This is the story of María, a Venezuelan migrant who tried to make a living in Ecuador first before risking everything to come to the US through the Darién Gap. The security situation in Ecuador pushed her to make the decision of bringing her two young children and her mother through the Darién Gap to reunite with her in the US.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised when he was elected in 2018 to determine the truth about one of the country’s most infamous unresolved atrocities: the 2014 kidnapping and enforced disappearance of 43 student teachers. Instead, he has allowed his allies in the military to obstruct the investigation by hiding key evidence that experts believe could contain clues about what happened to the students. President López Obrador should use his authority to make the army release the evidence it has from the night the students disappeared. And Mexico's friends and allies should urge the president to keep his word and ensure there is a credible investigation into the students' disappearance.

Some of the images in this video, including the landscapes, were generated by AI technology. The Escazu agreement is designed to protect biodiversity and environmental defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. The treaty, adopted in 2018 in Costa Rica, guarantees people’s right to obtain environmental information and to participate in decision-making that affects their lives and environment. It requires countries to ensure access to justice when those rights are violated, and to establish systems to prevent environmental harm or provide redress. It is the world’s first legally binding instrument containing specific provisions on environmental defenders – requiring governments to provide safe and enabling conditions for the defenders and ensuring that those responsible for violence and intimidation against them are investigated and prosecuted. Upholding the rights established in the Escazú agreement could contribute hugely to reversing the cycle of violence and environmental destruction in the Amazon, Human Rights Watch said.       

Government Delays the Move Despite Sea Level Rise, Overcrowding

The acts of violence and vandalism that took place in Brazil on January 8, 2023, constitute an abhorrent attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions. HRW’s César Muñoz leads a conversation with Maria Laura Canineu and Brian Winter to discuss the human rights implications.

Brazil’s President-Elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva should prioritize the protection of human rights and reverse the serious setbacks during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. HRW’s Cesar Munoz moderates this discussion with HRW’s acting Executive Director Tirana Hassan and law professor and columnist Conrado Hubner on how

As Brazilians head to the polls, HRW discusses tactics of fear, intimidation, or misinformation targeting voters in Brazil, as well as in the US state of Georgia ahead of the 2022 United States midterms. HRW's Amanda Klasing moderates this conversation with Aklima Khondoker, Chief Legal Officer of the New Georgia Project

Discriminatory laws that prevent marriage equality in Panama have a real-life impact for same-sex couples in the country, including the three couples featured in this video. Under international human rights law, arbitrarily treating same-sex couples differently from different-sex couples is illegal, including with respect to marriage. Panama should join other countries in the region that have extended the right to marry to same-sex couples.

Over 400 Killings of Community, Other Leaders Since 2016