Amnesty International: Review
Amnesty International has been fighting for human rights since 1961. Founded by Peter Benenson, it is headquartered in London and aims at protecting human rights. Nowadays this non-profit organization has more than seven million supporters living on different continents, almost in every country all over the globe. Every person may join the organization voluntarily. Amnesty International is an impartial organization. It does not support and is not in opposition to any of the political systems or national governments. The organization defends human rights even in cases when it does not share the convictions of a person whose rights have been violated.
Issues the Organization Addresses
Amnesty International is an international advocacy organization, fighting for freedom of speech, a fair trial, a world without discrimination, domestic violence, death penalty, torture, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killings. Outraged by human rights violations, the organization strives to change the world for the better. In particular, it seeks to change the state of affairs through the actions of international solidarity and the coordinated actions of millions of people across the world. Among the fields of operation, there are legal advocacy, direct-appeal campaigns, research, media attention, and lobbying. Amnesty International campaigns for the world where all enjoy human rights.
It seems essential to point out several recent issues that Amnesty International resolved to promote human rights. For example, it achieved control of weapon sales, thus preventing many dangerous cases of armed conflicts and unauthorized use of them (Milmo). Another example refers to changing the rape law in Morocco. If previously rape victims in the mentioned countries were forced, marry their offender, now it is no longer possible. Amnesty International struggles not only for human rights on the global scale, but also pursues to protect individuals. The release of Meriam Ibrahim sentenced to death penalty because of adultery and apostasy shows that women rights are also under the focus of the organization.
Change for the better is organized in three stages. First of all, the organization constantly conducts researchers in various fields of economy, politics, social life, etc. to be aware of the most recent issues and violations o curing around the globe. The second stage is associated with advocacy and lobbying, when the organization takes part in different conferences, meetings, and other official activities to declare the problem and suggest the most appropriate ways to resolve it. Ultimately, the last stage implies the development and implementation of campaigns and direct action to improve the current situation and thus support human rights, as appropriate.
Call to Action
Amnesty International calls people around the world to resist cynical attempts to impose a rejection of long-established human rights in exchange for promises of prosperity and security in the distant future. The organization warns that global solidarity and mobilization will be extremely important in protecting people who oppose those in power. Amnesty International asks all to take manifestations of injustice to heart. There are not so many direct ways to tell courageous people that one supports them, or tell the authorities that one observes them rather than by taking a pen and writing a letter. “Do it right now” calls the organization.
Framework
The framework for working with the identified issues consists of a range of ways to collect, analyze, and process information. Among others, one may note reports, websites, campaigns, publications, promotions, and materials related to the recruitment of staff and refection of financial resources. There are facts, values, principles, and messages that the organization shares with people and strives to adhere to in an attempt to establish equality. More to the point, Amnesty International provides reports on an annual basis regarding human rights violation in general and in the largest countries, in particular. Such an approach to the mission of the organization contributes to transparency and timeliness.
Channels of Communication
Amnesty International uses various channels of communication to deliver its messages to wide audiences. The organization’s work in web resources is rather advanced, and there are many different sites aimed at multi-national audiences. It cannot be said that there is only one main site of Amnesty International, as any of its sites has its own specifics. Usually, the themes coincide, but even in these cases, almost always the texts differ in content, photographic material, videos published in the corresponding section, etc. It should be noted that the interface of official site has changed many times and continues to change as well the authors and administrators of the site differ as well. As a rule, most of the texts are not signed by a specific author, and Amnesty International acts in the role of a generalized author. All the materials are prepared and presented in accordance with the point of view of Amnesty International.
To address issues related to human rights, activists use not only different means of communication and media, but also mobilize public opinion through mass demonstrations, picketing, and direct lobbying. The organization’s communicative strategies are characterized by national-cultural specifics. There is an opinion that differences in communication lie at the basis of cultural differences. Words, expressions, intonation, accents, the presence or absence of emotional indicators, etc. – all this can act or not act depending on the cultural. It is necessary to emphasize that the organization has a common strategy and a set of specific tactics. This allows serving every nation in accordance with its needs and expectations.
Effect of Channels
How does Amnesty International ensure the truth of the facts? Before any statement, publication, or report is published, the source is thoroughly analyzed, and the text is edited to ensure factual accuracy, political impartiality, and compliance with the Amnesty International mission. When Amnesty International works with someone’s allegations and not with facts, the organization clearly indicates this circumstance and can call for an investigation. If Amnesty International makes a mistake, then it publishes the corrected information. Therefore, the credibility of Amnesty International’s research has received the worldwide recognition. It often approaches for consultations, including governments, intergovernmental organizations, scientists, journalists, and other human rights organizations and groups working on different issues.
The organization is fully aware of its responsibility to society as a whole and those who are directly affected by its activities, in particular. Besides, Amnesty International is genuinely interested in the fact that the society has an exhaustive information about its activities. In its disclosure policy, it proceeds from the obligation to disclose all information about its activities, except when the organization has good reason not to do so. Amnesty International independently and voluntarily determines the list of information that it is obliged to disclose by posting certain information on its website on the Internet and using other channels of communication as well. The presumption of duty to disclose information accepted by Amnesty International states that the organization strives to do everything possible to respond to all received information requests and ensures disclosure of information except when there are good reasons for avoiding it.
Ethical Considerations
The organization seeks to ensure certain standards for individuals, groups, and current events in all materials of Amnesty International, which, in particular, include documentation, reports, publications, websites, campaigns, promotions, and materials related to the recruitment of staff and refection of financial resources. The reality of human rights violations should be clearly shown only when it is appropriate, in particular, consistent with the goals of a particular campaign or action, without prejudice to the rights and demeaning the dignity of the persons depicted in the photographs or noted in publications. Thus, human dignity is proposed as the top priority for the activity of this organization.
For example, one cannot use photos just to make a shocking impression or cause negative emotions. All parties, including photographers, researchers, editors, publishers, image users, etc. should ensure security and respect the rights of the people depicted in the photographs. It is necessary to take all measures to ensure that photos of people were published only with their knowledge and consent. The representatives of Amnesty International strive to ensure that the people pictured presented in photos understand the context and realize the consequences of publishing their photos in materials of Amnesty International. No deception of any kind can be made.
The Amnesty International report published on the organization’s official website notes that the preservation of personal correspondence is one of the key human rights. For example, encryption stops intruders from stealing personal information and helps to prevent illegal surveillance of communication. The organization evaluated the most popular social services according to the following five criteria: whether a company recognizes threats to the freedom of speech of its users, whether end-to-end encryption is used by default, whether customers are notified of the danger that threatens their personal correspondence, the response to government requests and the publication of the technical specifications of their encryption systems. As a result, it was revealed that Facebook is one of the safest social networks in terms of communication. Thus, Amnesty International pursues human rights protection even in the cyberspace.
Disclosure Policy
Reasons for refusing to disclose information:
- Confidentiality: if non-disclosure is required by legal or commercial considerations;
- Privacy: if information relates to individuals according to the Data Protection Act of 1998.
- Security: if information can be dangerous to people or on behalf of those who work with information work, namely, for employees and volunteers.
- Damage to the future actions: if the organization detects that disclosure of information will jeopardize its ability to fulfill its mission.
- Costs and resources: if it involves excessive costs.
- Internal information: if information relates to internal communication or administration of the organization that does not matter beyond its borders.
Thus, although Amnesty International has not developed its own code of ethics, it has implemented a number of specific internal and external policies and procedures that regulate ethical issues. In particular, the organization uses for disclosure policy, policy and procedure for feedback, and a range of other documents, which together do not simply reflect, but exhaustively reveal all the main sections of the code of ethics. It should be noted that the organization’s communication channels embrace both offline and online audiences to reveal messages and call them to action. The mentioned channels are rather secured and ethical in relation to issues, events, individuals, and organizations. The main priority of Amnesty International is protection of human rights and human dignity based on ethical interaction.
Works Cited
Amnesty International, Amnesty International, 2017. Web.
“Code of Conduct for International Members.” Amnesty International. Web.
Milmo, Cahal. “Brian Wood: A farewell to arms as 62 countries sign global Arms Trade Treaty.” Independent, 2013. Web.