The Oxford Consortium for Human Rights
Our interdisciplinary group of scholars and human rights practitioners bring students from Law Schools, universities, and community colleges together to study and discuss some of the key human rights issues of our time.
Our Oxford home is at Blackfriars Hall, where we are based in the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice.
The Oxford Consortium for Human Rights (OCHR) hosts teaching and research seminars on human rights, global conflict, humanitarian aid, peace building, and related subjects. Our aim is to understand and develop constructive solutions to the problems of today, drawing from scholars and students from a wide variety of disciplines. We also work with the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict to organize an annual workshop and lecture on human rights and armed conflict.
Committed to the Conversation
We are committed to understanding the particularity of diverse experience, the varied approaches to international legal instruments, and the impact of community action on global politics. Building a foundation for recognizing the complexity of such issues is essential as cultural, historical, and political contexts vary drastically throughout the world. Our work is enriched by the collaboration of scholars, practitioners, and student participants from a wide array of academic disciplines, local and international organizations, and life experience.
ANNOUNCING! The Oxford Consortium for Human Rights fundraiser and Bollywood Party: Human Rights: Building a more just future
Indian food, performances, door prizes, a stick dance, and a lot of Bollywood dancing!!!
April 12, 2024, 6-9pm, the Bijou Theater, Bridgeport, CT
Even if you cannot make it, your generous contribution would be much appreciated.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/ynRKXc7jwj7mopTv6
Upcoming Workshops
Past Workshops
Webinars
In response to the Covid crisis, our programs shifted to offer free online webinars
What separates OCHR from other human rights programs?
1. Merging Theory and Practice
First and foremost, our unique approach of merging intellectual rigor, social engagement, and practical action produces an understanding of human rights that accounts for diverse intellectual traditions, the constraints of implementation in wide-ranging socio-political contexts, and the importance of community action. Our workshops put students, scholars, and practitioners of human rights in dialogue in order to create a more holistic understanding of human rights praxis.
2. Building Community
What makes the experience of attending the Oxford Consortium workshops so meaningful is the resulting community of participating students, scholars, and practitioners from different disciplines, backgrounds, regions, and countries around the world. There is a special bond among OCHR alumni. This learning community of friends and colleagues continues to collaborate on human rights projects and emerging issues of global ethics long after the workshops have concluded. Alumni still identify their engagement in the OCHR workshops as one of the most transformative experiences of their lives.
3. Creating Opportunity
Attending an OCHR workshop is for many the first step on their path to global engagement. Regardless of their place of origin or financial means, the Oxford Consortium welcomes students from all backgrounds. We concentrate on providing opportunities for students who may not otherwise have these resources available. We encourage institutional support from the participant’s home university so that even those from the most modest backgrounds have an opportunity to meet the world’s leading scholars and practitioners, and to become part of the same community of practice. Many of our alumni have been inspired by this program to pursue and receive noted national and global fellowships and scholarships for graduate study to continue their pursuit of human rights and global ethics.
