Human Rights Watch

From Free net encyclopedia

Human Rights Watch is a U.S.-based international human rights non-governmental organization headquartered in New York City that conducts advocacy and research on human rights issues. Human Rights Watch is non-partisan.

Human Rights Watch's specialty is the production of authoritative research reports on human rights violations, usually intended to draw international attention to abuses, and to put pressure on governments and international organizations to prevent further violations of human rights. Researchers conduct fact-finding missions to countries to investigate violations and generate extensive coverage in local and international media. Major issues raised by the organization in its reports include social and gender discrimination, torture, military use of children, government corruption, and abuses in criminal justice systems in many nations. It also specializes in documenting and reporting violations of the laws of armed conflict and international humanitarian law.

The organization was founded under the name Helsinki Watch in 1978 to monitor the former Soviet Union's compliance with the Helsinki Accords. As the organization grew, it formed other "watch committees" to cover other regions of the world. In 1988, all of the committees were united under one umbrella to form Human Rights Watch. One of the original founders and a president of the organization was Robert L. Bernstein.

Human Rights Watch was one of six international NGOs that founded the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers in 1998. It is also the co-chair of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a global coalition of civil society groups that successfully lobbied to introduce the Ottawa Convention, a treaty that prohibits the use of anti-personnel landmines.

Each year, Human Rights Watch gives grants to writers all over the world who have been victims of political persecution and are in financial need. The Hellman/Hammett grants are financed by the estate of the playwright Lillian Hellman in funds set up in her name and that of her long-time companion, the novelist Dashiell Hammett. The two American writers were interrogated in the 1950s about their political beliefs and affiliations. In addition to providing much needed financial assistance, the Hellman/Hammett grants raise awareness of censorship around the world [1].

Human Rights Watch is also a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of non-governmental organisations that monitors censorship worldwide and campaigns to defend journalists, writers, Internet users and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Human Rights Watch also opposes the death penalty, opposes restrictions to abortion and contraceptives, supports gay rights, and supports freedom of religion and the press.

Since 1993, Kenneth Roth has held the position of executive director of Human Rights Watch.

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Publications

Human Rights Watch publishes detailed reports on several individual topics [2] and compiles annual reports ("World Report") presenting an overview of the worldwide state of human rights.

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