The 49-page report, “No One Is Spared: Abuses against Older People in Armed Conflict,” describes patterns of abuses documented by Human Rights Watch between 2013 and 2021 against older people affected by armed conflicts in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mali, Mozambique, Nagorno-Karabakh, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine. The report also draws on the serious protracted violence in two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, Myanmar security force atrocities against older ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine State, and the experiences of older refugees in Lebanon displaced by conflict in Syria.
Atrocities Against Civilians in Central Mali, 2019
Most civilians were the targets of deliberate attacks, while others were killed by explosive devices indiscriminately placed on roadways. The report analyzes the lack of justice for these and past atrocities against civilians and pushes the government to hasten the disarmament of abusive armed groups and efforts to ensure justice, and for Mali’s partners to support these efforts.
This report documents communal attacks by armed groups against 42 villages and hamlets in Mopti region, particularly near the Burkina Faso border, and the town of Djenne, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The violence has led to widespread displacement, hunger, and looting of livestock, affecting civilians from various communities. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita should ensure that Mali’s security forces impartially protect all civilians at risk from attacks by militias and Islamist armed groups. Judicial authorities should investigate and prosecute groups responsible for abuses.
Compendium of Human Rights Watch Reporting 2012-2017
This compendium contains much of Human Rights Watch’s reporting and analysis from 2012 to 2017. In our advocacy we called on all sides to abide by international humanitarian law, or the laws of war, and urged Mali’s government to take concrete steps with the assistance of its international supporters to address the conditions that led to the crisis and that fuel ongoing instability.
Child Labor, Mercury, and Artisanal Gold Mining in Mali
This 108-page report reveals that children as young as six dig mining shafts, work underground, pull up heavy weights of ore, and carry, crush, and pan ore. Many children also work with mercury, a toxic substance, to separate the gold from the ore. Mercury attacks the central nervous system and is particularly harmful to children.
Exploitation and Abuse of Girl Domestic Workers in Guinea
This 110-page report documents how girls as young as 8 years old work up to 18 hours a day as domestic workers, frequently without pay, and are often insulted, beaten and raped by their employers.
A Call for Action on HIV/AIDS-Related Human Rights Abuses Against Women and Girls in Africa
Violence and discrimination against women and girls is fueling Africa's AIDS crisis. African governments must make gender equality a central part of national AIDS programs if they are to succeed in fighting the epidemic.
West African governments are failing to address a rampant traffic in child labor that could worsen with the region’s growing AIDS crisis, Human Rights Watch charged in a new report released today. The 79-page report, “Borderline Slavery: Child Trafficking in Togo,” highlights Togo as a case study of trafficking in the region.
