human rights

Protecting food as a human right in the U.S. begins with education
By Brianna Kirkham
December 8, 2016 - 11:43pm
Defending the human right to food is a growing international effort, and is being taught in the food studies program at Syracuse University.

Basic human rights can be difficult to define, and even more challenging to protect.

Human rights violations occur - and go unpunished - at the regional, national and global levels. While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, approaching and addressing violations against human rights have still proven to be complicated.

What may seem to be one of the most essential human rights, is the right to food.

Indigenous community seeks justice after nearly 40 years of human rights violations
By Brianna Kirkham
November 17, 2016 - 7:13pm
The indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá community of Brazil has not had access to their ancestral land since the 1970s. The case is being heard before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights this month.

The most populous indigenous community of Brazil has continuously been forced out of their ancestral land. An estimated 30,000 Guarani-Kaiowá people now live in less than one percent of their original territory, according to FIAN International reports.

Community members protest solitary confinement of youth at the Justice Center
By Samantha Mendoza
October 23, 2016 - 11:46am
Local organizations filed a lawsuit against the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department last month. So why are 16 and 17-year-olds still being placed in “the box?”

Luchele Chisunka’s hands trembled as she addressed the crowd of approximately fifty protesters who gathered at the Onondaga County Justice Center on Thursday. Throughout the hour, and despite the rain clouds overhead, she and other representatives from local advocacy groups shared the stories of Randy, Walta, Charnasha and Yvette: four juveniles who had been routinely placed in solitary confinement at the center for days to months at a time without access to education.

Human Rights Film Festival Educates About International Issues
By Lia Ding
October 3, 2016 - 1:54am
Annual Syracuse Human Rights Film Festival screened documentaries throughout the weekend.

The 14th annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival wrapped up on Saturday after three days of documentary screenings that shed light on humanitarian issues across the world, such as the sovereignty of indigenous lands, the Syrian refugee crisis and LGBTQ rights.

“This festival is mainly for college students,” said founder Tula Goenka, who co-directed the event with fellow SU professor Roger Hallas. “Besides going to school and earning a degree, you will have to think: What is your responsibility as a human being? How are you going to give back to society?”

Symposium talks human rights through video games
By Vekonda Luangaphay
October 11, 2013 - 3:20pm
Susana Ruiz and Angel David Nieves brought awareness to human rights activism through video games at Thursday’s 4th Digital Witness Symposium.

Susana Ruiz and Angel David Nieves brought awareness to human rights activism through video games at Thursday’s 4th Digital Witness Symposium.

Ruiz, who is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California School Cinematic Arts, is a media scholar, designer and analyst.

She co-founded the design studio Take Action Games, which first launched with their first launched in 2006 with the multi-award winning game Darfur is Dying. A player must maintain a refugee camp through dangerous disruptions.

Film festival draws attention to human rights issues
By Max B. O'Connell
September 25, 2013 - 3:35pm
The 11th annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival will feature five films that tackle human rights issues.

Art and social justice will intersect at the 11th annual Syracuse Human Rights Film Festival.

The festival, which is free and open to the public, will show five films from Thursday, Sept. 26, through Saturday, Sept. 28.

Presented by the Syracuse University Humanities Center and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, each of the films selected showcases important human rights issues from around the world.

Preview: Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival celebrates 10th anniversary
By Eesha Patkar
September 19, 2012 - 1:57pm
The festival will feature documentaries and a multimedia photo essay from Sept. 20-22 at the Life Sciences Auditorium.

The Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year at the Life Sciences Auditorium. From Sept. 20-22, SUHRFF will showcase five documentaries and a multimedia photo essay film to highlight social issues and injustices around the world.

Illuminating Oppression Enlightens Audiences
By Amy Brueckman
September 19, 2011 - 8:27am
Review: Three day film festival illuminates important issues and gets the audience talking

We saw enemies coming together and standing side by side for the same cause. We identified with the people of San Francisco when a deadly virus claimed the lives of thousands in a once carefree community. We sympathized with the victims of displacement.

Film Festival Raises Awareness About Global Issues
By Amy Brueckman
September 13, 2011 - 11:27am
Illuminating Oppression: 9th Annual Film Festival, brings worldwide documentaries and feature films to Syracuse's big screen.

In an entertainment culture where Hollywood rules, independent films and documentaries with important messages can be overshadowed. Illuminating Oppression, The 9th Annual Human Rights Film Festival is rasing awareness through film at Syracuse University.