About the Ateneo Human Rights Center
Our OBJECTIVES
- To form and sustain human rights lawyers and advocates in the Philippines.
- To make justice more accessible to victims of human rights violations.
- To monitor and advocate for compliance with human rights laws and instruments.
- To empower civil society towards peace, democracy, gender equality, good governance and the rule of law.
Vision
A JUST and HUMANE Society
Mission
To RESPECT, PROTECT and PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS.
Our Beginnings
The Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) is a university-based institution engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines. With its vision to have a just and humane society and the mission to respect, protect and promote human rights most especially in the Philippines, the AHRC works to achieve its objectives through engagement with communities and partner organisations. AHRC’s main areas of work include human rights training and education of law students and other sectors; promotion and protection of the rights of marginalized groups, including children, women, migrant workers, and indigenous peoples (through its Child Rights Desk, Women and Migrant Workers Desk, and Indigenous Peoples Desk); development of an ASEAN human rights mechanism; research, publication, curriculum development, legislative advocacy, and policy initiatives on human rights.
It was founded in July 1986, a few months after the historic EDSA Revolution drew attention to the indomitable might that is People Power. While the dictatorship infamous for human rights violations was overthrown through peaceful and bloodless means, it became obvious immediately thereafter that much work still had to be done in the field of human rights. AHRC was established as one of the first university-based institutions engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
Funding History
Over the years, AHRC has had several successful programs with different funding agencies such as the USAID through The Asia Foundation, United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, United Nations Fund for Women, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children’s Fund, Canadian International Development Fund, Ford Foundation, European Union, International Labour Organization, The Norwegian Fund, the Australian Agency for International Development, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and, Consuelo Foundation, American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI), Open Society Foundation, Intervida Philippines Foundation, ASEAN-CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Network, Canadian International Development Agency – Southeast Asian Fund for International and Legal Development and, Southeast Asia Regional Cooperation for Human Development (CIDA-SEARCH), and Save the Children.
