Questioning Human Rights

Feb 19, 2008 - 10:50 AM PST

So, this is my first blog for quarterlife . . . I have been asked to write as a human rights activist. The truth is I’m not so much a human rights ‘activist’ as I am a promoter of human rights. The difference might be subtle, but it’s important.

Activists take sides, often very fervent sides, on particular human rights issues. While generally considered ‘leftist’, human rights activists exist on both sides of the political spectrum. Pro-life and pro-choice groups both house their arguments in human rights language—the right to choose versus the right to life. Unfortunately, too often the language of human rights gets co-opted by political parties and special interest groups.

I have spend the last five years dedicated myself to increasing debate, dialogue, and discussion about human rights issues, without trying to turn it into a political debate. Through my role at Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), an international NGO, I try to create real understanding of the issues underneath the overly political rhetoric of rights debates. At JHR we train (or build the capacity of) African and North American journalists to report more effectively on human rights issues. As an organization we don’t take stands—we just promote human rights discussion (on all sides) in the media.

This work is particularly important in Africa, where average citizens often don’t know their rights but listen to the radio every day. Women can now learn from the radio that they don’t have to let their husbands beat them. And in North America, there are plenty of people that don’t know about, say, the Rwandan genocide, or even the horrid living conditions of aboriginals in their own backyards.

At the end of the day, I believe in the power of open and free discussion to create positive change. Only by allowing and encouraging open debate can we ever come close to understanding the truth about human rights—and virtually every other important matter.

In this vein, over the course of my blog’s life I will attempt to explore some of the most important themes in the modern day human rights debate. Sometimes I might anger you. Sometimes I might shock you. Other times you might- just might- agree with me. Either way, I hope that I can get you thinking about human rights issues in ways that you haven’t before. As Albert Einstein once said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” So, let’s question away!

Discuss this article on our forums