OpenIDEO - OpenIDEO Team Notes - Introducing our Amnesty International Challenge

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Sep 28th 2011
Introducing our Amnesty International Challenge

OpenIDEO has partnered with Amnesty International to challenge all of us to come up with ways to use technology to support those held in or at risk of secret detention, incommunicado detention or detention without trial - human rights abuses often imposed in the name of countering terrorism or national security. How might we collectively design digital tools that decrease the risk of imprisonments and increase the number of releases of those unlawfully detained?

Imagine you were arrested and detained indefinitely without being told the accusations against you. What if you were taken and held in a secret location, and denied contact with your family or a lawyer? Addressing the factors that allow such human rights violations to happen can be complex. But there are ways that we, as the OpenIDEO community, can help.

We’re kicking off the Inspiration phase and hope you’ll join in to help our community explore and learn about the issues surrounding this challenge. With such an important topic, our goal is to keep the conversation optimistic, solution-focused and inclusive. We’re certain that, together, we can design solutions to support communities affected by unlawful detention.

Have friends, classmates or colleagues who’d like to get involved in this challenge? Invite them to join too – because creative collaboration loves company!

Cheers,

The OpenIDEO Team

Comments

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Alice young

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October 03, 2011, 01:16PM

On the basis of reflecting on our own communities, I'd encourage those of us that live in the West to consider the topic of "secret detention" more broadly to incorporate those who find themselves without a voice in mainstream society, yet supposedly protected by the law. Think of those in refugee detention centres across Europe, old people in nursing homes, those in mental institutions, children in care homes, the disabled. How open are we as a society to challenging our norms around these situations to provide a voice for these groups and engage in a dialogue with them to prevent abuses before they happen rather than afterwards? Secret detention doesn't just have to mean prisons/ jails, and isn't just applicable to human rights defenders.

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Ashley Jablow's reply to Alice young's comment

Ashley Jablow

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October 03, 2011, 06:36PM

Alice, thanks for sharing your really thoughtful reflections here. Hope you'll head over to our challenge - this sounds like the beginnings of a very interesting inspiration for the community to ponder! tp://bit.ly/amnesty-inspire

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Ashley Jablow's reply to Alice young's comment

Ashley Jablow

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October 03, 2011, 06:37PM

Whoops, here's the correct link http://bit.ly/amnesty-inspire :)

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