A new Human Rights Watch report shows how Trump’s immigration policies are hurting some of the most vulnerable people, especially undocumented survivors of serious crimes. The US was once the place where people fleeing violence came to feel safe. Under Trump, that promise has been willfully abandoned.
#Immigration #UnitedStates #Migration #HumanRights
Today’s podcast guest is Katrina Fotovat, the former Principal Deputy Director in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, where she led a team of experts promoting women, peace, and security, countering violent extremism, promoting women’s economic empowerment, and combatting gender-based violence.
In this episode, we discuss the critical work that has been done by the Office of Global Women’s Issues under three different presidential administrations, local outreach programs facilitated by the US overseas to support women’s issues and combat gender-based violence, including working with men and boys, and the global impacts of the current Trump administration’s drastic cuts to foreign aid.
Listen now; link in bio.
The authorities’ and social media platforms’ insufficient responses have further deterred journalists from speaking out. Additionally, many journalists have migrated to better regulated online media platforms, leaving behind X and Facebook, where abuse remains prevalent, in search of safer, more controlled spaces.
https://ihcr.institute/writing/a-digital-conflict-is-escalating-technology-facilitated-violence-against-women/
UN experts now warn that torture of Palestinians has become “state doctrine” in Israel, potentially a crime against humanity. Defense for Children International – Palestine documents how children seized from Gaza were transported to the Sde Teiman camp, stripped, starved, beaten, caged, subjected to electric shocks, and tormented in a “disco room” with deafening music and random assaults. In legal terms, these practices constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute.
Autocrats Win After Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts
From Afghanistan to Ukraine, authoritarian governments are benefiting while journalists, activists, and human rights defenders are left exposed. Human Rights Watch warns that the abrupt US foreign aid cuts in 2025 devastated organizations working to document abuses, protect vulnerable communities, and defend fundamental freedoms worldwide. Critical investigations were halted, support services for victims disappeared, and many human rights groups were forced to reduce operations or shut down entirely. These cuts weakened accountability at a time when authoritarianism, repression, and global conflict are rapidly expanding. Human rights organizations cannot survive on resilience alone. The international community must urgently restore sustainable financial support before more communities facing violence, persecution, and abuse are abandoned without protection or justice.
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In my latest podcast episode, I spoke with former Principal Deputy Director in the Secretary of State's Office of Global Women's Issues, Katrina (Kat) Fotovat about the backsliding on women's rights between the first and second Trump adminstrations. Kat noted the shift in priorities between administrations, and the national security implications of such cuts to women's issues.
Listen to the full episode here; episodes also available on all major podcasting apps: soundcloud.com/alon-ben-meir/on-the-issues-episode-147-katrina-fotovat
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The next live episode of my podcast "On the Issues" is this upcoming Tuesday, May 19, at 4:00pm EDT with Jane Olson, the former Chair of the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch, who has worked many decades as a volunteer promoting international peace and justice and humanitarian work.
Listeners can register for the live podcast recording on Zoom at the following link: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4317780156830/WN_oZJO-LhIQ9mQjT7TYQEVKg
Archived episodes will be released the following day, on Wednesdays at noon. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, including Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify, to be sure to always get the latest episodes.
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A new Human Rights Watch report shows how Trump’s immigration policies are hurting some of the most vulnerable people, especially undocumented survivors of serious crimes. The US was once the place where people fleeing violence came to feel safe. Under Trump, that promise has been willfully abandoned.
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