Home | Intervention Overview | Declarations and Campaigns for Equal Dignity
Declarations and Campaigns for Equal Dignity (DCED)
HumanDHS is primarily grounded in academic work. We are independent of any religious or political agenda. However, we wish to bring academic work into "real life." Our research focuses on topics such as dignity (with humiliation as its violation), or, more precisely, on respect for equal dignity for all human beings in the world. This is not only our research topic, but also our core value, in line with Article 1 of the Human Rights Declaration that states that every human being is born with equal dignity (that ought not be humiliated).
We agree with Professor Shibley Telhami, who advocates the building of bridges from academia as follows, "I have always believed that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential for public policy. It is possible to affect public policy without being an advocate; to be passionate about peace without losing analytical rigor; to be moved by what is just while conceding that no one has a monopoly on justice." We would like to add that we believe that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential not only for public policy, but for raising awareness in general.
We, as Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network and fellowship, receive innumerous messages, continuously asking us to support campaigns, often from opposing camps. One side in a conflict typically is in rage against the other, and everybody is enraged that we do not support their side against their "evil enemies." The "hotter" a conflict, the more there is a tendency toward "if you are not with us, you are against us."
We, as HumanDHS network, however, would like to keep in mind the following quote from Jeremy Bentham in 1789:
"Conscious or not conscious of your own bad intentions, you suspect theirs to be still worse. Their notion of your intentions is the same. Measures of mere self-defense are naturally taken for acts of aggression. The same causes produce, on both sides, the same effects; each makes haste to begin for fear of being forestalled. In this state of things, if on either side there happen to be a Minister [of War], or a would-be Minister, who has a fancy for war, the stroke is struck, and the tinder catches fire" (Jeremy Bentham, 1789, "Plan for an Universal and Perpetual Peace").
HumanDHS is a loosely knit cooperative community of scholars and activists.
We are not a monolithic organization that speaks with one voice, neither do we wish to be a monolithic organization. There are other such organizations around, which we do not want to duplicate. Our aim is not to become a political group that engages in day-to-day campaigning, particularly not campaigning that "heats up" conflicts (please see reflections on this point here). We are not impartial - we are deeply partial in our rejection of all acts and institutions that humiliate, whoever the perpetrators are, while being deeply respectful towards all human beings, on all sides. During 27 years in prison, Mandela turned some of his prison guards into friends. We wish to follow his example.
As a non-monolithic network, with the Mandela-inspired vision of radical respect for every human being, on the background of equally radical rejection of humiliating acts and institutions, we can therefore not endorse any specific actions, movements or legislative campaigns "officially," as an organization. However, we like to make an effort to work in a long-term fashion and above fault lines. Even though we cannot sign petitions as a network, we thus encourage our members to get active wherever they see fit. Please see, among others, our Intervention Ideas as one way for our members to address specific issues that are related to dignity and humiliation.
We see our function as bringing to the attention of our friends and the general public instructive examples of compassionate advocacy, and encouraging each person to reflect on such examples and take action in accordance with their own values, abilities, convictions and circumstances. We wish to encourage every global citizen to become much more active than thus far, as an individual, and support the campaigns and declarations they feel they can stand for. We regard campaigns to be extremely important!
Foot binding in China, for example, was practiced for 1000 years, and ended within ten years, through public declarations and campaigns. Social change can be affected by using public declarations and campaigns, and a more dignified world can be built by using the same techniques.
Female genital cutting in Senegal is in the process of ending just as Chinese foot binding, as is being demonstrated by the work carried out by Tostan. Tostan, which means "breakthrough" in the language of the Wolof of Senegal and the Gambia, is a non-profit and non-governmental organization incorporated in the United States in 1991 and based in Thiès, Senegal. The mission of Tostan is to contribute to the human dignity of African people through the development and implementation of a non-formal, participatory education program in national languages. Tostan provides learners with the knowledge and skills to become confident, resourceful actors in the social transformation and economic development of their communities. Tostan pedagogy combines traditional and modern techniques to help bring about positive change on the personal, community and national level. A guiding principle of the Tostan method is based on the African tradition of participation and respectful consultation of all those concerned and affected by the implementation of any eventual decisions or policies. Villagers themselves determine their future goals and obstacles to overcome in order to achieve those goals. Quality, holistic education and development activities based on principles of human rights provide communities with the tools to direct their own social and economic transformation.
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Since 1997, over 1,000 villages in Senegal and now also in Burkina Faso have publicly declared an end to harmful traditional practices including FGC and early or forced marriages upon completion of the Tostan program. The World Health Organization and the Population Reference Bureau have chosen the Tostan "model" as one of the most promising strategies for ending FGC. Using a human rights approach, Tostan provides communities with essential health information so that they may fairly evaluate the merits of tradition against a potentially harmful practice. Tostan's model is not simply an education program, however, but includes support for serious community mobilization and ultim
We look for interested people, who would like to develop our DCED page. Please see our Call for Creativity.
Links
Unfairly Sentenced to Die
Rosita Albert writes to the HumanDHS network (March 17, 2008):
"Dear friends: I thought you might join me in signing this petition today to prevent an injustice to Mr. Davis. Seven out of nine witnesses at Troy Davis' trial have since recanted or altered their testimony with many citing police intimidation. Stand with us in saying that Fairness Matters!"
Virtual Demos over Net Censorship
Thousands of people are taking part in "virtual protests" against countries accused of censoring the internet.
For its first Online Free Expression Day, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has created virtual versions of nine public spaces...
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/7292130.stm.
The Elders Call for a Billion Signatures
2008 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
It‘s a time for a global conversation about human rights. To consider the values that unite society as one human family and one global village. But it can be more. For the last 60 years it‘s been governments that have been asked to sign the Universal Declaration. The Elders hope that 2008 can be the year that individuals, not just governments, sign the declaration. The Elders are calling for one billion signatures from across the world. The old generation of leaders wants yours to be one of them. They urge you to embrace the values and goals of the declaration; to protect the rights of fellow global villagers and encourage others to do the same in communities, workplaces and schools. To sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, click here.
Rosika Schwimmer and World Government
Rosika Schwimmer or Bédy-Schwimmer "Rózsa" Rózsika (1877-1948) tried to create a world government. In 1935 she formed the World Centre for Women's Archives with Mary Ritter Beard. She received a World Peace Prize in 1937 and formed the Campaign for World Government with Lola Maverick Lloyd. In 1947 she was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize but no one received it the next year...
Please read more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosika_Schwimmer, or, please read also Remarks on the History of Hungarian Feminism by Judit Acsády.
Garry Davis: World Citizenship, World Passport, World Presidency, World Service Authority, World Government of World Citizens, World Government House
Garry Davis (Bar Harbor, Maine, July 27, 1921) is a peace activist who created the first "World Passport." A former World War II bomber pilot and Broadway actor, he renounced his American citizenship in Paris in 1948 to become a "citizen of the world." Davis founded the World Service Authority, which now issues the passports - along with birth and other certificates - to applicants. Davis first used his "world passport" on a trip to India in 1956, and has been variably admitted into or jailed by countries around the world after using his world passport. Up to 150 countries have purportedly accepted the world passport at one time or another. In France, his support committee was co-founded by writers Albert Camus and André Gide and the Abbé Pierre (quoted from wikipedia).
See also www.onefilms.com and www.1worldcitizen.com.
DECLARATION for actively caring decision-makers/ entrepreneurs:
"FAMILY PLANNING AND STDs/AIDS-PREVENTION SHALL BE INTEGRATED IN OUR PROGRAMS!"
Every hour: 9000 unwanted pregnancies cause 1/3 of the global population growth…
<www.dsw-online.de>
1. “Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (SRHS) are Human Rights and must therefore be available to those who are sexually active. Knowledge about safer sex and contraception must be given before young people are sexually active. SRHS shall be integrated into all our projects: Even if health workers are not available, at least A) condoms (dignified, attractive access) and B) information about STDs/AIDS, FP must be organized.”
Questions to Alec Gagneux:
www.FairCH.ch / +41-56 441 91 75.