The rise of populist leaders in the US and Europe poses a dangerous threat to basic rights protections while encouraging abuse by autocrats around the world, according to Human Rights Watch’s “World Report 2017”.
The report finds that Donald Trump’s election as US president after a campaign fomenting hatred and intolerance, and the rising influence of political parties in Europe that reject universal rights, have put the postwar human rights system at risk. Meanwhile, strongman leaders in Russia, Turkey, the Philippines, and China have substituted their own authority, rather than accountable government and the rule of law, as a guarantor of prosperity and security.
These converging trends, bolstered by propaganda operations that denigrate legal standards and disdain factual analysis, directly challenge the laws and institutions that promote dignity, tolerance, and equality, Human Rights Watch says.
In the 687-page World Report, its 27th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that a new generation of authoritarian populists seeks to overturn the concept of human rights protections, treating rights not as an essential check on official power but as an impediment to the majority will.
“The rise of populism poses a profound threat to human rights,” Roth says. “Trump and various politicians in Europe seek power through appeals to racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and nativism. They all claim that the public accepts violations of human rights as supposedly necessary to secure jobs, avoid cultural change, or prevent terrorist attacks. In fact, disregard for human rights offers the likeliest route to tyranny.”
In Africa, a number of leaders have removed or extended term limits – the “constitutional coup” – to stay in office, while others have used violent crackdowns to suppress protests over unfair elections or corrupt or predatory rule.
In addition, several African leaders, possibly vulnerable to prosecution, harshly criticised the International Criminal Court and three countries announced their withdrawal.
This global attack needs a vigorous reaffirmation and defense of the human rights values underpinning the system, says Roth.
The report had some hard words for South Africa in terms of its human rights record.
“Despite South Africa’s strong constitutional protections for human rights and its relative success at providing basic services, the government continues to struggle to meet demands for economic and social rights,” it says.
“It has failed to realize the right to education for an estimated half-a-million children with disabilities.
“Issues such as unemployment, corruption, and threats to freedom of expression remain a concern for many South Africans.
“Police brutality and use of excessive force is a persistent problem.
“Concerns remain about the treatment of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, and the government has done little to address the root causes of outbreaks of xenophobia violence.
“Violence against women, including rape and domestic violence, remains very high. South Africa continues to play an important but inconsistent role in advancing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.”
