The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCP) has published its 2016 Annual Human Rights Report (pdf). The report covers the period from January to December 2016 and for the first time includes a dedicated section on modern slavery.
The report focuses on how the Government is working to protect and promote human rights around the world. Key themes include:
- modern slavery
- rights of women and girls
- torture and the death penalty
- LGBT rights
- the increasing pressure faced by civil society organisations.
It also identifies 30 high-priority countries. These are: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Libya, Maldives, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
The Minister for Human Rights, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, said:
‘In too many countries across the world, human rights and rule of law are neither respected nor valued as they should be.
Standing up for human rights is not only the right thing; it also helps to create a safer, more prosperous and progressive world.’
Read the full report (pdf) or a print-ready version.
