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All scientists – behavioral, life, physical, and social – have skills and knowledge of potential benefit to the human rights community. By providing timely, accurate, and verifiable data for human rights claims, scientists can help human rights organizations carry out more effective, evidence-based advocacy. Scientists can also assist with testing and evaluation of human rights projects and programs to ensure they benefit the intended populations. Analysis that is widely viewed as objective and based in evidence will buttress the credibility of human rights organizations and their claims. That all scientists have valuable tools and expertise to contribute is noted from the very important contributions that physical scientists (e.g., geospatial technologies) and life scientists (e.g., forensic and genetic sciences) have made to, for example, documenting human rights violations and identifying victims. This suggests that it would be valuable to build ongoing communication between the scientific and human rights communities to determine where and how quantitative and qualitative approaches and scientific tools and technologies can be useful to human rights work, and then assist in making these accessible to human rights practitioners.
Proposed activities to be pursued through this area of activity include to:
- Identify existing scientific resources used by human rights practitioners (or available for use) and successful collaborations between the scientific and human rights communities;
- Determine what types of human rights work/issues might benefit from what types of scientific expertise (e.g., data collection, data evaluation, data analysis);
- Encourage scientists to volunteer their time and expertise to the human rights community through the AAAS “On-call” Scientists and other voluntary networks (e.g., GIS Corps, American Statistical Association Special Interest Group on Volunteerism);
- Promote the application of scientific techniques and methods by the human rights community through a variety of means (e.g., courses, fora, clinics, seminars).
- Identifying compelling examples of how science is being used by the human rights community;
- Organizing an event in advance of the Launch which will highlight the many and varied ways in which science and scientists can contribute to human rights work.
For further information about the working group’s objectives and activities, click here.
If you wish to find out more about this working group and how your association can participate, please contact the working group co-chair, Susan Hinkins (American Statistical Association).
(page updated
07/20/2009)
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