Amnesty International: information for human rights activism in Africa

Extract

Along with the enormous growth in information made available by digital technology, which has had such an impact on our profession in the last fifteen years, Amnesty International has also undergone major changes in its approach to protecting human rights. So, before examining information and activism, I will briefly describe Amnesty International and its work on human rights, then look at the changes that it has undergone and give an outline of the movement's structure before going on to discuss information flow and how this contributes to activism in Africa. I will conclude with the challenges to both our activism in Africa and to our information work to support this activism.

Amnesty International is a membership organisation campaigning for the protection and promotion of human rights. It is largely funded by members’ activities and does not receive money from governments or political parties. There are about one million members worldwide and every two years an international meeting is held that decides the priorities of the movement.