This is a topic that has been swirling around in my mind for months, but I’ve never really garnered the courage to write it down coherently. But now, as I embark on a journey to work with International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) in Geneva this summer, this topic is becoming increasingly relevant to my work.

I am passionate about working to end human rights abuses, and I realize that Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are two of the most prominent organizations working to raise awareness of human rights violations across the globe. Their work has been indispensable in terms of uncovering the truth of human rights abuses in various countries through intensive research, and in pressuring governments to take action by way of international exposure, letter writing, and petition signing. I think advocacy and raising awareness is absolutely vital if we are to end ongoing violations. After all, if the public doesn’t know about these situations, then how can people take action to end these problems? The popular mobilization and awareness that Amnesty has achieved over the years is truly remarkable. However, I wonder whether advocacy is the most effective method of combating human rights abuses, especially in the long-run.

First, it seems to me that political situations are very difficult to change. Especially, international civil society does not seem to exert significant influence on the political climates in many countries. Even if a huge amount of pressure is placed upon government heads through activities like protests and petitions, how much is this really going to change? And if the international community has heightened awareness of an issue, does this really change things on the ground? For instance, there is a huge amount of awareness within the U.S. and U.K at least regarding the genocide in Darfur. Many organizations like Save Darfur and STAND have mobilized many people and large amounts of money and time in order to raise awareness of the genocide and try to stop it, especially through political pressure and pleas for divestment from Sudan. Many successes have been achieved, most importantly widespread knowledge of the situation and recognition that it is genocide and must be stopped. Yet even after all this, Sudanese President Al-Bashir is still going strong and little has changed over the years. The genocide is continuing. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton are yet to take a strong stance on ending the genocide. Has this impressive popular mobilization and heightened awareness done much at all? True, I am pinpointing a specific situation – but it does leave me feeling that there must be more that we can do than raise awareness. Because it simply doesn’t seem enough to me.

Moreover, many human rights advocacy organizations hold large campaigns to free single persons from prison, especially those who were imprisoned for political reasons. But I have to ask: does this really lead to large scale social change? Organizations have campaigned for years and succeeded in freeing political prisoners, but this is only one situation, one person. But does this sort of advocacy force the government to think twice the next time it wants to imprison someone for political (or any other) reasons? I don’t see that happening enough. And what about all the everyday cases, when people are being imprisoned for petty crimes, when the local police is incredibly corrupt, when men and women are tortured unnecessarily, when poor prisoners aren’t granted a lawyer or a fair trial? While a political prisoner is a special case, regular citizens are being punished unfairly everyday and aren’t being recognized by the international community. Does advocacy fail here? Who’s fighting for the unheard prisoners? Too often their voices go unheard, even within international civil society.

Here is when I think a different model needs to be employed in order to effectively fight human rights abuses. We need to improve local justice systems and work with governments, not just against them, in order to reform the criminal justice systems. We have to train local police forces and make them understand that torture is unacceptable, and is not necessary in order to extract information from prisoners. We need to ensure that every poor person has the right to a lawyer and the right to a fair trial. I feel like this bottom-up approach can be truly effective, and combined with advocacy and raising awareness can be very powerful. If we start at the bottom through criminal justice reform in developing countries, we can build up strong legal institutions that will eventually create precedents for not using torture or unfair detainment – which will trickle upwards and prevent the government from detaining political prisoners or exercising their power arbitrarily. IBJ focuses on this approach to grassroots criminal justice reform, and I think it is a unique yet effective method of combating torture.

I think advocacy and activism needs to be combined with action and results. Real systematic change happens on the ground, step-by-step and day by day. One model I like is that of Physicians for Human Rights, an organization which not only has advocacy campaigns but also concrete projects that help people by the day - like the asylum network which assists asylum seekers by documenting forensic evidence of torture and abuse. Another example is Invisible Children, an organization based on a documentary about child soldiers in Northern Uganda. In addition to raising awareness through the documentary, they also have a book drive, build schools, and sell bracelets and give the revenue to the bracelet makers, provide scholarships to children, and have a Savings and Training Initiative which is basically a microfinance scheme. Of course, I don’t think some of their campaigns are the best idea (abduct yourself? really?), but they have a good basic model for combining raising awareness with actual results. I also love Human Rights First, which combines much advocacy and petitioning with projects that represent asylum seekers and help refugees resettle in the U.S.

So ultimately, I’m not saying advocacy is not necessary. I just think that there needs to be so much more if systematic, widespread change is to happen.

Image credit: flicker user bashaspix

Recently, I began following @notorture on twitter - a great organization called Survivors of Torture, International. I soon discovered that the Public Affairs Director of the organization, Maren Dougherty, was a graduate of my own university - Northwestern University. Naturally, I was excited to find an alumni through twitter, and I was even more excited to learn about her career path and her work in the human rights field - something I am personally very interested in. I decided to profile her in my blog to raise awareness of the great work she is doing, as well as provide some tips for students interested in human rights. Read on for an interview with Maren, and I hope you can learn something from her!

Maren and Haaz Sleiman, an actor in the movie “The Visitor.” Over the past year, Survivors of Torture, International has been using the film to raise awareness about immigration detention.

Name: Maren Dougherty
Age: 24
Occupation: Public Affairs Director
Place of Residence/Location: San Diego, CA
Employer: Survivors of Torture, International
Employer Website: http://www.notorture.org
Employer Twitter: @notorture
Undergraduate College: Northwestern University
Undergraduate Majors: Journalism
Interests:
Committee Member, Young Professionals for International Cooperation, San Diego
Young Alumni Chair, Northwestern University Club of San Diego

What or who first inspired you to get into human rights work?

My parents always encouraged me to learn about the world and participate in volunteer efforts, but my interest in human rights didn’t fully develop until I studied abroad in Durban, South Africa during my junior year of college. In South Africa, I developed a much better sense of the problems and inequalities that plague the world. I also had some amazing peers and professors – one of whom survived torture during Apartheid.

During my time abroad, I also began to understand the importance of really examining a situation. When some people think of Africa, they just think of disease, violence, and poverty. It’s necessary to know about the problems, but it’s also important to recognize the beauty, the distinct countries and cultures, and the strength of the families and communities there. It’s the same with our clients – some people think of torture survivors and they just think of someone who has been hurt and victimized. In all of our communications, we try to emphasize the resilience and strength of our clients as well.

Tell me a little bit about what your organization does.

Our organization provides services for survivors of politically motivated torture from around the world who now live in San Diego County. We have helped people from more than 60 different countries– many from East Africa and the Middle East — who have fled torture in search of safety in the United States. The program includes health, mental health and social services to help survivors to become healthy, productive members of their families and our community. Some of our clients have been through the worst experiences imaginable. It’s really amazing when you see them adjust to life in America, go back to school or work, and see their family members again. All of our services are free.

What experience has prepared you for your current job?

I think my undergraduate classes prepared me well for this position. The tight journalistic writing style works well for marketing and fundraising materials, and my classes in history and sociology have also been helpful. I also completed internships at New York magazine, Chicago magazine, National Geographic Adventure, and Teen People, where I learned from many different editors and managers. I’ve also tried to pick up new skills whenever possible by taking free community classes in web design and grant writing.

What are your regular responsibilities and duties at your job? Describe a typical workday.

My job includes a mix of communications, advocacy, and fundraising. For example:

8/8:30am – Read and respond to emails and voicemails, update web site and web 2.0 sites, check a few news sites, make coffee.
9am – Compile statistics about our clients for our 2008 annual report. Go on creativecommons.org to find photos that represent our work, and email photographers to get their permission to use the photos in our report.
11am – Review a report about medical and dental services that was written by one of my coworkers. Make changes and send to our executive director for final review.
12pm – Leave the office to attend a lunch meeting with the San Diego Association of Nonprofits. Guest speaker is a member of San Diego County’s board of supervisors. Most of the discussion is about the economy, possible budget cuts, and opportunities for nonprofit collaboration.
2pm – Return to the office. Participate in a conference call about a new web site we’re putting together with other torture treatment centers to help providers (health, mental health, legal, etc.) find the training resources they need.
3pm - Begin working on our next e-newsletter and advocacy alert. Run downstairs to the vending machine for a diet coke.
4pm – Meeting with 3 fellow staff members to develop a plan for completing the next grant application that’s due.

What do you think is the most important human rights issue facing us today?

The one that’s the hardest for me to stomach is the rape of women in Congo. The web sites enoughproject.org and theirc.org have some great information, but it’s just so horrifying how much suffering it’s causing.

In the United States, I’m concerned about the conditions of immigration detention facilities. We mention this in a lot of our newsletters and other publications because it is such an important issue. Increasingly as people seek asylum in our country they are being detained while their cases are evaluated. Sometimes they’re held for years - in cells, far from their families, unable to work or learn. At SURVIVORS, the majority of our new clients are asylum seekers who were or continue to be detained. The isolation and uncertainty of detention deepens their trauma, and makes recovery much more difficult. The New York Times has done some excellent reporting on this topic.

What can people do to get involved in human rights work on a regular basis?

There are many different ways to help, but it’s important to take on projects that are compatible with your time and resources. If you have spare time and live near a torture treatment program (see a list here) or an organization like Human Rights First, see if there are any volunteer opportunities. I’d also encourage people to get involved with their local Amnesty International groups. We partner with Amnesty groups fairly often for events and advocacy projects.

Also, pay attention to advocacy alerts that encourage you to write your legislators or contact other leaders. I’ve met with leaders in Washington D.C. and Sacramento, and I know from those meetings that constituents’ communications with legislative offices do make a difference. I’ve found that most of our local and national leaders do want to support human rights efforts, but they also want to know that their constituents care. Signing a letter takes 30 seconds, so it’s something that everyone can do.

Lastly, donate. I know that’s not the best option for everyone but you could also put together a fundraising event for a nonprofit, such as a concert or a trivia night. If you can’t give $1,000, use your time and energy to plan something fun that will encourage 100 people to give $10 each! We really do value every donation.

What advice would you give a student interested in human rights?

Read, learn, volunteer, intern, travel, meet people, go to special lectures, get involved! Most of all, don’t lose your passion. You might have one bad experience - maybe stumbling upon a nonprofit that doesn’t use its money wisely or a supervisor who isn’t the nicest person in the world- but there are a lot of people out there doing so much good.

Recently I’ve been thinking about what it means to be authentic to yourself. It means understanding who you are and sticking to that, and making decisions based on your personal hopes, dreams, passions, and preferences. It means not settling for a job you don’t love, even in this economy. It means staying true to yourself.

But then I started to wonder — is personal branding truly authentic? Personal branding is all the rage nowadays, and it’s the way we market ourselves to others, especially through social media and Web 2.0. Personal branding is an amazing way to reach out to likeminded professionals, increase your network, and really demonstrate your knowledge of and passion for your field. I feel like I have been building up a personal brand through this blog, and I’m becoming more and more defined as someone passionate about law and human rights. Which was, of course, one of the purposes of this blog: to help me define myself, and to learn more about this field.

However, more and more I find myself wanting to write about other topics as well. Like this post about personal branding, which has nothing to do with human rights. Or about writing, or my career, or even any of my other interests ranging from microfinance to travel to social media to religion. I realize that I am multi-dimensional, and I have so many more interests and passions than can be captured by a simple personal brand.

There are so many amazing niche blogs out there, about topics like politics, marketing, entrepreneurship, career advice, social media, and so on. These bloggers are building up their personal brands by focusing on those topics, and they are becoming known by their expertise in their field. Yet, I am sure these bloggers have so many more interests that can’t be reflected accurately in their blog, and in their brand. Then, is this type of personal branding authentic? By employing personal branding so much, perhaps we are losing bits of ourselves in the process.

Is it authentic for me to be known as solely a “human rights and law” student and blogger, when I have so many other passions as well? It seems to me that personal branding, then, is somewhat deceptive. You’re seeing what the blogger wants to portray themselves as, rather than who they really are. Personal branding, then, isn’t necessarily authentic. It’s instead a tool that people can use to portray themselves to others. But if you want to really get to know someone, personal branding just doesn’t do the trick of accurately capturing who they are - a truly multi-dimensional person with so many diverse interests, passions, and hopes.

Here is a guest post I recently wrote for my friend Grace’s blog. Grace is featuring guest posts by fellow Gen Yers on the topic “What Inspires You?” in order to find out what makes Gen Y tick. I’m honored that she asked me to write a blog for her theme, and I am posting my response here. You can read the original post here. In the meantime, go check out Grace’s great blog, and the other inspiring blogs in her series.

Name: Akhila Kolisetty

Bio: Akhila is a 19 year old (soon to be 20!) undergraduate student at Northwestern University. She’s majoring in political science and economics, and hopes to eventually go to law school. She’s currently studying abroad for the year at the London School of Economics and absolutely loves London. She loves poetry, writing, chocolate, social media, political science and law, deep discussions, and learning about the world.

Blog: Justice for all Twitter: @freestallion

I started writing poetry at the age of 12 or so, after reading the autobiography of Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, given to me by my grandfather. My grandfather is incredibly intelligent. He has never left India, yet he has immense knowledge about the entire world. At a young age, I spent hours listening to his fascinating stories about history, science, religion, art, poetry, writing, and visionary leaders. My grandfather was my earliest inspiration. His guidance led me to discover writing and poetry. Since then, I’ve been in love with words. I love the power I have when I’m weaving words into poetry, when I see my haphazard thoughts come together cohesively to form something tangible, beautiful. I love the strength, emotional intensity, and symbolic depth that poems can convey.

To me, poetry is the ultimate expression of oneself. It allows one to put down on paper the abstract aches and longings buried inside – that simply can’t be conveyed through prose. I’ve been writing poetry ever since, and have even been published in a couple of literary magazines.

Since then, my love for writing has led me to be a reporter for The Daily Northwestern, my university’s newspaper. I loved journalism, but after a while it felt so cold and objective to me. I couldn’t inject my personality, my opinions, or my passions into my articles. And so I stopped after a year, realizing I could never commit to journalism. I’ve also always had blogs, but until a few months ago, they were mostly private and served as online diaries. For the first time, I recently began writing about issues I am passionate about – like human rights – on my public blog, Justice for All. I find blogging more fulfilling than journalism. It allows me to write about topics I care about engagingly and passionately. And at the same time, it’s allowed me to jump headfirst into social media, meeting like minded people and learning so much more about important issues.

Still, I feel like writing doesn’t allow me to make enough of a difference. Rather than simply informing people about the challenges we face, I want to do more. I want to actively do something to change our world. I am inspired by leaders, activists, and organizations that are passionate, talented, and truly innovative. I admire Muhammad Yunus for turning traditional finance on its head and creating a world movement for microfinance, allowing poor people access to loans for the first time. I admire Karen Tse, a lawyer who has started a nonprofit called International Bridges to Justice, which works to end torture in the developing world by training public defenders. I admire NYTimes columnist Nicholas Kristof for bringing to our attention the things that we have to care about: war, famine, genocide, poverty. I’m inspired by organizations like the ACLU, Human Rights First, Equality Now, and Legal Aid who work tirelessly to protect human rights and civil liberties. I believe strongly that law is an effective tool for social change, because it can really empower people. And I want to be a part of this. It is a way to combine my love for writing – since law involves so much writing – with my desire to better the world. And so, I will continue to be inspired by writers but also human rights activists. Someday, I hope to pursue both passions together – and I hope my inspirations will help me forge my path ahead.

Photo Credit(s): moleskinart and With Love & Such

I was glad to read this great article today about America’s little known immigrant detention system, and simultaneously was shocked at the statistics.

According to an official Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) database, almost 19,000 immigrants out of a total 32,000 who are currently detained within the U.S. “had no criminal conviction, not even for illegal entry or low-level crimes like trespassing.” More than 400 of those with no criminal record had been imprisoned for at least a year; a dozen had been held for at least three years, while an immigrant from China had been behind bars for over five years.

The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in 2001 that immigrants had to be either deported or released within 6 months of having their case decided. But this deadline is often ignored. And moreover, since 2003 especially as a reaction to the war on terror, Congress doubled the funds used to detaining immigrants.

But what is perhaps most unsettling is that a large number of these prisoners are not illegal immigrants. In fact, many are asylum seekers who had come to the U.S. to escape persecution in their home country, or even longtime residents who are well on their way to becoming permanent residents. One detainee was an honors student who spent almost two years in prison just because her parents’ asylum claim had been denied years before. She had done absolutely nothing wrong, but the system failed to recognize her parents asylum claim and she ended up being punished unnecessarily for years.

Many other detainees are immigrants who cannot be deported because their home countries won’t accept them, or people who have been caught in the complex legal system without a lawyer to fight for their release or provide them with advice.

Apparently the ICE believes that detaining immigrants helps ensure that they attend court hearings and leave the country when they are ordered to do so. The ICE apparently also uses detention as a tactic to force the immigrants into compliance; after people have been detained for months, they have little motivation and energy to continue fighting the charges against them. Detention is used to pressure the detainees and force them to give in quickly. But detaining immigrants indefinitely without even granting them access to a lawyer or to a fair trial is a high price to pay for ensuring they attend court hearings. It is a violation of their basic constitutional rights and civil liberties, and officials should attempt to avoid such detention at all costs rather than use it as a “terror tactic” to implement their policies. This shows just how much America’s criminal justice and immigration systems are in need of critical reform.

It’s also a reminder that although there are high profile situations taking place constantly in human rights law, most recently with the ICC’s arrest warrant for Al-Bashir as well as the debates surrounding Guantanamo Bay, we must not forget that people are being detained and mistreated right here in the United States. It is a reminder to remember the human rights abuses going on daily behind the scenes, right in our backyards - and to not forget them in the face of the more publicized issues we hear about everyday in the news.

Breakthrough is a great organization working to raise awareness of “homeland guantanamos” - the harsh immigrant detention system within the U.S. Click here to check out their campaign.