Amnesty networks for human rights Vermont reps for global organization meet at New Library

Author: Toral Patel

Amnesty International (AI) is a name we all know - or should know. One of the most widely respected human rights organizations in the world, AI is active in exposing abuses of basic rights through its signature letter-writing campaigns as well as through protesting, fund-raising and educating the public.

With over one million members worldwide, AI uses its vast network of local and regional groups to work toward "a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards," according to its mission statement. A noble goal, indeed. And for its one million members worldwide - a number which includes twenty or so students in the Middlebury chapter - one entirely worth the commitment.

Last Saturday, Sept. 30, representatives of AI chapters across Vermont gathered at the New Library for a "networking meeting" - routine for a highly structured international group like Amnesty. Present at the gathering were students from Middlebury, St. Michael's College, Woodbury College and Champlain Valley High School as well as several local Vermonters who were looking to get involved or were already involved in AI's efforts.

A good portion of the meeting was conducted by the Northeast Regional Coordinator, Cynthia Gabriel. In her address, Gabriel scrupulously outlined AI's expectations of its members groups. For student groups, she identified very particular goals set by the regional office earlier this year. This exclusive list contained the following focuses - urgent action (letter-writing), war on terror (especially with regards to torture abuses) and Russian child soldiers.

The purpose of setting these goals, she explained, is to help guide member groups and build their local campaigns. For an organization which aims to address the whole gamut of rights - from political to civil rights, and more recently (and controversially) to economic and social rights - setting these goals creates efficiency on both a local and national level.

However, in selecting and prioritizing particular goals, AI makes itself vulnerable to attacks of "selection bias." It is often criticized for reporting on abuses in mostly democratic countries, where information is more readily available and where governments have made strong commitments to upholding human rights.

Furthermore, the setting of goals by a regional authority ­- which itself is under the jurisdiction of a national and international authority - indisputably puts limits on the ability of members to exercise personal creativity. While groups can map their own direction, they are restricted by the framework of these regional goals.

The purpose of the meeting was twofold - to provide information about available resources for campaign support and to convene the local AI groups so as to encourage collaboration. AI's Vice President at The College Farhan Ahmed found it to provide helpful "insight on the workings of the organization."

For a campus in which careers in the world of NGOs are so commonly sought, AI's bureaucratic establishment brings into question the efficacy of such organizations. Is working through such a structure an efficient way to make a marked difference in the world? Or is there a more direct means by which to effect change?

Ahmed remarked, "[the structure] does put limits as to what individual groups can do when a situation arises. You have to wait for AI to approve of the campaign to be able to use the Amnesty banner." He quipped that groups usually pursue a campaign regardless of approval, referencing the Invisible Children campaign from last spring.

In the face of such distant questions, confident co-presidents of Midd's AI, Dilanthi Ranaweera and Ana Garcia, have committed themselves to the more immediate aim of building a stronger AI at The College. With the help of the new AI Executive Board of student officers, they plan to focus efforts not only on increasing awareness, but more importantly, on mobilizing the student body and local community to action.

Interested in learning more about AI? Visit www.amnesty.org or contact Vermont Student Area Coordinator Aakash Mohpal at amohpal@middlebury.edu.