Blurb: The former U.S. president’s policies on gender, immigration, and women’s rights are fueling discrimination, erasing identities, and emboldening oppressive regimes worldwide. What does this mean for universal human rights?
BRADLEY FORTUIN
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations (UN), protects and promotes the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups by recognising that all people are born free and equal. It guarantees rights without discrimination based on, but not limited to, sex, gender or any other social status. It was adopted by states at a global level immediately after the horrors of World War II to ensure such atrocities and the events that led up to them do not occur again. The UDHR ensures everyone’s right to live safely, free from discrimination, hate, and violence, and to be treated with dignity under the law.
America’s Withdrawal: A Blow to Global Rights?
The United States’ indication that it would be withdrawing from the UN puts a question mark on human rights protection. The continuous priority of democratic and constitutional human rights is under threat. As we have witnessed, the US is one of the largest contributors to the UN’s budget, and its withdrawal places global human rights protections in question, especially with regard to access to health services.
Will this move give power and rise to human rights violations? What will be the long-term impact on grassroots community movements? Are vulnerable and marginalised groups safe?
Spreading Misinformation, Fueling Hate
Over the past few weeks, the world has witnessed a disturbing shift in leadership, one that not only rolls back protections for everyone, including vulnerable and marginalised groups, but also has the potential to fuel hate, spread misinformation and division, and incite violence. Donald Trump’s return to power has been marked by an alarming series of executive orders targeting immigrants, migrants, LGBTIQ+ people, and women—all under the guise of “realigning American values.”
Erasing Identities
Trump’s position on gender diversity has found eager supporters, including many in Africa who advocate for a rigid, binary definition of gender. His 20 January 2025 executive order, Defending Women from Gender Ideology and Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, was nothing short of an attack on transgender people and all persons who choose to live in a manner where they are not defined and boxed in by their attributed gender.
This order spreads disinformation by claiming that gender identity is false and deceitful, legitimising hate speech. By insinuating that gender diversity is a threat, it creates an environment where transphobia will likely thrive without consequences. With one stroke of the pen, Trump reinforced conservative, exclusionary gender norms and gave legitimacy to those who seek to erase transgender identities.
A Ripple Effect Across Borders
The consequences of this executive order are slowly being felt far beyond the US. In Nigeria, conservative leaders have hailed Trump’s decision as validation of their own laws, which, according to reports, already criminalise same-sex sexual activity between men and women, as well as gender expression for transgender persons.
A 2024 report by Nigerian advocacy group The Initiative for Equal Rights highlighted that LGBTIQ+ people already face regular discrimination and violence. These executive orders are likely to result in a rise in hate crimes towards gender-diverse persons. Framing gender identity as a “dangerous ideology,” Trump is not only spreading disinformation but also legitimising hate speech and possibly creating a global ripple effect that threatens the safety and dignity of transgender and gender-diverse people.
Xenophobia in Full Swing
Transgender people are not the only ones under attack. Immigrants and migrants are also targeted as Trump endlessly signs executive orders. One of his over 80 executive orders is realigning the US refugee admissions program, which frames migrants and refugees as threats to national security, thereby reinforcing dangerous xenophobic rhetoric.
Trump has long pushed the false narrative that migrants are a burden on resources, a danger to public safety, and a threat to the so-called “true American identity.” This rhetoric does more than just close borders—it dehumanises refugees and fuels violence against migrants, directly contradicting human rights protection mechanisms such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
Misogyny Over Human Rights?
Trump’s disregard for women’s rights is nothing new. A 2018 article in The Guardian reported how Donald Trump’s attitudes and policies have undermined women’s rights through derogatory remarks, sexual misconduct allegations, and policy rollbacks. The reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule and its cuts in funding for health services is likely to disrupt essential sexual and reproductive health services for many women around the world.
This will leave women who are already on the margins of exclusion further exposed to human rights violations such as forced pregnancies due to denial of safe abortion and contraceptive services.
An Afrobarometer report from December 2023 revealed that gender-based violence remains a top concern in Africa, with 14% of respondents stating that violence against women and girls is “very common” in their communities. Trump’s policies and rhetoric only serve to exacerbate these realities, reinforcing harmful stereotypes, restricting bodily autonomy, and undermining decades of progress in advancing women’s rights.
The leader of the free world’s rhetoric and actions reinforce systems that discriminate against women and disregard the protection of all women.
Bradley Fortuin is a consultant at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre and a social justice activist.