The U.S. government can restore its moral leadership by embracing this reality and signaling a new approach to foreign policy that places the protection of human rights defenders front and center... U.S. diplomacy has long played an important role in protecting human rights defenders, especially when the defenders cannot look to their own governments for help... A new report by EarthRights International examines the U.S. government’s track record in protecting human rights defenders and concludes that much more needs to be done to respond to our new, crisis-filled reality... the U.S government’s efforts to protect human rights defenders are often piecemeal. Sometimes U.S. embassies play a crucial role in protecting human rights defenders, and sometimes their efforts are counterproductive or even harmful; it varies widely.

... In this report, we call on the State Department to develop a stronger policy on protecting human rights defenders. This will likely require Congressional action... All over the world, brave individuals on the frontlines are demanding respect for human rights as our societies undergo enormous stresses and changes. By protecting these individuals, the U.S. government will be better positioned to protect America — and the world — from pandemics, climate change, rising authoritarianism, and many other harsh realities of modern life.