NYU Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights Blog

2022 Fellows

Introduction to Research on SWANA Religious Feminist Organizing

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Reem Djebli

Wise Afghanistan 

San Francisco, USA

   My first week working with WISE Afghanistan taught me that above all else, the security and privacy of the individuals we work with is of the utmost importance. In all of the paperwork I signed, in all of the briefings and conversations, it was made very clear that the safety of these individuals comes first. As such, I can share limited information on specific details of the additional work I am completing in my capacity as an intern that is outside the scope of my research project.  

        In beginning my research, I decided that in order to get a holistic view of the history of religious feminist organizing, I needed to examine the history of the practice in the neighboring regions to Afghanistan as well. I decided to include countries that had experienced historical events that are oft referenced in contemporary debates on the role of religion in a feminist quest for education, and specifically how veiling plays into said conversations. The research portion of my project is split into sections; socio-political, cultural, and theological imaginings of religious-feminist organizing. The choice to explore this across time periods and borders addresses how outside socio-political factors determine how it is accepted or rejected in society (I.e. The U.S.’ launching of the War on Terror, the Iranian Revolution, the rise of NGOs, etc). The choice to explore the cultural background is so to point to how often local culture and religion become so conflated it is hard to separate which societal rules stem from which. Finally, the choice to explore the theological component comes from the desire to gain a deeper understanding of the way religious texts/stories have been interpreted in the long history of Islam in a fashion that supports feminist organizing.

           As I delve into these histories, I intend to continuously make sure that Afghan women’s voices are centered, especially when it comes to the contemporary conversations on how to alleviate the issue of women’s education in the country. I will consistently be relying on the input of Ms. Rasoully and the other Afghan employees, and ensuring my sources are credible. My goal is to have completed the next month of research with enough vigor and thoroughness that I have an informed background on the subject prior to conducting my interviews.

 

First Week in Vieques working with La Colmena Cimarrona

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Karen Santos

HASER / La Colmena Cimarrona

Vieques, Puerto Rico

I arrived in Vieques, Puerto Rico, one week ago. I soon found out that two worlds exist within Puerto Rico: one is “la isla grande” (the big island, San Juan), and another one is Vieques – only 40 minutes ferry ride from each other).
Vieques has two supermarkets and a handful of colmados (similar to New York “bodegas”). Here, the prices are about 30% higher than in San Juan – according to several people I’ve met in the last few days. The median household income in 2020 was $14,040 (US Census). 52.6% of Viequenses live in poverty. Two families I have talked to these days told me they go to San Juan once or twice monthly to buy all they need in Costco or Walmart. Everything is urgent in Isla Nena (after Luis Llorens Torres’s poem): transportation, health, housing, to mention just a few.
Working the land is hard, but having land to work on is even more challenging in Vieques. Conversations about food sovereignty are impossible without talking about the right to land. The space La Colmena has, for example, is rented, a challenge they deal with every day. The work they do is beyond anything I anticipated. This first week has been busy for me. I help by doing some farm work in the mornings, and I focus on administrative tasks in the afternoon. There are several projects that I will be assisting with. First, I’m digitizing all the registrations and forms La Colmena uses. The plan is to transition all the existing materials to electronic form. They will be user-friendly and promote the use of new technologies. This will help improve specific processes and also address health concerns in a COVID era – soon each attendee  can use their own devices to fill out registration forms. This step would particularly enhance the organization’s administrative responsibilities. I will also create inventories to register tools, equipment, seeds, and educational materials’ catalogs so they can be shared among the community.

 Boat near the entrance to Los Chivos neighborhood

 

Entrance to La Colmena Cimarrona
Entrance to La Colmena Cimarrona
 Nursery

Research on Asian American Mental Health Behavioral and Intervention

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During my first two weeks working with Dr. Keng-Yen Huang on several research projects on Asian American mental health behavior and intervention, I found it interested in looking into the framework of health literacy and how health communication methods influence health behavior among minority groups. These projects focus more on adolescent/ young adults’ mental health in minority groups, and lots of articles and studies mention that social media and their peers greatly influence the mental health situation among young adults.

Adolescents are usually strongly influenced by their peers and social media platforms. Within a strong sense of “fear of missing out” and seeking group acceptance, they tend to receive lots of pressure when using social media. Especially when it goes to social comparison and pressure to stay connected, their mental health condition worsens under peer pressure, and they tend to suffer from anxiety and depression. The situation gets worse among Asian American adolescents due to their living pressure not only from their peers but also from their families.

To know more about how Asian American students/ young adults suffer from depression and anxiety in their lives, we develop representative stories for 1st and 2nd generation Asian American adolescents/young adults of diverse backgrounds to understand their mental health challenges) using the human-centered design/method. Through interviewing and persona development, we found that Asian American young adults tend to receive colossal pressure from their peers and their families. They show that juggling different roles, expectations, and identities lead to feelings of being an outsider and, consequently, inner conflict. Also, after looking into their lives and stories, we found that young adults need to learn to be true to themselves despite shifting between different contexts and roles to reduce role conflict. They also need support navigating through their beliefs/expectations, developing better communication skills to advocate their needs to their parents, and improving the parent-child relationship. Especially when the parents have different frameworks of success than their children, the depression and anxiety get worse.

My next step will be researching health communication on social media and content design, looking into what kind of content will influence young adults more and what health communication method is more accepted among adolescents. Overall, we would like to design and hold community workshops for Asian American young adults talking about their depression on using social media and experiencing the Anti-Asian conflicts under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Policy Writing and Academic Critique

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Jonathan Adler / Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network / New York, NY

As I’ve begun my work as an editorial intern at Al-Shabaka, I’ve continued to grapple with the readings from this past semester’s seminar and independent study. In particular, I’ve thought about how I can make use of academic scholarship to inform my editorial approach – as well as the challenges and limitations of engaging with scholarly writing in a policy-focused environment.

This was particularly pertinent last week, while I was editing an forthcoming policy brief for Al-Shabaka on the situation of Palestinian Bedouin communities in the E-1 corridor, an area east of Jerusalem that the Israeli government has been planning to annex. The policy brief outlines how Israel forcibly displaces these Bedouin communities to advance annexation – not only via home demolitions, but also by denying them basic economic and social rights. Moreover, it argues that humanitarian aid programs in E-1, backed by the US, EU, and other donor states, have not only failed to protect Palestinian Bedouins from Israeli aggression but also fueled a vicious cycle: donors help Bedouin communities rebuild after Israeli demolitions, only to have Israel destroy donor-funded projects, necessitating additional aid and leaving Bedouins more dependent on support. 

As I worked on this brief, I was reminded of our seminar discussion on humanitarian aid in the so-called Third World, and how scholars have criticized the basic assumptions of humanitarianism as a force for good. I also thought about my own reading on economic development and aid in the Palestinian context, and how academics have argued that aid programs are structurally inadequate to the task of Palestinian liberation.

Yet this piece was a policy brief – in other words, it had to move beyond the realm of academic critique and offer concrete recommendations for how to secure the rights of Palestinian Bedouins in E-1. In some ways, this is a more challenging task than mere critique, especially when dealing with the topic of humanitarian aid, whose structural flaws in Palestine are blatantly clear. So it was enlightening to see how the authors of this brief navigated this tension – rather than abandon the aid framework all together, for example, they suggest that donor states should restructure their aid programs to ensure accountability, achieve buy-in from Bedouin communities, and allow international legal bodies to oversee the aid delivery process. I’m eager to develop my own skills in this type of policy writing, which doesn’t shy away from critical analysis, but also offers specific paths forward.

Learning the ropes during political changes

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Nikki Myers
Al Otro Lado
Tijuana, MX/San Diego, USA

Within the first two weeks of my internship at Al Otro Lado, I met a variety of people working from different locations with different areas of expertise that all are useful when dealing with the maze of American and Mexican immigration law. I attended trainings on various topics such as trauma-informed approaches to migrant justice, a crash course on asylum law, and some tips on translation and interpretation techniques. This past week, I’ve begun working within this large web of volunteers and attorneys to prepare case folders and contact clients who are currently at the Tijuana/San Diego border.
Due to the nature of Al Otro Lado’s work in combatting oppressive immigration policies, many details of my work must remain confidential. However, once a week, AOL holds an online meeting for us to debrief about anything and everything– mental health, success stories, difficult cases, etc. in a vacuum where confidentiality is maintained within the organization. This work is emotionally taxing, and I appreciate how the supervisors at AOL consistently encourage us to practice self-care.
In my experience with various other NGOs, there is a crucial need to restructure NGO leadership so that the mental health of both service users and volunteers are placed alongside in importance with the mission of the organization. AOL has clearly prioritized this, which is helpful in preventing burnout and keeping volunteers on the team for more time.
While I’m still learning the ropes of the various processes AOL offers in the name of migrant justice, having open communication lines with supervisors and other volunteers has made the work easier to adjust to, and I’m looking forward to learning more as the summer continues.
I also recognize that migrant justice work changes along with legislation, and the Supreme Court ruled a few days ago that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers have the right to search all homes within 100 miles of the border without a warrant. This affects most major U.S. cities, including New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago, which all have significant immigrant populations. I’m curious (and a bit nervous) to see how this law affects the work at AOL.

This image shows a birds-eye perspective of a fifteen-lane entry point at the San Ysidro border point.
Border Traffic at the San Ysidro Primary Port of Entry. (Credit to Times of San Diego)

Reunification and Relief, From Home to Home

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Laura Zhang

Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project

Los Angeles, USA

This week is my fourth of the summer with Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, in which I have already learned so much about unaccompanied minors, their legal proceedings, and forms of relief. Esperanza is a really unique organization, in that they offer pro bono representation, legal orientations, and social services to unaccompanied minors and their sponsors in the United States. 

An unaccompanied minor is defined as an individual under the age of 18 who arrives at the United States without their legal guardian or parent and has no lawful status. Their first address in the United States is the shelter they are taken into by the Unaccompanied Children program, managed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). From there, they are released to a sponsor in the United States which can include close family friends, aunts, siblings, parents, and others. When the youth are reunited with their sponsors, is where Esperanza’s work comes in.

The scope of my work runs between three different programs at Esperanza. First, the Opportunities for Youth (OFY) program that offers social services to the minors including English and Math practices sessions, workshops on how to find a lawyer, and how to apply for health insurance. OFY is a government funded pilot program in California and a couple other states through the Department of Social Services. Within OFY, I make outreach calls to families after their legal orientations to inform them of the programs offered and make other referrals if needed. I also work within the broader Released Youth Program that oversees OFY to source donors that can give gift cards or other materials to incentivize the youth to join OFY programs. 

The Legal Orientation Program for Custodians (LOPC) provides group and individual orientations to sponsors and the minors. This is not a representation program where individual cases are discussed but rather a way to share information about the complex legal system and the forms of relief for unaccompanied minors to avoid deportation or voluntary removal. With LOPC, I work with the resources coordinator to create materials to be distributed at legal orientations such as mental and physical health, educational, housing, or other resources in Los Angeles County.

Getting to work in multiple programs, I see firsthand the important connections between them. Esperanza really builds rapport with the minors and their sponsors because they offer so many holistic programs, and I am excited to continue familiarizing myself with the work and team as passionately as they do for the rest of the summer. The next time I write, I hope to share more about the specific types of relief for unaccompanied minors, the one to one client work I’ve observed, and the impacts of the ongoing pandemic on Esperanza’s work. 

Engaging with the UNCRC’s Report on Greece

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Eric Raimondi, Still I Rise, Greece

My first two weeks working with Still I Rise (SIR) has been challenging yet rich. My first week consisted of orientation and a thorough introduction to my responsibilities over the summer. During the course of this week, it has become clearer what kinds of projects I will be working on. My focus this summer will be on reports released by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and how they relate to the Greek context, European Union refugee integration programs in Greece, and the impact of the new Samos camp on refugees. This will give me both the opportunity to focus on my stated interest in carceral camps in Greece while also engaging with other issues that Still I Rise is cares about.

My first task has been to review and analyze a UNCRC report, which was published on June 9, 2022. This report, “Concluding observations on the combined fourth to sixth reports of Greece,” reviews the state of the rights of the child in Greece. SIR has followed the developments of the UNCRC’s review of Greece for at least the last year, as evidenced by a report published by them before the start of my internship. In this most recent report, SIR raised specific concerns regarding de facto detention and inhumane living conditions, deficiencies in age and vulnerability assessment procedures, lack of access to asylum, and lack of services. Now, it is my job to integrate this previous SIR with the UNCRC report published this past week, to help determine if the concerns raised by SIR were confirmed, and to most importantly communicate this perspective in the form of a written press release to funders and other NGOs.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child

After an initial review, it appears clear to me that the UNCRC has officially acknowledged violations of the rights of the child by the Greek government and has thus confirmed SIR’s concerns regarding the state of refugee children and Unaccompanied Minors (UAMs). I believe these reports constitute a major victory for both SIR and other actors that advocate for the suitable living conditions, services, and access to asylum that are enshrined in the UNCRC.

Although my interests lie in the development of carceral refugee camps in the Aegean, this experience has introduced me to other important dynamics that affect refugees, and I am excited to see where this research project and future ones lead me.

Hopeful in the Face of Discouragement

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Zoe Lee / 

Burma Task Force – Justice For All /

Chicago, IL, USA / 

Our organization is a small one, and at first, I thought, not a very influential one. But I suppose that depends on your definition of influential. In the sense that it cannot produce widespread and  sustained change, perhaps it is not influential. However, in the sense of influence as impact on lives, I think it does make a difference, and a meaningful one, even if small. Recently, Abdullah, one of our employees who is a Rohingya refugee in a camp in Myanmar, sent me a few photos of the recipients of our organization’s small grants. It was heartening. While the UN works in the same manner, providing small grants for victims of conflict in Ukraine, we do the same for those fleeing Myanmar who are not permitted to open bank accounts in Bangladesh. It’s a constant reminder that the human rights industry has a short attention span, and as crises pile upon crises, some people are forgotten. 

On a less heartening note, in the past few weeks I have been drafting a memo for Senator Markey regarding a project our organization has been working on—providing education for the Rohingya. Now I’m aware that there are struggles in all fields, but the struggles of the human rights industry are slightly different. The work can be fulfilling, but there is also tension. This tension is often competition. Who gets the attention and the funding? Who gets the ear of the senator? Attempting to manage these relationships with other organizations and making it clear that the relationship is a collaboration or partnership rather than a competition is another issue that requires management in this industry. 

Indeed, human rights organizations need attention to exist, that is how funding comes by, but oftentimes it feels as if that constant seeking of attention is perhaps detrimental to our relationships with other organizations. When you ask to attend their events and push your agenda rather than theirs, it feels disrespectful. Sometimes it is not the time or the space to do so and we ought to respect that.

There are moments of discouragement, but there are equally moments of hopefulness. Let us focus on those moments.

Fundación Red de Mujeres Warmi Yuma

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Luisa Alarcón Criales.

Fundación Red de Mujeres Warmi Yuma.

San Agustin, Colombia.

La fundación Red de Mujeres Warmi Yuma surged as a form of resistance in defense of their human rights during the summer 2021 uprisings in Colombia. Throughout my stay in San Agustin, Huila, I look forward to experiencing and document the labor done by women as they exercise their claims to human rights. I want to focus on what women are actually doing. 

As I am looking at human rights from a performance studies perspective my main interests are actions of power and resistance. Drawing from Bourdieu’s (1980) concept of habitus understood as learned normality that becomes natural and gets reinforced, I aim to observe the unspeakable oppressive force enhanced by the Colombian conflict and the situational awareness of the body that comes naturally depending on the space, environment, and/or people in close proximity. The absorption of a habitus is what lays the foundation for acts of percepticide, the concept developed by Diana Taylor (1997) about structural subjugation that imposes self-blindness with extreme acts of violence, to which Colombia has been subjected to for about 59 years.

I am particularly interested in how percepticide is produced and reproduced and in all the minimal body movements that disrupt such habitus named, which become then acts of resistance or choreopolitics as Lepecki (2013) has theorized it, in the everyday life of the women in La Fundación Red de Mujeres Warmi Yuma. As I foresee participation in their human rights watch work by accompanying the victims of gender-based violence on the route for protection that the organization is creating, I am looking forward to the interaction with them in multiple settings that would allow me to look into their acts and lack of choreopolitics in context.

All through this first year, they have created multiple performative pieces such as the staged singing and dancing of the Argentine performance Un Violador en tu Camino [A Rapist in your Way] in the main square of San Agustin; graffiting Virgin Mary as a woman who had a choice at the market; and sculpture making out of broken ceramic pieces as art therapy. I am questioning their use of performance as a form of power, and whether or not it enhances their human rights labor or proposes an alternative way; yet thinking critically about the matter that making visible the issues of human rights violations does not solve them. The eventual goal will be to create a public record of the human rights violations in response to the silence and the lack of data in town around gender-based violence that the organization has encountered in the process of filing claims. I will be leading an ongoing workshop on autoethnography to aid them research gender-based issues and to complete the public record.

Institutional Change and Practical Needs

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Zoe Lee /
Burma Task Force – Justice For All /
Chicago, IL, USA /

I recognize that the genocide of the Rohingya is unlike any genocide committed before. Whilst it shares a similar violence, repression, and need for humanitarian assistance in shelter, food, and water, in many aspects, the perpetration of this violence is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Perhaps there were little glimpses here and there in the organized violence against Muslims in India. What the two share in common, India and Myanmar, is that social media has amplified violent rhetoric until it steps beyond the bounds of social media and into the real world, oftentimes with the approval of the government.

The impact of social media in this case cannot be overstated. Although my research will focus heavily on this point; prevention and accountability, there are practical needs that must be met. While we fix the system, people must be clothed and fed. There is institutional change on one hand and practical needs on the other. I will thus be responsible for outreach, as networking and fundraising are necessary parts of human rights work, along with setting up panel discussions to increase visibility. With increasing numbers of crises, the Rohingya become a forgotten people, pushed back into the corners of history as they had been before the genocide. Yet the atrocities did not begin with the genocide. It began decades ago, increasing in pace, until ultimately what the world thought unthinkable became reality. The Rohingya always knew, but we would not listen. Thus it is imperative that we make them seen.

Human rights have tended to be more reactionary than preventative; it waits until the crime has been committed before it intervenes. There were plenty of signs, plenty of warnings that rhetoric would escalate into full blown genocide, but for the sake of profit, Facebook did nothing. Part of my work will be addressing the needs; the basic necessities that are lacking. The question I hope to address; the question in the long term, the question which will reverberate for time to come is how to prevent the realization of a similar tragedy.