Law expert exposes "The Darkside of Human Rights" Asks whether human rights has done as much harm as good Ari Altstedter
Photo by Megan Verhey
"There's a need for us who live in liberal democracies to think a little bit more about how we engage with the people we're trying to help" Ratna Kapur, human rights and international law expert
Dispelling illusions was the order of the day at the 2008 David Hopper International Lecture, when human rights and international law expert Ratna Kapur came from India to speak about "The Darkside of Human Rights." In a packed lecture hall at the Ontario Veterinary College Lifetime Learning Centre, Kapur explored the idea that the human rights movement may be doing as much harm as good.
For Kapur, what people fail to realize about human rights is that "It is a venture in justice that does not operate outside of systems of power and governance. They [human rights] attach themselves to disparate agendas and bids for power.
"They're an added criteria, for instance," Kapur continued, "when considering bids to stage the Olympic games from emerging economies such as China, though not… in the choice of London."
Other examples Kapur gave of how human rights act as a tool for the powerful is their use as a justification for sanctions against countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba, or as pretext for invasion, as in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Humanitarians [are] no longer made up of dissidents, campaigners and protestors, but actually today of professionals, who have come today to share a common vocabulary with governments, armies and human rights activists," said Kapur. "They are now fully engaged in the planning and conduct of war, so we now have what's called the 'humanitarian war.'"
Humanitarian wars are only Kapur's most extreme example of how human rights rhetoric can be used to harm the people it should be helping. Kapur gave the example of how "a conservative sexual morality that has gripped some nation states together with a protectionist approach towards women who continue to be regarded as victims, weak and vulnerable," which has resulted in anti-people trafficking laws that restrict women's movement and "sometimes justifies protective detention." She gave the example of an American funded anti-trafficking NGO's "rescue" of a planeload of women supposedly being trafficked from Nepal to the United Arab Emirates. It was only after the women had been deposited in a shelter that the NGO discovered they were all consenting migrants who had labour contracts and airline tickets, all of which they subsequently lost out on.
Kapur also said how appeals to human rights are used in domestic politics against minorities. She spoke of a Morrocan woman, with a French husband and three children born in France who "was denied citizenship on the grounds that the veil she wore was incompatible with French values and the principle of… universal secularism." Kapur pointed out how this decision was applauded by French feminists who view the veil "as a visible symbol of submission of women."
Ultimately, Kapur insisted that human rights should not be abandoned, but that "there's a need for us who live in liberal democracies to think a little bit more about how we engage with the people we're trying to help."
For Kapur, good intentions are not enough and she expressed a desire "to know who is accountable when human rights missions do more harm than they help."
For people who want to go abroad to help and not harm, Kapur had this piece of advice: "You shouldn't just be going there to do…go there to learn."
Dibakar Pant posted on Monday October 27th 2008
Indeed,it seems a great and effective article regarding the darker aspect that Human rights issues have been used for personal or partisan gains.But,what I believe,in reality its not the objective of noble mission of inhancing and upgrading basic rights to get personal or partisan gain out of the raising issues of rights of the people.But,powerful nations who like to have strategical gain,corrupt and partisan-politics minded politicians and the persons or the INGOS and NGOS,are defaming and degrading the noble mission of protecting and promoting human-rights issues have been making a ladder to achieve power,position,fame and making money.So,amidst these situation and cases,we could not be blamed to human rights itself for lebelling as its darkside.The issues of human rights used to carry always with brighter and benovolent aspects of human-being and humanitarian inhancement,that is why its a corrupted and polluted people and politicians who doing all in naming the human rights.Nepal also sufferer of this by made dark-side of human rights.Last but not least,its almost certain and sure that unless and untill the real mission of human rights is not be given priority by the state,the sustainable world peace and balanced prosparity could never be achieved and whose adverse affect be left to all.
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