Lena Simet
@lenasimet.bsky.social
Senior Economic Justice Researcher @Human Rights Watch | Author of Cities and Economic Inequality in Latin America @Routledge
Pinned
Lena Simet
@lenasimet.bsky.social
· May 12
1/ After nearly 3 years of research, our @hrw.org report "The Gig Trap" is finally out. It documents how companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, Shipt, Favor, and Amazon Flex created a business model that undermines labor rights & deepens inequality in the US. A 🧵https://hrw.org/node/391214
Reposted by Lena Simet
NEW: @oxfaminternational.bsky.social's global inequality report🌏
Billionaire wealth⬆️3x faster in '25 than previous years
This year we dive deep on the link between economic & political inequality. Billionaires are 4000x more likely to hold office than you or me www.oxfamamerica.org/press/billio...
Billionaire wealth⬆️3x faster in '25 than previous years
This year we dive deep on the link between economic & political inequality. Billionaires are 4000x more likely to hold office than you or me www.oxfamamerica.org/press/billio...
www.oxfamamerica.org
January 19, 2026 at 12:05 AM
NEW: @oxfaminternational.bsky.social's global inequality report🌏
Billionaire wealth⬆️3x faster in '25 than previous years
This year we dive deep on the link between economic & political inequality. Billionaires are 4000x more likely to hold office than you or me www.oxfamamerica.org/press/billio...
Billionaire wealth⬆️3x faster in '25 than previous years
This year we dive deep on the link between economic & political inequality. Billionaires are 4000x more likely to hold office than you or me www.oxfamamerica.org/press/billio...
Reposted by Lena Simet
1/n
"It is what it is" (or "Ez van" in Hungarian) was what so many older people I interviewed in Hungary told me with resignation-- accompanied with a shrug, raised eyebrows, or a downward glance--about the poverty they experience.
@hrw.org's findings are out now: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
"It is what it is" (or "Ez van" in Hungarian) was what so many older people I interviewed in Hungary told me with resignation-- accompanied with a shrug, raised eyebrows, or a downward glance--about the poverty they experience.
@hrw.org's findings are out now: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
January 14, 2026 at 2:41 PM
1/n
"It is what it is" (or "Ez van" in Hungarian) was what so many older people I interviewed in Hungary told me with resignation-- accompanied with a shrug, raised eyebrows, or a downward glance--about the poverty they experience.
@hrw.org's findings are out now: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
"It is what it is" (or "Ez van" in Hungarian) was what so many older people I interviewed in Hungary told me with resignation-- accompanied with a shrug, raised eyebrows, or a downward glance--about the poverty they experience.
@hrw.org's findings are out now: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
In #Hungary, poverty among people aged 65+ has more than doubled since 2018. A key driver: a pension system that leaves nearly 1 in 4 pensioners with incomes below the poverty threshold.
Check out @hrw.org's latest report by @kartikraj.bsky.social: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
Check out @hrw.org's latest report by @kartikraj.bsky.social: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
January 15, 2026 at 9:01 PM
In #Hungary, poverty among people aged 65+ has more than doubled since 2018. A key driver: a pension system that leaves nearly 1 in 4 pensioners with incomes below the poverty threshold.
Check out @hrw.org's latest report by @kartikraj.bsky.social: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
Check out @hrw.org's latest report by @kartikraj.bsky.social: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Lena Simet
While many face abysmal public services + tax hikes, huge companies & the uber-rich game a tax system designed 100 yrs ago. My new oped in @opiniojuris.bsky.social on why the first-ever UN tax treaty is a historic chance for public budgets that can fund human rights opiniojuris.org/2026/01/13/a...
A Fairer Tax System is a Global Human Rights Imperative
[Sarah Saadoun is a senior advisor on economic inequality at Human Rights Watch] Diplomats from dozens of countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, in November for a new round of negotiations on a Unit…
opiniojuris.org
January 13, 2026 at 4:51 PM
While many face abysmal public services + tax hikes, huge companies & the uber-rich game a tax system designed 100 yrs ago. My new oped in @opiniojuris.bsky.social on why the first-ever UN tax treaty is a historic chance for public budgets that can fund human rights opiniojuris.org/2026/01/13/a...
Reposted by Lena Simet
New @hrw.org research out tomorrow on inadequate pensions and older people experiencing poverty in Hungary 🇭🇺
- interview testimony from older people 👵🏻👴🏻
- difficulties affording food 🍞🥩🍓☕, gas/electricity 🔌💡, medical supplies 💊🤕
- lots of graphs and charts 📊〽️
Media queries to @kooyjan.bsky.social
- interview testimony from older people 👵🏻👴🏻
- difficulties affording food 🍞🥩🍓☕, gas/electricity 🔌💡, medical supplies 💊🤕
- lots of graphs and charts 📊〽️
Media queries to @kooyjan.bsky.social
1/3 I’ve just returned home after a week interviewing older people on low pension incomes in Hungary for @hrw.org. The findings will be out in the coming months.
This photo is of an 80 year old woman showing me her notebook of expenses, in which every last forint is meticulously accounted for.
This photo is of an 80 year old woman showing me her notebook of expenses, in which every last forint is meticulously accounted for.
January 13, 2026 at 10:27 AM
New @hrw.org research out tomorrow on inadequate pensions and older people experiencing poverty in Hungary 🇭🇺
- interview testimony from older people 👵🏻👴🏻
- difficulties affording food 🍞🥩🍓☕, gas/electricity 🔌💡, medical supplies 💊🤕
- lots of graphs and charts 📊〽️
Media queries to @kooyjan.bsky.social
- interview testimony from older people 👵🏻👴🏻
- difficulties affording food 🍞🥩🍓☕, gas/electricity 🔌💡, medical supplies 💊🤕
- lots of graphs and charts 📊〽️
Media queries to @kooyjan.bsky.social
New year, new book!📚
@matthewgreenslade.bsky.social's "Beyond the World Bank" is a powerful critique of the reliance on poverty targeting & makes a strong case for universal rights-aligned social security.
Drawing on experiences from Chile to Kenya, Nepal & more: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beyond-th...
@matthewgreenslade.bsky.social's "Beyond the World Bank" is a powerful critique of the reliance on poverty targeting & makes a strong case for universal rights-aligned social security.
Drawing on experiences from Chile to Kenya, Nepal & more: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beyond-th...
January 7, 2026 at 4:48 PM
New year, new book!📚
@matthewgreenslade.bsky.social's "Beyond the World Bank" is a powerful critique of the reliance on poverty targeting & makes a strong case for universal rights-aligned social security.
Drawing on experiences from Chile to Kenya, Nepal & more: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beyond-th...
@matthewgreenslade.bsky.social's "Beyond the World Bank" is a powerful critique of the reliance on poverty targeting & makes a strong case for universal rights-aligned social security.
Drawing on experiences from Chile to Kenya, Nepal & more: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beyond-th...
Worried about social security "fraud"? Research by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) in South Africa shows we need to look carefully at where the real problem lies. It's rarely beneficiaries who commit fraud, yet they often bear the brunt of govt crackdowns.
👉 iej.org.za/wp-content/u...
👉 iej.org.za/wp-content/u...
January 2, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Worried about social security "fraud"? Research by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) in South Africa shows we need to look carefully at where the real problem lies. It's rarely beneficiaries who commit fraud, yet they often bear the brunt of govt crackdowns.
👉 iej.org.za/wp-content/u...
👉 iej.org.za/wp-content/u...
Some good social security news for kids in 2025: China, Fiji, Japan, Morocco, Türkiye, and Tunisia expanded benefits for children — and the UK said it will finally scrap the “2-child limit,” projected to lift 450,000 children in the UK out of poverty by 2030.
At the end of a rough year, @hrw takes stock of good news for kids from 2025. Countries banned child marriage, prohibited corporal punishment, and expanded free education and protections in armed conflict, showing progress is possible.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...
www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...
Good News for Children in 2025
Each year, Human Rights Watch reflects on progress in children’s rights worldwide. From better access to education to stronger protections in wartime, these are some highlights from 2025.
www.hrw.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Some good social security news for kids in 2025: China, Fiji, Japan, Morocco, Türkiye, and Tunisia expanded benefits for children — and the UK said it will finally scrap the “2-child limit,” projected to lift 450,000 children in the UK out of poverty by 2030.
Reposted by Lena Simet
And here's the @hrw.org report on algorithmic exploitation @lenasimet.bsky.social and I published in May:
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
December 10, 2025 at 3:08 PM
And here's the @hrw.org report on algorithmic exploitation @lenasimet.bsky.social and I published in May:
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
Is universal social security affordable in low &middle income countries?
Join us Thu Dec 4 @11:30am GMT for “Beyond the Unaffordability Myth” a socialprotection.org webinar co-organized by @hrw.org, launching a new @devpathways.bsky.social report.
To register: socialprotection.org/learn/webina...
Join us Thu Dec 4 @11:30am GMT for “Beyond the Unaffordability Myth” a socialprotection.org webinar co-organized by @hrw.org, launching a new @devpathways.bsky.social report.
To register: socialprotection.org/learn/webina...
December 3, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Is universal social security affordable in low &middle income countries?
Join us Thu Dec 4 @11:30am GMT for “Beyond the Unaffordability Myth” a socialprotection.org webinar co-organized by @hrw.org, launching a new @devpathways.bsky.social report.
To register: socialprotection.org/learn/webina...
Join us Thu Dec 4 @11:30am GMT for “Beyond the Unaffordability Myth” a socialprotection.org webinar co-organized by @hrw.org, launching a new @devpathways.bsky.social report.
To register: socialprotection.org/learn/webina...
Reposted by Lena Simet
Good riddance to rubbish policy.
The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone.
We @hrw.org welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.
The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone.
We @hrw.org welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Good riddance to rubbish policy.
The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone.
We @hrw.org welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.
The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone.
We @hrw.org welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.
🚨The @ilo.org is writing the first global rules for work on platforms like #Uber & #DoorDash.
@hrw.org has submitted detailed input and a joint civil society statement, calling for fair pay, safety, social security, & safeguards against harmful algorithms.
🔗 www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
@hrw.org has submitted detailed input and a joint civil society statement, calling for fair pay, safety, social security, & safeguards against harmful algorithms.
🔗 www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
November 14, 2025 at 10:19 PM
🚨The @ilo.org is writing the first global rules for work on platforms like #Uber & #DoorDash.
@hrw.org has submitted detailed input and a joint civil society statement, calling for fair pay, safety, social security, & safeguards against harmful algorithms.
🔗 www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
@hrw.org has submitted detailed input and a joint civil society statement, calling for fair pay, safety, social security, & safeguards against harmful algorithms.
🔗 www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
Today @hrw.org published input on the draft @ilo.org treaty on decent work in the platform economy - the 1st global effort to set rules for work organized through businesses like Uber & DoorDash. A historic chance to ensure tech works for workers not against them: www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
November 14, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Today @hrw.org published input on the draft @ilo.org treaty on decent work in the platform economy - the 1st global effort to set rules for work organized through businesses like Uber & DoorDash. A historic chance to ensure tech works for workers not against them: www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Lena Simet
This week world leaders made commitments to fulfil rights at #WSS2. But this won’t happen without money.
We’re now looking at Nairobi where the UN Tax Convention #UNTC negotiations are resuming on Monday - it could be the key to deliver on those commitments.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
We’re now looking at Nairobi where the UN Tax Convention #UNTC negotiations are resuming on Monday - it could be the key to deliver on those commitments.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
World Leaders Commit to Supporting Social Development and Rights
At the second United Nations Social Summit in Qatar this week, dozens of governments adopted the Doha Political Declaration, renewing their commitments to tackle poverty, create decent work, combat di...
www.hrw.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This week world leaders made commitments to fulfil rights at #WSS2. But this won’t happen without money.
We’re now looking at Nairobi where the UN Tax Convention #UNTC negotiations are resuming on Monday - it could be the key to deliver on those commitments.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
We’re now looking at Nairobi where the UN Tax Convention #UNTC negotiations are resuming on Monday - it could be the key to deliver on those commitments.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Lena Simet
NEW: @oxfamamerica.bsky.social's US inequality report🧵
10 richest Americans gained $698 billion in the past year.
As tens of millions struggle to get by, Trump policies could drive US inequality to new extremes.
We dive deep on how we got here, and the change needed.
oxfamamerica.org/unequal
10 richest Americans gained $698 billion in the past year.
As tens of millions struggle to get by, Trump policies could drive US inequality to new extremes.
We dive deep on how we got here, and the change needed.
oxfamamerica.org/unequal
November 3, 2025 at 12:45 PM
NEW: @oxfamamerica.bsky.social's US inequality report🧵
10 richest Americans gained $698 billion in the past year.
As tens of millions struggle to get by, Trump policies could drive US inequality to new extremes.
We dive deep on how we got here, and the change needed.
oxfamamerica.org/unequal
10 richest Americans gained $698 billion in the past year.
As tens of millions struggle to get by, Trump policies could drive US inequality to new extremes.
We dive deep on how we got here, and the change needed.
oxfamamerica.org/unequal
As the US government shutdown drags on, SNAP—the country's largest food assistance program—is set to halt benefits Saturday, cutting off benefits for 42 million people.
My @hrw.org colleague @jackspehn.bsky.social explains what’s at stake and why Congress must act.👇
My @hrw.org colleague @jackspehn.bsky.social explains what’s at stake and why Congress must act.👇
Suspending SNAP payments will put the rights of tens of millions of Americans in jeopardy. No one’s ability to eat should be vulnerable to political games.
New dispatch from @hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
New dispatch from @hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Tens of Millions at Risk of Hunger if US Food Assistance Lapses
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last Friday that it will stop distributing payments for essential food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) startin...
www.hrw.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:23 PM
As the US government shutdown drags on, SNAP—the country's largest food assistance program—is set to halt benefits Saturday, cutting off benefits for 42 million people.
My @hrw.org colleague @jackspehn.bsky.social explains what’s at stake and why Congress must act.👇
My @hrw.org colleague @jackspehn.bsky.social explains what’s at stake and why Congress must act.👇
Reposted by Lena Simet
Social protection is a human right.
In a new report, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights @deschuttero.bsky.social warns that weakening social protection fuels the rise of far-right populism.
Read more:
In a new report, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights @deschuttero.bsky.social warns that weakening social protection fuels the rise of far-right populism.
Read more:
Welfare cuts are fuelling far right rise, warns UN expert
NEW YORK – The rolling back of protections for people living in poverty has created fertile ground for far-right movements across the world, warned the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human ...
www.ohchr.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Social protection is a human right.
In a new report, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights @deschuttero.bsky.social warns that weakening social protection fuels the rise of far-right populism.
Read more:
In a new report, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights @deschuttero.bsky.social warns that weakening social protection fuels the rise of far-right populism.
Read more:
This new report couldn’t be more timely as we see austerity and welfare cuts drive anger and division. UN expert @deschuttero.bsky.social warns that weakening social protection fuels the rise of far-right populism. 👇
My message at the United Nations General Assembly #UNGA80: "Welfare cuts are fuelling far right rise"
Press release ➡️: www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
Press release ➡️: www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
Welfare cuts are fuelling far right rise, warns UN expert
NEW YORK – The rolling back of protections for people living in poverty has created fertile ground for far-right movements across the world, warned the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human ...
www.ohchr.org
October 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
This new report couldn’t be more timely as we see austerity and welfare cuts drive anger and division. UN expert @deschuttero.bsky.social warns that weakening social protection fuels the rise of far-right populism. 👇
Yet another Gen Z–led protest over #inequality, unemployment, and economic policies that fail the majority — this time in #Morocco. Demands are clear: better healthcare, education & social protection. Morocco spends billions on stadiums for the 2030 #FIFA World Cup, while social spending lags.
Moroccans are claiming their human rights and calling for an end to corruption.
Will King Mohamed VI deliver on his promise to create jobs and improve health care and education? Will his government investigate the use of lethal force by the police against protestors?
Read👇
https://bit.ly/4hgLq3h
Will King Mohamed VI deliver on his promise to create jobs and improve health care and education? Will his government investigate the use of lethal force by the police against protestors?
Read👇
https://bit.ly/4hgLq3h
October 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Yet another Gen Z–led protest over #inequality, unemployment, and economic policies that fail the majority — this time in #Morocco. Demands are clear: better healthcare, education & social protection. Morocco spends billions on stadiums for the 2030 #FIFA World Cup, while social spending lags.
Reposted by Lena Simet
📢 EU Billionaires’ wealth surges by over €400bn in first half of 2025.
That’s over €2bn a day.
🔗https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-billionaires-wealth-surges-over-eu400-billion-first-half-2025
#TaxTheRich
That’s over €2bn a day.
🔗https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-billionaires-wealth-surges-over-eu400-billion-first-half-2025
#TaxTheRich
October 9, 2025 at 5:27 AM
📢 EU Billionaires’ wealth surges by over €400bn in first half of 2025.
That’s over €2bn a day.
🔗https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-billionaires-wealth-surges-over-eu400-billion-first-half-2025
#TaxTheRich
That’s over €2bn a day.
🔗https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-billionaires-wealth-surges-over-eu400-billion-first-half-2025
#TaxTheRich
Reposted by Lena Simet
Morocco's youth have clear-cut demands for better healthcare, education & end to corruption. If the government can fund state-of-the art stadiums, it can afford to fund its healthcare.
Calls for reform should not be met with repression, lethal force @hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Calls for reform should not be met with repression, lethal force @hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Morocco: Protests Met with Repression, Violence
Moroccan authorities have cracked down on youth-led protests demanding sweeping reforms to public services, resulting in deaths and mass arrests.
www.hrw.org
October 15, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Morocco's youth have clear-cut demands for better healthcare, education & end to corruption. If the government can fund state-of-the art stadiums, it can afford to fund its healthcare.
Calls for reform should not be met with repression, lethal force @hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Calls for reform should not be met with repression, lethal force @hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Happening today!
Join us in person at @hrw.org's DC office — or online — for a discussion on Alternatives to Austerity, held on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings.
🕔 5pm ET
📍 RSVP to join in person: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
💻 Join online: bit.ly/494BZ51
Join us in person at @hrw.org's DC office — or online — for a discussion on Alternatives to Austerity, held on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings.
🕔 5pm ET
📍 RSVP to join in person: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
💻 Join online: bit.ly/494BZ51
October 15, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Happening today!
Join us in person at @hrw.org's DC office — or online — for a discussion on Alternatives to Austerity, held on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings.
🕔 5pm ET
📍 RSVP to join in person: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
💻 Join online: bit.ly/494BZ51
Join us in person at @hrw.org's DC office — or online — for a discussion on Alternatives to Austerity, held on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings.
🕔 5pm ET
📍 RSVP to join in person: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
💻 Join online: bit.ly/494BZ51
Low tax revenues helped drive Sri Lanka to economic crisis. New report by @hrw.org’s @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social on how tax policies favoring companies & the wealthy have for decades been undermining human rights, including to education www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
October 15, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Low tax revenues helped drive Sri Lanka to economic crisis. New report by @hrw.org’s @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social on how tax policies favoring companies & the wealthy have for decades been undermining human rights, including to education www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Reposted by Lena Simet
Today, @hrw.org released the 1st major report on tax, documenting how policies that favor the rich drove Sri Lanka into economic crisis & starved its public education system. UN tax treaty negotiations are historic chance to address a root cause. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Sri Lanka: Ruinous Tax Policies Stoke Inequality
Sri Lanka’s tax policies played a driving role in the country’s devastating 2022 economic crisis and have contributed to the chronic underfunding of education and other public services.
www.hrw.org
October 15, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Today, @hrw.org released the 1st major report on tax, documenting how policies that favor the rich drove Sri Lanka into economic crisis & starved its public education system. UN tax treaty negotiations are historic chance to address a root cause. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
As the 2025 World Bank #AnnualMeetings open today, a new @hrw.org report finds IFC-backed microfinance in #Cambodia has driven millions—mostly people living in poverty—into debt through predatory lending, leading to land loss, child labor, and debt-driven suicides.
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
October 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
As the 2025 World Bank #AnnualMeetings open today, a new @hrw.org report finds IFC-backed microfinance in #Cambodia has driven millions—mostly people living in poverty—into debt through predatory lending, leading to land loss, child labor, and debt-driven suicides.
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...
www.hrw.org/report/2025/...