Amnesty International in Canada - Research Paper Example

Amnesty International in Canada Introduction Amnesty International is an organization focusing on the protection of the human rights around the world (Amnesty International, 2013). “The aim is the protection of human rights includes issues such as lesbianism, the rights of gays, same sex marriages and human rights’ violations” (Amnesty International, 2013). However, the success of the organization has been limited by various issues affecting the organizations operational structure and policies. Despite the challenges in the administration, the organization has been able to address several issues effectively. These issues addressed include human rights violations in Canada. The violations have been documented by the organization which in turn ranks countries on the basis of the protection of human rights. The organization operates in very many countries in the world and the success of the organization is based on the ability to run the different events and actions independently. Same sex marriages have been a serious issue of debate, especially in Canada after the recent changes in family polices and the need to implement the necessary human rights protection. “Mainstream views of gender and sex, as is well established, distinguish the two by associating sex with the physical, material body and gender with culturally defined social roles” (Bowring & Brewis, 2009, p. 362). The country has the role of address several issues in gay and lesbian protection which are different from the initial or traditional culture. The legalization of the same sex marriages has created diverse effects in the economy and the country's focus. The protection of such rights has not been effective because of the leadership structures in the different protection agencies in the country. “The failure to handle the issues of same sex marriages and lesbianism indicates the challenges in the organization. Amnesty international evaluated the performance of Canada in relation to the protection of the rights of women. Canada failed to address the issues of women and especially involving the Aboriginal women” (Amnesty International, 2013). “Differences exist between Canada and the United States, although there also significant similarities: Both are multicultural societies with significant Aboriginal populations, professionalized social workforces, shrinking welfare states and increasingly integrated economies” (Baines, 2008, p. 124). However, the role of Amnesty International is to help in the protection of the rights of the women because it is the part of the human rights mandate. Hegemony in Amnesty International The critical theory is important in the evaluation of the impact of hegemony in the organization. The perception of citizens is vital in understanding the impact of the organization in an area of operation. However, the organization’s strategy and achievement can help in shaping the perception (Amnesty International, 2013). Amnesty International has been blamed for focusing on the negatives or issues that depict a country as not doing enough to solve the human rights violations in the country. The success of any organization in articulating the needs an issue of the society can be evaluated by the people and consider the achievements. The structure of the organization and its beginning makes the whole situation differently because it has changed its mandate from protecting the prisoners to cover the issues of human rights violations (Amnesty International, 2013). The success of any organization depends with its ability to reduce bureaucracy in its organization policies and increase efficiencies in the management. Social Policies Amnesty International organizational policies depend on the ability to factor in emerging actual issues (Amnesty International, 2013). One of the issues classified as important is the increased acceptance of the lesbians and gays in the society. These issues were traditionally viewed as not vital but with the increasing segregation other individuals in the society, the organization is tasked with activism to ensure the rights of these individuals in the society. “The rigidity in operation in the organizations affects support reducing the success of the organization” (Okbor, 2001, p. 593). The current set up of the organization is challenging because of the changes in the human rights violations activities in the changing world. The other challenge is the company’s structure and operative approach. The organization has operated on the traditional structure for a long time with minimal revenue collection because it is a nonprofit making organization. The major challenge with the international organization is the maintenance of structure of operation even in countries with different cultures and tradition (Bowring & Brewis, 2009, 376). Without considering the differences in culture, the organization maintains a rigid structure of organization. The maintenance of the status quo is the major challenge in organizations because most organizations tend to maintain the same sphere of operation. However, globalization has forced several organizations to change their sphere of operations and structure. Countering Hegemony Amnesty international has changed its operations from the standard operations to cover the diverse changes in human rights violation scenarios. “From the discipline of organizational theory and management, research has benefited from the import of critical theory” (Okbor, 2001 p. 591). From the first critical theory, the changes in the structure of the organization are essential. The approach has enabled countries to review their positions based on their activities and the success or failure of their approach. The new approach helps governments to evaluate their activities including the role of civil societies in the development of the various rights protection approaches. For instance, the ranking of Canada touched on the issues of gender especially aboriginal women. These findings can be used to counter the different hegemonic philosophies within the organization. “The external forces are important in the society because it makes organization change their sphere of operation and develop new methods of operation and development” (Amnesty International, 2013). The training on leadership development and efficiency is important because it helps create objectivity in the reasoning of the leaders and managers. Such development will help reduce the rigidity and bureaucracy in the organization. “Bureaucracy poses a serious challenge for the organization because it creates rigidity and creates change resistance in the organization” (Amnesty International, 2013). “Bureaucracy can be eliminated by changing organizational structure and policies, to encourage flexibility in operation” (Paton, Paton, & McCalman, 2008, p. 56). Amnesty international has conducted reviews of the operational structure and the resultant effect of the review and restructuring are increased efficiency. Conclusion Amnesty International in Canada has been able to achieve success in human rights education and the management of various human rights protection activities. However, several challenges exist in the handling of the divergent issues of human rights violation. In addition, the structure of operations has been forced to change because of the changes in the human environment. The success of Amnesty International in Canada is based on the success of restructuring and expansion of the role. Reference Amnesty International. (2013). Canada Human Rights. Retrieved March 29, 2013, from Amnesty International: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/countries/americas/canada Baines, D. (2008). Race, Resistance and Restructuring Emerging in the social in the New Social Services. Social Work, 123-131. Bowring, M. A., & Brewis, J. (2009). Truth and consequences Managing lesbian and gay identity in the Canadian workplace. Emerald Journal, 361-377. Okbor, J. (2001). Critical theory and the Hegemony of Corporate culture. Journal of organizational change management , 590-602. Paton, R. A., Paton, R., & McCalman, J. ( 2008). Change Management: A Guide to Effective Implementation. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Read More