Anti-rights movements are movements, groups or campaigns that actively work against the recognition, protection, and advancement of human rights. These movements can target a variety of rights and marginalized groups. They often use misinformation, fear-mongering, and lobbying to undermine legal protections and social acceptance for targeted groups. ODI described anti-rights movements as "a loose coalition of actors [that] has succeeded in stalling progress and undermining rights and freedoms," and that are "well-organised and extremely well-funded compared to progressive rights movements."
UN Women described anti-gender, gender-critical and men's rights movements as examples of anti-rights movements in 2024. Other movements described as anti-rights include anti-immigration and anti-racial equality movements.
The Center for Family and Human Rights has responded that the "anti-rights" label is "part of a larger strategy to delegitimize social conservative voices in multilateral spaces and to redefine civil society to exclude such conservative organizations".Oas, Rebecca. "Anti-Rights: The New Censorship Weapon of the Left". DEFINITIONS: A Monthly Look at UN Terms and Ideas. Issue 35. September 14, 2024.
In 2026, Amnesty International published a report suggesting that the UK's Charity Commission review the charitable status of groups it described as "anti-rights", which it then retracted in the face of criticism.Mchangama, Jacob. J.K. Rowling Is Turning A Free Speech Victory Into A Defeat. Persuasion. July 29, 2026.
Examples
Opposition to LGBTQ rights
Anti-gender movement
Trans-exclusionary feminism
References