Amnesty International

"The only thing necessary for the persistence of evil is for enough good people to do nothing." (Peter Benenson). Those words have reflected the reality of our world since the cavemen ages to the present time. If those words had been heeded, Germany wouldn't have advanced past Rhineland to cause World War 2. If those words had been followed, people in places like Burma or North Korea would have the right to express their opinions. If only all human beings followed that simple one sentence, our world would be a more beautiful, peaceful, and joyful place for everyone. However, it is never too late to change the way people listen to those words. Amnesty International, a non-governmental organization formed in 1961 is designated to stop the persistence of evil by helping all citizens in the world gain internationally recognized human rights such as freedom of speech, humane treatment of prisoners, the right to education, and they also make a global report each year to inform the world about human rights issues in each country.

The “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” is a human right charter that Amnesty International focuses on. The articles in the declarations states the rights every human being in the world should have. An important article the freedom of expression, permits every citizen to speak without censorship and/or limitation. It is a basic human right that every citizen in the world should have but many don’t. In countries such as Burma and North Korea, citizens got beaten up or imprisoned when anything negative were said about the government. Even in developed countries, workers aren’t allowed to complain about their poor working conditions. To raise awareness and aide people about the situations, Amnesty Internati...

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...imminent danger of torture or even death. By supporting Amnesty International this would promote a sense of global union and give the hopeless people a light of hope.

In conclusion, Amnesty International not only has helped many gain fundamental human rights such as freedom of speech, humane treatment of prisoners, and the right to education, but they also contributed in letting the world know about human rights issues. The human rights that we take for granted is the life long dream of many unfortunate people. We are lucky to have organizations like Amnesty International who does everything in their power to assist the ones in need and spread their stories in hope of more people joining in the fight. The old Chinese Proverb says "Better light a candle than curse the darkness, " we should do the same for human rights, better help a person than feel sorry for them!