An exhibition of photographs taken by students participating in the International Human Rights Program. Human Rights in Focus was displayed at the University of Toronto Art Centre from February 12 to March 22, 2007. The photos were sold through a silent auction on February 28, 2007, with all of the funds raised going to the International Human Rights Program. This online exhibition includes most, but not all, of the photographs shown at the original exhibition.
Since 1988, the International Human Rights Program at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, has placed over 145 law students in internships in countries around the world. They return to the law school invigorated, having witnessed and contributed to the very issues where law, rights and human dignity intersect.
These photographs, taken by law students on their placements, invite the viewer to share in that experience. The images serve as a powerful reminder of the contemporary concerns of our time, and of the challenges faced in societies other than our own, where limitations on freedom, a lack of human dignity, and political strife are a fact of everyday life for many human beings. These works of art are a compassionate window into their world.
We hope that viewers will be inspired to reflect upon the ideals and values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the realities of the global human condition. Most of all we hope that new generations of U of T law students will be motivated to make a difference in the world through the Faculty of Law's International Human Rights Program.
Click here to start viewing the exhibit, or click on any image to see it in full. You can move through the exhibit using the links at the bottom of each page.
Photographers: Abby Deshman, Erin Runnalls, Rachelle Dickinson, Timothy Riddell, Ran Goel, Jayne Lee, Melanie De Wit, Sarah Perkins, Lucas Lung, Hugo Leal-Neri. Not shown in online version: Cory Wanless.
