Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs (DRL) is a bureau within the United States Department of State. The bureau is under the purview of the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom.

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

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	Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Parent department	U.S. Department of State

History

The bureau was formerly known as the Bureau 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 the Tor 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]

Functions

DRL's responsibilities include promoting democracy in U.S. and around the world, formulating U.S. human rights policies, and coordinating policy in human rights-related labor issues. The Office 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 to religious freedom through its Office of International Religious Freedom^[8] and human rights.^[9][10] It also administers the U.S. Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF), which is DRL's flagship program.^[11]

Examples of DRL's human rights advocacy in foreign locations include China,^[12] the Middle East,^[13] and Russia.^[14]

Organization

The head of the Bureau is the Assistant 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.

• Office of Natural Rights
• Office of Reports and Sanctions – Prepares the State Department's annual Country Reports on Human Rights
• Office of Free Markets and Fair Labor
• Office of International Religious Freedom – Supports the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom
• Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
• Office to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism^[16]