IHRC Publications

Human Rights Reports

  • The Human Rights to Water and Sanitation in the U.S” – a report submitted before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of the US Human Rights Network.
  • The Inter-American Human Rights System and Violence Against Women, Norms, Compliance Mechanisms, Jurisprudence, Implementation, Lessons Learned and Recommendations – a report that articulates the gaps in the international legal framework on the issue of violence against women and girls in the Americas and suggested ways in which a potential United Nations treaty may improve upon this framework.

  • “Conga Va o Va” – A report about violations of human rights and the environment in the Conga gold mine Project in Cajamarca, Peru.
  • Report on homelessness in Santa Clara County with a gender and human rights perspective – (Pending publication)

Amicus Curiae briefs

  • Amicus curiae brief (available in Spanish) in the case of Benito Tide Mendez v Dominican Republic (now known as “Case of Expelled Dominicans and Haitians v Dominican Republic”) before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
  • Amicus curiae brief in support of the petitioner in Duque v. Colombia – a case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights involving same-sex pension rights in Colombia.
  • Amicus curiae brief before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in I.V. v. Bolivia, a landmark case involving forced sterilization of women.

  • Amicus curiae brief before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in support of the petitioners in a case involving the impacts the Chalillo Dam has had on both the environment and health of Mayan peoples and other communities in Belize.
  • Amicus curiae brief before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in support of a petition filed by the people of Vieques, Puerto Rico, involving the ongoing violations of human rights and the environment caused by 60 years of military training activities by the US Navy.

Advocacy/Policy Letters

  • Sign-on letter to Jamaican Prime Minister expressing concern for recent violence against LGBT individuals in Jamaica and urging the decriminalization of consensual same-sex relations between adults.

  • Letter to CA legislators in support of AB 931, a law that would place limits on the use of deadly force by the police.
  • Written comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Services on the Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking.

Social Media Videos

  • Social media video summarizing a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on the issue of impunity and lack of accountability for police killings in the U.S.

  • Social media video highlighting the case of Luis Góngora Pat, a homeless Mayan immigrant who was shot and killed by San Francisco police officers in April 2016.


Written Statements before the UN and the Inter-American human rights systems

  • Research memo provided to UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, Prof. John Knox, on the issue of international human rights law protections of special groups of people whose enjoyment of their lands, resources, and territories are affected by development projects.
  • Written statement before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on the issue of impunity and lack of accountability for police killings in the U.S.
  • Stakeholder report to the UN Human Rights Council detailing the gaps in the U.S. response to human trafficking.
  • Shadow report” to the UN Human Rights Committee regarding human trafficking obligations of the U.S. under the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights.
  • The Need for a Separate Legally Binding U.N. Treaty on Violence Against Women, with a Separate Monitoring Body – a written submission before the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

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