SUSTAINING HUMAN RIGHTS: THE ROLE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS NGOS

This article examines the crucial role of international human rights non-governmental organizations (INGOs), such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, in sustaining the global human rights movement. It analyzes the key strategies and functions of these organizations. The study explores their role in monitoring and documenting human rights violations, their "shaming" campaigns that expose abuses to a global audience, and their advocacy efforts aimed at influencing the foreign policies of major states and the actions of international organizations like the UN. The research also provides a critical assessment of the challenges and dilemmas faced by these INGOs, including questions about their legitimacy, accountability, and potential biases. The paper argues that despite these challenges, international human rights NGOs have become indispensable actors in the international system, playing a vital role in setting the human rights agenda, providing an independent source of information, and giving a voice to the victims of abuse. The analysis concludes that these organizations are essential for the ongoing struggle to sustain and advance the cause of human rights worldwide.

In the global struggle for human rights, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) have emerged as powerful and influential actors. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of their role in sustaining the human rights movement. The study is structured around the three primary functions of these organizations. The first is information politics. The paper details the meticulous research and documentation methodologies used by groups like Amnesty International to produce credible and authoritative reports on human rights abuses, arguing that this "power of information" is their most important asset. The second function is advocacy. The analysis explores how INGOs use their information to lobby powerful governments and international institutions, seeking to integrate human rights concerns into foreign policy and development aid. The third function is mobilization. The paper examines the "shaming" and public awareness campaigns that are used to mobilize global public opinion and put pressure on abusive governments. The second part of the study offers a more critical perspective, engaging with the major critiques leveled against INGOs. This includes the debate over their accountability and their perceived Northern dominance, and the argument that their "naming and shaming" tactics can sometimes be counterproductive. Despite these valid concerns, the findings lead to a clear conclusion: the global human rights regime would be significantly weaker without the tireless work of these INGOs. They are the essential watchdogs of the international system, playing a role that states and intergovernmental organizations are often unwilling or unable to perform.