U.S. human rights policy has been evolving in a positive direction, but some human rights groups would like to see the United States play a more proactive role in promoting human rights as part of the country’s overall strategy in the world.
Toward this end, 22 human rights organizations and experts released a document on Aug. 2 titled “Ten Critical Human Rights Challenges for the Next American President.” The document sets forth policy priorities that they agree the next American president—whether a second Obama term or a Romney administration—will need to take seriously.
These groups are leading human rights organizations, including Freedom House, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, and the Connect U.S. Fund. They want the United States to take the world lead in standing up for human rights, and to be willing to make it their guiding principle.
The presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have been given copies of the plan.
Topping the list of policy recommendations is for the United States to take the world lead in preventing genocide and other mass atrocities. We have seen many mass atrocities in recent years. Darfur, eastern Congo, and Syria come to mind. The paper mentions that the creation of the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB) in April 2012 was a significant step by the government.
“The next administration should support the APB and provide it with the necessary resources to effectively respond to and prevent instances of mass atrocities and genocide,” the document states. The human rights organizations would like to see policies that increase civilian capacity on the ground in order to monitor atrocities, as well as early warning and mitigation capacities.
Alliances With Authoritarian Regimes
The document notes the tendency of the United States to treat major authoritarian regimes with a deference they do not merit. With policies such as the “constructive engagement” of China and the “reset” with Russia, the United States discounts abuse and avoids imposing consequences.
“The United States has largely neglected human rights as it collaborated on counterterrorism with Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and other authoritarian partners, and resumed aid to the repressive government of Uzbekistan in return for supply routes for the war in Afghanistan,” states the document.
Of course, there are many factors that must be considered by whichever administration is in power, including providing critical support for our troops in Afghanistan. On the other hand, the document counters, “Washington policymakers often underestimate the political and moral capital America has, or refuse to use it.”
However, trying to come up with policies that will bring about improvement in authoritarian regimes is difficult.
On July 25, the House Foreign Affairs Committee heard testimony on human rights torture and disappearances in communist China.
Jared Genser, founder of Freedom Now, an independent nonprofit organization working to free prisoners of conscience, said that one idea to make the Chinese regime more responsive is for Congress to pass legislation that would expand the Sergei Magnitsky Act. This is a bill that would bar Russian officials from entering the United States.
Genser said at the hearing, “You’d be able to be in a position to be able to say anybody who’s involved or facilitating torture, wrongful imprisonment, disappearance, or a range of other crimes under international law will be put on a public list for the United States, an asset freeze, visa bans, et cetera … If the Chinese aren’t going to listen to the complaints and they’re not going to address them, then this would be a very clear potential consequence.”
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) spoke at this hearing as well. He observed that for the United States to have a priority of advancing trade relations over human rights in China and Russia will not work.
“Ronald Reagan did not accomplish the great changes that have taken place in Eastern Europe and in Russia … by opening up more trade. In fact, it was just the opposite. We never gave most favored nation status to the Soviet Union, and we had a whole totally different approach. We were actually supporting the dissident movements. It would be the equivalent of today our government would be providing help as we should be to the Uighurs or to the Tibetans,” said Rep. Rohrabacher at the hearing.
Civil Society and Gender-Based Violence
Sexual and gender-based violence is another kind of human rights violation in which the United States should work to bring the perpetrators to justice, the document says. The “worldwide scourge” of rape, human trafficking, acid attacks, “honor-killings,” forced marriage, and domestic violence is deeply troubling.
The document lauds the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and it recommends that the next administration continue to work with the International Criminal Court on holding accountable the perpetrators of violence against women and girls.
Another way the United States can play a positive role is to vigorously oppose assaults on civil society. The document discusses laws that have been promulgated “to inhibit civil society” in Ethiopia, Egypt, Belarus, Russia, and others.
“Countries including Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ethiopia, and others are using criminal codes, especially terrorism laws, to prevent or crack down on social protest and commentary,” states the document.
Egypt was singled out for its recent civil society assault in December 2011, wherein four American groups including Freedom House, which is a sponsor of this paper, had their offices raided and shut down and are now being investigated for receiving foreign funds illegally.
It is common occurrence for governments to impose registration requirements and funding restrictions in order to control civil society, says the document.
While Egypt prosecutes U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGO), the United States “continues to provide Egypt’s military with $1.3 billion in aid,” the document states.
The Embattled NGO Assistance Fund was created in 2010, and it is sponsored by 14 governments. The document calls for the United States to be responsive in providing for its resources.
Closer to Home
The document highlights the importance of corporation responsibility, in which the United States has taken the lead.
The United States passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in 1977, which disallows companies bribing foreign officials. The Alien Tort Statute (ATS) has been used by aliens in U.S. courts who seek justice against corporations and others for human rights violations, including violations outside the territory of the United States.
The document recommends that these laws be supported and not undermined.
The document also recommends that the next administration require companies to identify child labor, adult forced labor, and human trafficking in their supply chains.
Finally, the document asked that the human rights of asylum seekers and migrants be better protected. The human rights organizations would like to see improved capacity for the expedited resettlement of at-risk refugees and greater protection of “vulnerable migrants,” victims of trafficking, and others at risk of violence and exploitation.
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