Human Rights Watch records : Record Group 4: Africa Watch, 1977-2019, bulk 1989-2019
Collection context
- Creator:
- Human Rights Watch (Organization). Africa Watch
- Abstract:
- Record Group documents Africa Watch's (AFW) three-pronged strategy to curb human rights abuses on the Continent through reports, missions and cooperative efforts with other NGOs. First, AFW monitored abuses and produced such comprehensive reports during war as Evil Days: Thirty Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia, and Conspicuous Destruction: War, Famine and the Reform Process in Mozambique. Second, although access remained difficult in many African countries, Africa Watch was still able to conduct missions to investigate human rights conditions in Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe and South Africa. AFW circumvented this predicament by exchanging information gathered by local in country monitors with other NGOs. Third, besides engaging in collaborative monitoring activities, Africa Watch engaged in many joint documentation projects and lobbying efforts geared toward ending political and ethnic violence in Africa. Finally, other documentary materials include correspondence and e-mail communications, professional, personal and monitoring activity, field notes, testimonies, interviews, advocacy, policy planning material, and briefing papers.
- Extent:
- 154 linear feet 61 record cartons (boxes 230-290); 166 manuscript boxes (2000A-2052B)
- Language:
- English , Arabic , French .
- Scope and content:
-
Materials include correspondence and e-mail communications, mission reports, testimonies and interviews, addresses and contact lists, confidential interoffice memos, legal and advocacy material, internal planning and policy material, declassified government and United Nations documents, published and unpublished human rights reports from individuals and fellow non-governmental organizations (NGOs), press clippings and news releases, and maps. Another category of documents consists of HRW reports and briefing papers, as well as press releases and open letters to heads of state, governments and various government agencies.
Materials related to missions contain unpublished information on sources, cases, and the state of affairs in various countries. They include professional and personal mission notes taken by country researchers and monitors during investigative field trips, testimonies by and interviews with victims of various human rights abuses, pre-mission and post-mission memos, material on research methodology, correspondence and e-mail communications, addresses and contact lists, as well as photographic records.
Regionally and thematically, these documents cover the various democratic transitions on the African continent such as in South Africa. The papers also comprise such human rights advocacy initiatives as the attempt to prosecute the Rwandan genocide, the international effort to ban land mines, the challenge to ban the use of child soldiers; and the campaigns to promote freedom of expression and academic freedom.
- Biographical / historical:
-
In the early 1990s, HRW/Africa expanded its mission beyond its initial concentration on southern Africa and the Horn of Africa to include the entire continent.
The files comprise the following states: Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zaire, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The files contain archival materials collected or produced by Africa Watch staff, and are arranged alphabetically by country and subject. The files consist of articles, correspondence, memoranda, mission notes, newsletters, press clippings, publications, and general reports.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The records of Human Rights Watch are restricted unless they have been vetted and cleared for use by HRW. Specific restriction status is noted in the finding aid for each folder (open, vetted; restricted until ___; unvetted). If you wish to request boxes from this collection that have not been vetted, please send an email to rbml@columbia.edu detailing the collection, series, box, and folder numbers in which you are interested, as well as a brief description of your research needs. Once Human Rights Watch has reviewed the request, the researcher will be contacted with specific instructions. Please submit requests at least two months in advance of your research visit. [unprocessed -- for flag only]
This collection is located off-site.
- Terms of access:
-
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Preferred citation:
-
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Human Rights Watch Records, Record Group, Box Number; Center for Human Rights Documentation and Research, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu