Human Rights Watch

This submission proposes that women and girls with disabilities face a double discrimination resulting in increased risk of violence by a larger range of perpetrators, at a higher frequency, and for a longer duration than that faced by women without disabilities.

In this document, Human Rights Watch observes that five years after the Beijing Conference, few advances have been made in the area of combating violence against women. Referring to reports on Jordan, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, South Africa, and the United States, HRW demonstrates that states continue to fail their human rights commitments with regard to violence against women.

UTL

This report provides an overview of ways in which the US-led invasion into Iraq has impacted that countrys respect for human rights, focusing on the rights of women and girls, freedom of expression, the torture of detainees, and marginalized communities. The report reveals that, while progress has been made, Iraqs transition to a functioning and sustainable democracy is far from over.

This report addresses sexual violence and military reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC), the government army, is one of the primary perpetrators of sexual violence. In this report, Human Rights Watch (1) provides a background of the abuses of sexual violence committed by FARDC, (2) examines efforts to stop that violence and (3) considers why such efforts have been unsuccessful.

This report discusses the situation of Indonesian female migrant domestic workers in Malaysia. It describes the human rights violations of workers by recruiters as well as workplace abuses by employers. The report also highlights some of the failures to provide protection of migrant workers' rights by both the Indonesian and Malaysian governments. Domestic and international laws are also examined in order to determine the extent to which both Southeast Asian governments have addressed these human rights violations.

This report documents and describes the high incidences of rape, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment committed against South African schoolgirls by teachers and male schoolmates. While South African girls formally enjoy equal access to education, the sexual violence they encounter in schools impedes this access and violates their right to education. The report finds the gender-based discrimination persists because school officials, for the most part, do not take the situation seriously and sufficient coordination between the schools, police and courts does not exist.

This report discusses the exploitation, abuse and humiliation suffered by women migrant domestic workers in the United States. It begins by providing a background to the situation of migrant domestic workers in the US. Using case studies, the report then analyzes the vulnerabilities of live-in migrant domestic workers to human rights violations. An assessment of US laws and policies regarding special domestic workers visas is then provided; the report argues that the US has failed to adequately protect and ensure access to justice for migrant domestic workers.

This part of the World Report 1999 focuses on the rights of women. This report documents and analyzes the state of women's human rights in 1998. Some of the analysis is based on the work of Human Rights Watch itself while the rest is based on reports from activists and the press. The overall conclusion is that states not only tolerate but also commit acts of violence and discrimination against women. Such violence and discrimination is in fact the norm in most of the countries reviewed.

Released on December 9, 1999, this 517 page report surveys the development of human rights law across the globe. The report notes that sovereignty claims loomed less large in government bids to reject international analysis and scrutiny of human rights violations committed in areas of within their jurisdiction or control. "Sovereign governments retain primary responsibility for preserving order, establishing the rule of law, and protecting human rights.