Events

Human Rights at Harvard Law Orientation

August 30, 2022

Join us for pizza and an overview of the human rights activities at HLS and how you can get involved!

The Human Cost of Incendiary Weapons and Shortcomings of International Law

Please register: https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ybs3ZFu4RR-s5S1MtKEVCg This online event highlights the horrific human cost of incendiary weapons and the need for a more effective international response. It features a trauma nurse who treated a girl burned by white phosphorus in Afghanistan, a survivor of an incendiary weapons attack on a Syrian school, a burn doctor with expertise in the challenges of rehabilitation, and…

The ATT and Gender-Based Violence – Practical Tools to Strengthen Export Licensing Risk Assessments

Arms export control processes in many countries around the world encompass human rights considerations, aimed at reducing the risk of arms exports contributing to human rights violations. The 2013 Arms Trade Treaty specifically requires that those processes include an assessment of the risks of gender-based violence (GBV) in particular. However, research indicates that the risks of weapons being used to…

The Religious Dimensions of Myanmar’s Protests

On February 1, Myanmar’s military seized power in early morning coup. Almost immediately, citizens from across the country rose up in protest. Originating with health care workers, the protest movement quickly spread to encompass diverse communities and constituencies. Despite increased military intimidation in the form of nighttime arrests, use of force, and internet shortages, the largely youth-led civil disobedience movement…

Human Rights, Civil Rights, and the Struggle for Racial Justice

January 26, 2021

From documenting historical incidents of mass racial violence to taking protests against police brutality to international forums, social justice lawyers have long turned to human rights law and strategies to advocate for racial justice in the United States. At the same time, US legacies of exceptionalism, isolationism and nationalism pose challenges for what is a fundamentally universalist human rights project.…

The Human Rights Movement and the Struggle for Economic Justice Today

November 2, 2020

Please join the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy for its signature weekly series this fall, The Fierce Urgency of Now, featuring Black, Indigenous, People of Color scholars, activists, and community leaders, and experts from the Global South. Hosted and facilitated by Sushma Raman and Mathias Risse, the series also aligns with a course they will co-teach this fall at…

Oct. 8: Reflecting on the Cholera Epidemic in Haiti

October 8, 2020

October 2020 marks the 10-year anniversary of UN peacekeepers’ introduction of cholera to Haiti. The resulting epidemic has killed over 10,000 people and caused immeasurable losses in Haiti. The UN’s reluctance to accept responsibility and to remedy affected communities has also tested the organization’s commitment to human rights and spurred strong criticisms from inside and outside of the organization. Today,…

Launch of Report on Hate Speech Leading Up to 2020 Myanmar Elections

October 6, 2020

Register for the launch event on hate speech here. The International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School, together with Progressive Voice, Burma Monitor (Research and Monitoring) and 16 local organizations closely monitoring online hate speech inside Myanmar and/or are affected by it, will be launching an extensive report documenting hate speech leading up to the 2020 general elections. The…

Movement Lawyering and Social Change: A Spotlight on LGBTQ Advocacy in Lebanon

October 5, 2020

Register for Movement Lawyering and Social Change here. Please join us to discuss community-oriented movement lawyering in Lebanon and the ways in which activists and lawyers engage with the country’s most vulnerable communities to build, support, and amplify transformative social movements. We will explore movement lawyering strategies and linkages with grassroots activists and communities, with a particular focus on cause…

“An Era of Violence?”: Comparing Trends in State Violence Around the World

October 1, 2020

Register at http://bit.ly/EraOfViolence to get the Zoom link! From Myanmar to the United States, the world has seen a rise in state and state-backed violence against citizens. These instances of violence don’t just cost the lives and livelihoods of those victimized; they also undermine international norms and normalize state violence in other nations. Join HLS Advocates for Human Rights for a candid…