Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Why we need Amnesty International at home


Amnesty International is a worldwide organization with human rights protection and monitoring as its core purpose. We the members are saddened, angered, and moved to act upon such violations. Whether you have a gay friend who was killed because of his sexual orientation, a brother in Iraq who was tortured, an aunt who got barred in the airport just because she's a muslim, or a classmate who got imprisoned because he believed that government should not have abolished his house without compensation. All of these things are happening now and we need each one of you to act, educate, and be aware of these issues.

AI has a lot of campaigns and activities depending on which local group or country you belong to. Unfortunately, there are not enough groups and members here in the Philippines. I have thought of opening AI Iligan. Just a small group of people doing trainings, kite flying events, concerts, and such to start with. I really hope that people would come and join this cause that concerns everyone of us.

The problem really here in the Philippines (but not exclusively) is that the youth has become apathetic with such causes and would rather indulge in hedonistic activites 100% of their time. Which just makes me cry a bucket per hour.

On an optimisitic note however, this won't stop me from starting this group. I'm willing to shell out my own allowance for the group activities and to get it started (donations are very welcome!!! please!!!!!). I hope to see more people getting involved and therefore getting empowered especially the youth.

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