In 2002 the World Bank published ‘Voices of the Poor’, based on a study of 80,000 poor and marginalised people world wide who spoke about poverty as they experience it. Their responses highlight that poverty is not just a question of a lack in services and commodities such as health and education they also brought up less well addressed issues. They talked about issues of emotional integrity, respect and dignity, social belonging, cultural identity, organisational capacity, political representation and accountability; issues of powerlessness.
From Need and Charity towards Rights and Obligations
The Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) provides a framework for looking at development based on International Human Rights Standards. The aim is that this approach will protect and promote peoples rights rather than just their needs. It is about recognising poverty as a question of powerlessness and aiming to address this.
Above all it is about expanding peoples lives and choices to live the lives they value and the empowerment of people to decide what this process of expansion should look like.
Participatory Video and the HRBA
This approach is based on empowerment and participation. The HRBA enshrines and protects these principles through internationally binding documents, transforming the ideals of participation into entitlements and not just needs. Using the HRBA in Participatory Video (PV) work underpins the core process and clarifies links between local issues and global concerns.
Participatory Video specifically sets out to empower marginalised people and amplify their voices. It is a recognised and effective method of working with a diversity of people to understand their perspectives and values. PV emphasises local strengths by recognising grassroots solutions and reaches influential decision makers. The films and process enable the voices of marginalised communities to be heard.
Home Grown Rights
The effectiveness of Human Rights Standards are in reality hugely dependent on the cooperation of states and therefore the application of peaceful pressure on states by its citizens or NGOS or other governments is essential. PV is an ideal tool for this as it allows all participants to have a voice without discrimination.
In 2006 Insight worked with the Batwa on a pilot PV project in Rwanda.
Before their expulsion in the early 1990s, the Batwa people used to live as hunter gatherers in the forests. These forests are now national parks, while most of the Batwa became landless squatters, and bonded or casual labourers on the lands of their neighbours. With limited access to education, and deprived of political and social rights, the Batwa live an extremely marginalised existence. Click on the image to see this video.
The Participatory Video training enabled the Batwa to make a very powerful film, which was screened to local and national government, and has since been used by Batwa advocacy organisations to represent the views and perspectives of the Batwa. As a result of the training and the film the United Organisation for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU) has been given an opportunity to access a grant of up to $40,000 to assist the Batwa to build solutions for themselves and continue to use video to campaign for their rights.
Developing a toolkit
Insight will be launching a toolkit developed with the UN Global Environment Facility based on applying the HRBA in the context of community video projects. This will be designed to equip practitioners and communities with advise, tools and checklists that enable them to incorporate this approach into their work. The tool kit will be available to buy or to download free of charge once completed.
South East Asia Network
Community video practitioners from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines are creating a regional network to share experience of using participatory video with a Human Rights Based Approach. For information about the network visit the South East Asia Network on this website.
Useful Resources (external website links)
Understanding the Human Rights Based Approach Glossary of Terms used in the Human Rights Based Approach
UN website containing the text of the main International Human Rights Laws
A list of other useful toolkits
Specialists in the field of communications and advocating for rights
The Hub is an online video website for showcasing human rights media, managed by the organisation Witness.
Amnesty International
UN Indigenous Peoples
