Witness (human rights group)
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| Founder(s) | Peter Gabriel |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Focus | Protecting human rights |
| Method | Video Advocacy |
| Website | WITNESS website |
WITNESS is a human rights non-profit organization based out of Brooklyn, NY. Their mission statement is "WITNESS uses video to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. WITNESS empowers people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public engagement and policy change."[1] The organization was founded in 1992 by Peter Gabriel, along with the help of Human Rights First (then known as the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights) and its founding executive director Michael Posner (lawyer), and has since worked with over 300 organizations in over 70 countries.
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[edit] History
In 1988, musician and activist Peter Gabriel, traveled with Amnesty International’s Human Rights Now! Tour. Gabriel brought along a Sony Handycam, one of the first small camcorders marketed to consumers, to record the stories he heard. In 1991, a bystander captured on videotape the beating of Rodney King, Jr. by Los Angeles police. The images galvanized an international conversation about police brutality and racial discrimination. They demonstrated the power of video to capture the world’s attention and viscerally communicate human rights abuses.
With the momentum generated by reactions to the King video, Gabriel was able to realize his visionary idea[2]. With a one million dollar seed grant from the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and a partnership with the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (now Human Rights First), WITNESS was born in 1992[1].
In 2001, WITNESS became an independent nonprofit organization. WITNESS has worked in over 70 countries to advance human rights through the use of video for change. Today, WITNESS has a staff[3] of 30 and a $3.9 million budget.
[edit] Campaigns
WITNESS has worked with over 300 organizations in over 70 countries since its founding. Campaigns have resulted in measurable impact[4], including:
2009: In March 2009, Mexico’s Attorney General and Minister of Interior committed to personally follow-up on the cases of Neyra Cervantes, who was brutally murdered in 2003, and her cousin, David Meza who spent three years in jail after being tortured into confessing to her murder. This agreement was the outcome of a meeting between Peter Gabriel, actor Diego Luna, Jaguares’ Saúl Hernández, Patricia Cervantes (Neyra’s mother) and Mexico’s President Calderón, asking him to end feminicide in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua, Mexico. Since the meeting, WITNESS partner Comisión Mexicana has met twice with government officials, who are reviewing the status of the proceedings of Neyra/David’s cases and studying the list of priority policies related to ending feminicide. Neyra’s story is the focus of the film, “Dual Injustice[5],”” co-produced by WITNESS and Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humano (CMDPDH). The video was part of a successful international WITNESS campaign in 2006 calling for Miguel David Meza’s release and a further investigation into Neyra’s case to ensure that justice will be served for all families suffering similar fates.
2009: A major advocacy drive by AJEDI-Ka/PES and WITNESS to stop the recruitment of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and bring to justice those responsible played a part in international efforts that led to war crimes charges confirmed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Thomas Lubango Dyilo, a Congolese warlord in 2007. “A Duty to Protect[6]” was screened at a high-level panel discussion at U.N. Headquarters in November 2007 following the arrest by the ICC of a second DRC warlord for the use of child soldiers. The trial against Mr. Dyilo begun in January 2009. Three more warlords have been arrested and are currently awaiting trial at the ICC for the use of child soldiers in the DRC.
2008: Following screenings to decision-makers in Chechnya and globally, Human Rights Center Memorial achieved significant advocacy success by securing the Chechen government’s funding for rebuilding homes and other infrastructure in the Zumsoy, Chechnya.
2007: “Bound by Promises[7],” about modern-day slavery in rural Brazil, was screened before the Brazilian Congress’ Human Rights Commission, and has proven instrumental in getting the Mobile Inspection Squads to resume the investigation of claims made by runaway slaves. “Bound by Promises” has also led to greater investments in programs for workers.
2007: Footage from Burma Issues was used to buttress a critical BBC Newsnight item that criticized the Labor administration in the UK for its minimal levels of funding to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Burma. This broadcast helped push the UK government to conduct an official review that, in July 2007, recommended a four-fold increase in aid to IDPs in Burma.
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=78
- ^ http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/peter_gabriel_fights_injustice_with_video.html
- ^ http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=21&Itemid=51
- ^ http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=b0ef177c-f4d7-4c49-8baa-46409d2d18ba&p=1
- ^ http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_rightsalert&Itemid=178&task=view&alert_id=38
- ^ http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_rightsalert&Itemid=178&task=view&alert_id=41
- ^ http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_rightsalert&Itemid=178&task=view&alert_id=54
