Human Rights Forum Calls on Dedicated Students

By Broadside Staff Writer Erica Terrini

Amnesty International held a forum on Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Patriot’s Lounge in Student Union Building I. Mason students gathered with Amnesty’s leaders, President Erin Neff, Vice President Monica Johnson, Secretary Emily Croke, Treasurer Samim Atmar, Publicity Chair Jessica Shaw, as well as research assistants Kim Merritt and Ashley Stone.

The agenda for the forum, aside from an open floor discussion on a monthly topic, primarily focused on the pressing issue of child soldiers and an update on current activities, and included a guest speaker, Folabi K. Olagbaju, who is the Director of Amnesty International USA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.

According to www.amnesty.org, Amnesty International is an organization without ties to any government body and its main function is to ensure that everyone has access to basic freedoms. There are currently 2.2 million people around the globe with some sort of affiliation with Amnesty International, whether they are a member, supporter or a subscriber.

Olagbaju brought a deeper insight to the ideology of human rights and the Amnesty International USA. Olagbaju grew up in Nigeria and has a first hand account of the injustices that can occur in other countries, especially military controlled regions.

“I grew up in a situation where I saw a lot of violence, I was 8 years old, but I knew it wasn’t right. I knew this shouldn’t be happening,” Olagbaju said. “In our society, human rights weren’t recognized and I learned at a young age to fight for it.”

After a brief introduction of Olagbaju and the chair holders, recent activities and meetings, Olagbaju directed the discussion towards the basic definition of human rights and the goals of Amnesty International USA. To the majority, human rights imply those freedoms at the lowest level and those that every individual is entitled regardless of race, class, gender, etc.

Amnesty International, along with many human rights activists, refer back to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is the full listing of human rights recognized on a secular level. The UDHR is integrated into the ideals practiced by the United Nations.

Due to the U.N.’s inability to enforce these rights, many countries adopt these policies as their own and incorporate them into their government and issue them as law.

To generate the main concepts behind human rights, some examples would include the right not to be tortured, the right to life, the right to work, the right to leisure, the right to religion, the right to assemble and the right to speak.

These examples of human rights were covered at the forum and are only a few of many. The full listing of rights can be found on the Amnesty International web site under the UDHR section.

While many of the members of the human rights organization were knowledgeable of the different and specific rights, many had their own personal views on the true definition of human rights and how it applies to thriving societies around the world today.

“Human rights allow me to enjoy whatever it is that I want to enjoy,” said Merritt, one of the research assistants.

Another take on human rights, as it was a recurring point throughout the forum which only reflects the actual functioning of society, was the observation made by the majority of organization members of the lack of appreciation for these fundamental freedoms.

“Human rights are for everyone, but not granted to everyone,” Olagbaju said. This turned out to be a key concept for discussion during the forum, as Atmar pointed out the lack of appreciation for human rights after Olagbaju stated the high value of such freedoms.

“I see human rights as something that we all have, but it’s something that we all take for granted,” Atmar said.

Other topics that organization members and discussion leader, Olagbaju, touched on during the forum were the five issues that Amnesty International is currently focusing on. One specific goal of Amnesty International is to reach a balance between providing security and granting basic rights.

The members of AI at Mason have dedicated themselves to expressing the importance of the fundamental rights.

Not only do they hold bi-weekly meetings, including the next meeting to be held on Feb. 25, but also they will soon be attending the Virginia State Meeting in Charlottesville, Va. on Feb. 23, which is an all-day event centered on human rights.

The AI members will also be hosting a child soldier event in Dewberry Hall South on Feb. 27. Other upcoming events for the semester include the National Week of Student Action on Guantanamo Bay, the International Human Rights Festival and an Annual General Meeting.

These events and other information can be found here or the group’s Facebook page. Students are encouraged to attend any meeting or events and discover the inner workings of AI at Mason.

“To whom a lot is given, a lot is required,” Olagbaju said.
Although these students are a small faction of the human rights movement, as it is often referred to, their work is of high value to those in need and their equally self-fulfilling contributions make a significant difference.