How ngos, activism and people work to defend human rights

Getting knowledge about the protection of Human Rights is our best ally of defense. One of the most debated topics nowadays is the violations of Human Rights since everyday thousands of people suffer around the world. The abuses, injustices, offenses, transgressions among other signs of disrespect for people’s dignity are considered Human Rights violation. For the most people who experience from different forms of abuses, it is difficult to face violation because they do not have enough knowledge on the procedures of defense. Fortunately, there are also some people knowledgeable about the protection of Human Rights, and they are involved in governmental, private, nonprofit and non-governmental organizations around the world. The main mission of them is to guarantee the legal compliance that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states for all humanity. This is possible through the creation of NGOs which work at different levels and have specific modes of intervention, activists have taken part so that others can join their cause and get involved in the promotion, protection, and diffusion of Human Rights.

First and foremost, many groups of people who work for promote and protect our rights have created Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). These NGOs have their beginning in a local level formed by one or more persons. Mainly, one of the most important principles of NGOs is neutrality, that means they can not choose between any political, military or group side. For example, NGOs inside the Afghanistan war cannot choose among the rebel groups, or politicians involved in this war (Simkin, 2016). Also, Simkin (2016) in his reportage states that the neutrality has the aim of no jeopardize people who suffer because this war. Additionally, NGOs are formed by professionals as lawyers, reporters, doctors, psychologists, etc. The last with the purpose of have different organizations inside many fields of Human Rights protection such us: gender, childhood, freedom from slavery and discrimination, and others. The involvement of NGOs depends of the class of participation such as discourses, submitting information available on HR violations, exhibiting complaints about the violation of HR, promoting HR awareness in the society and before governmental organization into any country or international organization.

For the rest, NGOs and their participation at international level is secured thanks to the right of participation inside the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) and the UNHRC (UN Human Rights Council) organ and body from the United Nations respectively. Considering the UN as an international organization which has the power and the obligation to defend and protect common wellness of everybody, NGOs have important roles inside this organization, and it depends on their three different categories of NGOs inside the UN. The first is directly involved in the ECOSOC activities as meetings and drafts about rights. The second is distributed into selected fields of HR activities (gender, children field, etc.). Finally, the third is which participate under invitation from the ECOSOC, because it is named “ roster”, and it does not have obligations inside the international organizations, but it still has rights of participations (Ejami, 2003).

Therefore, the existence of NGOs keeps the hope for all human beings who experience any kind of violation since NGOs guarantee with their labor and help supplying people in need for get a better life, besides make accomplish international, national and local governmental organization the obligation of protect the dignity of humanity. Moreover, it is possible for regular people to use this information and collaborate with them to get involved as well in many levels of participation.

Activism: its causes and its goals

Something that was not previously mentioned is the term “ activist” which one is very important in the part of people who create NGOs. Global Activism is the base of the creation different types of participation to promote Human Rights protection, but it differences from NGOs because it can work just with only one person indistinguishable of their gender, age or profession. In the followings paragraphs are cited three different representatives of Global Activism who all had a common aim or the cause that is to do away with suffering from people in need, because their Human Rights were being violated.

First of all, Mahatma Gandhi is a global representative of Activism since he got the independence of the entire India from British Empire colonization. Gandhi M. (1955) explains that he started to involve with the Indian problem when at preparatory studied economic and political condition of the Indians in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Thanks to this study, he could put his attention on the laws that just capture Indians from freedom, and it could take the term “ slavery”. Later Gandhi with the intention to take his country to freedom developed a system called Satyagraha which was a form of nonviolent and civil resistance, and it produced that all India joined with Gandhi in the search of freedom (Gandhi, 1955). Even when he and thousands of Indians went into a prison, they kept this purpose starting up. In his essay “ The Triumph of Satyagraha” Gandhi M. (1955) supplies that the last incited to the Union Government appointed a commission which produced that governments gave the justice for the entire Indians and consequently innocents from prison left it. He gave no just the freedom for Indians but also, he left a doctrine of truth and non-violence which still in the India education and around the world as a message of peace.

Second of all, Malala Yousafzai is an important representative in this times for Global Activism. The fight of Malala started when she only was eleven years old, and it was because the Pakistan culture discriminate to girls from education and other actions as the born or birth celebration in contrast that boys were being treated. She diffused the rights of education for girls and refused the prohibition from her parents to stop going to school. After, when she was fifteen Taliban which is a political movement was against her discourses and shot to her, but she miraculously saved (Ryder, 2015). Consequently, thanks to the fear of Pakistan people to lost Malala her idea started to be stronger than before and she got the support for people inside the education in Pakistan to promote and defend the access to education for girls. Moreover, Malala was listening around the world and she got the support from the UN to diffuse the gender indiscrimination and access of education rights (World’s Children’s Prize, 2014). Currently, she continues working for girls’ rights and her and other foundation take care about cases of violation around the world.

Finally, it is accurate mention that these examples are the proof of both desire and effort working for a final objective based in the wellness of everyone, besides that there is not a special recipe to start protecting someone, many people or an entire nation from any type of abuse. Starting from this work people can join with these kinds of leaders who currently are scattered around the world with different messages for all people. Then everybody can supply in any way with the cause of these people and other organizations, because it is auspicious to provide information and help about the defense and protection of our rights specially for people who cannot find a way to protect themselves.

Involvement indistinctly of people

Lastly, the protection of Human Rights is mainly based on all human beings’ actions. There are no requirements to become defenders of everybody’s right. In the Fact Sheet No. 29 “ Human Rights Defenders: Protecting the Right to Defend Human Rights” published by the United Nation (n. d) states that individuals, groups or associations who contribute with the elimination of all human rights violations are considered human rights defenders, and it is no specific definition of who is or can be a human rights defender. For example, United Nations (n. d) cites “ a student who organizes other students to campaign for an end to torture in prisons could be described as human rights defender”. Therefore, it is confirmed the fact that all people individually and associatively take part in the promotion and protection of Human Rights under the international laws. The last mean that both regular people and politicians or other authorities can participate or start any strategy to end with any kind of injustice, and it can take place in their house, neighborhood, school, university, town, city or wherever place.

On the other hand, people nowadays do not have information or ideas for start their own campaigns or organization for stop any kind of violation, but it does not mean that they cannot participate with others. Currently, NGOs which are mentioned before work with people at local level and are searching for more help. For example, to present the complaints before UNHRC, NGOs require a minimum of cases to submit under this body, and people who know about cases of gender, discrimination or other violation could submit directly the case that they know to the NGOs (Ejami, 2003). It could be Amnesty International which currently is making investigation about any kind of failure on the application of Human Rights. Moreover, all these NGOs are based in nonprofit pacts, so they need help as volunteer, donator and diffuser to continue and extend around the world.

At last, the different ways to get involved as part of the Global Activism and collaboration with NGOs are designated for all people. The Volunteer Program is where you thanks of your abilities or profession could interview for help people for their countries or other countries. For example, Doctor without Borders an NGO which invite to doctors and health helpers to travel into communities where people do not have access to hospitals or are suffering a pandemic and even they go into the places in war for instance Afghanistan to assist people (Doctor without Borders, n. d). Additionally, the NGOs who take care about humans in need around the world requirement donations from selfless people. These donations can be sent outside their countries, but in most of cases there are NGOs headquarters in their own countries. The donations include: medicine, canned food, clothes, shoes, cleaning tools, everything that it is considered basic and necessary. Also, the help could be of diffusion of respect Human Rights. The diffusion take part firstly on the houses, with parents, siblings and others, later it will expand to schools, towns, cities and the country. Furthermore, Movements of Human Rights protection have participants and their marches for the common well of everybody specially for people who are suffering injustices, and it has the aim to move masses who share an specific message for everybody.

Therefore, in the cases where people want to get involved on the defense of Human Rights, they can find many ways to do it. It could be for themselves as individual, in campaigns organized with more peoples or just become a support of Activism and different NGOs which are scattered in many parts of the world in searching for the same objectives. It is necessary to get information about NGOs, how each one work and in which field of Human Rights they are involved.

To sum up, NGOs as organizations with rights of participation inside the United Nation can participate in a favor of people around the world in many ways following laws and specific parameters that the UN demands. Other important promoter of Human Rights defense is the Global Activism which has many representatives around the world, people as Gandhi and Malala who just want to get involved in the part of solution for the past and current abuses for all humanity. And which I consider is essential the involvement of regular people in this defense as they can, with donation, participation as volunteer, and being a diffusor of Human Right. All these roles are part of the duty of being Human Rights defenders.