Already traumatized by the loss of their homes and families, women and children as young as two are being raped in the rambling tent cities outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. With no lighting or security, the sexual assaults have become daily occurrences. Most attacks go unreported out of fear of attackers and the police themselves.

Human Rights Groups Challenge Military
Source: Human Rights Watch

The A.C.L.U., Human Rights Watch, and Juvenile Law Center are calling for Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to end military proceedings against Canadian national Omar Khadr. Khadr would be the first person in decades tried in a western nation for war crimes allegedly committed as a child.

North Korea Uses Sexual Torture
Source: The Chosun Ilbo

North Korea is adding sexual abuse to its list of interrogation techniques. One former prisoner of a North Korean concentration camp said that sexual abuse of female prisoners has become common practice and is happening in camps all around the country. The torture is perpetrated regardless of the women’s ages.

Myanmar Political Prisoner Release Unlikely
Source: U.N. News Centre

Myanmar has shown no indication that it will free political prisoners before the country’s national election. Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana stated to the Human Rights Council that the national election will not be reliable or fair due to the lack of participation from about 2,100 political prisoners.

Tortured Female Guerrillas Freed
Source: Colombia Reports  

The Colombian Supreme Court ruled to annul the sentences of two female guerrillas who, under torture by the country's judicial police, confessed involvement in a 2004 Bogotá bombing. Finding that the women had confessed only after oxygen deprivation, shock treatment, and threats of sexual assault, the Court overruled the women's six-year prison terms.
 

Guatemala, El Salvador Must Obey Rulings
Source: Inter Press Service

Guatemala and El Salvador face criticism for their slow responses to rulings from Inter-American human rights bodies. Recently, the Inter-American Court ordered the reopening of 17 stalled military cases stemming from the 1982 Dos Erres massacre in Guatemala and the investigation into the forced disappearance of two sisters in El Salvador in the 1980s.

Nigeria Ups Human Trafficking Convictions
Source: IRIN News

Since Nigeria passed legislation banning human trafficking in 2005, the Nigerian government has teamed up with its police force, immigration services, and organizations like U.N.I.C.E.F. to reduce trafficking rates and prosecute traffickers. In 2009, the government established a Victims Trust Fund, which takes the assets from convicted traffickers and gives them to victims.

Rwandan Former First Lady Arrested
Source: CNN

Agathe Habyarimana, the widow of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, was arrested in Paris on multiple charges stemming from her alleged involvement with the 1994 genocide. The Rwandan government has tried to bring charges against her for years. An expert stated that there is evidence that she planned the 1994 genocide well before it began.

Bulgarian Human Rights Under Review
Source: Sofia Echo

The U.S. State Department published its annual report on Bulgaria this past month. The report noted Bulgaria’s advances against corruption but found issue with the judicial system and the conditions of detention in the country. Also, the discrimination against gays, Muslims, Jews, and the disabled continued to be a problem.


Russia, Turkey Monitored By Press Group
Source: Reporters Without Borders

Reporters Without Borders, the Paris-based organization which monitors internet censorship worldwide, placed Russia and Turkey on its “Under Surveillance” list. The organization cited the arrests and prosecutions of bloggers in Russia and the blocking of websites such as “YouTube” for touching on sensitive national issues in Turkey as reasons for their inclusion on the watchlist.

The chairman of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee urged Arab governments to make policy changes to protect and enhance women’s rights. The Committee wants to educate on the issue of domestic violence, promote equal rights, and enhance women’s status in accordance with the Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Man Executed: Evidence Suggests Innocence
Source: Amnesty International

An Egyptian man was executed after an appeal for his murder conviction was denied. After evidence emerged suggesting that he may have been wrongfully convicted, Amnesty International issued a plea to Egypt’s president to have Atef Rohyum Abd El Al Rohyum’s execution commuted so the case could be retried.