Physicians for Human Rights

📣 PHR is excited to attend the annual Commission of the Status of Women #CSW69 to advance justice and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence and promoting the right to health. Join us at CSW in New York 🗽 or virtually 💻 for the following events, featuring PHR’s Payal Shah, JD, Director of Research, Legal and Advocacy: ♀️ March 17, 9:00 am EDT - "From Documentation to Action: Advancing Accountability for Reproductive Violence" with United Nations Human Rights, UN Women, Global Justice Center, and more on the documentation of reproductive violence in conflict and crisis, including in Ethiopia and Gaza. ➡️ Register: https://lnkd.in/gFSVriHs  💻 Livestream: https://lnkd.in/gG3g9egz ♀️ March 17, 10:00-11:30am EDT - “Gender Justice and the Crimes Against Humanity Treaty Initiative” with Global Justice Center, Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice, and more on incorporating gender-competent language into the new historic new treaty being discussed at the UN.    ➡️ Register: bit.ly/GenderCAHtreaty   💻 Livestream: https://lnkd.in/gG3g9egz     ♀️ March 18, 12:00-1:30pm EDT - “Are we on the Right Track to Deliver on Gender Equality and the Human Right to Health?” with Georgetown University, Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. (Held at New York City Bar Association)  ➡️ Register: https://lnkd.in/gjYJ8W2p   💻 Livestream: https://lnkd.in/gzBBGxkq

Leaders in medicine and public health across the United States are sounding the alarm over President Trump’s move to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other immigration enforcement officials into hospitals. Despite the underlying constitutional protections remaining in place, many people will avoid seeking necessary medical attention due to the new policy’s chilling effect and the practical uncertainties it introduces. So what does this mean for health workers who want to protect their patients? What should health professionals do if immigration enforcement officials attempt to access hospitals or other clinical settings? PHR and the National Immigration Law Center developed a new guide to help health care workers navigate these new policies and defend the rights of their patients and colleagues. Hospitals and clinics should be safe places, where all can seek care without fear. Read the full guide and share it with your health care professional colleagues: https://bit.ly/4kNx9fW

Anti-immigration policies don’t just harm migrants—they create fear that keeps people from seeking essential medical care and put health workers in impossible ethical dilemmas. In a new Lancet commentary, PHR outlines what health professionals can do to protect both their patients and themselves in this challenging landscape. As frontline witnesses to the consequences of these policies, health workers must stand firm in safeguarding care for all. Read the full commentary in The Lancet to learn more about how we can take action. https://bit.ly/4iJyGBS #HealthCareForAll #HumanRights #ImmigrantHealth #MedicalEthics #PhysiciansForHumanRights

#OnThisDay: 14 years ago, the Syrian people rose up against the Assad regime, demanding their rights to freedom and democracy. What followed was a deadly conflict that killed thousands and displaced millions.     Today is a new dawn for #Syria, following the fall of the #Assad regime in December 2024. Perpetrators of atrocities committed during the conflict must be held accountable, and the Syrian people must see justice done. ⚖️ PHR calls for all actors in Syria to protect fundamental #humanrights, especially in light of recent violence in Syria’s coastal governorates, including attacks on civilians and revenge killings of those perceived to be Assad loyalists. It will be through the rule of law, not violence, that Syrians will successfully achieve a free and peaceful society. 🕊️   After more than a decade of bombardment, the health sector in Syria needs urgent support to rebuild. 🏥 Syrians must see justice for the more than 604 attacks on 400 health care facilities and the killing of 949 medical personnel, all attacks documented by PHR since 2011. PHR also calls for all actors to support Syria’s many survivors of #torture, as well as families of the estimated 100,000 people who remain #missing or #disappeared in the country. 📽️ Watch this reflection from PHR’s Dr. Houssam Alnahhas, a Syrian physician and a survivor of torture: “I am full of hope for my country; but we cannot transition without justice.” 

الترجمة أدناه: I’m full of emotion as I look back on all that the Syrian people have endured the past 14 years. When we first took to the streets to demand our rights, we had no idea that our lives were about to be torn apart by the Assad regime. We saw our freedom and our right to live in dignity taken away. Our cities destroyed. Our hospitals bombed. Loved ones taken from us, killed or forcibly disappeared. We saw our friends and colleagues tortured. Many of us were forced to flee the country. Many of us did not survive. The ousting of Assad in December marked an end to this nightmare. Today, I am full of hope for my country. Yet the recent revenge killings of civilians in Syria are a reminder of how injustice only begets more injustice; to truly transition from the past, we must work to uphold the sacred right to life for all people, and work to ensure all Syrians can live in dignity, freedom, and security. It's through the rule of law, not violence, that Syria can successfully achieve the vision of the revolution. With Physicians for Human Rights, I’ve made it my mission to document evidence of attacks on health facilities; today, we are putting our evidence into the hands of justice processes that are working alongside survivors to seek accountability. As we, the Syrians, look to rebuild our country, we need to see justice and accountability for all the atrocities committed against us since 2011. There is no peace, no reconciliation, no healing or path forward without justice. مو قليل أبداً يلي عاناه الشعب السوري على مدى 14 سنة. بدت القصة لما الناس نزلت على الشوارع حتى تطالب بحقوقها وتحولت حياة كتير منهم لكوابيس من الفقد والتهجير والموت والاعتقال. كل هاد ونحنا عم نشوف نظام مجرم كان عم يحاول يسلبنا حريتنا وكرامتناـ يدمر مدننا، ويقصف مشافينا، ويسرق اصدقائنا واهالينا بآلة قتل وتعذيب ما بترحم. نظام أجبر كتير من يلي بقيوا عايشين يتركوا البلد مكرهين. لما سقط الأسد ونظامه السنة الماضية راح معه أسوأ كوابيسنا، ورغم المخاض العسير يلي عم نمر فيه بيضل عندي أمل انو صار عنا وطن. القتل الانتقامي للمدنيين يلي صار بالأيام الماضية هو تذكير النا كلنا كيف انو الظلم بيولد بس ظلم. وهو تذكير انو إذا بدنا نطوي الماضي فلازم نسعى حتى نصون قداسة النفس البشرية والحق بالحياة للجميع، ويكون هدفنا الحياة الكريمة الحرة والآمنة لكل السوريين. أهداف ثورتنا يلي بلشت من 14 سنة لا يمكن تتحقق إلا لما كلنا منخضع لقانون عادل بعيداً عن العنف. ومسؤوليتنا انو نبذل كل جهدنا لتصير أرضنا بعد ما تحررت أرض للسلام. هي مسؤولية كبيرة ومو سهلة وكل واحد مننا عليه جزء منها. لما قررت صير جزء من منظمة أطباء من أجل حقوق الإنسان كان هدفي التزم بالوعد يلي وعدته لحالي من 13 سنة بعد ما طلعت من السجن، انو وثق الجرائم والانتهاكات يلي تم ارتكابها بحق النظام الصحي بكل مكوناته. وفخور اليوم اني كون جزء من هالمنظمة ,ويلي على أتم الاستعداد لتقدم الأدلة يلي عندها للعدالة وتشتغل مع زملائنا من الكوادر الطبية يلي كانوا ضحايا هالاستهدافات حتى المسؤولين ينالوا جزائهم. الثورة لو علمتنا شي فهو انو بدون عدالة مافي سلام، مافي شفاء، ومافي طريق واضح نمشي فيه لقدام.

As we mark International Women’s Day, this year’s theme — “Accelerate Action” — is a powerful reminder of the urgency to strengthen responses to gender-based violence in humanitarian settings. Check out this new blog post from Elrha highlighting how Physicians for Human Rights’ MediCapt app is helping accelerate action by scaling the documentation of forensic medical evidence of sexual violence to support survivors and strengthen access to justice. Proud to see this work featured alongside other important innovations driving progress for women and girls affected by crises. #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction

📣 Join us March 17 for our event during the Commission on the Status of Women that will explore how a new crimes against humanity treaty could make historic advances toward justice for gender-based crimes. Register: bit.ly/GenderCAHtreaty Livestream: https://lnkd.in/eisqRWKn Thank you to our co-sponsors Atlantic Council, Physicians for Human Rights, Asia Justice Coalition, Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice.

International Women’s Day is Saturday March 8, a chance to take stock of the many advancements to protect and promote women’s health and human rights. Today, we can celebrate a key milestone: Survivors of post-election sexual violence in Kenya will finally receive a judgment after years of fighting for justice. This case, brought by PHR and partners, seeks accountability for the Kenyan government’s failure to prevent and address sexual and gender-based violence. After years of delays, the Court of Appeals has scheduled a judgment for April 11th. PHR remains committed to advocating for survivors and holding perpetrators accountable. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4kjU56e #accelerateaction #internationalwomensday

“As we mark three years since the full-scale invasion, Russia’s war of aggression continues unabated and Ukraine’s clinicians are in the crosshairs,” said Uliana Poltavets, PHR Ukraine Emergency Response Coordinator. Since the 2013 protests in Ukraine, Uliana has been working to advance human rights in her country. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she joined PHR’s team to document attacks on health care & preserve evidence for justice. As Ukraine marks three years of war and more than 1700 attacks on health, read Uliana’s reflection on the meaning of this moment, for Ukraine and the world. Read the full blog post from Uliana: https://bit.ly/3D6XTaa PHR calls on global actors to hold perpetrators of these crimes to account ⚖️, as well as to support Ukrainian health workers to do their life-saving work. The U.S. government must unfreeze funding & continue its support to vital health & humanitarian programs in Ukraine. 🚑🕊️

📢 PHR is headed to Taipei for RightsCon 2025! Our experts Uliana Poltavets, Suzanne Kidenda, and Karen Naimer will be joining to discuss attacks on health care infrastructure in Ukraine, supporting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence through rigorous documentation of evidence, and more. Attending the conference? Connect with our team to learn more about PHR’s work and how we can collaborate to help drive impact. See you there! 🌍✊ #HumanRights #PHRatRightsCon #RightsCon #RightsCon2025 #RightsCon25