"Distinguished Professor Speaks On Human Rights, Wrongs"

Dr. Claude Welch, distinguished professor of political science, delivered a lecture on the pursuit of human rights in the modern world as the first in a semester-long series of lectures sponsored by UB's Office of Honors and Scholars Wednesday night.

According to Welch, editor of "Human Rights and Development in Africa," despite significant progress in recent years toward ending human rights violations in the world, the issue remains a problem both in the U.S. and globally.

Welch said one of most glaring problems is the continuance of Female Genital Mutilation in parts of Africa, in which men mutilate women as part of a rite of passage.

"(It is) culturally and religiously condoned violence," said Welch.

Yet FGM is not the only instance of human rights abuse. While the U.S. is widely believed to be a proponent of human rights, Welch said the nation often turns a blind eye to suffering inside of its borders.

He cited Japanese internment during World War II as an example.

"Governments are the primary abusers of human rights, but they are also the major means of correction," said Welch.

"It's important to be aware of things that go on outside of what you deal with everyday," said Jordan Berry, a junior philosophy and political science major. "We should be aware that we are in a privileged situation."

Some of these abuses still go on today, said Welch. The United Nations published its annual Human Rights Report in March of 2001, detailing extensive international human rights violations, but excluded abuses on the part of the United States.

Welch said that the United Nations practices what he calls "American Exceptionalism," meaning that the United States is not held to the same human rights standard as other countries within the United Nations.

Instead of acting as a part of the United Nation's 181 member states, the United States prefers voting on issues within the U.N. Security Council, as the U.S. is one of the five permanent members of the 15 Security Council members. Because there is a smaller voting pool on the council, the United States has a more powerful voice.

The improving recognition of human rights began to drastically increase after World War II.

Welch said that human rights legislation is divided into three distinct generations - the Western heritage, the Socialist and Communist heritage, and the developing country heritage.

According to Welch, the first generation was primarily concerned with "political and civil matters." This generation includes the United States, as well as various other western countries whose focus was on establishing rights for the individual.

The Socialist and Communist heritage founded broad constitutions to "provide a basic standard of living that is essential for survival." These countries were more concerned with social and cultural issues for the community as a whole.

Lastly, the countries that gained independence after World War II focused on giving people liberties, environmental awareness and furthering their nation's development.

With the end of World War II, the newly formed U.N. utilized these differing perspectives to create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec.10, 1948, as a means of working toward their main objective: preserving human rights.

"I think that human rights are crucial because when the rights of people in other countries are threatened, since the world is so interconnected, we wind up being threatened as well," said Andrea Koch, a junior sculpture and American studies major. "We saw that Sept. 11."

Welch concluded his lecture with encouraging words for students.

"We, as people, do make a difference," he said.

According to Ricki Shine, coordinator of the UB Scholars Program, the lecture was held exclusively for students in the University Honors Program, the UB Scholars Program, and the Advanced Honors Program.

"The objective of this lecture series is to introduce students to ideas and issues they probably don't think about on a daily basis," Shine said. "Although students may never take one of Welch's classes, we're still providing them with an opportunity to hear from a professor that is internationally known in this field."