Jasmine Rashid '18, Peace and Conflict Studies

Bearing Witness: Strategic Human Rights Media of the Rohingya

In our increasingly globalized and digitized world, barriers to information about human rights violations are lessened through the power of multimedia. Through this international spectatorship, we are then compelled – though not guaranteed – to determine how to best take tangible action toward influencing the outcomes of crisis. My thesis delineates the actors central to what I refer to as “human rights media” (HRM) and their strategic impact on the stateless Rohingya people, who are currently facing a new iteration of atrocities perpetrated by the Myanmar military. From social media accounts managed by communities facing abuse, to the proliferation of high-cost virtual reality films set in refugee camps, it is critical to explore the contours of this burgeoning field and its true effectiveness as a tool for helping end mass injustice.