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Human Rights and Democracy

Article I of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

But we are not all born free and equal. And the lie that we are is a danger to us all.
People who are not born free and equal will never be free and equal.

The most effective way to ensure human rights and democracy is by ensuring a Fair Start in life for all.

Democracy Under Attack

  • Democracy is undergoing an “alarming” decline across the world as a growing number of countries move towards authoritarian rule, according to the Freedom House think tank.
  • Attacks on media are increasing, and that is a threat to democracy. President Trump regularly launches public attacks on the news media, characterizing it as “the enemy of the people.” And internationally, freedom of the press is under fire as violence and prosecution of journalists increases.
  • Nearly 71 million people are now displaced by war, violence at home, according to the U.N.
  • Europe is currently witnessing the highest number of crises and conflicts since World War II and children bear a disproportionate burden of these conflicts.
    According to the World Report 2019:
  • The United States continued to withhold or reprogram humanitarian aid and funding to international bodies, eliminating all contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency that aids Palestinian refugees, and significantly cutting US financial contributions to the UN Population Fund.
  • More than 2,500 families were forcibly separated at the US border as the Trump administration targeted parents traveling with children for criminal prosecution.

The Greatest Threat to Democracy and the Planet:

Extreme Wealth Disparity

Right now, those with extreme wealth are concentrating their power over government in plain sight. This is no longer a looming threat, but a dismantling of democracy in real time.

Extreme wealth undermines democracy.

Billionaires are manipulating governments around the globe to enrich themselves at the expense of the people. As they wield outsized influence, they affect how laws are shaped, ensure themselves profitable tax-payer funded contracts, and put their thumb on the scale to roll back regulations meant to protect the planet and people. Those with extreme wealth also have an unequal voice, utilizing their power to control media outlets and platforms.

Economic disparity creates unrest and instability of democracies.

This threatens the safety, security, and freedom of all.

Which path do we want?

Each member of the House of Representatives
now represents approximately 748,000 people on average.

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Take a deeper look at the role of equity in human rights
and democracy.

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Ready to fight back to protect democracy and human rights?

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