A team of six JD students and seven museum studies graduate students, along with faculty and staff, worked together to curate and produce the exhibition.
By Lucianna Ciccocioppo
(Feb. 16, 2012) When John Ralston Saul, president of PEN International speaks, people listen. And the head of the freedom of expression advocacy group had great things to say about the Faculty of Law’s International Human Rights Program at the recent opening night of its photo exhibition, “Transformative Human Rights: 25 Years in the Field.”
The keynote speaker lauded the successes of the International Human Rights Program, founded by Prof. Rebecca Cook, and now headed by Renu Mandhane, JD 2001, in raising awareness about issues that many would rather not talk about, or feel they cannot change.
John Ralston Saul, president of PEN International
“This program is astonishing,” said Saul at the University of Toronto Art Centre on February 9. “We always hope our Supreme Court will be filled with people from programs like this, which view law as about justice. That’s not to say we’re against those who go on to advise financial centres in New York. We need them for our novels,” added the well-known author, to laughter in a room full of law students, lawyers and alumni. “We’re very grateful for the colour that they bring.”
The exhibition celebrates a quarter-century in the field. Law students worked with master of museum studies students to curate the exhibition, which showcases 45 photos from various internships over the years. The aim was to profile major advances in the field of international human rights law through the lens of IHRP students.
Mandhane said students who have participated in the program, through its award-winning legal clinics and summer internships, are making a real impact on human rights, from intervening in Supreme Court of Canada cases to taking claims to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. To date, more than 300 interns have participated in projects on six continents advocating for the rights of refugees, women, workers, victims of mass atrocities and other marginalized groups.
Saul highlighted the IHRP’s remarkable report with PEN Canada, Corruption, Impunity, Silence: The War on Mexico’s Journalists written last year by clinic students, Cara Gibbons and Beth Spratt, who travelled to Mexico City in October 2010. The report formed the basis of PEN’s year-long international campaign to draw attention to the thousands of missing and murdered journalists in Mexico, starting with an editorial in the Globe and Mail and culminating in an international PEN delegation to Mexico City in January 2012.
It got Mexican government leaders—and much of the media in Latin America—talking about the horrific issue, and about freedom of expression as part of basic human rights, explained Saul.
“It was the single most successful mission that I’ve seen by an NGO [non-governmental organization] during my time doing this kind of work, thanks in part to this program. They’re all talking about it… two weeks ago they weren’t talking about it.”
Mandhane was the only lawyer invited to attend, and she participated in the protest on behalf of the IHRP.
Law students were on hand to explain the various themes of the exhibit, and talk to media. Third-year student Morgan Sim, co-editor of the student-run Rights Review, said her experiences were invaluable.
3L Morgan Sim, co-editor Rights Review
“In the summer of my first year, I boarded a plane for Tanzania and landed in a country with almost no paved roads, even fewer street lights, and I travelled in an unmarked UN van with an armed guard. And I couldn’t have been more excited,” said Sim. “I worked in chambers at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, flanked by judges from Madacasgar, Uganda and Tanzania. It was an incredible opportunity to view complex litigation from the judges’ seat. It reaffirmed my goal to pursue a career in litigation.”
Sim also travelled last year to Nairobi to participate in a meeting of Canadian and African human rights lawyers advocating for the 160 Girls Project. The project plans to sue the Kenyan government for failing to protect underage girls from rape.
The real strength of the IHRP is its ability to transform law students into global citizens, explained Mandhane. “Not only do Canadian students learn about international human rights law through these incredible experiential opportunities, but they also acquire more elusive and equally important skills such as cultural competency, empathy and strategic advocacy. In short, these experiences make an impact whether you go on to practice in the back alleys of Nepal or in the towers on Bay Street.”
Which is why John Ralston Saul had high praise for IHRP students and alumni. “I’m really very proud of you and this program, and of working with you. I hope we’ll do more together.”
Stay tuned for our video coverage of the opening night event. The exhibition continues until February 23, 2012, at the University of Toronto Art Centre, 15 King's College Circle.
View our photo gallery here.
Read the media coverage:
Photos: Michelle Yee
