Amnesty International: A Quest for Human Rights - Essay Example

Amnesty International: A Quest for Human Rights (Fill in with your information etc Amnesty International: A Quest for Human Rights In a world filled with so much angst, hate, and aggression, it is not surprising that society has become the way it is. Prisoners of conscience put away for their beliefs, forced disappearances, wrongful accusations and deaths - there is no certainty as to how long life could have sustained this way without someone stepping in to take control of such a dire situation. "A non-governmental organization is an organization that is not part of a government and was not founded by the states." ("Wikipedia", 2005). In other words, a non-governmental organization or 'NGO' is one that is independent of all forms of government, and is usually restricted to social, cultural, legal, and environmental advocacy groups having goals that are primarily non-commercial. These organizations are most often non-profit and usually only gain funding from their own private resources. It has been found by some that the term 'non-governmental organization' is rather broad, and can in fact be referred or related to basically anything non-governmental, and as a result, many now prefer the term 'private voluntary organization', or 'PVO'. There were nearly 29 000 international NGOs recorded in a 1995 UN report on global governance ("Amnesty", 2005), and the United States alone has an estimated 2 million, most of which were formed quite recently. On top of this already predominant figure, still more have and soon will have been added to that list, as dozens of new NGOs are created daily. The globalization which occurred during the 20th century is what truly gave rise to the importance of NGOs. It was quickly realized that many problems inside a nation could not be solved without the interference of outside aid, and that therefore there needed to be a solution to assess this dilemma. NGOs are an extremely critical part of the world, created for the sole purpose of assisting others in need, and driven by the single goal of commitment in helping others, and bringing peace to a hectic world. There are two different types of non-governmental organizations, which are: Operational NGOs The primary purpose of an operational NGO is the design and implementation of such things as development-related projects. These are also known as 'relief-oriented' or 'development-oriented' organizations. Advocacy NGOs The primary purpose of an advocacy NGO is to defend or promote a specific cause. They are quite opposite to an operational NGO, as they instead try to raise awareness, acceptance, and knowledge through such things as lobbying, press work and activist events. There are a number of various reasons why non-governmental organizations exist - especially for the purpose of furthering the political or social goals of their members. Their most determining intention for coming together is for the notion of bringing peace across the globe, and for the creation, protection, and usage of proper human rights for people everywhere. One of the top non-governmental organizations of all, whose goal it is to do just this is what will be discussed in the following. "Where, after all, do universal human rights begin In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world." (Roosevelt, 1948). "Amnesty International's work is based on principles set forth in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights." (Hogne, 1996). Amnesty International is one of the most well known non-governmental organizations of all time. Their sole purpose, like all other recognized NGOs, is to improve the welfare of the disadvantaged, encourage the observance of human rights, and improve the state of the natural environment, just to name a few. They, again like most other NGOs, are non-profit, with only a few low-paid workers, the rest - the majority - strictly volunteers. They receive no salary, no promotions, and no benefits - their sole purpose being to assist others in their time of need. They are a non-partisan organization, and they do not even accept donations from governments or governmental organizations. It was what seemed like a regular day in 1961 when Peter Benenson, a British lawyer, was reading his daily newspaper and became shocked at what he came across. What had angered him so was the story of two Portuguese students who had been sentenced to seven years in prison - for the crime of raising their glasses in a toast to freedom. This completely outraged Benenson who, on May 28 of that same year, published an article titled The Forgotten Prisoners in The Observer newspaper. Benenson made aware the facts of what had happened to these students, how wrongful he believed the situation was, and asked readers to write letters showing their support for these two young boys. What Benenson had not expected was the overwhelming response which answered him. It was so great in fact, that within a year groups of letter writers had formed in more than a dozen countries, writing in to defend victims of injustice wherever they might be. Benenson continued in the surge of this new human-rights organization, his ultimate goal being to create an "awakened and vigilant world consciousness". (Buchanan 595). The legacy of Amnesty International began to grow, and soon "they realized that the work would have to be carried out on a more permanent basis; the number of prisoners of conscience was enormous and they were to be found in every part of the world." ("Nobel", 2004). By mid-1962, Amnesty International, or 'AI', was worldwide. There were groups working or forming in West Germany, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, Ceylon, New Zealand, Greece, Ghana, Australia, Israel, Argentina, Jamaica, Mexico, Malaya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burma, India, and Congo (Brazzaville). Although Amnesty International now handles a widespread list of topics and issues, it was first connected almost solely with the rights of dealing with political prisoners. This was AI's key position at that point in time, and they were the first true organization to actually step up and do something about such an undesirable subject. "AI sends its legal experts to observe trials, to search for prisoners, and for people who have been 'disappeared' and publishes annual reports on human rights violations in those countries where it has concerns." ("Cyber", 1995). Here is an example letter from an actual prisoner of conscience - Julio de Pena Valdez - who was freed from a prison in the Dominican Republic in 1979 with the help of a letter writing campaign through AI: "When the two hundred letters came the guards gave me back my clothes. Then the next two hundred letters came and the prison director came to see me. When the next pile of letters arrived, the director got in touch with his superior. The letters kept coming and coming: three thousand of them. The President called the prison and told them to let me go." (Powers, 134). "Over time, however, the organization has expanded its mission to work to prevent and end grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights." ("Wikipedia", 2005). Since AI was founded, it has worked to defend more than 44 600 prisoners in hundreds of countries, and continues to raise this figure through its work each and every day. As of today, AI has "aided in the release of more than 10 000 political prisoners worldwide." ("Answers", 2005). "Local Amnesty groups exist in sorts and sizes. Some groups are really small while others are relatively large." ("History", 2003). With over a million supporters around the world, it is "the largest volunteer based organization in the world." ("Library", 2005). The structure of Amnesty International is specific yet simple. The organizational structure of AI includes: the International Council, International Executive Committee, and an International Secretariat. "The International Council is Amnesty International's main governance. Every year delegates from the national sections (chapters) are invited to attendthe Council decides on policy changes, goals for the year, and reviews for the job functions of the International Secretariat and the International Executive Committee." (Powers, 139). The current leader of the International Secretariat is Irene Khan. The Statute of Amnesty - which actually defines the organization's work and structure - can only be altered by a two-thirds majority voting at the International Council. The first article of the Statute is one which sets out the objects and goals of AI, some of which are as follows: the release of all prisoners of conscience, fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners, and an end to torture and executions. A top priority goal for AI is the complete abolition of the death penalty. "Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, on the grounds that it is a violation of the right to life." ("Hartford", 1996). These goals define the very basics of what AI's work strives to achieve, and are commonly referred to as the organization's "mandate". "Amnesty International works within a mandate which defines its areas of concerns and helps to keep it focused and working efficiently within its resources." ("Bradford", 2000). The actual Statute of Amnesty International, as amended by the 21st International Council, meeting in Boston, United States of America, 6-14 August 1993 is as follows: "OBJECT AND MANDATE: 1. The object of AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL is to contribute to the observance throughout the world of human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In pursuance of this object, and recognizing the obligation on each person to extend to others rights and freedoms equal to his or her own, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL adopts as its mandate: To promote awareness of and adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally recognized human rights instruments, the values enshrined in them, and the indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights and freedoms; To oppose grave violations of the rights of every person freely to hold and to express his or her convictions and to be free from discrimination by reason of ethnic origin, sex, color or language, and of the right of every person to physical and mental integrity, and, in particular, to oppose by all appropriate means irrespective of political considerations: a) the imprisonment, detention or other physical restrictions imposed on any person by reason of his or her political, religious or other conscientiously held beliefs or by reason of his or her ethnic origin, sex, color or language, provided that he or she has not used or advocated violence (hereinafter referred to as 'prisoners of conscience'; AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL shall work towards the release of and shall provide assistance to prisoners of conscience); b) the detention of any political prisoner without fair trial within a reasonable time or any trial procedures relating to such prisoners that do not conform to internationally recognized norms; c) the death penalty, and the torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners or other detained or restricted persons, whether or not the persons affected have used or advocated violence; d) the extrajudicial execution of persons whether or not imprisoned, detained or restricted, and disappearances, whether or not the persons affected have used or advocated violence." (Sandvik, 1996). The mandate is continuously evolving, allowing AI to "respond to the needs of a changing world". ("Bradford", 2000). There are many international standards which AI refers to, including: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) The Convention against Torture (1984) The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) The Geneva Convention and their Protocols "The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that 'no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment' and Amnesty works to prevent such abuse by governments and by other political authorities." ("Bradford", 2000). Amnesty International is headquartered in London, England. The Research Department there collects and analyses new information daily from a wide variety of different sources, including hundreds of newspapers and journals, government bulletins, transcripts of radio broadcasts, and reports from lawyers and humanitarian organizations. The Research Department is constantly in contact with other human-rights activists as well as other interested parties around the world and provides the network of information for all the organization's activities. Amnesty International "relies strongly on the worldwide distribution of 'adoption groups', each of whichbarrages the offending government with letters of protest until the prisoners are released." ("Britannica", 2005). It is the London headquarters who are responsible for deciding who is chosen as a prisoner of conscience. Although, as Powers goes on to state, "they accept suggestions from different chapters; London headquarters staff alone are responsible for these decisions. Researchers at London HQ compile a fact sheet containing information about the victim, and forward it to the necessary section, giving explicit instructions on how to coordinate action for the prisoner of conscience. (139). AI is governed by the International Executive Council, or 'IEC', which is a board of eight members who are each elected for two year terms by the International Council Meeting - this of which is composed of delegates from each country's Board of Directors. Amnesty International is easily one of, if not the, most famously known volunteer organization of all time. It has been around for a little over forty years, but has lived the life's worth of forty million. The number of persons helped, lives saves, souls set free - it is unbelievable what has been accomplished in such a relevantly short period of time. AI strives to protect the rights and freedoms of all people. In briefing, its focus is centered on the following points: Giving freedom of conscience and expression Allowing freedom from discrimination Working to promote human rights Free all prisoners of conscience Ensure fair and prompt trials (for political prisoners) Abolish all forms of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners, including the death penalty End state-sanctioned terrorism killings, and disappearances "The United Nations once dealt only with Governments. By now we know that peace and prosperity cannot be achieved without partnerships involving Governments, international organizations, the business community and civil society. In today's world, we depend on each other." (Annan, 2005). The association between the United Nations, or (UN) and Amnesty International is a critically substantial one. "The United Nations has maintained relations with non-governmental organizations representing the concerns of civil societies throughout the world ever since it was founded in 1945." (Willets, 2005). The United Nations was founded in 1945 to prevent the reoccurrence of such wars as the Second World War. It is an organization which has a particularly long history of working with NGOs. "The UN is the only global organization, which works at the moment to achieve international peace, security, social development, and justice." (Pentikinen, 2005). Article 71, in which it was stated that the Economical and Social Council, or (ECOSOC), would be given the chance to determine what the relationship should be in practice, is what provided NGOs, with access to ECOSOC, "thus becoming the rock on which all UN relations with NGOs were built." (Pentikinen, 2000). As Peter Willets explains it, "Democracy requires at least two processes to occur for individuals to influence policy-making. The first is to provide for open, public debate, so a wide range of ideas under consideration and, within practical limits, every participant can make his or her own contribution. NGOs can contribute effectively to such a broad and open debate. The second is the legitimization of decisions by everybody having a vote either directly on the choice to be made, or indirectly through the election of representatives. But NGOs cannot really claim to be more democratic, more representative or more legitimate as decision-makers than elected governments. Only when a government is authoritarian does the prospect arise of NGOs being more authentic as the voice of the people." (1999). When people and their NGOs turn their faces in search of assistance in global policy making, they more often than not have their hopes in the UN. Yet NGOs themselves widely believe their partnership with the UN is still only at rhetorical or symbolical level. "NGOs have expressed on a regular basis their dissatisfaction with the current arrangements, and are hoping that the United Nations would find new ways to be more open to NGO partnership." (Willets, 1995). According to the opinions of some, the level that NGOs are involved in now is enough, and that they should not force themselves onto other issues, such as matters concerning security policy. NGOs have often made comments that the UN has not been necessarily as supportive as they could be towards NGOs involvement. Then there are others who have a completely opposite point of view. As Professor Peter Willets goes on to state: "NGOs should gain access to all the specialized agencies. While it was stated in general terms, the real goal was to gain access to the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank, which are both UN agencies, and ultimately the World Trade Organization (WTO) which is not (a UN body)." (1995). Due to the fact that non-governmental organizations are not affiliated directly with any particular government, they have certain advantages and disadvantages over governmental organizations. One advantage is that they are not necessarily as susceptible to political pressures as governmental organizations. "Because NGOs are not directly connected to national governments, they are more stable than many governmental organizations." (Jentzen, 2005). In other words, because NGOs are non-governmental, they are free from having to worry about they are allowed to make their own decisions, follow through on their own ideas, and basically respond to situations how they feel best - without the harassment of politics and government demanding otherwise. This allows them the freedom of running their own organization without there being a head higher up controlling their actions. Another advantage is that NGOs can work on much smaller and a more personal level than large governmental organizations. In dealing with a topic such as human rights, it is only understandable that you would want to be on a 'human level', rather than a pretentious government organization which may be intimidating to some. They are obviously more identifiable with those who are most in need; they "have the ability to communicate at all levels, from the neighborhood to the top levels of government." (Jentzen, 2005).Also, NGOs "have the ability to address a very narrow or a very broad scope." (Jentzen, 2005). Depending on what better suits the particular situation the most, NGOs are allowed the freedom of altering back and forth in this scope - without the political pressures of a government. There are many more examples of the advantages that NGOs hold, which include the following: they have the ability to experiment freely with innovative approaches, they have the allowance to take risks, and they are flexible in adapting to local situations. On the other hand, a main disadvantage to NGOs is that of funding. As Jentzen goes on to state, "Most NGOs spend a large amount of time and energy to obtain sufficient and sustainable funding for their operations and projectsMost NGOs do not have nearly the level of spending power of governmental organizations or of projects funded by the international financial organizations." (2005). Due to the fact that they are non-governmental, they can therefore not rely on any governments or governmental organizations as a way for funding. All financial means are produced by the organization itself, and not even donated forms of money are accepted from governments and their organizations. A few other noted disadvantages of a non-governmental organization include: restricted ways of approaching a problem or area, reduced objectivity of an idea, and 'territorial possessiveness' of an area or project. Non-governmental organizations automatically receive a title of 'lesser rank', meaning that because they are not affiliated with any sort of government, they are often considered less important. Amnesty International is a democratically run organization, whose goal is to raise awareness on the wronging of human rights, and whose sole concern is with the matter of impartial protection of those rights. There are now more than 1.8 million members of Amnesty, supporters and subscribers from every part of the globe. Each one has their own name, their own story, their own background - but all come together for one single belief: that all humans should be treated justly, and rightly, without ill-treatment, violence, or wrongful punishment. As Amnesty International's own Secretary General Irene Khan states, "Human rights are not only a promise unfulfilled, they are a promise betrayed." (2005). "Founded in 1961, Amnesty International is a Nobel-prize winning grassroots organization with over one million members worldwide." ("Princeton", 2005). Those who are involved with the organization may come from different backgrounds, but "are united by a determination to work for a world where everyone enjoys human rights." ("Source", 2005). As Barrett states, "Amnesty International has enjoyed in shaping international norms that shape humanitarian policy." (2005). December 10 is now "observed around the world as Human Rights Day." ("Orange, 2004). From the beginning, "Amnesty International endorsed and sought to realize the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." (Barrett, 2005). AI was created by a man with a vision. His vision was that one day, peace will come, and that people will no longer live in fear, terrorism, and war - and that the true goodness of the human spirit will overcome the doubt and wrongness in the world. Peter Benenson almost accidentally began what is now one of the most well known, most productive, and most active human rights organizations in the world. As Barrett explains, "Peter Benenson opened the window for Amnesty InternationalBenenson launched a crusade to help ensure human rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for everyone." (2005). Amnesty International is an organization which will only continue to grow, and raise awareness, and help those in need. It is a selfless, attentive, and determined group of people who unite together for a single great cause - to set right the applications of human rights. From the beginning when they started off defending and fighting for the release of political prisoners to today, where they work to protect people who are victims of abuse as a result of their sexual orientation - AI fights for any and all human rights, without racism, prejudice, or discrimination. Amnesty International is an organization who is lighting the way towards resolution. They are on the quest for human rights. Perhaps - and hopefully so - one day this quest will be fulfilled. References "Amnesty". (2005). Retrieved December 5, 2005. http://www.amnesty.org/ Annan, Kofi. (2005). The United Nations and Civil Society. Retrieved December 7, 2005. http://www.un.org/issues/civilsociety/ Barrett, Diane. (2005, August). The Spark and the Flame: A Critical Examination. Retrieved December 7, 2005. http://72.14.203.104/searchq=cache:JifY_ElbS2cJ:www.iga.vt.edu/papers/Barrett_Professional_Paper.pdf+structure+of+amnesty+international&hl=en "Bradford". (2000, March). Amnesty International. Retrieved December 6, 2005. http://www.bradford-amnesty.fsnet.co.uk/ai.htm "Britannica". (2005). Amnesty International. Retrieved December 4, 2005. http://www.britannica.com/nobel/micro/20_37.html Buchanan, Tom. (2002). Journal of Contemporary History. Retrieved December 6, 2005. "Cyber". (1995). Amnesty International. Retrieved December 7, 2005. http://canterbury.cyberplace.org.nz/peace/amnesty.html "Hartford". (1996). Amnesty International appeals against death sentences of three political prisoners. Retrieved December 4, 2005. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/51/030.html "History". (2003, March). The history of Amnesty International. Retrieved December 5, 2005. http://www.stud.tue.nl/amnesty/Info/Universiteit-info_english.htm Hogne, Sandvik. (1996, March). What is Amnesty International Retrieved December 7, 2005. http://www.uib.no/isf/people/amnesty/httoc.htm Jantzen, Tyler. (2005, October). Non-Governmental Organizations. Retrieved December 8, 2005. http://72.14.207.104/searchq=cache:GY6B7EjrMKoJ:www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/mckinney/ce397/Topics/NGO/NGO(2005).doc+what+are+the+political+advantages+and+disadvantages+of+being+a+non-governmental+organization&hl=en Khan, Irene. (2005). Amnesty International Annual Report 2005. 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Retrieved December 7, 2005. http://www.udhr.org/history/biographies/bioer.htm "Source". (2005, December). Amnesty International. Retrieved December 5, 2005. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.phptitle=Amnesty_International "Wikipedia". (2005). Amnesty International. Retrieved December 5, 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International Willets, Peter. (2005, August). Materials on Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Retrieved December 4, 2005. http://www.staff.city.ac.uk/p.willetts/ Read More