New Technologies Aim to Combat Human Trafficking

Within the last few weeks, attempts to combat human trafficking and migrant abuse in the Arab Gulf states through technological means have made headlines. Pakistan recently announced it would begin issuing new biometric passports in 2017. A collection of organizations released a beta version of a new mobile app titled Shuvayatra last month in order[…]

HRC32: ADHRB calls attention to violence against domestic workers in GCC

On June 20, ADHRB associate Amanda Milani delivered an oral intervention at the 32nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva under Item 3.  Please continue reading for full remarks or click here to download a PDF. Madam Rapporteur, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, together with the Bahrain Institute for Rights[…]

UN Bows to Saudi Pressure and Removes them from ‘Blacklist’ over Conflict in Yemen

On 2 June, the United Nations (UN) released an annual ‘blacklist’ of countries and armed groups that have committed “grave violations” against children, including parties that recruit, kill, and/or abduct children, as well as conduct attacks on schools and hospitals. The list includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, government forces in Syria, the Islamic[…]

Domestic workers experience heightened abuse during Ramadan

In February, Somalia announced plans to send an estimated 50,000 workers yearly to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Currently, this plan is awaiting approval from both countries. Recently, Somalia announced that it would send between 600 and 1,000 domestic workers to the kingdom just ahead of the start of the month of Ramadan. Migrant workers[…]

A Look Inside Isa Town Women’s Prison

In Bahrain, some of the most active human rights defenders and sufferers of torture are women. One of these political dissidents is Zainab al-Khawaja. Bahraini authorities imprisoned her after she exhausted her appeals process fighting charges related solely to her free expression. Security authorities held her in detention with her infant son for over three[…]