A human rights report has criticised the Trump administration for its ‘discriminatory’ policies. It states that the US President’s policies transgress ‘international human rights principles’ by arguing that his executive orders are directly responsibly for the human rights violations of certain groups.
The report, which outlines the human rights violations committed by the current US administration, is titled The State of World’s Human Rights 2017/18 and is published annually by Amnesty International. In these annual reports, Amnesty International documents and records significant human rights violations happening in ‘159 countries and territories’ from all around the world.
In its chapter on the United States of America, the report focuses on:
- Refugees’ and Migrant’ Rights
- Women’s Rights
- Rights of LGBTI people
- Counter-Terror and Security
- Torture and Other Ill-Treatment
- Excessive use of Force
- Gun Violence
- Death Penalty
“Donald Trump was sworn in as President, following an election campaign in which he made comments and promised policies that were discriminatory or otherwise contradicted international human rights principles”
– Amnesty International Report 2017/18, The State of the World’s Human Rights
Many of the human rights violations outlined in the above list are directly connected to President Donald Trump’s promises and policies. On the issue of refugees’ and migrants’ rights, the report blames the President’s executive orders for the curtailment of human rights. Within this section, the report by Amnesty International condemns the immigration ban that was imposed ‘on several Muslim-majority countries’.
Violations of women’s rights have also been blamed on President Donald Trump’s policies. The report identifies a number of government actions that have made the lives of women much harder since the new administration came to power. A few examples include the fact that the Republican President reversed laws that ‘required universities to investigate sexual violence as gender discrimination and suspended equal pay initiatives’.
In a direct and open attack against Trump, the USA branch of Amnesty International recently tweeted: “Resist sexism, Resist racism, Resist hate, Resist cruelty, RESIST TRUMP’.
Amnesty International is not alone in its criticism and accountability of the current President’s human rights violations. The American Civil Liberties Union also condemned the ongoing human rights violations by tweeting that: “It’s very troubling that an administration that violates our basic rights daily is planning to create an advisory commission to redefine international human rights”.
It remains to be seen how many more human rights violations have been committed in the past year when the new annual report is published by Amnesty International.
