Human Rights Defenders: Università, Attivismo e Resistenza, May 28th, 2024

The seminar “Human Rights Defenders: Università, Attivismo e Resistenza”, originates from the need to explore practical aspects of human rights advocacy, as well as the role, importance, and challenges of Human Rights Defenders.

Starting from the definition of a Human Rights Defender, Mohamed Dihani will share his personal, yet political struggle, the current and emerging challenges for a human rights defender, and the “Shelter Cities” project through which he came to Italy.

Francesca Benciolini, council member of the Municipality of Padua, will instead discuss the practical - and territorially relevant - aspects of the creation of 'Shelter Cities' in Italian municipalities.

The event is aimed, first of all, at fostering a discussion between students of the University of Padua - studying with the goal of working for the defense of human rights - and those who, by virtue of their existence, fight outside the academic world. In addition, the initiative plans on exploring the role of Universities not only as sites of academic training, but also as a crossroads between activism, resistance, and institutions. Finally, the collaboration with Amnesty International Padua provides an additional perspective on the topic, focused on the role of civil society and nongovernmental organizations throughout the territory.

The event will be held in Italian, and will take place at the Human Rights Centre “Antonio Papisca”.