Critiques of Human Rights

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Critiques of Human Rights
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The bathwater

• HR universal set of values in a world with
  unjust power balances,
• created without equal global participation
• Is HR an ideological tool for the West to use
  against the rest?
• Where do you draw the line on critiquing actions
  in another culture?
• The HR movement is centered in the Global North
• and dominated by people of European descent
• HR is not accepted as indigenous to all cultures,
  esp. outside the West
• HR doesnt adequately address communal/group
  rights
• HR favors existing nation-states and not new
  nations
• The HR movement has been weak on ESCR
• HR NGOs have not traditionally had a strong
  gender analysis

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Keeping the baby

• Acknowledge history of Western domination
  impacts how our voices in the West are heard
• Grow a people-centered HR movement follow
  leadership of the marginalized struggling against
  oppression
• Include people from marginalized groups ranks
  and leadership
• Allow room for each culture to integrate HRs in
  its own way so HR becomes indigenous, not imposed
  and truly universal
• Actively reflect to ensure our framework and
  movement ultimately are tools for justice and
  freedom

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HR
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Filling in the gaps

• Stop Violence Against Women Campaign
• Dignity (ESCR) Campaign

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AIs solidarity efforts

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• Stonewalled LGBT Police Brutality