Protecting Rights and Saving Lives Around the World

War. Climate change. Poverty and inequality. Protecting democracy. Advancing education for women and girls. 

Multiple agencies could spend years tackling the human rights implications of each of these issues. But, for the staff at the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices of Human Rights Watch (HRW), everything threatening human dignity and justice is on the table. 

For more than 40 years, Human Rights Watch has investigated, researched, and reported on human rights abuses all over the world. With a staff of experts who interview multiple witnesses and officials, Human Rights Watch protects rights and saves lives around the world. 

“People trust that we have done the research and have the facts,” says Jen Haile, City Director of Human Rights Watch San Francisco. 

Exhaustive research translates into powerful influences that have repeatedly pushed governments to improve human rights conditions. That influence is strengthened by ongoing meetings Acting Executive Director Tirana Hassan and the advocacy team attend with presidents, heads of state, and political leaders. 

When presented with HRW’s fact-driven recommendations to improve human rights, many governments cooperate and improve. But when a country refuses, Human Rights Watch creates leverage by leaning on trading partners or nearby stakeholders to apply political pressure.

Human Rights Watch was founded in 1978 to monitor the Soviet Union’s compliance with the Helsinki Accords. Over 40 years later, some of the countries in the former Soviet Union are still a primary focus. 

“We have been working in Ukraine for more than 30 years, however the ongoing conflict is requiring much more staff time and resources,” Haile says. “Our experts are working around the clock to document and expose human rights violations, which means raising emergency funds is essential to continue this work.” 

In addition to the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the situation in Afghanistan has only gotten worse. “Women can’t leave their homes. Girls can’t go to school,” Haile says. “Anyone who has been an activist is not safe. It is a complete regression of human rights in Afghanistan the past year.”

Although the effects of war in Ukraine and Afghanistan have been in focus lately, Human Rights Watch is active in approximately 100 countries investigating a broad range of human rights issues. From the repression of the Rohingya in Myanmar, to the human rights implications of climate change and COVID-19, to the refugee crisis in Europe, Human Rights Watch makes an impact wherever they are.