The 60th anniversary of the (UDHR) is an opportunity to remind our government, particularly the incoming new administration and Congress, of its duty to protect the human rights of its people 鈥� an obligation it signed up for when it voted for the UN General Assembly's adoption of the UDHR's 30 articles in 1948.
Arguably the most basic and fundamental right outlined in the Declaration is Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. And yet victims of gender-based violence across the country (and throughout the world) are denied this right on a daily basis: every day by their intimate partners in the United States, and many more are assaulted, raped, trafficked, stalked, and otherwise abused. Clearly, the government cannot prevent every act of violence committed by individuals, but it must do everything in its power to protect women's safety.
Unfortunately, the government has abdicated much of its responsibility for the human rights violations women suffer in the form of violence 鈥� and that is why advocates must turn to the UDHR and other international human rights mechanisms to remind the United States that it has an affirmative obligation to ensure that everyone can enjoy the right to life, liberty and security of person.
This is exactly what Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales) did in 2005 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the police of Castle Rock, CO had done nothing wrong when they refused, despite her repeated pleas for help over a ten-hour period, to enforce the court-issued protective order she had obtained against her estranged husband. Jessica's husband kidnapped their three daughters in violation of the court order and, after no effort by the police to locate them, the night ended tragically with the deaths of all three girls. Not accepting the Supreme Court's decision as the end of the line, Jessica and her advocates petitioned the (IACHR) to find that her human rights had been violated by both the police's inaction and the courts' denial of a remedy. The IACHR's governing document, the , like the UDHR, holds the government to a higher standard of accountability for protecting women from gender-based violence than does U.S. domestic law. Jessica has given testimony at two hearings before the IACHR, and the Commission is expected to issue its findings and recommendations in 2009.
Sixty years ago the United States government adopted the UDHR, and yet it continues to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses occurring every day within its borders. Women, children, immigrants, people of color, and poor people in particular have been neglected by the government, often with the dismissive attitude that the government is not responsible for ensuring their rights. But we cannot let the government forget that it endorsed the rights set forth in the UDHR, and that it is obligated to uphold them or those rights will become meaningless. .
Celebrate the UDHR at 60 with the 老澳门开奖结果. Visit and calling on the government and newly elected president to recommit to the UDHR. On December 10, the 老澳门开奖结果's efforts will culminate in the of an exclusive publication about the importance of the UDHR.
Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues on This Page
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News & CommentaryDec 2024
Human Rights
Failed War on Drugs Policies Won't Stop the Overdose Crisis, But Harm Reduction Can Save LivesFailed War on Drugs Policies Won't Stop the Overdose Crisis, But Harm Reduction Can Save Lives
Research shows extensive benefits from syringe exchange and other harm reduction programs. But misguided efforts to ban common sense care continue. -
News & CommentaryDec 2024
Racial Justice
Human Rights
Why the Fight for Racial Justice is a Human Rights IssueWhy the Fight for Racial Justice is a Human Rights Issue
On International Human Rights Day, the 老澳门开奖结果 is advocating for a long-sought after reparatory justice to end the continued abuses against Black and brown communities. -
Press ReleaseOct 2024
Human Rights
Free Speech
Universities Should Protect Students鈥� Right to Protest, End Crackdown on Peaceful ProtestsUniversities Should Protect Students鈥� Right to Protest, End Crackdown on Peaceful Protests
WASHINGTON 鈥� College and university presidents across the U.S. need to respect and protect the right to protest in support of Palestinian rights the 老澳门开奖结果, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter. For months the organizations have raised concerns about the potential use of unlawful force when university administrators call in law enforcement officers to break up demonstrations on campus. This new letter comes after reports of heavy-handed and excessive force by some campus police and local law enforcement against peaceful protests and encampments across the country. The groups provide recommendations for colleges and universities to ensure they protect the right to protest on their campuses. The organizations also urge university administrations to refrain from taking any further measures to suppress student protests on campus, including stopping the use of so-called less lethal weapons and ensuring that coercive police power is used only as a last resort, among other recommendations. 鈥淯niversities are responsible for protecting both physical safety and free expression on campus,鈥� said Jamil Dakwar, director at the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 Human Rights Program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 deeply concerning to see universities needlessly expose students to police violence for peacefully expressing their political opinions. We鈥檙e urging schools once again to exercise restraint, practice de-escalation, and protect free speech and dissent on campus.鈥� Preliminary analysis by Amnesty International鈥檚 Digital Verification Corps has identified at least 174 photos, videos, or social media posts from 20 universities of potential excessive use of force by law enforcement under international law that merits further investigation. This includes 17 universities where chemical irritants such as pepper spray appear to have been used against student protesters, and 11 universities where officers appear to have responded to protests armed with kinetic impact projectiles such as rubber bullets. The results of this use of force by law enforcement agencies have been devastating, including media-verified reports of severe injuries such as bleeding puncture wounds, head injuries, broken teeth, and suspected broken bones, most notably at the University of California Los Angeles, Columbia University, and the City College of New York. The Digital Verification Corps also documented at least 10 other universities where photos or videos capture potential injuries to students. It found that half of the incidents involving injuries under investigation appear to be the result of chemical irritants. 鈥淭he information we have gathered on excessive use of force against student protesters is extremely worrisome and we are still in the beginning of our investigation,鈥� said Justin Mazzola, researcher with Amnesty International USA. 鈥淲ith the continuation of the Israeli military鈥檚 assault on Gaza and the risk of US complicity through the sending of weapons, campus protests in favor of stopping the violence and destruction will continue. Universities have a responsibility to protect academic freedom and the rights to freedom of expression, and to peacefully protest, and we will be watching to ensure they do.鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch are not alone in their concern. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several UN experts, including the UN special rapporteur on the right to education, have criticized the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators by law enforcement and disciplinary measures against students exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. All higher education institutions, even private colleges and universities, where the First Amendment is not applicable, have a responsibility to respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly under international law. 鈥淚nstead of resorting to police action that both shuts down free speech and heightens the risk of injuries, universities need to do more to protect student speech from violence and intimidation, and actively ensure that peaceful student expression continues without interference,鈥� said Tanya Greene, director of the US program at Human Rights Watch. As the letter explains, the 老澳门开奖结果, Amnesty International USA, and Human Rights Watch are conducting research and analysis of how campus administrators are responding to student protests. They urge universities to fulfill their human rights responsibilities by facilitating protests and ensuring that all students' rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, regardless of viewpoint, is respected. A comprehensive joint report on this issue is slated to be released by the 老澳门开奖结果 and Amnesty International USA in the coming months. The open letter is available here: /documents/letter-to-universities-student-protesters -
News & CommentaryOct 2024
Immigrants' Rights
Human Rights
Three Ways the Media Introduces Bias to the Immigration DebateThree Ways the Media Introduces Bias to the Immigration Debate
Ahead of the election, we examined how political ads and news media stories depict the immigration debate as more negative than it may be.