Swem Government Information - Civil/Human Rights

Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:07:00 -0500

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33200_20091016.pdf Discusses the purposes and quantity of human trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean, U.S. policy responses, and regional and country-level anti-trafficking efforts. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by OpenCRS.org.

Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/64/490 Includes as an annex the controversial Report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, the so-called Goldstone report. Reviews human rights violations to civilians that occurred during the Gaza Conflict in December 2008-January 2009. From the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:33:00 -0500

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RS21922_20091001.pdf Analyzes the 2009 elections, the charges of corruption, and the aftermath for the Karzai regime. Also looks at the performance of the government, issues relating to human rights, and the efforts to expand local governance. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by OpenCRS.org.

Interim Final Rules Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Genetic Information in Health Insurance Cove

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:06:00 -0500

http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-22504_PI.pdf Federal Register notice about interim final rules in partial implementation of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. Prohibits group health plans, health insurance companies, and issuers of Medicare Supplemental policies from discriminating based on genetic information and from collecting such information. From the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies.

Conspiracy of Silence? Colombia, the United States and the Massacre at El Salado

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:59:00 -0500

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB287/index.htm Subtitled: Declassified documents highlight U.S. concerns over role of Colombian security forces in February 2000 paramilitary killings. From the National Security Archive.

Military Recruitment on High School and College Campuses: A Policy and Legal Analysis

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:35:00 -0500

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40827.pdf This report describes the various laws regarding military recruitment on high school and college campuses and discusses the policy and legal issues that they may raise. Essentially institutions have been stopped from using anti-discrimination measures relating to gays as a reason to ban military recruiters from campus by several laws that prohibit release of federal funds to campuses that bar military recruiters. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists.

Annual Report on the Federal Work Force 2008

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:43:00 -0500

http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/fsp2008/fsp2008.pdf Describes the progress toward equal opportunity goals achieved by federal government employers during 2008. Offers statistics on the composition of the federal work force including characteristics by gender, race, disability and how each group ranked by pay and grade status. From the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Department of Labor's List of Goods Produced By Child Labor or Forced Labor

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:57:00 -0500

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/PDF/2009TVPRA.pdf Provides a list of 122 goods from 58 countries that the Department of Labor has reason to believe are produced by forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards. Authorized by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and built on 15 years of investigation. From the Bureau of International Labor Affairs of the U.S. Department of Labor.

U.S. Department of Labor's 2008 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:55:00 -0500

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/PDF/2008OCFTreport.pdf The 8th annual report on what 122 countries around the world are doing to meet their international commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Each country section covers the incidence and nature of child labor, child labor laws and enforcement, and current government policies and programs to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Large, slow loading file. From the Bureau of International Labor Affairs of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:35:00 -0500

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/64/36%20(SUPP) Annual report to the General Assembly on the work of the office. Covers the Human Rights Council, Human Rights treaty bodies, and work in various countries and on various topics, including migration and trafficking, climate change and rights, and women's rights and gender work. From the United Nations.

What Were They Hiding? A Side-by-Side Comparison of the Bush and Obama Versions of the CIA Report

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:29:00 -0500

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/torture_archive/comparison.htm Offers parallel views of the CIA Inspector General's Report on Detention and Interrogation Activities, which was prepared in May 2004, released in part by the Bush Administration in May 2008, and then in somewhat fuller form by the Obama Administration in August 2009. From the National Security Archive at George Washington University.

The U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:10:00 -0500

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40750_20090807.pdf Subtitled: Issues in the U.S. Ratification Debate. CEDAW is the only international human rights treaty that specifically addresses the rights of women. It calls on nations to eliminate discrimination against women in all areas of life. It has been ratified by 186 nations. The U.S. is the only nation to sign but not ratify the Convention. Opponents have argued that it will undermine U.S. sovereignty. This report provides an overview of the Convention, its background, objectives, and structure, and the U.S. policy debate. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by OpenCRS.org.

CIA Inspector General's Report on Enhanced Interrogation Activities

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:41:00 -0500

http://luxmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o10/clients/aclu/IG_Report.pdf Heavily censored release of the May 2004 report of the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency on the so-called enhanced interrogation tactics and the legality and effectiveness of the tactics, released under court order in a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. From the ACLU.

Allegations of UK Complicity in Torture

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:28:00 -0500

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200809/jtselect/jtrights/152/152.pdf Covers allegations of torture involving the United Kingdom, defines six ways in which a state may be complicit in torture, and calls upon the government to improve the system of accountability for intelligence and security services. From the Joint Committee on Human Rights of the House of Lords and House of Commons.

Human Rights in China: Trends and Policy Implications

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:44:00 -0500

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34729_20090713.pdf This report analyzes China's mixed record on human rights incuding major human rights problems, new human rights legislation, and the development of civil society, legal awareness, and social and political activism. Also discusses U.S. efforts to advance human rights in China. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by OpenCRS.org.