By Sophia Ludtke ’20, Staff Writer

Human rights are defined as being rights regarded as belonging fundamentally to all persons. Yet, who gets to define what these rights are? Where do we draw the line between differences in opinion and a violation of human rights? What can we do as individuals and as a community to help define and protect these rights?

These are all questions NA’s Human Rights Club strives to answer. So, you may be asking yourself the simpler question, what even is the Human Rights Club? As president of the club Julia Tarnow ’17 explains, “The overall mission of Human Rights Club is to advocate for, and bring awareness to, the countless injustices facing humans today–whether it be addressing sex trafficking five miles away from us in Newark or the violation of human rights in factories as far as Bangladesh. We want to stand up for those who do not have the privilege to have their voices heard whether it be inside the United States’ borders or outside.”

There are so many voices around the world that need to be heard, so many injustices that need to be tackled, and so many solutions that need to be found. A small number of Newark Academy students are tackling these very large issues in Human Rights Club, which meets on certain Mondays in the classroom next to the English office.

While all human rights issues are of concern for the club, this year the club has chosen to focus specifically on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. In 2011, anti-government protests began in Syria. These protests quickly escalated into a full-blown civil war – bombstrikes, cross fire, and a deficit of necessities have taken over 250,000 Syrian lives and the number just keeps increasing. That being said, Syrians are desperately fleeing their country out of concern for their lives and those of their families. According to the UN, there are currently 11 million Syrian refugees–11 million refugees in need of a home.^[1] Men, women, and children have fled their war-torn homes only to be faced with uncertainties almost as dangerous as the country from which they fled. As Dr. Christine Latif who works for World Vision explains, “The children of Syria have experienced more hardship, devastation, and violence than any child should have to in a thousand lifetimes.”^[2]

This is where Human Rights Club is stepping in. First, the club is trying to raise awareness about the crisis. A morning meeting presentation is scheduled for later in the year and just through word of mouth, club members are hoping to get as many people as possible informed about the issue and eager to help.

The club is also working to raise money to send to organizations helping the refugees. These programs help the refugees by providing them with necessities such as food, water, shelter, and medicine with the ultimate goal of moving as many refugees as possible away from the refugee camps and into permanent homes in countries willing to take them in. An upcoming “Human Re-FUDGE-e” bake sale is planned to help raise money for this very important cause.

The injustices humans face are issues that everybody needs to be concerned with. There is no better way to play a role than joining Human Rights Club! Keep your ears open for a morning meeting announcement about upcoming meetings and be sure to stop by! You’ll be happy you did!

^[1] https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria-turkey/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis

^[2] https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/syria-refugee-crisis-faq-war-affecting-children