14th Colloquium :: Human Rights and the Streets

Chile, Mexico, Nigeria, Tunisia, Palestine, China, Nepal and Russia are just some of the 40 countries that will be represented at the XIV International Colloquium on Human Rights, to be held from 24-29 May in São Paulo.

The meeting, which has been organized since 2001, will this year bring together approximately 100 human rights activists to discuss the theme “Human Rights and the streets.” The aim of the international conference is the exchange of experiences and the creation of new networks and collaborations.

The participants and speakers will include both professionals from traditional organizations and academia, as well as from social and new collective movements.

The list of countries also includes Paraguay, Kenya, South Africa, Togo, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Angola, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Denmark, Colombia, Uruguay, Algeria, USA, Thailand, Kenya, Mozambique, India, Bolivia and Egypt.

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Themes

The debates will be organized around three key topics:

Agenda of the streets : We will attempt to provide an overview of the causes around the world that needed to be taken to the streets to be heard. From there, we will ask ourselves: Why are certain demands not heard by the State? What prompts movements to protest in the streets? What are the protest tactics and the forms of organization?

Right to the streets : This second key topic will discuss state action, in particular the role of the security forces and control bodies, including the judiciary. What are the obligations of the State in guaranteeing the right to demonstrate? What has characterized state action in different contexts? Are there any channels for negotiation, participation and dialogue with the public authorities before, during and after the demonstrations? What strategies – legal, political, communication – can be used to protect the rights at stake in demonstrations?

Legacy of the streets : The conference will also permit us to debate the impacts of the protests. How do the demands expressed on the streets lead to concrete changes? Can the demonstrations contribute to a broad discussion on the participation of society in public decision-making? Are there any new forms of democratic participation? What is the relationship between the new movements and the traditional channels of participation?

For the first time, the Colloquium is being organized by Conectas in conjunction with three other organizations. CELS (Center for Legal and Social Studies) of Argentina, LRC (Legal Resources Centre) of South Africa, and KontraS of Indonesia.