Rothna Begum
Human Rights Watch
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Rothna:
Qatar and FIFA’s Callous Response to a Migrant Worker’s Death
The tragic death of a Filipino migrant worker, Alex, his surname unknown, at a World Cup site in Qatar should have been treated humanely. → Read More
Historic Moment of First Woman Referee in Men’s World Cup
Yesterday, in a historic first, a woman referee took charge at the Men’s Football World Cup. → Read More
On May 1, End Violence and Harassment at Work
On International Workers’ Day, May 1, countries worldwide celebrate workers’ rights, and people take to the streets to call for better working conditions. Governments should also recognize people’s rights to safety and dignity in the world of work by ratifying the International Labour Organization (ILO) Violence and Harassment Convention (C190). → Read More
Woman in Gaza Fights Travel Ban Imposed by Her Father
On November 3 a court in Gaza will consider the request of Afaf al-Najar, a 19-year-old woman, to lift a travel ban imposed by her father. She told Human Rights Watch that on September 21, Palestinian border officials at the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt blocked her from traveling abroad because her father had applied for a judicial travel ban. She was heading to Turkey where she had a… → Read More
Gaza Authorities Issue Travel Restrictions for Unmarried Women
In a terrible backwards step, Gaza’s Supreme Judicial Council, a body run by Hamas authorities, issued a notice on February 14 allowing male guardians to restrict unmarried women’s travel. → Read More
Is Saudi Serious About Clemency for Women Activists?
For more than two years, Saudi Arabia has locked up women’s rights activists who fought for – and won – women’s right to drive. But as the country is gearing up to virtually host the G20 World Leaders’ Summit November 21-22, it looks like the Saudi authorities are trying to change the narrative. → Read More
Is Saudi Arabia Serious About Clemency for Women Activists?
For more than two years, Saudi Arabia has locked up women’s rights activists who fought for – and won – women’s right to drive. But as the country is gearing up to virtually host the G20 World Leaders’ Summit November 21-22, it looks like the Saudi authorities are trying to change the narrative. → Read More
What Will it Take for Saudi Arabia to Abolish Abusive Sponsorship System?
There are reports this week that Saudi authorities are seeking to abolish the notorious kafala (sponsorship) system in 2021. Under that system, some 10 million migrant workers’ legal status are tied to their employer—facilitating abuse and exploitation including forced labor, trafficking, and slavery-like conditions. → Read More
Women Reportedly Subjected to Forced Gynecological Exams in Qatar
On October 2, Qatari authorities removed 13 women from an Australia-bound Qatar Airways flight and reportedly subjected them to forced gynecological examinations after a premature baby was found abandoned in a toilet at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. → Read More
Domestic Violence Law Signals Hope for Kuwait’s Women
This month, after years of activism, Kuwaiti women’s rights activists won a new law establishing protections against domestic violence. → Read More
Domestic Workers in Middle East Risk Abuse Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Governments around the world have imposed restrictions on movements of citizens to counter the threat of COVID-19 and limit its spread. But for millions of Asian and African migrant domestic workers in the Middle East, these important safeguards also increase the risk of serious abuse. → Read More
Two Years After #MeToo Erupts, A New Treaty Anchors Workplace Shifts
In 2020 you should be watching out for… workplace changes that pick up the baton of the #MeToo movement. It’s been over two years since the #MeToo movement erupted, exposing—amid shared stories of abuse from women of all ages, nationalities, and social and economic backgrounds—endemic workplace harassment and abuse. It also revealed the systemic failure to stop it. → Read More
The Deadly Toll for Palestinian Women
Videos that circulated on social media in August appearing to show a hospital corridor with a woman heard pleading and screaming, and sounds of intermittent thuds, have sparked protests and outrage at the lethal cost that Palestinian women pay because of a lack of protections and discriminatory laws. → Read More
Iranian Women Rebel Against Dress Code
Iran’s latest crackdown on women has taken place in the quiet of a courtroom. On July 31, a court in Tehran sentenced three women – including a mother and daughter – to prison for protesting laws that make wearing a hijab compulsory. → Read More
Turning the tide on violence and harassment at work
The #MeToo movement raised global awareness about harassment at work—now we have a potentially far-reaching ILO convention to combat the phenomenon. → Read More
Qatar's Permanent Residency Law a Step Forward but Discrimination Remains
The Emir of Qatar recently signed a flurry of laws, including one allowing children and spouses of Qatari women married to non-Qataris to acquire permanent residence status. While a step forward, the law falls short. → Read More
As Saudi ban on women drivers ends, activists who made it happen are in jail or exile
The spotlight is on Prince Salman as Saudi women finally get the right to drive. And the activists who really made it happen? Jailed, exiled or silenced. → Read More
Lebanon’s Failed Mother’s Day Gift
This week, Lebanon’s foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, announced he would be submitting a draft law to recognize the right of Lebanese mothers married to non-Lebanese men to equality in passing on their nationality to their children. While this is a right that Lebanese women have waited for nearly a century, the proposed law is discriminatory and fatally flawed. → Read More
The Middle East's Women Are Championing Their Own Change
Despite setbacks for women’s rights around the globe in 2017, some of the most exciting reforms and positive momentum emerged from the Middle East and North Africa. This is an exciting time for women in the Middle East, but on this International Women’s Day, the road to women’s human rights in the region remains long. → Read More
Morocco: New Violence Against Women Law
Morocco’s new law on violence against women provides protections for survivors but contains gaps that should be addressed, Human Rights Watch said today. After more than a decade of advocacy by Moroccan women’s rights organizations, Morocco has adopted Law no. 103-13 on combating violence against women. Morocco’s government presented the revised bill no. 103-13 on March 17, 2016, to the House of… → Read More