Human Rights
Human Rights – Useful Links Compiled by America.gov
14 July 2008 U.S. Law Promotes Religious Freedom Around the World Even though many countries have become more tolerant in recent years of individuals worshiping as they choose, there are still governments abusing religious freedom, President Bush said on the 10th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act.
27 May 2008 2008 Country Reports on Advancing Freedom and Democracy This report, released on May 27, documents U.S. efforts to promote democracy and human rights in nondemocratic countries and countries undergoing democratic transitions worldwide.
20 May 2008 Poll Finds Widespread Support for Democracy Worldwide Even though support for democracy is widespread worldwide, advanced democracies are not always fulfilling the needs of their citizens, a public opinion analyst tells America.gov.
01 May 2008 World Press Freedom Day Supports Journalists Facing Threats
• White House Fact Sheet:
Advancing Freedom and Democracy Around the World
25 March 2008 U.S. Contributions to the Promotion of Human Rights The United States has played a special role in the development and support of human rights ideas and practices.
17 March 2008 U.S. Contributes $138 Million to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees "We are pleased to announce an additional contribution of $138 million toward the 2008 operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This contribution is in addition to previously announced U.S. contributions totaling $95.4 million for UNHCR’s Iraq programs and another nearly $10 million provided to support the organization’s refugee resettlement efforts. This latest contribution brings the United States’ support to UNHCR to more than $240 million for 2008."
13 March 2008 Report on Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism Released (PDF) The Office of the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism has released a report on Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism. The report, which was provided to the U.S. Congress is a follow-up to the State Department’s January 2005 Report on Global Anti-Semitism.
13 February 2008 UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking "The Vienna Forum presents an opportunity to further address the magnitude of and enhance the fight against human trafficking in all of its forms—whether it is the woman trapped in domestic servitude, the migrant worker ensnared in debt bondage, the prostituted girl held captive in a brothel, or the young boy enslaved to work in the mines. These are the faces of modern day slavery. They demand our attention, they cry out for justice, they yearn for dignity."
24 January 2008 Autocratic Powers Partly To Blame for Decline in Global Freedom In its annual report on the status of freedom around the world, the Freedom House organization noted that, for the first time in 15 years, the level of global freedom has decreased for two consecutive years. In explaining the causes of this decline, the organization criticized the role that countries such as Russia, China, Iran and Venezuela are playing in undermining pro-democracy movements in neighboring countries.
14 January 2008 Presidential Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day 2008 The right to worship as one chooses is one of the most cherished values in U.S.
04 January 2008 Laura Bush Statement on 60th Anniversary of Burma's Independence Today, January 4, is the 60th anniversary of Burma's independence. Instead of celebrating their freedom, the Burmese people live in fear, poverty, and oppression under General Than Shwe and his military regime. These generals have plundered Burma’s economy and rich natural resources, and a once-prosperous nation now has the lowest GDP per person among ASEAN countries.
19 December 2007 Democratic Reforms in Burma Sought by Congress, White House The U.S. House of Representatives values the efforts of Burmese democratic opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi so highly that it votes to award her the United States' highest civilian honor.
10 December 2007 Sec. Rice Remarks At the 2007 International Human Rights Day Awards Ceremony
“This week, we join in solidarity with nongovernmental groups and other human rights defenders across the globe in making the 59th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
05 December 2007 While Most of Africa Prospers, Zimbabwe Implodes Stella Chikava distributes advertising pamphlets on the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s a long step down for the 41-year-old graduate with more than 10 years' experience as a physics and chemistry teacher in Zimbabwe.
03 December 2007 Freedom Defenders Under Attack in Zimbabwe, United States Warns As International Human Rights Day approaches on December 10, the world must be concerned about the situation in Zimbabwe -- where defenders of freedom are under attack and where the human rights situation is becoming worse every day, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs warns.
28 September 2007 Human Rights Declaration Is a Call to Support Burmese Freedom In President Bush’s September 25 speech to the 62nd United Nations General Assembly, he called for renewed efforts to enforce the organization’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and cited the situation in Burma where the government severely restricts basic freedoms such as speech, assembly and worship and persecutes many of its citizens.
26 September 2007 Joint US-EU Statement on Burma/Myanmar Statement calls on the authorities to stop violence and to open a process of dialogue with pro democracy leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of ethnic minorities.
25 September 2007 Burma’s Monks Have History of Democratic Protest In assuming de facto leadership of Burma’s monthlong popular protest against its military rulers, the country’s Buddhist monks are returning to a familiar resistance role they have played against the junta previously, as well as against Burma’s colonial rulers in the early 20th century.
19 September 2007 United States Promotes Religious Freedom Worldwide The State Department’s annual Report on International Religious Freedom is not simply a means of criticizing human rights practices in foreign countries. As a reflection of the importance Americans attach to the free practice of religious beliefs, it requires the president to weigh those considerations in every bilateral relationship and consider punitive measures against religious persecutors.
23 July 2007 Forced Labor a Growing Problem Worldwide, U.S. Officials Say Trafficking in persons for labor may not attract as much publicity as trafficking in persons for sex, but it is a huge problem nonetheless, officials close to the topic say.
06 July 2007 U.N. Human Rights Council Members Must Confront Abusers Democratic member states of the fledgling U.N. Human Rights Council thus far have not proven themselves able to confront human rights abusers, say U.S. officials.
17 May 2007 U.S. Hails Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Election to Human Rights Council U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad congratulated the 14 new members of the Human Rights Council and said the May 17 election bodes well for the reform of the U.N. human rights body.
08 May 2007 Protecting Refugees a National Obligation, State Official Says The United States, in keeping with a national government’s responsibility to protect refugees within its territory, has a strong asylum system and strives to help other nations develop similar systems, according to a State Department official.
25 April 2007 Resources, Better Coordination Needed To Fight Human Trafficking More resources, better data and better coordination are needed to fight the problem of trafficking in persons, says Jeffrey Avina, director for the Division for Operations at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
28 March 2007 Victim-Centered Approach Is Key To Fighting Human Trafficking A Justice Department official and representatives of nongovernmental organizations involved in combating trafficking in persons say a "victim-centered approach" to the problem is crucial to prosecuting perpetrators and rescuing victims.
21 March 2007 U.S. Has Global Approach To Aiding Trafficking Victims U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recognizes that trafficking victims have rights and require services and temporary immigration relief, according to Gabriel Garcia, chief of ICE’s human smuggling and trafficking unit.
02 March 2007 State Department Issues "Encyclopedia on Human Rights Abuses" The State Department's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices is an "encyclopedia on human rights abuses" for government leaders, embassy officials, activists and others monitoring human rights and can serve as a road map for improvements.
26 January 2007 United Nations Condemns Denial of the Holocaust The U.N. General Assembly, on the eve of the second International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, adopted by consensus a resolution condemning any denial of the Holocaust.
24 January 2007 U.N. Support Grows for U.S. Resolution on Holocaust The U.S. expects overwhelming support in the U.N. General Assembly later in January for a resolution condemning any denial of the Holocaust.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2007
The complete text of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2007 is available from the Department of State web site.
11 March 2008 Rice Remarks on Release 2007 Report on Human Rights Practices Secretary Rice delivers opening remarks at release of Department’s annual report.
11 March 2008 Introduction to State’s 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
11 March 2008 Preface to State’s 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Citizens who sacrifice for dignity, human rights will prevail, says Secretary Rice.
11 March 2008 Overview of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Outlines the history of State’s country report on human rights practices.
From 2007 Human Rights Country Reports:
United Kingdom
Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006
05 April 2007 Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2005-2006 The State Department releases report on U.S. support of human rights This fifth annual submission complements the longstanding Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006, and takes the next step, moving from highlighting abuses to publicizing the actions and programs the United States has employed to end those abuses.
Religious Freedom
14 September 2007 Secretary Rice Remarks on the U.S. Department of State's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom "With this year's Report on International Religious Freedom, the State Department is helping to advance President Bush's vision of a world that is growing in freedom and peace. Through our bilateral relationships, our work in international forums, and our many ongoing discussions on this issue with people across the globe, the United States will continue working to promote religious freedom, to nurture tolerance and to build a more peaceful world for people of all faiths."
• International Religious Freedom Report 2007
• From the International Religious Freedom Report 2007: United Kingdom
14 September 2007 On-the-Record Briefing on the Release of the Department of State’s Annual Report on International Religious Freedom
Trafficking In Human Beings
04 June 2008 Trafficking In Persons 2008: a Department of State Report.
From the Trafficking In Persons 2008 report: The United Kingdom.
See also:
• Rice Remarks at Release of Annual Trafficking in Persons Report
• Ambassador Lagon Briefs on Release of Trafficking in Persons Report
• Key Facts about the Trafficking in Persons report
Background material can be found atTrafficking in Human Beings (an IIP@State Department web site).
14 June 2007 Human Trafficking: Exposing and Ending Modern Slavery
12 June 2007 Public Awareness of Human Trafficking Increasing, Rice Says U.S. efforts to raise awareness of trafficking in persons are paying off, and now millions more people know about the global problem, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
11 June 2007 Group Opposing Human Trafficking Is Helping Victims Like those who operated America’s "Underground Railroad" of the mid-19th century, the dedicated people of the Polaris Project are combating slavery: the current-day slavery of human trafficking. The Polaris Project is named in recognition of fugitive slaves' reliance on the North Star – Polaris -- as they traveled toward freedom.
09 February 2007 Fighting Human Trafficking a U.S. Governmentwide Effort Preventing human trafficking and protecting victims in the United States is a multiagency effort and a top priority, according to representatives of several U.S. government agencies.
22 January 2007 U.S. State Department Reviews Nations' Anti-trafficking Progress Many countries have made progress in implementing anti-trafficking goals cited in the U.S. State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report, but some nations need to make greater efforts, according to the department's assessment of 39 countries' anti-trafficking programs.
Women's Rights
10 March 2008 Statement by Secretary Rice on International Women’s Day Secretary Rice honors the critical role women play in addressing global challenges.
10 December 2007 State Department Links Violence Against Women, Human Rights U.S. embassies around the world organized 16 days of activities focused on the problem of violence against women to draw a symbolic link between the International Day Against Violence Against Women -- November 25 -- and International Human Rights Day -- December 10.
November 2006 A USINFO.STATE.GOV publication:
Women Of Influence
A USINFO.STATE.GOV publication:
Working for Women, Worldwide
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Human Rights