Whitson Talks Human Rights

Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of  the Middle East and North Africa divisions of Human Rights Watch, spoke about her experiences doing human rights work in the Middle East on Friday night in Higgins 310. 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is a non-partisan organization that analyzes possible violations of laws of war and human rights. HRW does on the ground work to uncover facts about the situation in question. For example, it investigates casualties of war on a case-by-case basis to find out exactly how people died and determine if there were any illegitimate practices involved. HRW also uses photos and other evidence to determine what type of munitions were used and where they were fired from.  

The main goal of Human Rights Watch, according to Whitson, is to stand up for the rights of civilians. When innocent peoples' human rights are violated, HRW gathers facts surrounding those cases and exposes them. 

When asked during the Q & A whether or not HRW's published reports actually made a tangible difference, Whitson responded that they indeed did. Short-term, much of the punishment for violations comes from the United States government in the form of economic sanctions. Whitson indeed admitted that HRW often has to "ride on the coattails of U.S. political power." In the long-term, exposing the mistreatment of civilians has an effect in the mere raising of the issue among the general public of the country of concern. When an issue such as women's rights is actually discussed in Middle Eastern countries, at least some measure of social progress is virtually inevitable. She pointed to progress in the United States on racial and gender issues over the past century or so as evidence of the feasibility of major social ideological shift.

Whitson stated that she personally finds satisfaction in standing up for people all over the Middle East and Northern Africa whose plights are often ignored.

Appropriately enough, an Egyptian human rights activist was in attendance Friday night. When he asked Whitson if there was any hope for the country that he had lived in all of his life, her response was an emphatic: "yes."

Anyone considering a career in human rights work certainly got a good sample of what it would entail. For everyone else, Whitson's remarks shed light on just how lucky Americans are to have a level of freedom that many are fighting to achieve for themselves.