UN peacekeepers continue to engage in sexual exploitation and abuse during deployment and rarely face punishment, according to human rights lawyer and Jennings Randolph fellow Carla Ferstman. Although troop-contributing countries bear responsibility for… Read more
Wartime sexual violence is rooted in preconflict inequalities and also perpetuates peacetime violence, as the case of Peru shows. Peru can begin to break this cycle of violence by treating rape in war as a crime against humanity. Summary Wartime sexual… Read more
There are a variety of contexts in which the empowerment of women in Pakistan can be considered, but none is more critical than law: How women’s legal rights are framed is fundamental to considering how best to advance women’s empowerment. After… Read more
Two seasoned NGOs engage nonstate combatants on international human rights law to get them to change behaviors, from eliminating use of landmines to protecting civilians. Their work can inform and complement other attempts at engagement. Summary… Read more
Robert Maguire, Chairman of USIP's Haiti Working Group, analyzes the various aspects of security – political, economic, personal and criminal – in Haiti.SummaryPresident Michel Martelly takes office at a time when Haitians are frustrated with the pace… Read more
This report reviews the challenges facing returning refugees and internally displaced persons after protracted conflict, questioning the common wisdom that the solution to displacement is, in almost all cases, to bring those uprooted to their places of… Read more
The Afghan public, along with the international community, appears increasingly supportive of opening negotiations with the Taliban to end the war. This Peace Brief assesses the possiblities and challenges the Afghan government and the international… Read more
This peace brief describes the security challenges facing eastern Chad and the pending withdrawal of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad.SummaryChad hosts over 249,000 refugees from the Darfur conflict and 168,000… Read more
The flooding and associated devastation that have battered Pakistan since late July 2010 present yet another series of challenges to its government, already contending with violence from extremist groups. The international community would do well to… Read more
Summary United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820 signals a new movement in the international community to recognize widespread sexual violence against women in conflict as a threat to international peace and security. Research on sexual and gender… Read more
This material, developed by The Center for Victims of Torture with the support of USIP, is an essential toolkit for human rights advocates. A Workbook includes practical options for the practitioner, while Tactical Training Notebooks illustrate how human… Read more
Iraq today is faced with a multilayered displacement crisis that is massive in both size and complexity. It is estimated that 3.8 million Iraqis were displaced from their homes from 2003 to 2008, with the majority of them becoming displaced in 2006 and… Read more