civilians and forcibly displaced tens of thousands since 2023.

#BurkinaFaso: new @hrw.org report documents the impact on civilians of the conflict.
Military+VDPs and JNIM have killed, forcibly displaced thousands.
These atrocities, including the gvt’s ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, amount to war crimes+crimes against humanity.
www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...

Landmark UN Resolution on the Slave Trade Commemorating the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the United Nations General Assembly passed a landmark resolution on March 25.

A global majority adopted a landmark UN resolution to advance reparations for injustices linked to enslavement legacies.

Who didn't vote in favor of the resolution? Many Global North countries facing calls for reparatory justice.

The time for action is now.

www.hrw.org/news/2026/03... @hrw.org

Legislators attend a session of Mexico City’s Congress on April 24, 2007. © 2007 ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images

A care system without sufficient funding is an empty promise. The proposal in Mexico City recognizes rights, but keeps key gaps that could limit implementation and real autonomy.
hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Want to hear rare good news?

A Belgian court opened a criminal trial against a former Belgian official for his alleged involvement in the killings of Lumumba, the DRC's first PM, & two senior officials during decolonization.

Justice delayed shouldn't be justice denied.

www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Two-child limit scrapped as historic Bill to lift 450,000 children out of poverty becomes law Historic legislation to end the two-child limit has become law, putting 450,000 children on a pathway out of poverty in the final year of this Parliament.

Goodbye, two child limit.

GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH.

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Governments Should Support Vanuatu’s UN Climate Resolution The world’s highest court has spoken: tackling climate change is not a choice: it’s a legal obligation. Now it’s up to the United Nations General Assembly to speak up and urge its 193 member countries...

🚨 New from @hrw.org!

🌍On this new round of discussions on Vanuatu's UN General Assembly resolution on @ICJ_org Advisory Opinion on #ClimateChange, we call on UN members to support it to translate the #ICJ’s findings into action.

UN member states should 🧵

At the U.N.’s Annual Meeting on Women, the World Should Focus on Justice for Girls — More to Her Story As governments gather at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, they should prioritize ensuring that girls can access justice.

Policymakers meeting at the UN for #CSW70 should ensure that girls facing violence are able to access justice. They should pledge to strengthen justice systems, reinforce prevention efforts, and commit the funds to deliver on these promises. Op-ed here: www.moretoherstory.com/stories/at-t...

UN Urges Ethiopia to Tackle Pollution at Gold Mine Residents living near Lega Dembi mine, located in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, have complained of serious health impacts for years, including miscarriages, stillbirths, and children born with long-term h...

Children near Ethiopia's largest gold mine suffer chronic health conditions, women have miscarriages & stillbirths.

In response, the UN child rights body just urged Ethiopia to tackle the mine's pollution. The govt should do so, promptly:

www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Two women visit a Jobcenter in Berlin, Germany, June 25, 2025 © 2025 Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images

The German government’s social security bill has its second reading in the Bundestag today. The plans run counter to Germany’s human rights obligations, and will leave more people, including children in low-income families and single mothers, at risk of poverty.
@hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Farmers stand next to their tractor, piled high with raw cotton, outside the Fergana Region cotton collection point (ginnery) in September 2023.

“It is as if we have become hired workers for someone, not landowners” - a cotton farmer from the Khorezm region.

A new @hrw.org - @uzbekforum.bsky.social report examines the coercive state production system of cotton & wheat in #Uzbekistan.

More here: hrw.org/news/2026/02...

🚨 NEW joint report with @uzbekforum.bsky.social exposes how Uzbekistan’s state quota system still coerces cotton and wheat farmers, despite official reforms.

👉 Farmers continue to face pressure, penalties, and even land loss. It’s time to end these abuses.

📘 Read the report: https://bit.ly/46fDOKm

The Children Damaged by Duterte’s ‘Drug War’ The harm the “drug war” did to children extends far beyond those who were killed. It produced a generation of orphans living in a state of profound psychological, economic, and social collapse.

The Children Damaged by Duterte’s ‘Drug War’

@rightsreportPH: The harm the “drug war” did to children extends far beyond those who were killed. It produced a generation of orphans living in a state of profound psychological, economic, and social collapse.

www.rightsreportph.org/p/the-childr...

Philippines: Duterte ICC Hearing Set to Begin The International Criminal Court (ICC)’s first major hearing in the case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is a critical step in ensuring justice for victims of the Philippines’ “war...

From Feb 23, a panel of 3 ICC judges will hear evidence to determine whether to confirm the charges against former Philippines President Duterte & send his case to trial. Read @hrw.org's Q & A about why this is a critical step in ensuring justice for the "war on drugs." www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...

Next UN Secretary-General Should Champion Rights United Nations member countries will select a new UN secretary-general this year to succeed António Guterres in January 2027.

🚨 New from @hrw.org: #UN member states should select a champion of #HumanRights as the next UN Secretary-General as the UN faces a crisis amid a global retreat on rights & democracy. - by Widad Franco

Mexico City: Create Care Law Grounded on Disability Rights The Mexico City Congress should seriously consider a proposal submitted by a coalition led by people with disabilities during its new session.

Mexico City has a critical opportunity to adopt care and support legislation grounded in autonomy, independent living, and the rights of people with disabilities. The new Congress should consider the proposal led by disability-rights groups. www.hrw.org/news/2026/02... #CDMX #disabilityrights

UN CESCR, norm setting and country monitoring: General Comment No. 27 and the UK review | University of Essex UN CESCR, norm setting and country monitoring: General Comment No. 27 and the UK review.

Sign up for this upcoming discussion with two members of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Joo-Young Lee & Julieta Rossi) on the role of UN Treaty Bodies in norm setting and country monitoring.

🗓️ 12 March
⏰ 13:00 - 14:30

Register now

The Impact of Due Diligence Legislation Three years after the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) came into force, it is worth asking about its impacts: Is the law helping to prevent human rights violations along global supply chai...

The German supply chains law has improved human rights. So why weaken it, as the German government is planning to??

Good to see new @Germanwatch @Misereor report on the impact of Due Diligence Legislation: www.germanwatch.org/en/93384

Young people’s participation in education and work is a rights issue.

Our submission calls for a rights-based approach that tackles barriers like education costs, insecure work and inequality. When rights lead, outcomes improve. ✊📚

justfair.org.uk/wp-content/u...

My old team is looking for a new boss. In case anyone here is interested: "Amnesty International is recruiting a Regional Director for Europe on a permanent basis." London-based. careers.amnesty.org/jobs/vacancy...

Will Human Rights Survive the Donald Trump Era? Under relentless pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, and long undermined by China and Russia, the rules-based order that helped make human rights enforceable is fraying fast.

Will human rights survive the Trump era? They will survive only if we build something new: a durable human rights alliance that defends core norms (even when a superpower defects), and makes repression costly. By @hrw.org's @bolopion.bsky.social www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...