Washington Center For Human Rights
From DC to the World
CategoriesSlaveryThe new guidance issued by the United Kingdom in March 2025 on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA) is a clear indication of a paradigm change in the intensity of the expectations applied to businesses to combat modern slavery in their own business activity and supply chain. Although compliance is still an obligatory requirement, the […]
CategoriesanalysisThe problem of confronting inhuman rights violations in the U.S. immigration system can be even better understood in the context of the situation in Louisiana in 2025 in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. With the second-largest population of detainees in the country behind Texas with more than 7,000, Louisiana is the root […]
CategoriesanalysisThe yearly human rights reports published by the U.S. State Department in 2025 revealed a crucial shift of the former course of work as the instances of violence, discrimination, and abuse of the LGBTQ + community were fully removed. These reports have been used in the past decades as an extensive documentation of the human […]
CategoriesMedia CensorshipFueled by emerging fears about the abuse of deepfake technology, last year brought a record number of state-level legislative responses to the phenomenon. Amid the wildfire of breakthroughs in the world of AI and the influx of ever-more-convincing synthetic media into the mainstream, lawmakers have been in a mad scramble to tighten regulation by drafting […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingThe anti-trafficking activities in Wyoming County take place in the context of the ongoing difficulties within New York State. Not only cities but rural areas are at risk, but the modes of exploitation differ greatly according to geography and resource. Trafficking is an inevitable problem that still occurs in Wyoming County, although it is not […]
CategoriesWar CrimesThe debates between Kosovo war veterans and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in The Hague, have again sparked off the tensions regarding the definition and the delivery of justice after war. By 2025 there is widespread antagonism toward the court, which most people in Kosovo have come to see as politically influenced and as targeting […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingIn 2025, the problem of human trafficking in Texas has taken deep roots described by increasing concerns related to not only sex trafficking but also labor trafficking. The state is not only facing the enormity of the reported cases, but is still plagued by the inability to respond through cohesive, survivor-centered policy. The situation may […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingIn June 2025, an international operation named Operation Global Chain was carried out. Organized by Austria and Romania, with the help of international law enforcement agencies INTERPOL, Europol and Frontex, the operation deployed almost 15,000 officers in 43 countries. It was a massive move which highlighted the growing global devotion to cover human trafficking which […]
CategoriesSlaveryThe Confederate Memorial at the Arlington National Cemetery, which was created in 1914 by Moses Jacob Ezekiel, a former Confederate soldier, has remained one of the most controversial icons over the course of more than one century. The monument, which was financed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, served as a tangible representation of […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe very recent development of China overhauling the anti-money laundering (AML) regulatory framework will bring a major change towards adoption of a more risk-based approach that is particularly evident in relation to reporting of cash transactions. A major weakening of the draft amendment published by central regulators in 2025 is the relief in the obligation […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingOne substantial change in the United Kingdom supervisory framework on anti-money laundering (AML) by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) was the increase by 33 in annual premises fee of 300 to 400 in 2025. It is a fee paid by businesses that are regulated and companies like estate agents, accountants, and dealerships of high value […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) was enacted in 2021as a response to increased awareness of the use of anonymous shell companies in order to carry out unlawful financial transactions. With the CTA, limited liability companies (LLCs) and corporations needed to provide information about their beneficial owners by disclosing the beneficial owners as natural persons having […]
CategoriesSlaveryJohn Salley, a four-time NBA champion, reignited an enduring debate over player autonomy in 2025 with his provocative description of himself as the “only free slave in the NBA” upon his move to the Chicago Bulls decades ago. His reference, rooted in self-determination and the rare ability to buy out his contract, still resonates amid […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe dynasty is over soon as the first few months of 2025 can be described as a major loss against cryptocurrency fraud as Rowland Marcus Andrade, founder, and CEO of AML Bitcoin is sentenced to 84 months in federal prison after defrauding investors of the popular 10 million crypto scheme. This court case presents the […]
CategoriesanalysisHistory was created in Bangladesh when the administration of Sheikh Hasina was ousted by massive demonstrations in 2024. The rise of a Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus to become the head of an interim government brought with it a new dawn of democratic restoration and protection of human rights. Nonetheless, almost 1 year into this […]
CategoriesWar CrimesBy early 2025, however, new complaint publicity landed ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan once again on the cover of international news sites, where he was accused of having presided, on behalf of Israel, over a massive stunt aimed at crushing the Gaza case by threatening its key protagonists with waves of personal harassment. It is […]
CategoriesSlaveryIn 2025, modern slavery has come to be viewed not only as a moral concern but also as a critical financial risk entrenched within global investment portfolios. Asset manager IFM Investors has pointed out that slavery practices often signal governance failure—capable of triggering legal liabilities, disrupting supply chains, and causing reputational damage. Now that over […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe release of the 2025 Opinion on the risks of money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) by the European Banking Authority (EBA) is considered a critical point in the development of a new anti-money laundering system in the EU. Publication of the Opinion dated July 28, 2025, addresses vulnerabilities that arise when financial technology […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingIn 2025, the Federal Department of Justice (DOJ) established a remuneration program to the tune of 200 million dollars to the victims of sex trafficking that occurred through Backpage.com between 2004 and 2018. The fund is the largest restitution initiative ever made to trafficking survivors as part of prosecution of Backpage executives with the finances […]
CategoriesTerror FinancingIn July 2025, Tether, issuer of the world’s most circulated stablecoin USDT, froze $1.6 million in assets linked to a Gaza-based terror financing network. The move seized wallets attributed to BuyCash Money and Money Transfer Company, a monetary organization based in Gaza and already involved with unlawful transmission of finances to listed terrorist groups. The […]
CategoriesanalysisOn April 16, 2025, the UK Supreme Court unanimously decided that the terms “woman,” “man,” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 are not based on legal gender identification, but rather on biological sex at birth. This decision overruled previous interpretations that had allowed transgender individuals with Gender Recognition Certificates (GRCs) to be recognized legally […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingCreated by artist Molly Gochman in 2014, the Red Sand Project developed into a popular global initiative that gives visibility to the human trafficking victims ignored by the systems created to serve them. When the participants pour red sand into cracks in the sidewalk, it becomes a powerful connotation of so many people that slip […]
CategoriesWar CrimesA case judgment rendered by the International Criminal Court in July 2025, condemning Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaissonia, marked one of the most significant ones on the court record in recent years. The two men who were former leaders of the Christian anti-Balaka militia were convicted of planning and facilitating systematic acts of war crimes […]
CategoriesSlaveryThe system of identifying and assisting the victims of modern slavery in the UK has been linked to the areas of immigration law resulting in several outcomes that tend to make the entire process of protecting vulnerable people more challenging instead of helpful. The main component of this process is the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingOn July 22, 2025, Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) imposed disciplinary sanctions on three financial institutions after conducting an investigation into significant breaches of their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) procedures. Indian Overseas Bank, Hong Kong Branch (IOBHK) was given a penalty of HK$8.5 million, which included a public reprimand, which was the highest […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingIn 2025, Morgan Stanley, one of the most successful global financial institutions, with a significant operation in the wealth management and investment banking sector, faces a thorough regulatory inquiry over its ease of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the self-regulatory organization of the US financial system, has launched an investigation into […]
CategoriesWar CrimesThe Washington Centre (Human Rights) gives serious concern and condemnation after the reported arrest and interrogation of two Israeli people in Belgium that happened on July 20 and 21, 2025. The six men accused of having ties to Israeli military action in Gaza were arrested on the basis of Belgium’s universal jurisdiction scheme- a move […]
CategoriesWar CrimesOn 20 and 21 July 2025 Belgian law enforcement agencies received worldwide coverage, when two Israeli citizens were arrested and questioned based on claims that they had participated in war crimes during their military combat activity in Gaza. This is the first known instance that Israelis have been questioned formally in Europe in relation with […]
CategoriesSlaveryThe Royal Exchange, Manchester, which had once been described as the centrepiece of the British industrial abilities, has returned into the spotlight of the increasing criticism of the colonial history of the United Kingdom. A wave of recent academic research has revealed that the city’s commercial rise, particularly through the Royal Exchange, was deeply intertwined […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingAs an independent human rights policy institute, the Washington Centre of Human Rights (WCHR) is dedicated to accomplishing justice and safeguarding already disadvantaged communities, a highly chastened war against human trafficking that has been on the increase across North Texas and especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area. With reference to recent cross-agency law enforcement […]
CategoriesanalysisIn June 2025 the Philippine Court of appeals ordered the immediate freeing of 81-year-old Prudencio Calubid jr., retired technician who had spent six months in jail on the basis of charges in a gross case of mistaken identity. In December 2024 he was arrested in his house in Olongapo City with a government bounty of […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingNorth Texas of 2025 has been known to be one of the most critical public safety issues concerning Human trafficking. The Dallas Police Department (DPD) has experienced a massive upsurge in cases of human trafficking in the last four years with 49 instances in 2021 as compared with 157 cases in 2023. These are not […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe European Union is entering a fresh period of a fight against money laundering (AML) regulation reform catapulted by years of scandals and holes in enforcement. The EU hopes that with the introduction of the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) in 2025, a harmonized rulebook in operation now, sanctions in coordination and oversight in one […]
CategoriesTerror FinancingWith numerous convictions on terrorism funding that have taken place in Nigeria recently, the viability of the strategy that the country is employing to counter Boko Haram violence and other forms of extremism has once again become the topic of a debate. In July 2025, 44 cases of prison sentences of 10 to 30 years […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingThe human trafficking struggle can be impersonal and faceless, easily collapsing to a message in the newspaper or a number in the report. However in July 2025 the city of Lakewood, Ohio launched a project that questions this distance in a radical, creative manner: the QR Quilt. This is an art that integrates technology to […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingIn July 2025 the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) fined one of the local banks AED 3 million (which is approximately 817,000 US dollars) because of numerous violations of the United Arab Emirates anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) laws. This enforcement action is the latest in a string of high-profile […]
CategoriesanalysisThe fresh wave of evictions that is hitting Assam in the middle of the year 2025 has sparked renewed debate regarding the constitutional protection and the properties rights and citizen rights of the aboriginal and minority groups. During June and July alone, thousands of state residents were evicted off properties, which were declared as encroachments […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingThe human trafficking business in the United States is still on the edge- dark, undocumented, and complicated. Each year thousands are tricked into working or sex against their will. To address this protracted crisis, two Congressmen, Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Lucy McBath (D-GA), introduced the bill entitled Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act at the […]
CategoriesWar CrimesThe International Criminal Court (ICC) has also shown great concern on the fact that there have been persistent war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur in Sudan. Ever since war broke out again in December 2023, Darfur has plunged into lawlessness. More than 40 000 are believed to have died and almost 13 […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingIn 2025, human trafficking continues to loom long over West Africa. Economic turmoil, lack of border checks, war and the digitalization of communication have enabled the traffickers to expand their activities with expanding finesse. The trend in which 40 Ghanaians have been rescued out of a compound in Ondo state in Nigeria since it is […]
CategoriesanalysisIn its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Kuwait’s human rights record was examined officially under international scrutiny on May 7, 2025, by the UN Human Rights Council. Kuwait is in the fourth cycle of the UPR session and the meeting highlighted the advances, backsliding and opposition on the current reforms. The Kuwaiti representatives at Geneva were […]
CategoriesanalysisIn 2025, Afghanistan is still recovering after one of the biggest mass returns in the recent past. More than 1.4 million Afghans have been coming back, involuntarily in most cases, both Iran and Pakistan. Such returns are not occurring in a flash of quietness or optimism. They are taking place against the background of a […]
CategoriesMedia CensorshipA decree issued by the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia on July 6, 2025 triggered a debate at the national level on the freedom of the press, censorship, and the correct position of state communication in the crisis. The order was in response to an emergency at a sports and health center that was […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe government of New Zealand came out in a forceful crackdown on illegal money with a 5,000 NZD (roughly 3,000 USD) limit imposed on international money transfer in the middle of the year 2025. The limit is included in the overall review of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) system of the […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingThailand is facing a growing menace of call centre rackets and human trafficking and smuggling networks that have become serious frontiers of national security. On July 10, 2025, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) retreated to its pledge of the five-point plan of issuing terrorism in a bid to stamp out these criminal activities. The […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingIn July, 2025 Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) levied a total of S27.45 million (US21.5 million) in fines against 9 financial institutions that categorically violated anti-money laundering (AML) regulatory laws. This was the second-largest regulatory fine in the history of the city-state that followed only those associated with the 1MDB scandal.It followed a far-reaching investigation […]
CategoriesanalysisIn July 2025, the Inter-American court of human rights released one of the most significant decisions it could ever make: an advisory opinion that sees the climate crisis as an official human rights emergency. The opinion holds that states, for the first time in the Americas, have a positive law duty to mitigate and adapt […]
CategoriesanalysisRussia started an unprecedented and quite doubtful step; on July 3, 2025, an official recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate Afghan Government was made. In a ceremony described by the Russian Foreign Ministry as “normalization of diplomatic procedure,” the Taliban flag was raised over the Afghan embassy in Moscow. The Taliban envoy Jamal Nasir […]
CategoriesanalysisIt was one moment which sparked the protests gripping Serbia in 2025. November 1, 2024 happened when a newly repaired train station canopy in Novi Sad collapsed and this resulted in the deaths of 16 people and an additional injury. The first response of the government was to say that the incident was a technical […]
CategoriesanalysisOn 4 July 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted by wide margin against the resolution by Eritrea to end the mandate on the human rights situation in Eritrea. It was a clear indication that the world will not allow one of the long-running human rights crises in Africa to go unnoticed as […]