Physicians for Human Rights
Using science and medicine to stop human rights violationsBlog
Strengthening Protection for Asylum Seekers
Sixty years after the creation of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the US still protects more refugees than any other country. But the road to gaining asylum has become unnecessarily burdensome and prevents untold thousands of people from gaining asylum every year.
Patriotism or Racism?: Accountability for Vigilantism on the Mexican Border
Federal Border Patrol agents aren’t the only people scouring the US-Mexico border in search of immigrants illegally crossing the border, joining their ranks are groups of armed private citizens. These citizens claim to support law enforcement by protecting America from the security threat of uncontrolled immigration. Groups such as the Minuteman Project, Ranch Rescue, and the American Border Patrol claim to “operate within the law,” yet they regularly violate both domestic and international law.
“Who’s Going to Believe You?” The Underreporting of Sexual Abuse in Immigration Detention
Due to the relatively closed nature of the system, there is very little publicly available data detailing the extent of sexual abuse in immigration detention centers. However, recently uncovered documents reveal nearly 200 official complaints of sexual abuse in detention facilities since 2007. This number is probably just the tip of the iceberg given that sexual abuse is one of the most underreported crimes in the US.
Justice and Redress: Holding Corporations Accountable for Human Rights Abuses
Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that corporate entities can be held accountable for human rights violations committed abroad. At the heart of the debate is the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA), a mechanism through which non-US citizens can bring lawsuits in US federal court for acts committed abroad that violate international law.
“Doctors of the Dark Side” Premiere Includes PHR
Doctors of the Dark Side will premiere at Georgetown University Law Center this coming Monday, October 24, 2011, at 6:30pm. The film documents the critical role that physicians and psychologists played in the torture of detainees in US custody, an issue which PHR has been investigating and reporting on for several years in attempt to prevent future abuse of detainees and similar ethical violations.
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