By Muchengeti Hwacha, Johannesburg intern.
On 2 August 2019 delegates from 150 countries descended on Johannesburg for Amnesty International’s (AI’s) Annual Global Assembly. This gathering constitutes the organisation’s highest decision making body and befitting the magnitude of the occasion, former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke gave the keynote address.
AI describes itself as a world embracing movement, working for the protection of human rights. The famed story of the Nobel Peace Prize winning organisation dates back to 1961, when British lawyer Peter Benenson wrote an article ‘The Forgotten Prisoners’ for the newspaper The Observer. The article was a call to action, an inspirational stance against the plight of prisoners of conscience.
AI invited ProBono.Org to take part in the YOUTH POWER ACTION! session. The youth gathering brought together young human rights activists to share stories of their past journey and ideas for future action. From reproductive rights activists in Latin America, to trauma counselling for Syrian refugees in Turkey, we heard testimonies that gave life to cursory coverage of the news media. We had moments of deep reflection, we had moments of youthful light-heartedness, but most importantly we had moments to connect and find allies in the work we are so passionate about. We experienced an energy in that room, a driving force for good, that we hope to carry with us in our human rights work.
