World report 2022: Annual Review of global Human Rights

The Human Rights Watch has issued its 32nd annual review of global human rights trends - World Report 2022, which covered human rights developments and concerns in over 100 countries.

In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth wrote that autocratic leaders faced substantial backlash in 2021. Still, democracy will thrive in the face of autocracy only if democratic leaders do a better job of addressing global problems.

More specifically, the report addressed freedom of media, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of association, freedom from torture, women’s rights, rights of migrants and refugees, children’s rights, rights of indigenous people, rights of persons with disability, and rights of older people.

The country report of Italy covered events related to Covid-19, migrants and asylum seekers, discrimination and intolerance, women’s rights, and the rule of law. The Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact Italian’s daily life, including access to education and employment. The renewal of migration cooperation with Libya and obstruction of sea rescue organisations remained a concern on the protection of rights of migrants and asylum seekers. The Senate rejected a bill to criminalise incitement to violence or discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity. Moreover, significant barriers to access to abortion services remained, including high rates of conscientious objection. The report then emphasised the rule of law concerns with respect to the judiciary and media freedom, citing the European Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law Report.

The report is dedicated to Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch, who died on 4 December at the age of 42. Dewa was a well-respected human rights researcher and a steadfast champion for human rights victims throughout Southern Africa.

The full report is available on the website of Human Rights Watch.