Goals of Human Rights Activists

There are many different things people can do to help end the violence. Recently, after much campaigning by human rights groups, the Obama administration and other world leaders have taken renewed steps to stop the violence, and to promote peace in Darfur. It is important to understand the goals of these human rights organizations. Some of the things these organizations are campaigning for are:

• Keep the spotlight on Darfur and drive the Darfur peace process by appointing an ambassador-level diplomat for Darfur
• Negotiate for increased civilian protection and unimpeded access for humanitarians, independent human rights monitors and peacekeepers in Darfur
• Work multilaterally to enforce ICC arrest warrants, including the arrest of President al-Bashir and Ahmed Harun, architects of the genocide in Darfur
• Urge world leaders to continue to hold all parties in Sudan, the NCP, SPLM, militias, and rebels, accountable for human rights violations
• Push for full provision of gender-based violence services and child protection services in Darfur
• Press for all parties to honor the results of free and fair referenda for self-determination in South Sudan
• Ensure meaningful participation of Sudanese civil society including women in the Darfur peace negotiations

There are so many different ways that we can be involved in convincing our government to take steps to ending the violence. It is essential that we understand what is being done to stop the violence and genocide in Darfur, so that we can understand what more we can do to make a change.