Human rights are for everyone, and everyone has a role to play in protecting and promoting them. Human rights upstanders are those who protect the rights of themselves and others, right in their own communities. We all have the opportunity to be upstanders and we all have a role to play in promoting and defending human rights for all of us.
Understanding the definitions of an upstander and bystander is essential to understand the responsibility we have.
Upstanders
An upstander is someone who acts, speaks out, and intervenes on behalf of a victim of human rights violations and other forms of injustice. Upstanders can be any of us, whether we are completely new to human rights or a longtime advocate. While states are primarily responsible for respecting, protecting, and fulfilling human rights, upstanders serve as their frontline defenders. The inaction, or indifference, of everyday people is what enables perpetrators to violate human rights.
Bystanders
A bystander is not a direct perpetrator or victim, but someone who does not engage in active resistance against injustice. Bystanding is oftentimes a natural reaction, as being an upstander can require courage and in certain situations, involve significant risk or danger.
Read the case studies below to learn about ordinary people who put aside indifference and became human rights upstanders.
Case Studies
Le Chambon, France
During the Nazi occupation of France in the early 1940s, a small, French village called Le Chambon-sur-Leon exemplified what it means to be upstanders. Their community was majority Protestant in a predominantly Catholic country at the time, and had a long history of being marginalized and persecuted. Situated in the mountains, they heavily relied on tourism and frequently opened their doors to strangers seeking housing and comfort. Being distanced from France’s urban centers, Le Chambon had a culture of resistance to government overreach, community action, and education. When Jewish refugees appeared on Le Chambon’s doorstep seeking safety and shelter, the village welcomed them with open arms and actively integrated them into the community.
“They needed our help and they needed it then,” a villager said.
Between 1940 and 1944, villagers provided refuge to approximately 3,000-5,000 Jews who were fleeing from the Vichy authorities and the Nazi German government. Villagers provided food and shelter and helped many cross the border to safety in neutral Switzerland.
Learn more about the inhabitants of Le Chambon-sur-Leon who have been recognized by the State of Israel as Righteous Among the Nations for their life-saving rescue efforts during the Holocaust.
Paul Rusesabagina
“I did what any ordinary person would do” - Paul Rusesabagina
In April 1994, Paul Rusesabagina found his country in the midst of genocide. The Rwandan Hutu-majority Presidential Guard and military had begun a coordinated campaign of mass murder, rape, and extinction of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority and Hutu moderates. Rusesabagina was an ordinary man, but as the husband of a Tutsi woman and a concerned citizen, he felt morally obligated to be an upstander and protect the human life around him. Rusesabagina used his position as manager of the Hotel des Milles Collines, his diplomatic skills, liquor cabinet, and courage to give refuge to nearly 1,300 Tutsi Rwandans and barter with perpetrators for their safety. While people were being killed just outside the hotel gates, ultimately, no one at Hotel des Milles Collines died. Rusesabagina utilized his social and professional network to keep those staying in the hotel alive until they could be evacuated to safety. Rusesabagina’s story is not one of superhero fiction, but one of a courageous man using his strengths for the preservation of humanity, and that’s what an upstander does.
Learn more about the Rwandan genocide by watching Hotel Rwanda (2004) or Sometimes in April (2005) or reading An Ordinary Man (2006).
Thought Questions
Take Action
Did you know that there is a Declaration on Human Rights Defenders?
In 1998, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the Declaration of Human Rights Defenders (DHRD) which enshrines the right for everyone, everywhere the right to defend their own rights and the rights of others. Human Rights Defenders are a type of upstander.
Visit Human Rights Defenders to learn more.