Addressing Human Rights Issues at Home and Abroad

Human rights violations of the past and present remain a priority for federal law enforcement. A panel of guests from the Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) discuss the various disciplines that form the center, the resources at their disposal to safeguard human rights and thwart war crimes, and their work to prevent these crimes domestically and abroad.

Warning: this show contains graphic descriptions of human rights abuses including but not limited to Nazi war crimes, genocide, gender-based violence, and torture. If you find this discussion troubling, please contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information services in English and Spanish.

Join host Natalia Castro in discussing the intricacies of human rights issues with Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center Program Manager Suzanne Priest, HSI Section Chief Lisa Fraser, and Associate Legal Advisor in the Human Rights Violator Law Division Kathryn Finley. HSI is the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) largest international investigative force, and responsible for investigating global crime and threats that seek to exploit domestic customs and immigration laws as well as international trade, travel, and financial transactions. The HRVWCC prevents known or suspected violators of these crimes from entering the United States, facilitates their removal in already inside, and works to prosecute and prevent these crimes from occurring globally. Fraser, Finley, and Priest work on a team combatting crimes against women including female genital mutilation (FGM), while promoting education and outreach on the issue.

The show will discuss HRVWCC’s work to investigate, remove, and prosecute human rights violators and war criminals. In the second half, the program takes an inside look at the pervasive problem of FGM and how the HRVWCC works with partners to prevent this form of gender-based violence.

If you have information about an individual who is suspected of assisting with female genital mutilation please contact the ICE tip line at (866) 347-2423, the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or email the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center at hrv.ice@ice.dhs.gov. Tip lines are staffed around the clock and tips may be submitted anonymously.

The show airs live on Friday, November 5, 2021, at 11:00 am ET on Federal News Network. You can stream the show online anytime via the Federal News Network app and listen to the FEDtalk podcast on all major podcasting platforms.

FEDtalk is a live talk show produced by Shaw Bransford & Roth P.C., a federal employment law firm. Bringing you the insider’s perspective from leaders in the federal community since 1993. FEDtalk is sponsored by the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). The FLTCIP is sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, insured by John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company, under a group long term care insurance policy, and administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC (doing business as FedPoint).