Campaigns

Lent term Campaign: Demand Dignity

Check out the full background at Amnesty UK.

All of our events surrounding this campaign can be found here: calendar

…overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.’
Nelson Mandela

What’s poverty got to do with human rights?

840 million people are chronically malnourished. 100 million have no access to education. Every year 11 million children die before the age of five.

This suffering should be no more inevitable than torture, false imprisonment or censorship. The right to live in dignity, with access to health care, education, secure housing and an adequate livelihood is fundamental.

That’s why we are launching this campaign:

  • to highlight the way that poverty and human rights violations often go hand in hand
  • to empower and support those who have their rights violated
  • to hold those responsible to account.

Campaign Areas

The world bank states that ‘of the 1.3 billion people living in absolute poverty around the world, 70 per cent are women.’ The topic of women and poverty will therefore run through this entire campaign, although it will not stand alone as a campaign area.

CU Amnesty’s campaign will focus on two key areas:

Maternal Health

Pregnancy is not a disease, yet it kills one woman every minute. Almost all of these deaths are preventable and 95% of them occur in developing countries.

Poverty, violence and lack of education lead to the avoidable deaths of women in childbirth, with a host of knock-on effects on children and communities.

The lifetime risk of maternal death in Sweden is only one in nearly 30,000; in Sierra Leone it is one in eight. Yet in many countries – for example Nepal, Sri Lanka and Honduras – action by governments has reduced maternal mortality.

Amnesty International campaigns for preventable maternal death to be recognised as a human rights issue.

Action

Nicaragua’s total ban on abortions is denying girls and women life-saving treatment, preventing health professionals from practising effective medicine and contributing to an increase in maternal deaths across the country.

Send an appeal email to the President of Nicuragua – we have power in numbers.

Events

Thursday 21st January, 9pm: St Johns Films will be showing the film ‘Vera Drake’ in the Fisher Building. Open to all.

Saturday 23rd January, 1-2pm: we will be marching in support of the ‘Maternal Health is a human right’ campaign from Parkers Peice to the Guidhall. Join as at Parkers Piece at 1pm.

Corporate Accountability

All companies have a responsibility to respect human rights in their operations. The business community also has a wider responsibility – moral and legal – to use its influence to promote respect for human rights.

CU Amnesty’s campagin will focus on Royal Dutch Shell. Decades of pollution in the Niger Delta has led to serious human rights violations, driving the people of the region into poverty. The oil industry has failed to adequately prevent the human rights impacts of its operations in the Niger Delta. 

Shell has also persisted in the prohibited practice of ‘gas flaring’. Flaring burns off the gas produced when oil is pumped out of the ground. Local communities want it to stop. They say it pollutes the air and water, causing health problems that are being ignored by Shell, the other oil companies and the Nigerian government.

Action

Call on the new Chief Executive of Shell to make a commitment to clean up Shell’s operation in the Niger Delta.

Events

Thursday 4th Feb: SHELL HELL DAY

Academics and students will be donning white jumpsuits and gathering signatures for petitions which request Peter Voser, CEO for Royal Dutch Shell, to clean up their act in the Niger Delta. To bag your jumpsuit email exec@cuamnesty.org.uk.

Thursday 11th February: St Johns Films will be showing ‘The Age of Stupid’ in their Fisher Building at 9pm. Open to all.

Tuesday 16th February: CREPE day. We will be selling pancakes to raise money for Amnesty and gathering more signatures for our petition to make companies more accountable for their actions abroad.

You do not have to be a member to attend, volunteer or be a part of any of CU Amnesty’s events. We value the support of each and everyone of you. Get involved. Any questions, please email exec@cuamnesty.org.uk

A cambridge students guide to Amnesty’s No Recourse No Safety campaign as part of Stop Violence Against Women  eventsin Michaelmas term.

Past Campaigns

Check out all our previous campaigns and events here.