A recent report has revealed that civil liberties in the UK have been eroded over the last decade. David Davis MP criticised the government for disregarding civil liberties. However, the report was not created by seasoned campaigners, but by students from the University College London Student Human Rights Programme, set up just two years ago. The programme has already published five monthly bulletins, an academic journal, and held public events, including a talk by former Guantánamo detainee Moazzam Begg. It is now in the process of compiling a report on judicial independence in Ghana and drafting interventions with the Law Society attacking human rights abuses against lawyers around the world. The programme has also been involved in the student summit at the Convention on Modern Liberty. UCL is planning to open an academic centre dedicated to human rights later this year, which the student programme is heavily involved in. The programme aims to raise awareness and promote discussion while fostering a culture of human rights that extends beyond lawyers to students from other disciplines and universities throughout the UK.
Students are a unique group with a vast network of connections. Gabi Sibley, a coordinator of a student research program, explains that students are already a cohesive group, easily forming connections with their home communities. This makes them a perfect group to conduct surveys and collect opinions from various cultures. Additionally, students have a considerable amount of free time to dedicate to such commitments.
Self-motivated, the students from UCL plan to continue their activism by keeping track of human rights violations, uncovering global abuses, and conducting research. Their future initiatives include establishing new workshops aimed at younger students in primary and secondary schools. It is their objective to have a diverse membership of non-lawyers, including poets, artists, photographers, and performers to build a culture of human rights. This perspective protects everyone, which is why they believe it is essential to include professionals from various backgrounds.
To accomplish this, Walker wrote and recorded a Stop ‘n’ Search Rap for the group’s website. The rap explains to listeners the Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 while encouraging them to stay calm and composed during police encounters. By expressing themselves creatively through the art of rap, they can engage and inform their audience better. Interestingly, the rap also includes footnotes, possibly marking the first of such kind.
