US society laden with shocking disparities, still

The grossly disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Black, Brown, and Native people, connected to longstanding disparities in health, education, and economic status, revealed the enduring effects of the overtly racist laws and policies and continuing impediments to equality got exposed in the Human Rights Watch report of 2021 (of the US). The disparity is as glaring as in the implementation of Law and Order in the country where the Blacks are at the receiving end of justice always.

Things have not improved much even after the advent of the Biden rule in the country. Access of women to health care is as limited as it was then and undermining of consumer protections against predatory lenders and abusive debt collectors continues. The processes that weaken regulations that reduce pollution and address climate change continue even now. In its foreign policy, the United States continues to work on several fronts to undermine multilateral institutions, including through the use of sanctions. It continued to flout international human rights law as it partnered with abusive governments—though it did sanction a number of individuals and governments for committing human rights abuses.

The medicare disparities are linked to longstanding inequities in health outcomes and access to care, education, employment, and economic status. Thousands of people of Asian descent reported incidents of attacks and racial discrimination after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic and public health measures necessary to slow its spread resulted in lost wages or jobs, reduced health coverage, and reduced access to other essential goods and services. People of colour—particularly women and immigrants—continued to be overrepresented in low-wage service jobs, putting them at greater risk.

Many, particularly in agriculture and food production, faced unsafe working conditions leading to outbreaks. Increased unemployment protection and direct payments in relief packages that Congress passed significantly stemmed poverty rate growth. However, many protections expired in July and August last year and have not been restored. The relief bills lacked protections for those unable to pay bills or medical care costs, and excluded certain workers, including immigrants. The administration continued to undermine consumer protections against predatory lenders and abusive debt collectors. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gutted a rule seeking to prevent small lenders—including so-called payday lenders—from charging exorbitant interest rates. California voters passed a ballot initiative sponsored by app-based companies stripping app-based rideshare and delivery drivers of the minimum wage, paid sick leave, and other critical labour protections provided by a state law passed in 2019, setting a dangerous precedent for workers' rights in the US and globally.

Rather than address problems of poverty or health that contribute to crime, many US jurisdictions focus on aggressive policing in poor and minority communities, fueling a vicious cycle of incarceration and police violence. That is how they pay a tribute to Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake and keep lecturing countries like India on human rights. A Washington Post database has revealed recently that about 1,000 killings by shootings in each of the past five years, revealed significant racial disparities. These are only a part of the findings. Still, the country shamelessly preaches human rights to others.