Introduction
Human right activism is the act of campaigning to familiarize and protect the rights of people within a country or internationally. Human right activism has been a lead goal of social workers and Non-governmental Organizations within American and all over the world. It encompasses all manner of protecting human rights and life. On the social aspect, human right activism tends to speaks on behalf of the oppressed who are the casualties of barbaric authorities of their motherland. In so say, human activism is identified as a unique career that is ordained respect for the risk they are exposed to. Several issues have been raised pertaining to human rights activism and it is to this effect that this article targets to examine some of the risks faced by human activist.
Discussion
Human rights activists have played a very important role in the recognition and protection of individual rights. This is the main object of activists and to which in many cases has been achieved. Activists have been able to relieve many people from oppressions, more so political oppression and barbarism. A good example is the impressive works that human activists have done in war-torn countries. Human activism is associated with bravery, dedication and the spirit of goodwill.
However, several issues bar human activists from efficiently achieving their objectives. The activists are exposed to intense risks because of the nature of their duty that directly puts them on hands of the authorities they accuse of undermining the rights of their citizens. Activism involves discussions, legal arguments and even demonstrations and riots to fully convince the authorities of the necessity of obeying human rights. Work is necessary for all human kind but when it is handled as a way of punishment, then that amounts to abuse of rights and status. Similarly, there are instances of threats issued to the activists and even some activists being killed in the course of their duty.
Human activism has also on equal grounds received criticism based on the role they play in societal protection being on the check and balance between observing individual interest and national interest. Difference in interpretations of the law has substantially contributed to this. At one point, a state may argue that it is in the best interest of the state to sideline an individual right where the safety of the state is at stake. On the other hand, human right activist reason that no matter how minute an individual may appear before a state when safety is primary goal, then the person’s right must e observed at all a cost regardless whether state safety is threatened.
This reason holds as long the person in question is not the one posing threat to the state. Such disagreement in individual right law against a state duty has been at the center stage of global human rights disseminations worldwide. Examples of such cases have been experience in American and European states where the civil society argues that more adjustment should be done on human right law to curb abuse of human status.
Conclusion
Even though the focus on human activism has been on relieving the oppressed, much effort has to be put in place to ensure that the safety and status of the activists is equally observed. Luckily, measures and laws are being put in place by Law Enforcement organs through bodies such as International Convention on Human Rights and Activism under the umbrella of United Nations in order to protect activists against threats and attack.
