Human Rights 101

Heading to the Department of State for an event entitled “Human Rights 101,” the two of us (Kristen and Liz) had the opportunity to attend a discussion with four of the leading figures in human rights; we were accompanied by other students passionate about the issues. As Kristen works with the Enough Project and Liz works with Human Rights First, it was amazing to be able to hear the insights shared by Mike Posner, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Human Rights and Labor; Tom Malinowski, Advocacy Director of Human Rights Watch; Elisa Massimino, CEO of Human Rights First; and Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director of Freedom House. All four figures stressed that there is and always should be someone present to advance human rights issues regardless of party lines.

Mr. Malinowski spoke first and was more critical of government, stating that his guiding principles came from books and discussions and that he “didn’t learn anything [during his time] in government.” Interestingly, Tom asserted that as human rights advocates we have to be pragmatic in how we approach the issues; for example, framing human rights as a national security priority will make the public aware of its broad implications. Tom also addressed the fact that many times NGOs have to “hold the hands of nervous officials” who may be reluctant to act on controversial issues, like closing Guantanamo or the United States detention and torture of suspected terrorists. He, however, said that “upholding our [American] values makes us stronger.”

One of the students inquired about women's rights and its place in human rights action. In regards to this, Ms. Massimino talked about the importance of “specializing without marginalizing”- but she also mentioned that it can be difficult to get women to demand rights because it requires systemic reform since women need a voice first.

Ms. Windsor talked about the challenge of implementing changes across all of the government; even if human rights advances are achieved despite the post-9/11 pushback against a lot of human rights, getting all on board is not without effort and time.

Mr. Posner highlighted that we have to step up and reflect on what we want our country to look like and what we want it to stand for—we have to have detention policies and general practices that are consistent with both human rights and the rule of law.

- KR and LB