The uniqueness of human rights activism (original) (raw)

Human rights activism stems from a reaction to a situation or state of existence that ‘ought not to happen’, the response being the activist’s attempt to effect change. ‘What ought not to happen’ is the abuse of human rights, that is, where people are subjected to the deliberate shattering of their dignity, such that for all intents and purposes they have become de-humanised, their sense of their own humanity snuffed out, extinguished. It is in this context that the human rights activist reacts, then is compelled to act. This paper makes the contention that human rights activism is unique, distinguished from other forms of activism not only by the enormity of ‘what ought not to happen’, but by several additional, interlinked dimensions. I will discuss three of these, which I describe as follows: enabling the recovery of voice and agency for sufferers of abuse; encountering the human capacity for evil; and – somehow – retaining hope in the face of a seemingly never-ending parade of human rights abuses, the continuance of which challenges the legitimacy of law itself. Each dimension has its own set of ethical and practical dilemmas, which we will explore in this paper. Together, these dimensions make human rights activism nothing less – nor more profound – than an expression of the value of life itself, not perhaps as it is lived, but as it could be lived. NOTE: This is an unpublished paper. Please do not quote or cite it without my prior permission.