Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Our staff consists of human rights professionals including country experts, lawyers, journalists, and academics of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.

We advance human rights worldwide. We investigate wrongs, expose the facts, offer solutions, and pressure those with power to respect rights. We collaborate with people claiming their rights, learn from partners, and engage the public. Human Rights Watch upholds the freedoms and defends the protections that promote dignity, equality, and justice. Human Rights Watch is anchored by Guiding Principles that orient us in the world and by Core Values that inform our standards, practices, and treatment of one another.

Our work is grounded in standards contained in international human rights law, humanitarian law, criminal law, and refugee law. In applying these standards, we are guided by those most affected and by our partners, as well as by the principles of dignity, equality, and justice.