



Ambassador Richard S. Williamson, former US Special Envoy to Sudan, advised human rights advocates and students to keep the pressure on the Obama Administration and the United Nations to protect the people of Darfur and Southern Sudan. "Citizen involvement has made a tremendous impact on the U.S. Governments actions with regard to Darfur," stated Williamson at a public event last Friday attended by students and by human rights activists engaged in the anti-genocide movement, including Minnesota Interfaith Darfur Coalition.

The Human Rights Program recently sponsored an event, "Fair Food that Respects Human Rights" featuring Romeo Ramirez, the leader of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. The discussion was attended by students and professionals alike who participated in an interactive discussion.
Ramirez discussed struggles facing the Immokalee works such as their extremely minimal wage, inconsistent work hours and the lack of work benefits. Immokalee Workers are paid by the 32lb bucket of tomatoes and each bucket earns 40-45 cents. This is the same amount earned by Immokalee workers in 1978. Because wages have failed to increase with the cost of living, Ramirez calls the tomato industry "a backward industry". Not only are wages low, there have been a plethora of cases concerning workers who have been threatened and abused by employers. In extreme cases, there have been situations constituting modern day slavery.
(Continue Reading)October 2nd, 2009Do you have expertise on Sudan, child abductions or child rights? Child Protection International (CPI) is looking for people who would like to be involved in a focus group on the issue of child abductions in Southern Sudan. The purpose of the focus group is to discuss an upcoming campaign for child identification in Southern Sudan. Issues that will be discussed include cultural appropriateness, strategies for reporting missing children in rural Sudan and logistics. The group will only meet once sometime during the month of August. The date will be decided upon once we have enough participants.
If you are interested please contact Kori Tudor at: kori@childprotectioninternational.org
Watch: Taking Action on Hmong Grave Desecration
Watch: Alexis Howe's internship with the "Center for Victims of Torture"
The Freeman Center for International Economic Policy sponsors the Global Policy Seminar/Workshop series every other Tuesday from 12:45 to 2:00 pm. All sessions are held in the Stassen Room (Room 170) of the Humphrey Center. The next talk is:
December 8 - John Freeman on American Political Attitudes and Globalization
Freeman Center for International Economic Policy,
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, presents a
Workshop on Global Policy
Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin
Law School
will speak on:
Gender, Transition and Conflict
12:45 - 2:00 pm
Tuesday, November 24
170 HHH - Stassen Room
Humphrey Institute, West Bank Campus
Professor Ní Aoláin will draw on a book in progress to discuss the ways in which women experience
transitions from conflicted and violent societies. The book and the talk will examine the multiple forms of
violence that pervade conflicted societies and how legal sanction often fails to fully capture its effects for women.
The discussion will also focus on a number of the dimensions that are engaged in transitional societies
including Amnesty, Security Sector Reform, Reparations,
and Rule of Law transformations.
All are welcome!
Beverages and cookies will be served
(Continue Reading)November 23rd, 2009Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
Arlington Hills Branch Library
1105 Greenbrier St., St. Paul
"Frontrunner" tells the heroic story of Massouda Jalal, a medical doctor and mother of three, who defied the Taliban regime and ran for President of Afghanistan. Discussion hosted by Cheryl Thomas, Director of the Women's Human Rights Program, to follow.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. Minnetonka/Tamarack Room
200 South Sixth Street, Suite 4000, Minneapolis
Presenters: Robin Phillips, Executive Director, and Cheryl Thomas, Director of the Women's Human Rights Program.