Back to the Human Rights Video Pilot

“The culture of human rights derives its greatest strength from the informed expectations of each individual. Responsibility for the protection of human rights lies with the states. But the understanding, respect and expectation of human rights by each individual person is what gives human rights its daily texture, its day day-to-day reliance”.

Sergio Vieira de Mello
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2003

About human rights:

• What are human rights?
  
• What are the underlying principles of human rights?
  
• Who is responsible for protecting and promoting human rights?

About the footage

• What types of human rights footage should I submit?
  
• What human rights terms should I use to tag my video?
  
• Is there any human rights footage that might not be suitable for this site?
  
• What principles will guide WITNESS in the selection of appropriate footage?

What are human rights?

Human rights are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each person. They are universal legal guarantees protecting individuals and groups against actions which interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity. Some of the most important characteristics of human rights are the following:

• They are internationally guaranteed;
• They are legally protected;
• They focus on the dignity of the human being;
• They protect individuals and groups;
• They obligate States and State actors;
• They cannot be waived/taken away;
• They are equal and interdependent;
• They are universal.

• Civil and political rights (e.g., freedom from torture, ill-treatment, slavery, arbitrary arrest and detention; freedom of opinion and expression; right to vote; right to marriage etc)
• Economic, social and cultural rights (e.g., a right to medical care, food, education, clothing, housing, water, rest and leisure, a cultural life etc)

To learn more about human rights, please visit the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights website.

What are the underlying principles of human rights?

• Human Rights are Universal
  They belong to everyone, regardless of their race, sexuality, citizenship, gender, nationality, ethnicity, or abilities.
• Human Rights are Inherent
  We are all born with human rights. They belong to people simply because they are human beings.
• Human Rights are Inalienable
  They cannot be taken away – period. No person, corporation, organization, or even government can deprive another person of his or her rights.
• Human Rights can be Violated
  Although they are inalienable, they are not invulnerable. Violations can stop people from enjoying their rights, but they do not stop the rights from existing.
• Human Rights are Essential
  They are essential for freedom, justice, and peace.
  

Read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Who is responsible for protecting and promoting human rights?

Human rights are legally guaranteed by human rights law, protecting individuals and groups against actions that interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity. They are expressed in conventions, treaties, customary law, principles and other sources of law. Every government has an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of its citizens. Other countries and the international community have a right, and responsibility, to protest if states do not adhere to this obligation.

Human rights include a responsibility to understand, respect and uphold the rights of everyone; it is not enough to ensure that one’s own rights are upheld – it is incumbent on all to make sure everyone else’s rights are upheld as well. To advocate for human rights is to demand that the human dignity of all people be respected.

Sources: Amnesty International, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children

What types of human rights footage should I submit?

We are looking for videos that expose human rights abuses:

• Do you have personal testimony to share where your human rights (or those of someone you know or have interviewed) have been violated?
  
• Do you have footage that shows a human rights abuse that has taken place or is taking place? For example: an illegal arrest at a demonstration; a child being refused entry to a school based on religious belief; the ill-treatment of a detainee; a community denied access to clean water; or any other type of abuse.
• Do you have footage that demonstrates a remedy or solution that has been taken to address human rights abuse?

What human rights terms should I use to tag my video?

Please select from among the following: (please contact us at HRvideohub@witness.org if you wish to add a category)

Is there any human rights footage that might not be suitable for this site?

To ensure that WITNESS upholds the basic principles of human dignity, and to prevent or minimize direct or indirect harm resulting from any footage, careful consideration will be given to the following:

• Content that carries a significant risk to someone’s life or personal safety;
• Content that is a direct written or verbal incitement to violence or hate;
• Content that contains nudity or sexual imagery;
• Content where capacity for decision making or ability to give consent may be compromised, such as children (under 18), detainees/prisoners, and people with mental disability;
• Content that features graphic violent imagery;
• Content that is discriminatory and advocates intolerance on the grounds of ethnicity, race, gender, disability, national origin, sexual orientation or religion or is otherwise inappropriate.
  

What principles will guide WITNESS in the selection of appropriate footage?

We cannot guarantee the authenticity of the videos featured on this site but, to the best of our ability, WITNESS is committed to ensuring that we:

• Avoid showing videos that are misleading or contain falsehoods or misrepresentations.
• Uphold respect for personal dignity and autonomy;
• Minimize risk to someone’s life or personal safety;
• Select images that will not re-victimize those featured in the videos but bring about justice for them as individuals;
• Select videos that will contribute to bringing about a change in human rights policy and practice;
• Feature videos that represent different parts of the world and cover a variety of human rights issues and perspectives;
• Contextualize the videos from a human rights perspective;
  

Back to the top