December is Universal Human Rights Month. On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations announced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 30 rights and freedoms that belong to all of us. If you are called to get involved in promoting international human rights, consider taking action with The Advocates for Human Rights.
Our Mission
The mission of The Advocates for Human Rights is to implement international human rights standards to promote civil society and reinforce the rule of law. By involving volunteers in research, education, and advocacy, we build broad constituencies in the United States and select global communities.
Our Vision
We envision a world in which every person lives with dignity, freedom, justice, equality, and peace; and believe that every person has a part to play in building respect for human rights and expanding the human rights movement in the United States and around the world.
Our Approach
The Advocates for Human Rights believes that each one of us has a part to play in defending human rights. By engaging volunteers in hands-on human rights work, The Advocates not only accomplishes critical research and advocacy, we transform volunteers into advocates for human rights.
The Advocates works on two levels: the systemic level and the individual direct services level. The Advocates' unique approach grounds policy work in the lived experiences of our partners and clients. When our clients experience injustice, we help them and advocate to change the systems that perpetuate those injustices. When our partners report barriers to safety and security, we identify the gaps in legal protections and develop solutions.
Rooted in deep expertise and strong relationships, The Advocates works in our home community and in partnerships around the globe to address some of the most intractable human rights issues.
Our History
The Advocates for Human Rights started with a group of lawyers seeking to leverage Minnesota's unique spirit of social justice to promote and protect human rights worldwide. Since then our innovative programming has changed the lives of refugees and immigrants, women, ethnic and religious minorities, children, and other marginalized communities. We investigate and expose human rights violations, represent immigrants and refugees seeking asylum, train and assist groups that protect human rights, engage the public, policy-makers, and children; and push for legal reform and advocate for sound policy.
The Advocates for Human Rights is an independent, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-governmental international human rights organization.