Amnesty International

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When it comes to fighting for basic human rights around the world, few do it better than Amnesty International. The human right organization has many platforms, including Demand Dignity, Abolish the Death Penalty, Stop Violence Against Women, Counter Terror with Justice, and Control Arms.

Amnesty International’s various campaigns all play an imperative role in changing the atrocities that occur around the globe, depriving people of basic human rights. One of the biggest deprivations has been how people are denied a voice. The Demand Dignity campaign focuses on this problem by enabling people to speak up about corruptness — be it political or social. AI’s hope is that by providing a vehicle for these once ignored people, they will attain the basic human right of being vocal.

Similarly, the Stop Violence Against Women campaign is one of their most important platforms. Women and girls in third-world countries face extreme turbulence due to societal traditions and biases. In many countries, crimes against women not only occur frequently, but are not against the law. Due to these lackluster practices, Amnesty International has stepped in and helped women and girls at risk. They have pushed for the implementation of laws to punish people who commit acts of violence, in particular rape, against women, to end laws that discriminate against women, and methods to empower women.

The activist organization is also adamant about abolishing the death penalty. They believe that the death penalty should not only be abolished in every situation, but it is technically a legalized method of murder. While the death penalty is used in the United States in more limited situations, other less civilized societies use it too frequently, many times in non-murder cases. Amnesty International has approached many countries about abolishing the death penalty, and has pushed the United States towards abolishing it completely.

AI has also worked hard to protect the rights of “suspects” of terror attacks. In times of war or in the aftermath of terrorist attacks, basic human rights tend to go out the door. However, this attitude is dangerous considering many suspects are completely innocent, yet they endure physical or mental torture, and their families too are inflicted with pain. As a way of acknowledging their call to cause, Amnesty International has made June 26 the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

In addition, the human rights group has campaigned for the regulation of arms throughout the world. Due to the ease of obtaining guns, thousands of people are killed, raped, injured, and robbed every year. Amnesty International has teamed up with Oxfam and the International Action Network on Small Arms on their Control Arms platform. The campaign calls for a worldwide arms treaty that would take unlicensed guns out of the hands of people, thus saving the lives of thousands. Since starting in 2003, over 153 governments have changed their stance on gun control.

amnesty international’s background

Amnesty International was founded by Peter Benenson in London in 1961. While it started as a small activist cause, it has blossomed into a renown, Nobel Prize-winning organization, with close to 2 million members.

Along with their various human rights platforms, Amnesty International has also recently delved into specific big business battles on behalf of third-world countries. Their new “Protect the Human” campaign has issued a statement against Shell, claiming that their oil methods not only damage the environment in the Niger Delta, but also keep struggling civilians poor. According to their sources, Shell has extracted over 9 million barrels of oil in the past 50 years. AI has helped broadcast this campaign through the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and other social mediums, turning it into a major hit against big businesses like Shell.

highlights

• Founded in 1961

• Promoted by Sting on the Human Rights Now tour in 1988
• Partnered with Oxfam and International Action Network on Small Arms in 2003
  

• Teamed up with U2 in July 2009

• Started “Protect the Human” in 2009

what you can do

• There are many ways to help Amnesty International’s cause. Take a look on their web site to see how.

• It is also extremely important to stay well-informed about the atrocities occurring all over the world. Amnesty International provides an in-depth and up-to-date look at the world news.

Photo by Ji-Elle on WikiCommons