Author: Sarisha Harikrishna January 6, 2026 Demonstrators dressed in indigenous clothing hold anti-climate change placards. [Image credit: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/Lightrocket via Getty Images] Climate Displacement and the Threat of Statelessness Between the slow and almost imperceptible violence of rising seas and the immediate, destabilizing urgency of mass displacement, climate change has asserted itself not merely as an environmental issue confined to the natural sciences.

January 5, 2026 Explore Our Latest Publications The Algorithm Babysitter: AI-Generated Content and the Emerging Human Rights Crisis in Early Childhood Development by Olivia Weninger Critical Gaps in Artificial Intelligence in the East and Horn of Africa: A Call to Action to Safeguard Human Rights by Ronald Nsubuga, MS HRRC News Briefs With second stage of peace deal on the horizon, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is increasingly fragile by Erina Bazán López New report details a

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc January 5, 2026 HRRC raises concern as to the likelihood of Myanmar’s elections, which are neither free nor fair, further entrenching the country’s authoritarianism. We stress that true democratic elections can only take place where a majority of Myanmar’s population can vote in security and without intimidation, and is offered a choice of competitive candidates and parties.  Election Commission officials count ballots at a polling station duri

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc December 31, 2025 HRRC is deeply alarmed by the documented rise in the detention and physical assault of journalists in the United States, as outlined in the Freedom of the Press Foundation’s latest report. The routine detention of journalists signals a dangerous erosion of press freedom and a troubling shift in how authorities engage with independent media. HRRC calls on federal, state, and local authorities to immediately reaffirm and enforce

Author: Ronald Nsubuga, MS December 31, 2025 Introduction Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming economies, governance, and social life with the potential to advance sustainable development in Africa (Mienye, Sun, & Ileberi, 2024). The African Union AI strategy posits that AI adoption on the continent will solve the urgent challenges in healthcare, agriculture, education, finance, and public service delivery (African Union [AU], 2024). While AI adoption presents

Author: Olivia Weninger December 30, 2025 [Image source: MediaMister] Summary Videos that fat-shame, stereotype, or place newborns in odd real-world situations are rampant in Instagram reels and TikTok feeds designed for children. Although such content is not conducive to childhood development, young children are consuming it in large quantities every day in this unregulated digital nursery. Meanwhile, the rapid advancement of AI and generation of AI-created videos is adding

Author: Erina Bazán López December 29, 2025 HRRC implores the international community and mediating parties to safeguard the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, urging both Israel and Hamas to prioritize the preservation of civilian life and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid. People gather during a search and rescue operation at the site of a house that was partially destroyed during the war and collapsed on Tuesday, at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, December 16, 2025. [Ima

December 29, 2025 Explore Our Latest Publications Opinion: The Russian Cancer in Eastern Europe and the Country That Got Away by Ioana Podarita Anti-Immigration Sentiment Blows Back on Puerto Ricans on the Mainland by Gabrielle Meyers HRRC News Briefs TotalEnergies faces war crime allegations in the midst of Mozambique's deepening displacement crisis by Erina Bazán López European Parliament Backs EU Solidarity Fund to Expand Access to Safe Abortion by Aamnah Fatima Khan O

Author: Gabrielle Meyers December 24, 2025 In what Human Rights Watch  characterizes as “misaligned with international human rights law,” the 2025 US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have targeted both citizens and immigrants in a way that undermines their human rights , such as due process, equal protection, and freedom from arbitrary detention.  [Image credit: Ricardo Arduengo / AFP via Getty Images] Out of those with US citizenship, Puerto Ricans in particul

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan December 23, 2025 HRRC commends the European Parliament for advancing a solidarity-based approach that upholds women’s bodily autonomy and promotes equal access to essential reproductive healthcare across the EU. This initiative reflects a principled commitment to human rights, dignity and shared responsibility among states to protect women’s health and freedoms. European Parliament Votes in Support of the My Voice, My Choice Initiative for Safe and

Author: Ioana Podarita December 23, 2025 Almost four years ago, Russia began its violent and unprovoked attack in Ukraine, and the rest of the world got a rare glimpse into its vengeful and hegemonic temper. I grew up in post-communist Romania, and until I moved to the US, I hadn’t fully realized the extent to which Russian influences permeated into every corner of my country. Romania, much like the rest of the former Eastern Bloc countries, never fully recovered after the fa

Author: Erina Bazán López December 22, 2025 HRRC urges states and corporate actors to work to prevent human rights violations in Mozambique and to fully cooperate with ongoing accountability processes. Sustained international scrutiny is essential to prevent further civilian harm and for the potential provision of the necessary aid. Mozambican soldiers stand by an armored vehicle at the airport in Mocimboa da Praia, Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique, Aug. 9, 2021 [Image made

December 22, 2025 Explore Our Latest Publications 10 Lives Lost a Day: Understanding Femicide in Mexico by Mahika Datta Research Budget Cuts Undermine Our Fundamental Rights and the Public Good by Sylvia He, PhD Hydropolitics in a Warming World: The GERD & the Future of Nile Basin Governance  by Abigail Stofer HRRC News Briefs Jimmy Lai's guilty verdict marks the end of press freedom in Hong Kong by Devin Windelspecht, MSc Digital violence against women human rights defend

Author: Peter Clarkin, MA December 19, 2025 HRRC strongly condemns the use of digital violence towards women human rights defenders and journalists. The increased level of threat towards women online must be acknowledged, with greater pressure put on governments to ensure that perpetrators of online violence are held to account. [Image source: Stock photo via UN Women ] The recent publication of a study  developed by UN Women in collaboration with UNESCO, has laid bare the fr

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc December 18, 2025 HRRC condemns the politicized guilty verdict of Jimmy Lai and calls on governments around the world to demand his release, particularly given reports of ill health and mistreatment while in prison.  Lai is on trial for breaching national security and colluding with foreign forces [Image credit: Getty Images via BBC News ] As freedom of expression has come under increasing strain in Hong Kong, the guilty verdict in a  “national