Olivia Martin
Access
Brussels, Belgium
Whew… this summer passed by much faster than I anticipated. I’m already back in New York now and attending classes, all while wishing I was back in Brussels working at Access. Brussels is an incredibly stimulating environment for any young student or activist given its international population and political energy. Coupling the fantastic city with the community and policy topics at my host organization, I felt myself consistently pushing the boundaries of my work ethic and understanding of human rights.
Before I get into more specifics, I have to say how grateful I am for the experiences that have been made possible to me through both Gallatin and Access. Being back in the U.S., I’ve had time to reflect on my summer in Belgium and take stock of the challenges I faced and the growth that I experienced in my continuous work as a human rights advocate.
At the Access Brussels office, we worked on numerous campaigns in the nearly three months that I was there, ranging in topic from the right to privacy to freedom of expression. Some of the battles we won, and others we are still fighting for.
Here is a recap of a few of the campaigns I participated in:
- TTIP: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is a free trade agreement between the EU and the U.S., and while much of the threatening language in it was struck down, some still remains. If this trade agreement comes into force in its current state, it could pose a huge threat to privacy, freedom of expression and encryption.
- French surveillance law: The Projet de Loi Relatif au Renseignement was passed through the French Parliament and then upheld by the French Constitutional Court this summer. A brash response to the terrorist attacks in Paris this past January, the law gives the French government a carte blanche to snoop on all of its citizens.
- Telecoms Single Market (TSM) Regulation: This EU regulation cemented net neutrality protections in every EU member state. Net neutrality ensures that the internet can be used the way it was envisioned to be— free of fast or slow lanes.
When discussing my work in Brussels with friends, I found myself referring to my “education in human rights” without realizing the oxymoronic quality of the phrase. Human rights are something we have come to understand as fundamental to a humane existence— they are not something that can simply be taught. Rather, they must be valued inherently and have their value shown through our every action.
Thank you for reading!