Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. But around the world writers, artists and musicians are censored, persecuted and imprisoned for exercising their rights. What is it about art, music and literature that frightens people in power? Meet some of them who have found a safe haven in Sweden. The panel is followed by a concert with Ramy Essam.

The right to food, health care, housing and education are examples of human rights that states are obliged to protect, respect and fulfill. But what do these rights entail and why are economic, social and cultural rights still often treated as non justiciable, how does the lack of complaint mechanisms impact the possibility to fulfill them? What does the legal framework look like and what can you do if you are being denied your rights?

“Organizing is the surest way to equip the poor in their fight against poverty,” says Reema Nanavaty from Self Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) – an organization that since 1972 organises the poor women workers in India to bargain for their rights and representation.
Reema Nanavaty joined the rural wing of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in 1984, the same year as the organization and the founder Ela Bhatt was awarded The Right Livelihood Award. Reema Nanavaty was elected as General Secretary in 1999. Under her leadership, SEWA's membership grew to new heights, making SEWA the single largest union of informal sector workers in India.

The right to adequate food is a human right. Still, more than 800 million people suffer from hunger, while half a billion suffer from obesity. Is the global food system of today consistent with human rights? What are the alternatives? It´s time to listen to the peasants!

Opening remarks from the organizers followed by an opening panel about the situation for human rights in the world. Josette Bushell-Mingo sings Nina Simone.

During 2016 SKL and RWI invited researchers, practitioners and NGO:s to explore the HR-city aproach. Listen to international practice, experiences and conclusions.

What is militarism? How is it related to human rights? Professor Cynthia Enloe, American professor of Political Science at Clark University, has done research about militarism from a feminist perspective for about 50 years. Why is such a perspective important and which measures are important to take in order to break militaristic structures? Lecture with Cynthia Enloe followed by a panel discussion with peace activists.

The UN declaration of human rights states that “everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment”. But for one group, the so called precariat, this is hard to fulfill. The precariat consists of millions of people being forced to accept a life of unstable labour and unstable living. In this lecture the British professor Guy Standing from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and with long experience from working for the International Labour Organization will advance our understanding of the precariat. He will discuss the political and economic tensions being created around the group and how they are losing all forms of rights – civil, cultural, social, political and economic.

What is the situation for women that are forced to flee their homes like? How does Europe's closed borders and tough asylum policies affect women in particular?Kvinna till Kvinna's partner organisations from the Middle East region discuss the issues and experiences from working with women refugees

What has happened in Turkey since the failed military coup? How is the situation for human rights in general, and the situation for migrants?

Children with disabilities, like all children, have the right to participate in society and express their views. Yet their views are often ignored or overlooked. How can we provide the spaces for children with disabilities to truly take part in the decision making processes that affect their lives?
The seminar will be interpreted to sign language.

A seminar on recent developments concerning the role and responsibilities companies, in particular the extract industries, for human rights violations committed in order to pave the way for the extraction. The seminar will also discuss what obligations a state has to control the extraterritorial conduct of companies and ultimately compensate victims.  

The state has a responsibility to protect against violations of human rights by private actors. Does Sweden's responsibility cover acts of Swedish companies abroad, and would such responsibility include economic and social rights, like the right to water and food or human rights in the workplace?

In Sweden and Europe, there is an ongoing discussion about the so called refugee crisis, referring to the large number of people seeking refuge from war and persecution in Europe. But the real desolation affects those who flee and who are forced out on a life threatening voyage on the Mediterranean Sea. This seminar seeks to present the effects and human consequences of Europe’s border control and present suggestions for a solution.

  Välkommen till ett seminarium om hur sociala medier och digitala verktyg används för att utkräva ansvar av dem som har makt och ansvar för att mänskliga rättigheter respekteras, skyddas och tillgodoses.

Professor Cynthia Enloe, American professor of Political Science at Clark University, has done research about militarism from a feminist perspective for about 50 years. Why is such a perspective important and which measures are important to take in order to break militaristic structures?

Climate change has substantial negative impacts on the possibility of realizing basic human rights in many parts of the world. It gives raise to issues of justice both on the local, national and global level. This seminar highlights these issues and how they can be handled.

Doing empirical human rights research may involve intervening in the lives of others, and the consequences are not always predictable. What if your research put others at risk or raise hopes that you can't meet? What is your role and your responsibilities when that happens?

A discussion about raising awareness on violence against Dalit women, the demand for equal rights and the abolition of the caste system.