Human Rights as a career

Human Rights as a career*

Ms Abong from Kenya believes that promotion of human rights is not enough; protection of human rights is imperative


Dr. Uttam Kumar Das writes from Minneapolis, USA

If anyone wants working for the benefit of others then there is an excellent way: work for promoting and protecting human rights could be a career. Ms. Carolyne Abong of Kenya is a shining example for this. Her work brought her to the United States as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow (Fulbright Scholar).

Ms. Abong is the Deputy Secretary (Research and Policy) of the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).

She is presently in the United States for a year and is affiliated with the Hubert H Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis as a Humphrey Fellow for the year 2009-2010. I am also here having the same fellowship; however, I am affiliated with a different institution, the Human Rights Center and Law School of the same university.

The fellowship is named after the late US Vice-President Mr. Hubert H Humphrey who had lived in Minneapolis and had become the Mayor of the city in the early days of his charismatic political career. The fellowship is funded by the US Department of State and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Ms. Abong became interested in human rights issues while researching for her second Master's degree in International Studies.

She had her first Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Nairobi in Kenya in 2000.

Then she enrolled herself in a two-year Master Program in International Studies. At the same time she was working part-time at an NGO named Center for Conflict Studies (CCS).

This affiliation prompted her to write her thesis on international conflicts. She took up the International Criminal Court (ICC) as her research topic, and Rwanda and former Yugoslavia were case studies.

Ms. Abong got her Master of Arts Degree in International Studies in 2003. She also had courses in International Law, Diplomacy, International Conflict Management and International Economy.

In the thesis, Ms. Abong observed that ICC, which is formed under an international convention to prosecute serious crimes like war crime, genocide, crime against humanity etc, is an “institution of compromise,” and “it is limited in its aim.”

There are reasons for that: the powerful states don’t want a supra power body like ICC, she commented. In writing the thesis, she had extensive field research in Tanzania where the court for Rwanda is based in.

After having the degree, she continued her work with the CCR; however, got a new focus on her work: she focused on the issue of promotion and protection of human rights in the Great Lakes area in Africa.

Ms. Abong has joined the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in January 2005 as a Senior Human Rights Officer; she got the charge of research and policy works. Her job was to conduct research on human rights issues and writing proposals for grants. She was promoted to the position of the Deputy Secretary in January 2009.

The KNCHR was established through an Act of the Kenyan Parliament named Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Act 2002. Its core mandate is to further the protection and promotion of human rights in the country.

KNCHR’s key program areas are: investigating complaints, providing redress, campaigns and advocacy, research, policy and legislation, economic, social and cultural rights, education and capacity building and institutional strengthening, according to the website of the agency.

KNCHR comprises nine members including one Chair and one Vice-Chair. A Parliamentary Committee selects the members who have to be approved by the President of the country. Their term is five years, which is renewable for another term.

Incidentally, seven out of nine present members happen to be lawyers with proven background and enormous contribution in the area of human rights at national and international level.

On the administrative side, KNCHR has a Secretary and one Deputy Secretary (Ms. Abong is the current one). The agency has seven main program departments: Campaign and Advocacy; Complaints and Investigations; Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Human Rights Education; Public Affairs and Communication; Research, Policy and Legislation; and Administration, Finance and Procurement.

Being asked on the human rights challenges in her country, Ms. Abong told me that administration of justice is not in good shape. That is a great concern. Apart from that there are reported cases of torture- by the police, prison guards and military. Also, there are ethnic conflicts and arbitrary arrest and detentions, and alleged extra-judicial killings by police.

Staff members and activists of NGOs working on human rights are frequently harassed or detained. However, media is comparatively free and vocal on human rights abuses and other extra-judicial activities.

There is a growing concern on the disappearances of individuals, especially the youth. This is evident in the reports of UN Special Rapporteurs.

Ms. Abong has a strong faith on the capacity and power of the national human rights institutions with regard to promotion and protection of human rights at national levels. “National Human Rights Commission establishes legitimacy of human rights works in a given country,” she said.

As part of the Humphrey Fellowship Program in the US, Ms. Abong is focusing on Public Policy and Research. She is also doing her professional affiliation with Hennepin County Office of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

Ms. Abong hopes to utilize her new knowledge and expertise in her country upon return. She is confident that she would be able to make a difference in her country in human rights situation through advocating with the government for policy reform and their implementation. This is required to meet the need of the time.

Regarding the convenience of working in the public sector, Ms. Abong argues that it is easier to influence positive changes in the government systems if someone is already within the system or an insider.

Given her previous experience, Ms. Abong mentioned that she has worked with the Human Rights Division in the Ministry of Justice on the issue of ratification of major international human rights instruments by Kenya. She was able to maintain positive impact in her works.

She has also contributed in formulating the National Policy on Human Rights to be coming into force in June 2010.

Ms. Abong also contributed enormously in human rights education and public awareness in Kenya.

Human rights issues are in the curriculum from Grade I to VIII since 2008. It is taught as part of Social Studies. In the schools, children would learn about human rights, child rights etc.

At the high school level, students would have advanced knowledge on human rights: individual’s rights and states’ obligations in protecting and promoting human rights.

Regarding legal education in Kenya, she says that law is taught in two public universities: the University of Nairobi and Moi University; that is a four year law program.

The Kenya School of Law under the Council of Legal Education offers a two-year masters program in Law as well. Human Rights is taught as a course in those programs.

To have license as an Advocate (Attorney) the law graduates need to go for a year-long pupilage with the respective government agencies or independent law firms.

Regarding challenges in human rights works, Ms. Abong says that political commitment of the government is vital for protection of human rights.

She observes that the government in her country wanted promotion of human rights only, unfortunately, not the protection of the same rights.

She believes that corruption is a major concern in countries like hers. This violates people’s economic and social rights. The major victims of corruption are the poor and marginalized ones, she says.

She opines that a person educated in human rights could make a difference in contributing to a just society with the existence of rule of law, democracy, and guarantees for rights of all individuals.

Dr. Uttam Kumar Das is an Advocate in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, and presently affiliated with the Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis. E-mail: udas1971@yahoo.com.

*Originally published in the PROBE News Magazine (Dhaka, Bangladesh), February 05-11, 2010; link: http://www.probenewsmagazine.com/index.php?index=2&contentId=5784.