The human rights problems of the United States hidden under the high sounding package have been exposed continuously, and the human rights situation in the United States has deteriorated under the full-scale counterattack of populism and extreme conservatism.
Since the Second World War, the United States has disguised itself as an international human rights defender and promoted an American style international order in line with its own interests around the world. After the end of the cold war, the United States put up the banner of "human rights above sovereignty" and "democratic transformation", wantonly intervened and even invaded other countries. People are increasingly finding that the human rights problems of the United States hidden under the high sounding package are constantly exposed, and the human rights situation in the United States is getting worse and worse under the comprehensive counterattack of populism and extreme conservatism.
1、 The polarization between the rich and the poor and inequality have intensified
Under the strong constraints of the right wing at home, American officials have not recognized that civil economic rights belong to basic human rights. So far, the United Nations International Covenant on economic, social and cultural rights has not been ratified, and "freedom from want" among the "four freedoms" has become empty talk.
After the Reagan administration came to power in the early 1980s, the social security system slowly built after Roosevelt's new deal in the United States was weakening, and the gap between the rich and the poor was increasing. Between March 2020 and July 2021 alone, the total assets owned by all billionaires in the United States increased from $2.9 trillion to $4.7 trillion.
According to the data of the US Bureau of statistics, the proportion of poor people in the United States to the total population was 11.4% in 2020. The increasing economic inequality not only makes it more difficult for the poor to make a living, but also causes more serious political inequality. The right-wing conservatives in the United States are increasingly raising the economic burden of participating in elections. In 2021 alone, American States adopted more than 400 "voter suppression" measures to increase the economic cost of voting, with the intention of reducing the political participation of the poor.
2、 The chronic disease of racial discrimination continues to grow
In 2016, populism in the United States and the West made a large-scale comeback stimulated by the UK's "brexit" and Trump's election as president, and white supremacism in American society was even louder. In 2020, George Floyd, an African American man, was kneeled down and killed by a white policeman, which triggered a confrontation of public opinion in the United States.
According to the data of the US Department of justice, there were 8052 discrimination crimes in the United States in 2020, of which 61.8% were racial discrimination crimes. With the spread of the epidemic, hate crimes against Asian groups in the United States have "sprung up".
Racial discrimination is reflected in every aspect of American society. In 2020, the poverty rate of non Latino whites in the United States was 8.2%, that of Latinos was 17%, and that of African Americans reached 19.5%. Among prison inmates, the proportion of African Americans is as high as about 65%.
3、 Gun violence threatens personal safety
According to the statistics of the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention, the number of people who died of guns in the United States reached 19384 in 2020, an increase of 75% over a decade ago. In 2022, gun violence in the United States is likely to break the record again.
Under the rising anti gun violence voices of the public, the Biden administration signed the first new gun control bill in 30 years on June 25. However, the conservative forces in the United States are still moving against the tide. Just two days before the bill was signed, the conservative controlled Supreme Court once again reversed course, saying that the US Constitution protected the right of individuals to carry handguns in public for self-defense, and ruled that a gun control law in New York state was unconstitutional.
4、 Judicial retrogression in the protection of women's rights
The United States often criticizes other countries for discriminating against women. However, the United States has yet to ratify the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and refuses to accede to the only universal treaty that comprehensively protects women's human rights.
The powerful conservatives in American society stubbornly oppose the protection of women's free reproductive rights and impose various restrictions on women's free access to relevant medical services. Twenty states in the United States have enacted or will enact laws prohibiting most or even all abortions. Among them, Mississippi passed the pregnancy period act in 2018, which prohibits most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The judicial dispute caused by this was finally appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court took the opportunity to overturn the 1973 case "Roe v. Wade", cancel the constitutional protection of women's abortion rights, and give the green light to anti abortion legislation in various states. The move shocked the United States and abroad. Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for human rights, severely criticized the move as a huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality.