Difference between revisions of "Human Rights NGOs"
From NGO Handbook
(→History of Human Rights NGOs) |
|||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
This decade was more significant for NGOs in that they, rather than the UN, became the focal point of the movement. The nature of the movement also changed and took on its present day character “as a collection of independent national, regional, and international NGOs seeking to hold governments accountable to internationally defined standards of human rights” (Wiseberg 1991:529). Rather than international law, NGOs were more interested in shaming governments into change through publicizing unjust behavior. (Cmiel 2004). Two prominent human rights NGOs, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, emerged during this time, both of which are two of the most influential NGOs today. | This decade was more significant for NGOs in that they, rather than the UN, became the focal point of the movement. The nature of the movement also changed and took on its present day character “as a collection of independent national, regional, and international NGOs seeking to hold governments accountable to internationally defined standards of human rights” (Wiseberg 1991:529). Rather than international law, NGOs were more interested in shaming governments into change through publicizing unjust behavior. (Cmiel 2004). Two prominent human rights NGOs, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, emerged during this time, both of which are two of the most influential NGOs today. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====''Amnesty International''==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Amnesty International (AI) was established in 1961 in London in order to stop the abuse of international human rights. AI’s mission is to “conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated (Amnesty International). The organization really gained momentum in the 1970s when they disclosed that 61 regimes had engaged in torture. In 1977 the organization was given the Nobel Peace Prize due to their work with military authoritarianism in Latin America (Korey 1998). Today, AI has over 2.2 million members and supporters throughout the world as they continue to campaign and lobby towards the eradication of human rights violations (Amnesty International). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====''Human Rights Watch''==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Human Rights Watch (HRW) was started in 1978 as Helsinki Watch, an organization focusing on the Soviet and human rights provisions. In the 1980s, Americas Watch, an organization dealing with conflict in Central America, was established. The two NGOs combined in 1988 to form HRW, an organization based in New York with offices throughout the world (Human Rights Watch 2006). HRW is dedicated to citing and investigating human rights violations internationally and “[enlisting] the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all” (Human Rights Watch 2006). | ||
Revision as of 07:26, 4 August 2008
Contents
What is a Human Rights NGO?
Human rights NGOs devote their resources to the “promotion and protection” of universal human rights (Wiseberg 1991:529). Unlike governments, who tend to seek human rights for their own citizens, human rights NGOs fight for the security of human rights to all people. The human rights movement, which began after World War II, is a diverse movement comprised of thousands of NGOs that has spread throughout the world today (Wiseberg 1991).
History of Human Rights NGOs
In looking at the human rights movement and the role of NGOs, historians have primarily studied three periods that they see as three “waves” of activism (Cmiel 2004:12).
To read the rest of the article, please log in using your WANGO membership username and password (using the log in at the top, right-hand corner of the page). Not a WANGO member, but would like full access to the articles in the NGO Handbook? Join WANGO (http://www.wango.org/join.aspx) as an organization or individual member or purchase a year subscription for $30.
