Better World Featured Site

Welcome to the newest addition to Better World, the "Better World Featured Site"! Here we shine our spotlight on the best that the Web has to offer, to help keep you informed and aware of the challenges that face us in our shared goal of making a better world.

Our first featured site is Amnesty International. Their tireless efforts to stop human rights abuses and free "prisoners of conscience" has made them the most respected and well-known social advocacy organization in the world. As their statute states:

Amnesty International plays a specific role in the international protection of human rights. Its activities focus on prisoners:

It seeks the release of prisoners of conscience. These are people detained anywhere for their beliefs, colour, ethnic origin, language or religion, who have not used or advocated violence.

It works for fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners and on behalf of such people detained without charge or trial.

It opposes the death penalty and torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of all prisoners without reservation.

Their most recent world-wide campaign was launched on China on 13 March 1996, under the slogan "No One is Safe". Human rights abuses in China are by no means a new story, but with the intense focus and drive of such a powerful organization as Amnesty International, perhaps a fundamental change in Chinese politics can occur. Why is such a paradigm shift in China important? As their Web page states:

"One fifth of the world's population lives in China, where human rights violations are a daily occurrence.
"While China's economy develops rapidly, the old methods of political control remain. Repressive legislation and the widespread abuse of power mean that everyone is at risk of human rights violations. China's economic revolution has brought greater prosperity for many, but economic reforms have not been matched by greater civil and political freedom.
"As China plays an increasingly significant role in global affairs, international cooperation must include human rights issues. Amnesty International is campaigning for the Chinese authorities and the international community to take urgent steps to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of 1.2 billion people."

But, as with Amnesty International itself, this site is not merely about one issue. You can find a wealth of information about many current campaigns, world-wide appeals, "Country Reports", news releases, links to other pages of human rights on the Web, and much more.

It is worth setting aside the time to thoroughly explore this site. Establishing and preserving human rights throughout the world is among the most important endeavours in our quest to make a better world.

Know of a site that deserves to be a "Better World Featured Site of the Week"? Let us know!