Human rights activism is a practice by individual persons, groups, organization or movements with the aim to advocate for human rights protection. Human rights activism emanated from a Declaration of Human Rights Defenders by the United Nations in 1998, whereby individuals, groups, organs of the society got the rights and responsibilities to protect and promote Human rights and freedoms (Baxi 161). Also, human rights activism acts to watch the ever-changing worldly social pillars, especially the political ones in the effort to realize adherence of the freedom and rights accustomed to the citizens of a nation.
In this process, human rights activism is part of most nations’ social trends as Human rights activists could come from all kind of professional backgrounds, unions, gatherings and movements if only they possess an intended purpose of protecting humanitarianism. Resultantly, human rights activism has been subjected to rebuke and reprisal from retaliating forces. This has crumbled down the spirit of servanthood in most human rights activists due to the suppression from the dominating entities. Human rights activism is constantly threatened by different urgent dominating issues, which this study centers to address.
Firstly, human rights activism is aligned to a broad execution scope, which affects the interpretation of the laws regarding the violations projected towards human rights defenders. Particularly, human rights are governed internationally by the United Nations to protect most global nations. Still, different domestic laws protect human rights activism in individual nations which may sabotage their efficiency (Ruggie 10). This is notable where different states vary in response to various violations. Despite the presence of protecting entities such as United Nations Special Rapporteur, the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the international law has been crippled down by the domestic law hence affecting Human rights Activism. This has given rise to international justice systems such as the International Criminal Courts which settles internationals crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war. Nonetheless, most human rights cases do not proceed effectively to the end due to domestic or international law distractions.
In their efforts of protecting the exiled or countries under terrorism captivity and international foreign relations missions, the armed forces are reported to mistreating and misusing the residents, which majorly comprise of women victims. They are subjected to atrocities such as rape and abusive torture at the expense of their protections. Also, governments and allied forces have been reported to attack civilians deliberately as in the case of Syrian civil war (Weiss 8). These issues demonstrate the negligence and ignorance of human rights provisions, yet no efforts are being made to redeem these urgent violations.
The refugees and immigrants human rights protection is a contemporary issue with various nations blatantly refusing to accommodate them (Baxi 210). Specifically, the United States government is at war with the immigrants with the sole intention of limiting their nationalities and interrelations. This is even more demeaning when those who have sort refuge in the land are generalized as criminals and lawbreakers. These are sentiments that suppress human rights activism in the United States without regard to the benefits the nation would have rather accrued if they streamlined the immigration policy. In Eastern Africa, Somali refugees have been shunned away by the neighboring countries due to insecurity claims anticipated from the Al Shabaab terrorists group. However, these acts deny the refugees their right to asylum and the general efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to realize refugees’ rights protection.
Indisputably, Human rights activism is inhibited by several factors in the modern world. In a more conventional aspect, legal executions to Humans rights violations is crumbled down by the complexity and contradictions created through the International and regional law governing the human rights. Also, through international warfare missions, ally soldiers are reportedly negating their genuine rescue purpose and channeling abuse and consequent trauma to civilians in the rescued nations which alters the essence of human rights activism. Finally, the immigrants and refugees are prone to violation especially with the rising trend on illegal deportations and asylum denial cases.
