Human Rights Watch

Definition

Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental

organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights.

Location

Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut,

Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles,Moscow, Paris, San

Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, and Washington

Human Rights Watch was founded in 1978, under the name of Helsinki

Watch, to monitor the former Soviet Union's compliance with the Helsinki

Accords

The Watch committees

Americas Watch (1981) Asia Watch (1985) Africa Watch (1988)

Middle East Watch (1989)In 1988, all of the committees were

united under one umbrella to form Human Rights Watch.

Profile

Human Rights Watch opposes violations of what it considers basic human rights,

which include capital punishment ,discrimination on the basis

of sexual orientation. freedom of religion and the press.

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

Financing and services

June 2008, HRW reported receiving approximately US$44 million in public

donations. In 2009, Human Rights Watch stated that they receive almost

75% of their financial support from North America, 25% from Western

Europe and less than 1% from the rest of the world.

Issues and campaigns

Arms trafficking Land mines Legalisation of abortion on demand Feminism Gay rights Rights of people with AIDS Child labor

Child soldiers Street children Genocide, war crimes and crimes against

humanity Torture Legal proceedings against human rights

abusers Trafficking in women and girls Abolition of capital punishment worldwide