By Human Rights Watch

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are inherently discriminatory, denying equality before the law to non-Muslims and facilitating violence against anyone accused of the crime. Blasphemy is an offense officially punishable by death in Pakistan, and while no one has been executed for blasphemy, the laws have long been used to carry out personal vendettas and prosecute members of minority religious communities with grave consequences. A mere accusation of blasphemy can be a death sentence: in the past decade, vigilantes have killed dozens of people in mob violence following blasphemy accusations.

This report focuses on an additional widespread abuse: people making blasphemy accusations often do so for economic motivations, including forced evictions to acquire land that belongs to another. While the targets of blasphemy accusations and the violence fostered by the law belong to all socio-economic and religious groups in Pakistan, most of the victims have been from marginalized groups.

Blasphemy accusations against Christians and Ahmadis in particular have often forced entire communities to flee their homes and neighborhoods. Because many minority communities in Pakistan live in informal, low-income settlements without titles to the land, their forced exodus leaves their property up for easy seizure. Those alleging blasphemy have also benefitted financially by targeting business rivals and businesses owned and run by religious minorities. This exploitation of the blasphemy law, in particular the ease with which anyone can make an accusation as part of a personal dispute or for economic gain, has instilled fear among those at risk.

An entrenched bias in the criminal justice system results in miscarriages of justice against people accused of blasphemy. The authorities almost never hold those who commit violence in the name of blasphemy to account, while those accused under discriminatory and vague laws—generally without evidence—suffer long pretrial detention, lack of due process, and unfair trials that may result in years of imprisonment. In cases of vigilante attacks, police seldom take action to protect those targeted, and those who do may themselves face threats of violence. As a result, perpetrators of mob violence who enjoy the patronage and protection of politicians or religious leaders avoid arrest or are acquitted.

Human Rights Watch calls on the government of Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy law and safely release all those held or imprisoned on blasphemy charges. The authorities should investigate all attacks and threats based on blasphemy accusations, with particular concern for those targeting religious minorities and other marginalized groups and those that result in forced evictions and large-scale forced displacement. The authorities should also institute safeguards to prevent the coerced transfer and sale of properties of those accused following such incidents.

New York: Human Rights Watch, 2025. 34p.

By John Jenkins, Andrew Gilligan and Paul Stott

A new report from Policy Exchange calls for the Government to suspend the working group chaired by Rt Hon Dominic Grieve — that is developing a definition of Islamophobia — with immediate effect.

Former top UK diplomat Sir John Jenkins, the ex-Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and co-author of the report, has refused to engage with Grieve’s group. In a letter to Grieve — published for the first time today — he warns that any official definition of Islamophobia “will almost certainly turbocharge ‘cancel culture’” and would “be an undeniable act of two-tier policy, creating special status and protection for members of one faith alone."

London: Policy Exchange, 2025. 39p.

By Jeselyn and Danielle Lynn Goh

Transnational crime networks in Cambodia and Indonesia have been responsible for heinous cybercrime, including illegal online gambling and scams. These networks target vulnerable populations and undermine human security. Addressing these challenges requires stronger law enforcement cooperation, regulatory reforms, and coordinated regional and national strategies to dismantle the criminal networks. COMMENTARY In Southeast Asia, transnational crime has long posed a significant challenge. These include illicit drugs, human trafficking, cyber scams, and illegal gambling. Cybercrime has surged in recent decades with technological advancements and increasing global connectivity. In particular, operators of illicit gambling networks have expanded their operations into countries such as Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, and the border regions of Myanmar. Many of these centres are not limited to illegal gambling alone – they also function as cyber scam hubs. These scam centres engage in a wide range of online fraudulent activities, including investment scams, romance scams, and phishing operations. The current landscape of organised crime in Southeast Asia thus reflects a convergence of illicit gambling and sophisticated cyber scamming operations, often managed by the same transnational criminal networks. 

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU Singapore , 2025. 6p.

By STEVEN BYERS, MITCH MORRISSEY & JOHN KELLNER

The last year has brought some relief to Colorado’s fentanyl overdose problem, but some measures may still be needed to erase the drug’s explosive fatality growth in the last decade. Colorado state legislators implemented stricter penalties for fentanyl possession and distribution in 2022, though those reforms have been criticized by law enforcement as not going far enough. Since the legislation’s passage, fentanyl deaths have been declining. There is evidence that similar measures in other U.S. states are producing similar results. In the Common Sense Institute’s drug overdose competitiveness index, Colorado’s ranking decreased through the early 2020s and remained at 2023 levels in 2024. This suggests Colorado’s declining drug overdose rates are falling less than in other states. Local drug seizure figures have declined since 2022. At the federal level, policy changes correlate to declining overdose rates as well. The southwestern border has seen fentanyl seizures fall since the fall of 2024. Officials should take note that fentanyl overdose rates have moved in the right direction following policy implementation. As fentanyl overdoses remain highly elevated, leaders should consider whether additional policies could press the overdose rate down even further.

Greenwood Village, CO:Common Sense Institute, 2025. 22p.

By The International Crisis Group

What’s new? Ten years of crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) have fostered new dynamics in the livestock sector, exacerbating conflict between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers. The government, which has treated transhumance primarily as a security problem, has been unable to curb the violence. So have NGO and UN initiatives. Why does it matter? Reducing herder-farmer violence is essential for long-term stability in CAR. Bangui now has an unprecedented opportunity to scale it back, as the state gets re-established in rural areas, non-state armed groups weaken there and CAR’s relations warm with neighbouring Chad. What should be done? To contain herder-farmer violence, Bangui should reassume the regulatory role it abandoned in the 1990s. With the support of international partners, CAR’s authorities should rehabilitate pastoral services they once provided, combat army predation upon herders and revive cross-border cooperation with Chad.

Bangui/Nairobi/Brussels: International Crisis Group, ICG, 2025. 39p.

By Meghan Benton, Susan Fratzke and Nurbanu Hayır

When it left the European Union, the United Kingdom lost its participation in the EU system for managing which country is responsible for which asylum seekers. This change has been a major, though not the sole, factor in burgeoning numbers of people attempting to reach UK shores in small boats, some dying in the process. The UK government and its European counterparts recently announced progress on cooperation in trade, security, and youth mobility, but addressing the politically corrosive Channel crossings will depend on whether the United Kingdom and its EU partners sign a readmissions deal— an issue that has proved much more thorny. Under the contemplated deal, the United Kingdom would accept transfers of certain asylum seekers from the European Union in return for an agreement by France and/or other Calais Group countries (Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands) to readmit asylum seekers who have reached the United Kingdom by sea. Such an agreement could be a bilateral readmission agreement, which would be easiest to stand up but holds political risks for the French if it lacks the European Union’s blessing. Alternately, an agreement could be reached with the European Union itself to facilitate the readmission of small boat arrivals directly to the EU country responsible for them, in line with rules set out by the EU Pacton Migration and Asylum—an option that could take longer to negotiate but also reduce the risk of simply shifting irregular migration routes to a neighboring country. The architects of the deal will need to balance the need to quickly deliver an agreement and proof of concept with the longer-term goal of creating a system that will significantly bring down dangerous Channel crossings and improve how countries share responsibility for the asylum seekers involved. This deal is an opportunity to test a more managed approach to asylum and migration.

Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2025. 16p.

By Michelle Kendler-Kretsch

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) appears to have a renewed interest in a sanctions tool first used in 2001: blocking individuals and entities pending investigation. Used in two recent sets of listings, the tool offers the agility and speed necessary to quickly and efficiently dismantle financing networks and sanctions evasion tactics. Its strategic application warrants closer attention from financial institutions, who must be responsive to their compliance obligations. Non-government organizations (NGOs) may be aware of opportunities where they can advocate for OFAC to take greater advantage of this option, particularly in cases related to sanctions evasion and conflict financing. In parallel, NGOs can also play a vital role by sharing information that supports implementation and, where applicable, reinforces the credibility of these provisional designations.

Washington, DC: The Sentry, 2025. 22p.

By ENACT Africa

In West and North Africa, a variety of criminal actors, geographically scattered from origin to destination countries, benefit from the sex trafficking process. Available information suggests that transnational trafficking is controlled by networks of cells operating in synergy from origin to destination country. Traffickers tend to have the same nationality as their victims. In West Africa, a wide diversity of nationalities of offenders are represented and there is a relatively equal distribution of men and women among offenders. Women offenders, whose role has been expanded through the digitalization of the sex trafficking process, are sometimes depicted as heads of organized crime groups (OCGs). However, it is essential to nuance this representation. While some women do hold leadership positions, others are likely to be working under the control of male-dominated criminal networks. European countries have requested the publication of most INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions targeting West and North African offenders involved in sex trafficking, with a majority of these targeting Nigerian nationals. This suggests strong linkages between OCGs from these countries, notably Nigeria, and sex trafficking in Europe. Information also suggests a possible recent decrease in activity of Nigerian OCGs involved in sex trafficking. However, this apparent decline may also be attributed to the crime becoming more clandestine, making it harder for law enforcement to detect. In West Africa, it is likely that the majority of sex trafficking victims are from Nigeria and other West African countries. To a lesser extent, victims also come from Central Africa and Asia. Due to cultural taboos, informal resolution mechanisms, and underreporting, there are likely more victims of sex trafficking in West Africa. Information indicates that minor victims are trafficked alongside adult victims for sexual exploitation. The West and North Africa regions are characterized by a complex network of domestic, intra-regional and inter-regional flows. Most victims are exploited within their home country and domestic sex trafficking can be considered as a precursor to international sex trafficking. Domestically or internationally, the victims are transported from rural areas to wealthier urban areas or locations of relative economic prosperity such as mines, agricultural sites, and commercial centers. Within West Africa, most countries are identified as either source, transit, or destination countries. Outgoing flows of victims from West Africa are primarily oriented towards North Africa. North and West African victims are also moved to Europe, transiting via countries such as Niger, Mali, Cabo Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco to reach Europe. Most West African victims of sexual exploitation identified in Europe are from Nigeria and reportedly transited via Niger and Libya to Italy. There is also a significant flow of victims from West Africa to the Middle East, or towards Central and South African regions. The modus operandi for recruiting victims almost always involves false promises of a better life abroad disseminated online through mainstream social media platforms. Technology also facilitates the control and sexual exploitation of the victims.

Lyon, France, INTERPOL/Impact Africa, 2025. 42p.

By The Interrnational Organization for Migration

The Regional Counter-Trafficking Learning Note aims to enhance the emulation of good practices and cross-border coordination on victims of trafficking assistance across North Africa, West and Central Africa key migratory routes. The learning note explores some of the promising practices in counter-trafficking interventions currently occurring in North Africa (Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia), the Niger and Mauritania. It also explores promising practices across four key areas of counter-trafficking programming: (1) safe and preliminary victim identification, (2) safe referral and formal identification, (3) assistance and protection; and (4) long-term and sustainable solutions. Alongside the discussion of promising practices in each of these four sections, the note explores associated lessons learned and provides recommendations to counter-trafficking actors for strengthening the response to trafficking in persons.

Geneva, SWIT: International Organization for Migration, 2025. 76p.

By Audrey M. Baumgartner

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery.1 However, this same amendment makes an exception to the general rule prohibiting slavery, “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.”2 Ratified by the states in 1865, this loophole has resulted in over 150 years of what is known as “convict leasing.”3 Convict leasing was a system in which Southern States leased out prisoners for various forms of manual labor.4 While many thought convict leasing to be a thing of the past, it has reemerged through the privatization of prisons and the consistent denial by courts to ascribe any worker rights to prisoners. Flaws in the institutions that provide agricultural labor have resulted in large amounts of produce left unpicked, increased costs for consumers, and decreased investment in agricultural industries.5 Instead of solving problems plaguing the immigration system or fixing flawed worker protection laws for agricultural laborers, convicts are being used to cover these labor shortages. This Note will first walk through the evolution of convict leasing followed by a discussion of the United States prison system’s problematic history. Next, this Note will address the role immigrants play in the American agricultural industry. Lastly, this Note will focus on convicts as laborers; specifically, the positives and negatives associated with using incarcerated individuals to cover the agricultural labor shortage in the United States. This Note’s ultimate conclusion follows that convict leasing in agriculture can be a rehabilitative and positive solution to the labor shortage so long as inmates are treated with the same respect as other workers in these industries.

Duke Journal of Agricultural Law, 26(3): 2022

By Kate Seymour, Sarah Wendt,Sharyn Goudie

Family and domestic violence (FDV) is a widespread social issue in Australia with significant health, welfare, and economic consequences. While the FDV workforce is increasingly recognised, at both the Commonwealth and state/territory levels, as a key piece of the puzzle in addressing FDV in Australia, there remains limited understanding of the work itself. 

This report describes research exploring the domestic and family violence workforce in Australia and the work that it undertakes. It focuses specifically on how the work is done and experienced, why it is done in particular ways, and the structural and organisational contexts that shape this work.

The aims of the research were to: 

1. generate a coherent, qualitative evidence base on the nature and experiences of domestic and family violence work across three key domains: victim services, perpetrator services and Aboriginal specialist services

2. conceptualise the domestic and family violence workforce with reference to the nature of the work across these three domains

3. recommend workforce development strategies that are responsive to the context and needs of domestic and family violence work.

Key findings

• The diverse sociocultural and institutional contexts within which organisations operated shaped understandings of violence as well as perceptions of the skills and capacities that constitute, or are valued in, domestic and family violence work.

• DFV services (like other social welfare services) are subject to budget rationalisation, narrow funding models, and competition for government contracts and funding. This was evident across all organisations but was especially marked in victim services in the form of an intensified pace & volume of work, and accountability to funding bodies.

• Differences in work conditions were observed across the victim and perpetrator service sectors, suggesting a gendered demarcation between women’s work (victim support – caring work, femininised and devalued) and men’s work (perpetrator accountability – challenging, ‘man-to-man’).

• The weight of responsibility associated with managing risk was especially acute for workers in victim services but relatively absent in perpetrator services where ‘high risk’ matters (i.e. immediate safety concerns) were diverted to a designated partner contact worker.

• Community and social activism were central to the work in Aboriginal FDV services as workers dealt daily with the enduring and deeply entrenched impacts of colonisation.

Adelaide: Flinders University, 2025. 96p.

by Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Sandra Walklate, Ellen Reeves

This project represents the first study in Australia and New Zealand to examine the degree to which a DVDS provides an effective intervention for victim-survivors of intimate partner violence in enhancing their safety. The findings from this project are relevant to current policy discussions and evaluations of the DVDS in all Australian states and territories, as well as in comparable international jurisdictions, including New Zealand, Canada, United States, Scotland, England and Wales.

Monash University and University of Liverpool, 2024; 50p.

By The Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety ,

Parliament of New South Wales

Crime is a serious concern for many regional and rural communities in New South Wales (NSW). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are increasingly involved in certain forms of crime, like motor vehicle theft. Participants in this inquiry emphasised that youth offending is a deeply complex social issue, and one that cannot be solved through increased policing alone. Early intervention is the most effective way to prevent young people from engaging in criminal behaviour. Smart, evidence-based strategies are required to deliver lasting change for communities.

There are excellent programs being delivered across NSW but there are also service gaps, inefficiencies in referral processes, and limitations around government funding that undermine the effectiveness of early intervention efforts.

The report makes a number of recommendations for improvement in areas such as supports for victims of crime; upskilling youth service providers; targeted early intervention programs; and partnering with community and educational organisations.

Key findings

While property crime in regional NSW has fallen over the two decades to 2023, it remains significantly higher compared to Greater Sydney.

Sensationalist media coverage of youth crime in rural and regional NSW heightens public anxiety and encourages negative perceptions of young people.

Youth crime is significantly impacting regional and rural communities, undermining community cohesion and adversely affecting the mental health of victims of crime and their families.

Use of violence is increasing in some cohorts of young people and is linked to offending behaviour.

Youth service providers need targeted training so they can work safely and constructively with young people who use violence.

Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales, 2025. 147p.

By The Victorian Auditor-General

School staff have a right to feel and be safe at work. Work-related violence resulting from student behaviour can negatively impact school staff's health and wellbeing. Work-related violence includes behaviours ranging from verbal abuse to physical assaults. This audit examined students behaving in a violent way toward staff in Victorian government schools.

The Department of Education must provide and maintain a safe workplace for government school staff. This audit examines if the Department provides and maintains a work environment that is safe from work-related violence resulting from student behaviour.

The report presents three key findings and four recommendations. The Department of Education has accepted the recommendations in full or in principle.

Key findings

The Department does not record and report all work-related violence incidents resulting from student behaviour.

The Department's work-related violence policies meet its legislative obligations, but it does not comprehensively review those policies.

The Department provides staff resources and training to manage work-related violence resulting from student behaviour.

Recommendations

Establish a mechanism to better estimate under-recording of work-related violence resulting from student behaviour.

Review and fix data issues to ensure incidents are reported completely to the Department’s executive leadership.

Strengthen the approach to reviewing and updating all policies and procedures for managing work-related violence as an occupational health and safety issue.

Ensure there is consistent criteria on when to conduct post-incident reviews and incorporate the lessons learned into policy reviews.

Melbourne: Victorian Auditor General, 2025. 33p.

By Heather Douglas, Kath Kerr

This review of the evidence focuses on First Nations women’s engagement with the family law system, especially in the context of family violence (FV). It consolidates key considerations gathered from existing research about, and by, First Nations people and their engagement with colonial structures and institutions.

First Nations women face a significantly higher risk of FV than non-First Nations women and are also at greater risk of having their children removed from their care by state-based child protection agencies. The family law system may offer some protection against child removal. As such, identifying barriers and exploring how these barriers to the family law system can be dismantled for First Nations women is a vital component of Australia’s strategy to reduce FV risks and harm.

This review finds that there has been limited research specifically on First Nations women’s engagement with family law in the context of FV. Further research to identify and understand the needs of First Nations women in the family law system, especially in the context of FV, is necessary. This is required to continue to enhance accessibility, equity, inclusiveness and outcomes for First Nations people and to prioritise the identification of systemic reform and to highlight required service changes and other reforms as part of this endeavour.

Canberra: ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 2025. 29p.

By Karlee O’Donnell,  Mulu Woldegiorgis,   Constantine Gasser,   Katrina Scurrah,   Catherine Andersson,   Heather McKay,   Kelsey Hegarty,   Zac Seidler

This research explores the use of intimate partner violence among Australian men, including factors that may reduce the likelihood of such behaviours. A public health approach is taken that considers the power of improving men’s health and wellbeing in relation to preventing intimate partner violence. The report is accompanied by supplementary material.

Programs that support men to develop good quality relationships with their children and partners based on mutual respect and affection – as well as initiatives that encourage men to develop strong social connections and seek support – could contribute to a reduction in use of intimate partner violence.

Key messages

1. In the nationwide survey, around 1 in 3 men (35%) reported they had ever used a form of intimate partner violence, as an adult, by 2022; this is up from 24% who had ever reported use by 2013-14.

2. Emotional-type abuse was the most common form of intimate partner violence, with 32% of men in 2022 reporting they ever made an intimate partner feel ‘frightened or anxious’.

3. Men with moderate or severe depressive symptoms were 62% more likely to use intimate partner violence by 2022, compared to men without these symptoms.

4. By 2022, 25% of men reported ever using and experiencing intimate partner violence, more than twice the proportion who reported using violence but never experiencing it (10%).

5. High levels of social support and high levels of paternal affection both reduced the likelihood of men using intimate partner violence.  

Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2025. 21p..

Ministry of Health (New Zealand)

This strategy sets out New Zealand’s approach to, and budget for, funding and coordinating services to prevent and minimise gambling harm. The strategy was developed following a comprehensive consultation process, which included engagement with people with lived experience of gambling harm, gambling harm service providers, the gambling industry and other stakeholders with an interest in gambling harm.

The strategy strengthens alignment with the government’s mental health priorities by providing additional funding to improve access to services and treatment, strengthen the workforce, focus on prevention and early intervention, and enable more effective service support. This includes funding an impact evaluation of the strategy over time to identify what has been most effective and where investment should be directed to address gambling harm in the future. This strategy also aims to improve monitoring and data collection, to gain further insights into gambling harm and services.

The strategy is accompanied by appendices.

Wellington: New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2025. 27p.

By Jan Breckenridge, et al.

This fifth and final research paper in the series analyses existing research on older people, economic and financial abuse. It identifies a gap in the evidence base relating to the perpetration of economic and financial abuse against older people specifically in the context of domestic and family violence.

To develop this report, GVRN conducted a comprehensive review of academic and relevant policy literature to identify and analyse existing research on older people, economic and financial abuse.

The significant finding from the report is that there is a gap in the evidence base relating to the perpetration of economic and financial abuse against older people in the context of DFV.

Sydney: University of New South Wales, Gendered Violence Research Network: 2022. 75p.

By Lorana Bartels, Karen Gelb, Sally Eales, et al.

Pathways to offending among women and girls are significantly characterised by histories of domestic and family violence, trauma, homelessness, illicit drug use, unemployment and/or mental illness. While the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ is often used as a short-hand description of boys’ pathways to incarceration, a ‘sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline’ is a more apt description of the trajectories for girls and young women. The foregoing issues are compounded for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

This literature review outlines current evidence-based research that identifies the needs and experiences of women and girls involved with courts and applies gender and cultural lenses to examine the efficacy of court-based interventions. It includes a series of case studies. Issues covered include:

Canberra: Australian National University,

THE CENTRE FOR SOCIAL POLICY RESEARCH, 2025. 214p.

By Relationships Australia NSW

Elder abuse is a growing and often hidden crisis – affecting one in seven older Australians. This abuse often takes the form of psychological harm, financial exploitation or neglect. Drawing on frontline experience and expert consultation, this policy paper presents a clear path for the New South Wales Government to take real, lasting action. The need for action is urgent, particularly given the scale and projected growth of the issue. Without sustained and targeted intervention, this silent crisis will continue to escalate. The paper outlines five key areas of reform.

Key findings

At least 15% of older Australians are currently experiencing abuse – most commonly from an adult child, partner or friend.

Service providers are seeing increasing demand, often from older people with multiple, intersecting needs.

Reform areas

Strengthening the NSW service system – secure ongoing investment in dedicated elder abuse services.

Legislative reform – review of state coercive control laws, stronger protections and a new information-sharing framework.

Workforce resilience – longer funding cycles, enhanced training and development, and better integration across sectors.

Better data and research – improved data collection, longitudinal research and a focus on the needs of marginalised groups.

National leadership – a push for a 10-year National Plan to end the abuse of older people within a generation.

Relationships Australia, 2025. 9p.