This 20th annual World Report summarizes human rights conditions in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. It reflects extensive investigative work undertaken in 2009 by Human Rights Watch staff, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the country in question.

World Report 2010

 

This report includes findings from the Department of Defense (DoD) Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services.  The report finds that DoD has made progress in improving the response to victims’ needs, but calls for DoD to do more to fully address the spectrum of sexual assault prevention and response. Specific recommendations include: elevating oversight of DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office  to the jurisdiction of the deputy secretary of defense until the program meets established institutional goals; calling for collaboration with the military services and national experts in sexual assault prevention to develop a comprehensive prevention strategy and a plan to routinely evaluate it; and more rigorous oversight of military service training programs.  Additionally, is recommends that Congress should, as a permanent measure, enact a comprehensive military justice privilege for communications between a victim advocate and a victim of sexual assault.  Additional information available through the Annex to Report of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military
 

This report includes a summary of Department of Defense (DoD) policies and programs associated with sexual assault and a description of the WGRR 2008 survey content and methodology. In addition, the report includes an analysis of the prevalence of Reserve component members’ experiences of unwanted sexual contact, sexual harassment, and sex discrimination in the Reserve components in the twelve months prior to taking the survey and the details of incidents they have experienced. The report also includes an analysis of the effectiveness of DoD and Reserve component policies and training on sexual assault and sexual harassment and an assessment of progress related to these issues in the military and in the nation.

2008 Gender Relations Survey of Reserve Component Members

Health hazards specific to women workers have not been adequately documented. This study assessed military environmental factors associated with rape occurring during military service, while controlling for pre-military trauma experiences. The goal of this exploratory study was to describe characteristics of rape victims and perpetrators and to attempt to identify workplace environmental factors associated with rape occurring during military service.
Factors Associated With Women’s Risk of Rape in the Military Environment

This report documents persistent sexual violence by the army, and the limited impact of government and donor efforts to address the problem. The report looks closely at the conduct of the army's 14th brigade as an example of the wider problem of sexual violence by soldiers. The brigade has been implicated in many acts of sexual violence in North and South Kivu provinces, often in the context of massive looting and other attacks on civilians. Despite ample information about the situation, military, political, and judicial authorities have failed to take decisive action to prevent rape.
Soldiers Who Rape, Commanders Who Condone: Sexual Violence and Military Reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo