“If any of you worry about the issues that are going on in the world as you listen to the news every day and you feel somewhat powerless because the problems, the fractures, are too large and too many, I think you and I can take comfort that PHR is playing its part everywhere in […]

The 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva concluded last week. Headed by PHR’s Executive Director Sam Zarifi, JD, LLM, the PHR delegation included Christian De Vos, JD, PhD, director of research and investigations, and Uliana Poltavets, Ukraine emergency response coordinator. The team presented several interventions before the Council, partnered […]

The conflict that started in Tigray, Ethiopia in 2020 continues to cause devastating harm to civilians and the health sector and has led to a large-scale humanitarian and human rights crisis that continues in Tigray and has spread to other regions of Ethiopia. PHR has worked with our medical, public health, and human rights partners […]

Alors que le conflit dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) continue de s’intensifier, le partenaire médical de Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), HEAL Africa, fournit des soins intensifs aux survivants des violences sexuelles et sexistes. Nous avons échangé avec HEAL Africa pour en savoir plus sur la fourniture des services des soins […]

As the conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to escalate, PHR medical partner HEAL Africa is providing intensive care to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

The Coalition Against Sexual Violence (CASV) calls on the Government of Kenya to prevent and ensure accountability for femicide by training and supporting the National Police Service and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution to investigate and prosecute cases of gender-based violence. At least 10 women have been killed in the first month […]

Alors que les élections présidentielles commencent aujourd’hui en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) lance un appel à tous les acteurs pour empêcher une nouvelle escalade de la violence et de la crise humanitaire dans le pays.  « Les enjeux pour les élections en RDC ne pourraient pas être des plus […]

As presidential elections begin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) redoubles its call on all actors to prevent further escalation of violence and the humanitarian crisis in the country.   “The stakes for the DRC’s elections couldn’t be higher. Conflict in eastern Congo has already left almost […]

Survivors and civil society organizations today called on the Attorney General of Kenya to immediately enforce a 2020 High Court decision that found the government of Kenya liable for its failure to investigate and prosecute sexual violence in the wake of contested 2007–2008 presidential elections in the country. Speaking in Nairobi, eight survivors of the […]

The failure of the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Independent Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) prevents survivors and victims of human rights violations from any credible access to justice and could lead to further atrocities, said the Global Centre for Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P), Health Professionals Network […]

In response to today’s report by UN experts (International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, or ICHREE) on ongoing human rights violations in Ethiopia, the following statement is attributable to Erika Dailey, director of advocacy, policy and communications at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR):  “War crimes and crimes against humanity – mass killings, rape, […]

PHR joins global coalition of civil society to call upon the UN Human Rights Council to extend the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (“the Commission,” or ICHREE) for a further term of one year, until September 2024. To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations […]

Eritrean and Ethiopian armed forces and associated militias appear to have perpetrated sexual violence on a widespread and systematic basis in Tigray, Ethiopia in the months following the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) in November 2022 by some parties to the conflict, according to a report published today by Physicians for Human […]

Military actors in Tigray, Ethiopia have perpetrated brutal and widespread acts of conflict-related sexual violence, even after following the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

With mounting unrest across the country, Kenyan officials should immediately deescalate tensions and abide by international human rights law, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today. PHR is gravely concerned about excessive force deployed by security forces against demonstrators over recent months as well as the potential for an increase in sexual violence.   “Under both […]

For more than 35 years, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has worked at the intersection of medicine, science, and law to end human suffering, save lives, and secure justice and universal human rights for all. Read about our impact in our 2022 Annual Report.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR) are pleased to provide this submission in response to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor’s (OTP) Call for Updates of the OTP 2014 Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes (2014 Policy Paper). The 2014 Policy […]

Executive Summary Background Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a global health crisis. More than 730 million women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.[1] In Kenya, the Demographic and Health Survey of 2022 showed that 34 percent of women and girls[2] surveyed reported having experienced physical violence at […]

Using a participatory methodology called Photovoice, a group of survivors of sexual violence in Nairobi set out to document their journey to seek out and access mental health care.

NAIROBI– Survivors of sexual violence in Kenya face barriers to quality mental health services in their communities, according to a new assessment co-published today by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Survivors of Sexual Violence in Kenya Network (SSVKenya), which is convened by the Wangu Kanja Foundation.   The new assessment, Voicing Our Plight: […]

This study sought to understand the experiences of survivors of sexual violence in Kenya as they accessed mental health services. Survivors’ experiences are vital to document and have important advocacy and policy implications related to the provision of mental health services and survivor-centered care within their communities. Context Sexual violence affects millions of people of […]

As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we continue to challenge ourselves to understand what works and what doesn’t, using rigorous, scientific, and trauma-informed approaches.  

The UN estimates that one in three women around the world will suffer sexual violence during their lifetime. Particularly in conflict-affected areas, the vast majority of survivors’ cases never get to court; and those that do often fail due to lack of evidence.   To support the reliable and secure documentation of forensic evidence needed to […]

Ahead of Kenya’s general election on August 9, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) warns of potential election-related violence, including sexual violence, and calls on the Government of Kenya to proactively enact policies and plans to both prevent and respond to any violence perpetrated around the upcoming vote.   At least since the 1990s, elections in Kenya […]

As Russian artillery shells fall indiscriminately in Ukraine, efforts are under way by the international community to document the resulting human rights violations, including a range of attacks that likely constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. These efforts may indeed be the most robust in recent history. But as the International Criminal Court (ICC) […]