Helpful Links

Darfur. Burma. Sri Lanka. You hear about them on the news. They represent just a few of the trouble spots that underscore the scope of human suffering around the world.

Every year, $42.5 billion changes hands in the human trafficking industry; 11.4 million refugees and internally displaced persons are spread across the globe; 16,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes; genocide continues to ravage Darfur and Eastern Chad with no end in sight.

For those who want to get involved – locally, nationally or globally – this primer is designed to give you a feel for what’s out there and what can be done to help.

Human Rights is a broad term that covers a wide range of different issues. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) is considered by many to be the definitive framework for global human rights (the Guinness Book of World Records claims that the UDHR is the modern world's most translated document) and is a good place to start if you want to learn more. Closely related to human rights is the notion of “human security." The 1994 Human Development Report first introduced the concept of human security and is a good place to start for those that want to gather more information on this dimension of human rights.

A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been established over the years with a specific focus on human rights issues. These and other human rights NGOs play the role of global community organizers by spreading research and information about human rights and advocating through the public. They also advocate through governments and multilateral organizations, such as the United Nations to campaign for various human rights agendas.

A short list of human rights issues that these organizations focus on might include:

· The use of banned munitions such as cluster bombs.

· Post conflict abuses such as the alleged torture and detention of enemy combatants.

· Genocide, particularly recent incidents that have plagued sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, most notably in Rwanda and Darfur.

· The systematic neglect of large populations, such as the current situations in Zimbabwe, Burma and North Korea.

· Military conflicts taking a large toll on civilian populations, as has happened in Sri Lanka.

· The Refugee issues in various locations worldwide.

· The international slave trade and Human Trafficking.

Here are some additional links where you can learn more about human rights:

• HRW.org - In addition to advocacy, Human Rights Watch issues a number of notable policy papers each year on topics ranging from 'The Great Firewall of China' to alleged torture of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay and so called 'CIA Black sites.'
• Enough Project - Spawned by the International Crisis Group, an excellent policy organization, ENOUGH was formed to take a firm stand against genocide.
• FreedomHouse.org - Freedom House is a proponent of the democratic process and works against dictatorships leaning to the far left or far right.
• HumanRightsFirst.org - Human Rights First works to protect people at risk of losing their human rights including refugees and victims of discrimination, among others.
• CPJ.org – Since 1981, the Committee to Protect Journalists has worked to promote press freedom worldwide.
• Amnesty.org - Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of individuals working to improve human rights.