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 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Bureau overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1977; 48 years ago (1977)[1] |
| Jurisdiction | Executive branch of the United States |
| Employees | 100 (as of 2003)[1] |
| Annual budget | $38.5 million (As of 2003)[1] |
| Bureau executive | |
| Parent department | U.S. Department of State |
TheBureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs (DRL) is a bureau within theUnited States Department of State. The bureau is under the purview of theUnder Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom.
The bureau was formerly known as theBureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, but was reorganized and renamed in 1994, to reflect both a broader sweep and a more focused approach to the interlocking issues of human rights, worker rights, and democracy.[2]
From 2011 to 2015, DRL provided financial support to theTor network (The Onion Router).[3][4][5][6]
In 1982, the State Department asserted that "Where it has been possible to assign responsibility [for killings in Guatemala] it appears more likely that in the majority of cases the insurgents … have been guilty." However, US intelligence reports found the opposite.[7]
DRL's responsibilities include promotingdemocracy in U.S. and around the world, formulating U.S.human rights policies, and coordinating policy in human rights-related labor issues. TheOffice to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism is a separate agency included in the Bureau.
The Bureau is responsible for producing annual reports on the countries of the world with regard toreligious freedom through itsOffice of International Religious Freedom[8] andhuman rights.[9][10] It also administers theU.S. Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF), which is DRL's flagship program.[11]
Examples of DRL's human rights advocacy in foreign locations includeChina,[12] theMiddle East,[13] andRussia.[14]
The head of the Bureau is theAssistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, currently Riley Barnes.[15]
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor is divided into six offices.
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| National | |
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