by Aashka Merchant, Coordinator for Executive Operations and Special Projects at Amnesty International USA
One of the most crucial resources in both activism and the fight for human rights is often the most overlooked and undervalued. With passion, ingenuity and the will to truly enact social change, our young people are the key to progress.
Historically, young people have been at the forefront of activism. In the United States, students led demonstrations during the civil rights movement and protests against the Vietnam War. The 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square are arguably one of the most famous student-led demonstrations in history. While young people have been at the forefront of activism for centuries, the tools they use to organize and build their movements are changing rapidly. The advent of social media has absolutely created a monumental sea change for activism and the fight against human rights violations.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and more allow young people connect across city limits, state lines and country borders so they can be more informed and engaged than ever before. With these new forms of communication, they no longer have to rely on getting the attention of traditional media in order to have their stories heard. Young people can now circumvent established media and have a direct line to the public in order to inform them of the atrocities and injustices that are occurring.
Along with being a source of information, social media also allows people to show their solidarity with human rights defenders and build communities around fighting human rights abuses. These communities keep building, including their individual networks, to not only create even greater awareness but also greater impact. Social media can complement and enhance grassroots activism, lifting up emblematic cases and stories that show the broader issues at hand. This in turn can ignite a mass mobilization which forces decision makers to not only pay attention to the issue but also take action to address it.
Social media is also giving an unprecedented platform to individual stories, enabling people to connect to issues at a deeper, more personal level. The case of Raif Badawi, sentenced to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes by Saudi Arabian authorities simply for blogging, allowed many to truly understand the restrictions on freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia. This is just one example of people truly connecting to a case that has helped them not only understand the broader issue, but feel passionate about fighting these violations.
The communities built on social media link people locally and internationally. Young people in the U.S. dealing with discrimination and police brutality are now able to see that this is also an issue in Brazil. It resonates across countries and nationalities and brings perspective on the necessity for worldwide change. During the Arab Spring, protests in Tunisia spread to Egypt, Libya and beyond because through social media, students were able to organize and also spread awareness of the problems that they were confronting. Students across borders dealing with that same issues could take inspiration and know that they are not alone in their struggle. Activists could show solidarity with a movement from thousands of miles away.
And these communities continue to rise up against oppression, discrimination and injustice. Even with the shrinking space for human rights activism, with oppressive governments cracking down on those willing to speak up against human rights violations, young people are standing up for their rights. But they are not just the future; they are the present too. We must give these young people the support they need. Often, we invite young people to the table so they can gain experience and learn or to create inclusiveness, but we must allow them to actually participate and fully contribute to the movement. With their grasp of technology, fresh ideas and ability to engage others of their ilk, they are a force to be reckoned with. Given the opportunity, there is no limit to what they can do.
This post is a part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in partnership with Friendship Ambassadors Foundation following the 2016 Youth Assembly at the United Nations held on February 17-18, 2016. The winter session tackled the role of youth in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To see all posts in the series, click here.