Outreach and Access
We have facilitated multiple opportunities for hundreds of teachers, researchers, managers, students and librarians to access networks and human rights education opportunities within Belarus as well as within Europe at large. We have also introduced new ways for local academics to collaborate with other actors via clinical legal education and research.
Expanded cross-sectoral collaboration
We have supported the Human Rights Centre to develop spaces for interaction and dialogue between academia and other sectors of the Belarusian society. Through the Centre’s interdisciplinary research groups as well as annual conferences, civil society organisations, representatives of the judiciary, and experts from international organisations gave feedback and discussed human rights research to increase possibilities of its relevance and practical application.
Another cross-sectoral collaboration was promoted in the work of legal clinics. We have supported further development of Street Law courses at legal clinics, where law students provide free legal awareness or assistance to citizens. Beside increasing their knowledge and skills, future lawyers also got volunteering experience through their pro-bono work that helps their local communities. Our work also contributed to strengthened partnerships between legal clinics and local civil society organisations to help disadvantaged citizens, such as victims of domestic violence, persons with disabilities or orphans. Read more in our recent publication on legal clinics in Belarus.
Increased access to human rights opportunities
Our work has facilitated various opportunities to increase the knowledge of human rights.
Our lectures at regional universities in Belarus were, in many cases, the very first occasion for universities to host an international professor. This has helped promote human rights education as internationally acknowledged part of academic curricula. Another opportunity were our summer schools held in Lund between 2015 and 2019. Over 70 Belarusian students were provided with the opportunity to study human rights, which in many cases was their very first international learning experience. Read about our summer school in Lund, on business and human rights. Finally, our study visits in Europe were among rare opportunities for Belarusian academics to broaden their scope of engagement with new topics, partnerships as well as international networks. The visits demonstrated the role of human rights education and research in academic activities as well as societal function of European academic institutions enhanced via policy dialogue and collaboration with civil society. They have also incubated ideas developed later in Belarus, e.g. HRC and gender work at universities. Read about our study visit, on the relevance of human rights topics in the 21st century.
