Exploring the role of testimony in human rights
Posted on 8 September 2009
The use of personal stories to improve human rights will be explored by campaigners, fundraisers, academics and filmmakers in a conference at the University of York.
Powerful testimony from victims, witnesses and even perpetrators is often used as a tool to draw attention to human rights issues, but its use has implications for those telling their stories and the organisations that work with them.
The ethical and strategic concerns surrounding personal testimony will be discussed at a conference hosted by the University’s Centre for Applied Human Rights with Oxford University Press, Amnesty International, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture and Panos London.
Nothing is more effective at provoking empathy and solidarity from a viewer, reader or listener than the personal testimony of someone who has experienced human rights abuses
Professor Paul Gready
Professor Paul Gready, director of the Centre for Applied Human Rights, said: “Nothing is more effective at provoking empathy and solidarity from a viewer, reader or listener than the personal testimony of someone who has experienced human rights abuses.
“However, those who come forward can suffer serious consequences and there is a danger for campaigners that public attention can focus exclusively on the individual and not the broader issue.
“This conference will bring together the diverse views held by the wide range of people who engage with human rights matters.”
The conference will begin with an evening of films followed by discussions with their respective directors which is open to the public. A new academic journal to be based at the Centre for Applied Human Rights, the Journal of Human Rights Practice, will also be launched during the event.
Responsibility to the Story: Testimony and Ethics in Human Rights Research and Narratives will take place from 9 to 11 September. The film evening takes place on 9 September from 5.45pm until 8.45pm at the City Screen Cinema, York, with tickets priced £5 available either in advance from the cinema or on the evening.
Notes to editors:
More information about the Centre for Applied Human Rights and the full programme for the conference can be found at www.york.ac.uk/inst/cahr/.
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