Amnesty International Club

By Grace Sullivan

Amnesty International club is part of an international organization that advocates for human rights. Each week we discuss different threats to human rights on a global level. So far this year we’ve discussed the effects of the US Humanitarian Aid cuts on multiple different individuals or groups around the world. We are currently working as a part of Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign, writing letters to people in power to help people and groups who are currently suffering from a lack of human rights. Below are two groups that we’ve written letters for.

Unecebo Mboteni is a three year old from South Africa who died after falling into a pit toilet, a staple of underdeveloped communities. A year and a half has passed since the tragic event, and he is one of multiple children to have suffered this fate. His death represents the failure of The Department of Basic Education to remove these pit toilets, and demonstrates the deeper inequality between rich and poor that impacts children’s education and safety in South Africa. 

Mother Nature Cambodia is a youth-led award winning environmental group that has fought the government and multiple companies on environment-related issues through peaceful protests. Ratha Thun, Kunthea Long, Keoraksmey Phuon, Chandaravuth Ly, Ratha Sun, and Leanghy Yim have inspired many young people to fight for the environment. In June 2024, these six activists were sentenced six to eight years in prison for peacefully protesting against environmental abuses but one member was able to flee. The rest remain in prison in poor conditions.  

As the Amnesty club at Belmont High School, we have been researching these people and writing letters to people in power in Cambodia and South Africa, who have the ability to make change for the better for these people and their communities. We have urged them to free those wrongfully imprisoned and make changes to their policies in order to better protect the safety of their people. Next, we need you! You can help us help these people who are suffering threats to human rights by signing our letters. Come find us at any lunch underneath the main staircase on Thursday, December 11, Friday, December 12th and Monday, December 15th.