Upholding human rights enables a society to put people at the center of all policymaking – political, economic and social – thus protecting the life and dignity of the human person whatever its condition or stage of development. In the year 2020, the world entered into the novel coronavirus pandemic, an unprecedented crisis that impacts all aspects of life and presents new threats to upholding human rights.
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Join us in reciting this prayer by Rabbi Brant Rosen. Explore our Lenten Reflection Guide on human rights.
To understand what our faith teaches about human rights, see “Catholic Social Teaching and Human Rights.”
To learn about Maryknoll mission experience honoring and protecting human rights and the life and dignity of the human person, especially those who are poor and vulnerable, read Maryknoll’s 100 Years of Mission.
To learn about human rights advocacy, watch a 30-minute webinar, “Human Rights Advocacy and the Legacy of Sr. Dianna Ortiz.” You will also find a corresponding page of resources on current human rights issues.
To learn about new threats to human rights, see our articles featured in Maryknoll Magazine:
Upholding Human Rights During the Pandemic
A “David and Goliath” Story of Water Defenders
President Joe Biden offers a warm welcome to the president of the Philippines, despite vast human rights violations throughout the country, and gets more military access in return.
Churches for Middle East Peace held a summit for Christians to hear about the state of human rights in Israel and Palestine and to meet with their congressional representatives.
Over 400 Christians in Peru signed an open letter in March 2023, to express their respect and support for the Aymara, Uro and Quechua peoples marching in defense of democracy and human rights.
The cardinal of San Salvador and families of the detained speak out for the thousands jailed during the suspension of civil rights in El Salvador.
The following is an excerpt from a manifesto endorsed and signed by 74 Indigenous peoples and organizations represented at the March 2023 UN Water Conference.
The 500-year-old legal and political theory that justified the taking of land from native populations by colonizers was formally renounced by the Church.
Write to express concern regarding the disproportionate and exaggerated response police unleashed upon protesters in Peru since the December coup attempt.
meet with Indigenous Leaders from Bolivia, Brazil and Peru
Learn about findings of a recent faith delegation to Mindanao in the Philippines, an island with ongoing armed conflicts and U.S. military installations.
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined fourteen other Catholic organizations in calling on President Biden to reverse restrictive border policies.
It is urgent that the United States refuse to fund institutions responsible for human rights abuses in the Philippines.
Watch the recording on YouTube
Ensure no U.S. assistance is used abroad to violate human rights or harm civilians in Israel Palestine.
We are writing to express our solidarity with you and your struggle and to tell you that as Christians we recognize the great example you are setting for the whole country with your marches in defense of true democracy and human rights; you are exemplary citizens and we demand that you be respected as such.
We request your assistance in advocating for a sustainable and equitable solution that meets the reasonable needs of the hundreds of thousands pastoralists of the region, whose livelihoods rely on access to grazing lands and water.
The fact that these migrants – many of them reportedly from Venezuela – were forced to wait in Mexico while on their migration journey to the U.S. border is the United States’ shame.
Statement for the Record U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on “Living Up to America’s Promise: The Need to Bolster the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program” March 22, 2023
The resettlement of Majid Khan from Guantanamo Bay prison to Belize, marks the first time a “high intelligence value” prisoner has been freed.
