Students Debate Latin American Human Rights Issues

Looking to recent efforts of grassroots organizations in the region, students debated the merits of “trickle-down” and “trickle-up” approaches to human rights in Latin America, as part of the “Diálogo Latinoamericano” series yesterday evening.

To anchor the discussion, two students who each had internships in Latin America through the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) international program shared their experiences with the attendees. The debate mostly focused on Peru, in light of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori’s ongoing trial, which has led to the return of human rights reforms in the region.

Kimberly B. Harshbarger ’10, who interned in Peru in the Ayacucho region 20 years after a period of ongoing human rights violations in the country, talked about her work with a grassroots organization. “The majority of our work there was taking care of the family members [of massacre victims],” she said. “The goal wasn’t meting out punishment. This was frustrating to me.”

The country is currently coping with the aftermath of the abuses of Fujimori’s authoritarian regime. Social studies lecturer Theodore Macdonald, Jr. said that in times like these, the heightened attention to human rights results in progress. He pointed to numerous human rights measures recently passed by the United Nations.

“You get a waterfall of approvals and ramifications following the period of military dictatorship. The people feel so bad about what has happened that they want to make sure they don’t go back to that,” Macdonald said.

Students analyzed the connection between “bottom-up” tactics, such as those used by non-governmental organizations, and “top-down” strategies, like trials in federal courts and U.N. commissions.

“They have the same goals in mind but aren’t cooperating,” Harshbarger said.

Anika B. Grubbs ’09 said she saw this same problem during her internship in Brazil, where she witnessed conflicts centering on indigenous rights and police brutality.

“In order to get anything done you need to work with the officials that have power, which doesn’t always work,” Grubbs said.

Walter E. Howell ’09, the student director of “Diálogo Latinoamericano,” who is also a Crimson sports editor, described the discussion series as “a forum in which students coming back from experiences seen firsthand, dealing with these issues, can share their stories.”