In Afghanistan, US Airstrike Hits Kunduz Hospital

THE WEEK IN RIGHTS October 8, 2015 Follow us on:   In Afghanistan, US Airstrike Hits Kunduz Hospital Photo © 2015 Human Rights Watch United States (US) airstrikes hit a Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, raising grave concerns about whether US forces took sufficient precautions to identify and avoid striking the facility. The hospital was hit several times in the early morning hours last Saturday, during sustained bombing that was apparently aimed at insurgent forces in the vicinity. At least 12 medical staff and 10 patients – three of them children – were killed. The hospital was treating 105 patients at the time of the attack. Read more » share on:   When Will Europe Finally Get Serious About Hate Crimes? By Benjamin Ward It’s a positive sign that the subject of hate crimes was given such prominence by the European Commission at a recent human rights symposium. But we don’t need a conference to know the failures in Europe’s response to hate crimes against Jews, Muslims, and other minorities. Beyond words, how can the cancer of hate crimes be tackled? See the Latest News in Europe/Central Asia >> share on:   In Indonesia, ‘Suspected Lesbians’ Detained The arrest of two women in Aceh for everyday behavior is an outrageous abuse of police power that should be considered a threat to all Indonesians. See the Latest News in Asia » share on:   Killing of Israeli Couple in West Bank  Unidentified assailants shot Eitam and Naama Henkin to death as they drove along a road frequented by Israeli settlers near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The shooting was the fourth fatal attack against Israeli civilians in the West Bank in the last five months. See the Latest News in the Middle East/North Africa » share on:   VIDEO     Mass Rape Victims Deserve Better Justice in DR Congo Watch Now » PHOTOS     Exodus: Asylum Seekers Fleeing to Europe Click Here » TWEET of the WEEK "Is this why I risked my life" ask #refugees. How will #EU leaders respond? @hrwhttp://politi.co/1JPXtvw Follow Lydia Gall Now » Thank you for supporting Human Rights Watch Follow us on: Home | Take Action | Privacy Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118 USA Tel: 1 (212) 290-4700 | news@hrw.org

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Interview: Filipino Children, Diving for Gold

THE WEEK IN RIGHTS October 1, 2015

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Interview: Filipino Children, Diving for Gold


Photo © 2015 Human Rights Watch

In the Philippines, children dive underwater, swim down a wooden shaft barely wider than their shoulders, and mine for gold – all while breathing through a flimsy, narrow tube. We haven’t seen underwater mining – called compressor mining – anywhere outside the Philippines, but other forms of mining involving children on these islands take a more familiar form: boys lowered 75 feet into mine pits, and small children, even 8, 9, or 10-years-old, handling poisonous mercury to separate the gold from the ore.

Juliane Kippenberg, associate director of the children’s rights division, talks about being at an underwater mine, the vertigo-inducing narrowness of some mine shafts, and the toll this takes on the Philippine children who work in gold mining.

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German Court Convicts Two Rwandan Rebel Leaders On Monday, a court in Stuttgart, Germany, convicted Ignace Murwanashyaka and Straton Musoni, the president and vice president of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and sentenced them to 13 and 8 years in prison, respectively. The convictions bring an important measure of justice to victims of mass crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. See the Latest News in Africa »

I Know the Fear and Hope of Those Seeking Refuge in Europe By Emina Ćerimović, Human Rights Watch researcher I was eight when war broke out in my country in 1992. I learned the fear of being woken in the middle of the night to the horrific sound of artillery fire. I learned the heartache of losing my first love - my dad - then my grandpa, then my best friend, Ilma. If I could send a message to European leaders it would be this: Understand why people risk everything to reach Europe. Show them the same humanity being shown by ordinary citizens. See the Latest News in Europe/Central Asia >>

Saudi Arabia's Troubling Death Sentence  On September 14, local media reported that an appeals court and Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence of Ali al-Nimr for participating in protests four years ago. He was 16 at the time. Last Saturday, he awaited the execution of his sentence, which stipulated that al-Nimr should be beheaded and that his headless body should be strung up for public display. See the Latest News in the Middle East/North Africa »

Finally – US to Protect Child Farmworkers From Pesticides By Margaret Wurth For the first time, the United States will ban children under 18 from handling pesticides in fields where they work and from re-entering fields where pesticides have recently been sprayed. The new rules will also improve pesticide safety training and protective equipment. See the Latest News in the United States >>

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Militias Kill, Kidnap Civilians in the Congo Watch Now »

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Gay Men Targeted on Kenyan Coast Watch Now »

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Burundi's Pierre Claver, shot in the face for his activism. Now he warns - Burundi's burninghttp://bit.ly/1PPEbLS Follow Stephanie Hancock Now»

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