Activist, Hero, Role Model free essay sample

For how can people say that the current human race is evolved and civilized if it cannot give back to those who are fighting to merely exist? Therefore, the people of the world, the collective of unique individuals, must act to ensure human rights are extended to all the citizens of the world. The people of the world, fortunate to possess these rights, have a moral imperative, nay a moral obligation to help those who do not. Throughout time, there has been a plethora of individuals that have risen to the call and helped those struggling for basic rights. But one that has dedicated his life to helping those foreign to basic human rights and made a tremendous impact on the area of Latin America is Jose Miguel Vivanco. Jose Miguel Vivanco, through his spirited life history, which shaped him and influenced him to become involved in the struggle for human rights, has done work in and made contributions that have significantly affected the nations of Chile, Columbia, Mexico and Venezuela in a positive way in terms of human rights. Not much information is known about Vivanco’s early childhood, other than the fact that he was born in Chile and attended the University of Chile . Vivanco studied law at the University of Chile and then the University of Salamanca. Between 1986 and 1989, he served as the attorney for the executive secretariat of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS). In 1990, he received his Masters from Harvard University and founded the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), a regional NGO (Non Government Organization) which represents cases of human rights violation before international organizations and was its executive director until August 1994. Since September of 1994, he has been the executive director of the Americas division of the Human Rights Watch. (Freyre, Pedro A. , Jorge I. Dominguez, and Marifeli Perez-Stable. Biographies Of Latin American Human Rights Activists.   Cuban National Reconciliation: Task Force on Memory, Truth, and Justice. ) Vivanco began his human rights career immediately after his graduation from law school in Chile in 1983, working for the Catholic Church’s Academy of Christian Humanism to document cases of forced disappearance committed under Augusto Pinochet, dictator of Chile at that time and developing a legal theory to permit prosecution of these crimes as crimes against humanity. Then at Human Rights Watch in Washington, he led efforts to expose the abuses committed by Pinochet. After Pinochet’s arrest in London in 1994, Jose Miguel played a leading role in Human Rights Watch’s efforts to push for prosecution and conviction (Roth, Kenneth. Jose Miguel Vivancos Background. Venezuelanalysis. com | Venezuela News, Views, and Analysis. ). Observing the atrocities and brutality of the dictatorial regime of Pinochet in Chile was inspiration enough for Vivanco to want to make a difference. The first nation that Vivanco has made a significant impact in terms of lessening human rig hts violations is the nation of Chile. Vivanco was a driving force for the removal of Augusto Pinochet from power. â€Å"Augusto Pinochet was a career army officer and military dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990. His years in power were marked by inflation, poverty and the ruthless repression of opposition leaders. Pinochet was also involved in Operation Condor, a co-operative effort on the part of several South American governments to do away with leftist opposition leaders, often by means of murder† (Minister, Christopher. Biography of Augusto Pinochet.   Latin American History. ). Pinochet was in power during the time when Vivanco was growing up, and most likely had a direct effect upon Vivanco. Pinochet’s cruelty was rampant and all those living in Chile experienced it. Living, growing, and matriculating in that sort of environment produces three kinds of people; the first is those who agree with the cruelty and go on to become cruel, dictatorial people themselves; the second is those who are too scared, and scared, and go on to live their lives that way; and the third is those who learn from the experience, and go on to do something about it. Jose Miguel Vivanco is the third kind of person. He experienced the deprivation of human rights first hand, and as a result dedicated his life to preventing other people from enduring what he and his country had to endure. The second nation upon which Vivanco has made a significant impact is the nation of Columbia. The situation in Columbia today is far from ideal. â€Å"Paramilitary groups and guerrilla organizations have been fighting for control of Colombias resources for decades. Fueled by money from drugs and extortion, these mafia-like groups have killed thousands of civilians with impunity. The paramilitaries, in particular, are notorious for their atrocities, which include countless massacres, abductions and extensive use of torture† (Colombia: Stop Abuses by Paramilitaries’ Successor Groups | Human Rights Watch.   Human Rights Watch). These groups are creating a perpetuating cycle of fear for both the civilians as well as the government. With their pockets padded well from the profits of the drug trade and extortion, these organizations are controlling the government of Columbia. â€Å"The most conservative estimates, by the Colombian National Police, put the groups membership at over 4,000, and assert that they have a presence in 24 of Colombias 32 departments. The groups are actively recruiting new members and despite arrests of some of their leaders, they are moving quickly to replace their leadership and expand their areas of operation. (Colombia: Stop Abuses by Paramilitaries’ Successor Groups | Human Rights Watch.   Human Rights Watch). In positions of power, these groups are able to abuse the people of Columbia without any ramifications. Various efforts have been made to better the situation, but all of them had been futile. â€Å"While a human rights defender was providing assistance to a victim of the paramilitaries at the victims home in Antioquia, members of a successor group calling themselves the Black Eagles broke into the house, raped both women, and warned the rights defender to stop doing human rights work. She eventually had to flee town due to continued threats from the group† (Colombia: Stop Abuses by Paramilitaries’ Successor Groups | Human Rights Watch.   Human Rights Watch). All of these efforts had been futile, until Jose Miguel Vivanco intervened. â€Å"‘Whatever you call these groups whether paramilitaries, gangs, or some other name their impact on human rights in Colombia today should not be minimized,’ said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, ‘these groups are committing horrific atrocities, and they need to be stopped. The government has taken some steps to confront them, but it has failed to make a sustained and meaningful effort to protect civilians, investigate these groups criminal networks, and go after their assets and accomplices. ’† (Colombia: Stop Abuses by Paramilitaries’ Successor Groups | Human Rights Watch.   Human Rights Watch). Vivanco has led the fight against these organizations by pushing for harsher legislation combating the drug trade in Columbia. The drug trade is what is giving these organizations the money to commit these human rights violations, and without this income from the drug trade between Columbia and the United States, other actors such as the United States or the Human Rights Watch can come in and help loosen the hold these groups posses on the Columbian government and reduce the amount of human rights violations. By doing this, the people of Columbia will be helped, and as a result a brighter future for the nation of Columbia will be in the horizons. The third nation upon which Vivanco has had an effect is the nation of Mexico. Currently the nation of Mexico is in a state of despair for the civilians. â€Å"Soldiers deployed in counternarcotics operations have participated in such as killings, torture, rape, and beatings. Each time that civilians are abused, Mexican soldiers contribute to the climate of violence and lawlessness in which the cartels thrive†¦ Since Calderon came to power in 2006, the commission has issued reports on more than 50 cases involving egregious army abuses, including killings, rape, and torture. In one of those cases from 2007, for example, soldiers raided several communities in Michoacan, arbitrarily detaining 36 people, most of them at a military base where they were tortured to obtain information about alleged ties to drug traffickers. Four of the victims, underage girls, were also raped. The commission has reported receiving nearly 4,000 additional complaints of military misconduct†(Vivanco, Jose Miguel. Time to Speak up on Military Abuse in Mexico | Human Rights Watch.   Home | Human Rights Watch. ).