Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2009 (3 Volumes)

This report provides a detailed picture of human rights conditions in 194 countries around the world. The U.S. Government has compiled these reports for the past 34 years pursuant to a requirement placed on the U.S. executive by law in part to help the U.S. Congress inform its work in assessing requests for U.S. foreign military and economic assistance, as well as to set trade policies and U.S. participation in the multilateral development banks and other financial institutions. The reason for publishing this report is to develop a full, factual record that can help U.S. policymakers to make intelligent and well-informed policy decisions. It has also been increasingly used by policymakers abroad and has become a core reference document for governments, intergovernmental organizations, and concerned citizens throughout the world. Joint Committee Print. S. Prt. 112-40.

These reports can be used as a tool for activists who struggle to protect human rights throughout the world, for journalists and scholars who document and report on the progress of human rights, and government officials who aim to create strategies to ensure the protection of human rights.