"Public anger at gender inequality in India must be seen as an important—and long-overdue—social development, and it can certainly help in remedying the persistent inequalities from which Indian women suffer."

"U.S. diplomats should include discussions of human rights in all of their encounters with Iranian officials," writes Ray Takeyh.

"Whether out of reticence, ambivalence, tactical calculation or the difficulty of making policy in Washington, the [Obama] administration's response to the human rights violators it has faced in five years in office has been mealy-mouthed and confusing," writes Jonathan Tepperman.

The Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) prepared this mid-year report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan, which covers the period of January 1 to June 30, 2013, and is mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2096 (2013), which "recognizes the importance of ongoing monitoring and reporting to the United Nations Security Council on the situation of civilians in Afghanistan's armed conflict and in particular on civilian casualties."

Mark Lagon discusses the State Department's newly released annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

The U.S. military can learn from West Point about how to approach sexual misconduct cases, writes Jeanne Hull.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's (USCIRF) Katrina Lantos Swett and Elizabeth K. Cassidy discuss USCIRF's 2013 Annual Report, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

U.S. policymaking on human rights issues is sometimes hindered by poor relations between State and Capitol Hill. Fortunately, there are ways to improve cooperation.

As measured by life outcomes, India does not value the lives of its sons as highly as it values the lives of its daughters. Moreover, it allows sexual violence to go unpunished and its victims undefended, whether on the city streets, in villages, in police stations, or in the courts. A powerful impetus for change exists in India, but the challenge of closing the gap between calls for reform and true long-term change looms large.

Dr. Helene D. Gayle and Deputy Administrator Donald K. Steinberg speak about the challenges of combatting child marriage at the launch event for CFR's new report on child marriage.

Global monitors say Iran's human rights situation is poor and unlikely to improve amid a climate of political uncertainty and growing external pressures. But activists urge continued international scrutiny of Iran's violations.

Child marriage is a global epidemic and a human rights violation that occurs across regions, cultures, and religions. According to Rachel Vogelstein, the success of U.S. efforts to foster economic growth, improve global health, and promote stability and security will grow if this persistent practice comes to an end.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon examines women's rights in Afghanistan.

The UN General Assembly approved, by a vote of 107-12 with 59 abstentions, the resolution on May 15, 2013, which supports political transition in Syria through the establishment of the Syrian National Coalition.

Jose Alvarez, Herbert and Rose Rubin professor of international law at New York University School of Law, discusses the growth and distributional effects and the human rights implications of global economic governance through bilateral investment treaties, with a focus on the global south.

These reports, mandated by Congress in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trade Act of 1974, describe the performance of other governments in practicing their international commitments on civil, political, individual, and worker rights, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN and the Chinese government produce similar reports.

Jagdish Bhagwati and Amrita Narlikar write that the only way to ensure safe working environments is to make them "legislated and pursued with zeal."

Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen explore Taiwan's progress in protecting people's rights.

Three leaders from the region discuss these issues as part of a delegation from Karama, an Egyptian based women's rights organization.

Mark P. Lagon, CFR's adjunct senior fellow for human rights, leads a conversation on the role of business in international relations and upholding human rights obligations, as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call Series.