Protestors in Tunisia

The number of free countries – as measured by the level of protection of the political rights and civil liberties of its citizens – is steadily declining, according to the latest findings by Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that monitors the state of democracy and human rights around the world.

Freedom House places the blame for this sorry state of affairs on bolder authoritarian regimes coupled with inadequate resistance from democratic countries.  But it seems ordinary people have a responsibility as well to protect civil liberties within their homelands and support those who work for freedom around the world.  But what is the best way for an individual to do that?

Citizens in democratic countries probably have an easier time pressuring their governments to uphold human rights both at home and abroad.  But citizens in countries that have slid into repressive authoritarianism risk beatings and prison time if they make similar demands.  And, let’s face it — most of us are inclined to avoid suffering no matter what the cause.  Still, that’s not an excuse for moral cowardice.

In my work, I’ve been impressed with the number of human rights activists who use technology, despite its own risks.  And many people counter the evils of repression by helping the victims – such as volunteers who help refugees and torture survivors. 

What do you think you could do to help protect freedom at home and abroad?

Learn more:

Technology Helps, Hurts Human Rights Activists, Report Says

Volunteers Make supporting Human Rights a Personal Endeavor

“They Just Have Good Hearts”

It can be pretty overwhelming reading about the many human rights abuses occurring all around the world.  It can make you feel helpless in the face of such a huge problem.

But there is something you can do right now:  Write a letter or sign a petition in support of human rights activists facing persecution by their governments.  Amnesty International is making it easy for you to do so with its “Write for Rights” campaign that allows you to do it all online.

And Amnesty International has identified specific individuals you can help – people like Femi Peters of Gambia, who is in prison for holding a peaceful demonstration organized by his political opposition party, or labor activist Su Su Nway, imprisoned for taking part in protests against the regime in Myanmar (Burma).

Does letter writing and petition signing help? Amnesty International says yes.  It quotes Igor Sutyagin, who was in prison in Russia for more than 10 years. “The officials, they know about these letters,” Sutyagin is quoted as saying. “They know that this person is somehow untouchable and I really want to ask you and all Amnesty members to continue that activity because that will help others. I think it’s very, very important.”

International Human Rights Day is December 10, marking the anniversary of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Here’s your chance to do your bit to help a human rights activist with just a click of your mouse.

What makes a great quote?  In my book, it is something that is concise and memorable.

I’ve been looking for good quotes on human rights in the lead up to International Human Rights Day on December 10, which commemorates the adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Most of the quotes I’ve come across, unfortunately, seem to be long and wordy.  Below are some of the better ones I’ve found.

If you can come up with your own, please submit them in the comments section below!

“Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement

“Human rights are inscribed in the hearts of people; they were there long before lawmakers drafted their first proclamation.”
Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1997-2002

“It has long been recognized that an essential element in protecting human rights was a widespread knowledge among the population of what their rights are and how they can be defended.”
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Sixth UN Secretary-General, 1992-1996

“Human rights is the only ideology that deserves to survive.”
“Tolerance and human rights require each other.”
Simon Wiesenthal, Nazi death camp survivor who dedicated his life to documenting Holocaust crimes and hunting down the perpetrators.

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world … Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.”
Eleanor Roosevelt, first chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, who championed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the United Nations in 1948.

Back in October, Human Rights Watch was soliciting videos to show “the human in human rights.”  When I wrote my blog about it, I was a bit dubious about what sort of submissions there would be, since in my experience, it’s been a lot easier to illustrate abuses than it is to illustrate the benefits of human rights.

Well, the results are in and posted at “One Day On Earth.”  They run the gamut from the profound to the mundane.

I found “The Pardon” by Joel Karekezi to be especially moving. In the film, Karekezi explores the lingering anguish of surviving the Rwanda genocide – both from the perspective of the victim as well as that of the perpetrator.  The film does have a happy ending of sorts in that the man who inflicted violence realizes the need for atonement and the victim realizes the necessity of forgiving past sins to be able to enjoy the present.

But other film submissions seem to be to be snapshots of mundane everyday life.  And while the goal was to “help document the world’s story on 10-10-10,” I didn’t at first see the connection with human rights.  It was only upon reflection that I realized that human rights — for those of us who enjoy the freedom to enjoy them — are like the air we breathe:  You take it for granted until you are deprived of it.

Learn more:  Human Rights in Brief

What makes for a “real man?”

Too often some men regard as their prerogative the right to treat women as “subjects” — even to the point of abusing them.  And that’s a real problem when, according to experts in this field, nearly one in three women the world over can expect to experience gender violence at least once in their lifetimes.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and many other government officials and human rights activists have said over and over:  violence against women is not a social issue, it’s a crime and a violation of human rights.

Much has been said about empowering women – making them cognizant of their human rights, giving them the means to make themselves strong and independent.  And many U.S. programs are aimed at just that.

More recently, however, the State Department has turned its attention to the role of men.  A recent panel discussion called “Changing Attitudes:  What Men and Boys Can Do to Address and Prevent Violence against Women” brought activists from a variety of sectors to discuss the role of men in ending violence against women.

On the panel was Anthony Porter, co-founder of A Call to Men, an organization devoted to shifting the social norms that define men and ending violence and discrimination against women and girls.

Porter named patriarchy and the “collective socialization of men” as the chief reasons why violence against women continues.  Most men do not abuse women, he noted, but they are nonetheless part of a world-wide social mindset that accepts the notion that women are less valuable then men.  That mindset, he said, may not necessarily condone the abuse of women, but it does create an environment that tolerates it.

That mindset, Porter said, makes all men part of the problem and requires all men to be part of the solution.  What is needed, he said, is a new concept of “healthy manhood.”

What do you think it would take to change social norms about what “manhood” is all about?