Difference between revisions of "Human Rights NGOs"
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| − | == What is a Human Rights NGO? == | + | ==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). | 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). <membersonly> | ||
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| + | ===1940s=== | ||
| − | + | The first wave, the 1940s, is a decade in which the NGO human rights movement truly began. The impetus for the movement was the result of World War II—50 million deaths and the extermination of Jews, gypsies, and homosexuals. Human rights activists and NGOs throughout the world called for the implementation of human rights standards that would protect people from governmental abuses to ensure that they would never again be denied life, food, shelter, and basic human rights (Flowers 1998). | |
| − | + | In 1945, when the charter was drafted for the United Nations, NGOs played a major role. Original provisions for the charter only referenced human rights, but the international NGO community drove to redress this (Korey 1998). In the United States, the American Jewish Committee, the Federal Council of Churches, and Commission to Study the Organization of Peace were three human rights NGOs that greatly advocated the inclusion of rights into the charter. Many other international NGOs supported these three organizations, and together they petitioned to the U.S. Secretary of State to emphasize human rights in the charter. The Secretary of Sate persuaded other U.S. allies to support the idea in order to prevent the UN from following the same path as the League of Nations. The advocacy efforts of these human rights NGOs were successful, and the UN decided to establish the Commission on Human Rights (Korey 1998). | |
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| − | + | The first task of the Commission, led by Eleanor Roosevelt, was to draft a document that proclaimed universal fundamental human rights and freedoms. The result, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted in December of 1948 focusing on civil, social, economic, political, and cultural rights (Flowers 1998). The document is ambitious, stating that the way a government treats its people as well as “individual human freedom[s]” are both primary international concerns (Korey 1998:2). THE UDHR has had significant influence and over 185 nations have adopted it into their constitutions (Flowers 1998). | |
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| − | + | Many leading figures in drafting the UDHR have credited NGOs with playing such an essential role. Lebanon’s Charles Malik, one of the key figures of the Commission recognized NGOs role in drafting the document stating that they “[acted as] unofficial advisers to the various delegations, supplying them with streams of ideas and suggestions” (Korey 1998:2). Frenchman Rene Cassin, one of the major figures who drafted the UDHR stated that NGOs were “‘the first to make the principles of the Declaration widely known’ through brochures, periodicals and articles, and at numerous conferences” (Korey 1998:2). | |
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| + | ===1970s=== | ||
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| + | The UDHR and the beginning of the UN were really the first steps for NGOs in promoting human rights internationally. However, the vast amount of activism seen in the 1940s was later undermined by the Cold War and the disputes between first and third world nations (Cmiel 2004). Totalitarianism was the forefront of these conflicts and the UN Commission put human rights violations on the backburner (Korey 1998). | ||
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| + | It was not until the 1970s, when a second wave of human rights activism took place. The upsurge of NGOs promoting human rights during this time came in response to the lack of action being taken by the UN. In fact, in the 1970s, there was often a tense relationship between the UN and human rights NGOs (Cmiel 2004). | ||
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| + | 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. | ||
| + | <blockquote>'''''Amnesty International'''''<br> | ||
| + | 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).</blockquote> | ||
| + | <blockquote>'''''Human Rights Watch'''''<br> | ||
| + | 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).</blockquote> | ||
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| + | ===1990s=== | ||
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| + | The final wave of activism started in the late 1980s, but really gained momentum in the 1990s. Human rights NGOs and activists began to expand and delve into health and women’s rights, as well as issues surrounding economic justice. International law is becoming a priority again and since the end of the Cold War the UN has worked very closely with some human rights NGOs (Cmiel 2004). | ||
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| + | An extremely significant aspect of this final wave of activism is the great upsurge of NGOs outside of Western society. For example, the number of NGOs on the African continent exploded during this decade. The number continues to increase today with human rights NGOs with diverse agendas and often very little budget (Cmiel 2004). | ||
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| + | == Methods and Approaches == | ||
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| + | In their quest to advance rights internationally, human rights NGOs tend to use three primary methods. Firstly, they are influential in setting standards, in that they establish a set of international norms “by which the conduct of states can be measured or judged” (Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights 2003:2). For example, they were successful in passing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and have also convinced many governments to sign treaties that state and declare human rights norms. Human rights NGOs have also continuously encouraged the UN to advance the human rights discussion at their conferences (Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights 2003). | ||
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| + | The second approach that NGOs take is to cite violations of these human rights standards. They do so in order to make sure that the United Nations and international public communities are aware of these abuses so action can be taken to promote change. In reporting these violations, NGOs often look at individual cases through “interviews with victims and witnesses, supported by information about the abuse from other credible sources” (Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights 2003:3). The negative media exposure that sometimes accompanies these abuses often works to shame governments, which is helpful in gaining their support of the international human rights norms (Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights 2003). | ||
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| + | Thirdly, human rights NGOs lobby in order to effectively enforce international human rights standards. The UN has responded to this lobbying by creating mechanisms such as “thematic and country mandates” and “Working Groups” that deal with issues relating to torture, killing, violence, and racism (Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights 2003:3). | ||
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| + | == Human Rights NGOs Today == | ||
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| + | Prior to the 1940s, the phrase “human rights” was seldom used; it rarely appeared in the media, textbooks, or newspapers. However, due to human rights NGOs, the phrase is now critically used throughout the world and has become part of everyday global discourse. Today, NGOs have become the major powerhouse in the human rights movement. These organizations have diverse agendas and exist in almost every country in the world. Human rights NGOs will continue to fight against, and cite, human rights violations internationally (Korey 1998). | ||
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| + | == Works Cited == | ||
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| + | Amnesty International. ''The History of Amnesty International''. Retrieved July 30, 2008 from http://www.amnesty.org/ | ||
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| + | Cmiel, Kenneth. (2004). A Recent History of Human Rights. ''The American Historical Review'', 109(1), 1-22. | ||
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| + | Flowers, Nancy (Ed). (1998). ''A Short History of Human Rights''. Retrieved July 21, 2008 from Human Rights Here and Now: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-1/short-history.htm | ||
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| + | Korey, William. (1998). NGOs: Fifty Years of Advocating Human Rights. ''Issues of Democracy'', 3, 1-7. | ||
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| + | Human Rights Watch. (2006). ''About HRW: Who We Are, What We Do''. Retrieved July 30, 2008 from http://hrw.org/ | ||
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| + | Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. (2003). ''NGOs and the Human Rights Movement''. Retrieved July 21, 2008 from Stop Violence Against Women: A Project by the Advocates for Human Rights http://www.stopvaw.org/NGOs_and_the_Human_Rights_Movement.html | ||
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| + | Wiseberg, Laurie S. (1991). Protecting Human Rights Activists and NGOs: What More Can Be Done? ''Human Rights Quarterly'', 13(4), 525-544. | ||
Latest revision as of 07:51, 11 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).
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