The United States government cut almost all foreign aid in 2025. This decision caused serious harm to human rights around the world. Human Rights Watch published a 42-page report about this topic.

The report is called 'Every Autocrat's Dream.' It looks at how the aid cuts affected human rights defenders globally. Many important programs had to stop suddenly. Organizations that protect vulnerable people lost their funding.

LGBTQ+ people are among the most affected groups. In many countries, US aid supported LGBTQ+ organizations. These groups helped people facing violence and discrimination. Without funding, many of these organizations had to close.

Human rights investigations were stopped because of the cuts. Victims of abuse lost access to support services. Organizations that helped prevent human rights violations had to scale back. Some were forced to shut down completely.

The cuts affected people in dangerous situations. This includes LGBTQ+ people living in countries with anti-gay laws. It also includes women, minorities, and political activists. Many of these people now have less protection.

Human Rights Watch said the cuts benefit authoritarian governments. These governments often target LGBTQ+ people and other minorities. Without US support, it is harder to hold them accountable. Local human rights defenders feel more isolated and vulnerable.

The report includes examples from many different regions. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, aid programs were disrupted. A photo from Bukavu shows abandoned USAID materials after violence at a food warehouse. This illustrates the chaos caused by the sudden funding cuts.

Human rights experts are very concerned about the long-term effects. It takes years to build strong human rights organizations. It only takes days to destroy them through funding cuts. Rebuilding these networks will be very difficult.

The situation is especially serious for LGBTQ+ communities in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. In these regions, US-funded programs often provided the only available support. Now those communities must find new ways to survive and stay safe.

Human Rights Watch is calling on the US government to restore funding. They argue that protecting human rights is in America's own interest. Abandoning these programs damages America's reputation as a defender of freedom.