More than 500 people came to Brussels’ prestigious Bozar for an event to mark Human Rights Day, organized by the Regional Office for Europe and hosted jointly by the United Nations and the European Union. The film Children of War, the winner of the Geneva Humans Rights Film Festival, was introduced by its director Bryan Single and by international human rights activist Bianca Jagger. The film depicts the efforts at healing and rehabilitation of Ugandan children who had been abducted by rebel LRA fighters and forced to serve as child soldiers. It follows the emotional and spiritual journey of some of these children, as they return from captivity to begin new lives.

The screening of the film was followed by a debate which focused on human rights defenders as the theme of this year’s Human Rights Day. The panel included Bryan Single and was composed of people of diverse backgrounds who struggle for the rights of various groups in Europe and elsewhere.

Belgian journalist and author Els de Temmerman, who as correspondent in Africa witnessed both the genocide in Rwanda and the civil war in Uganda, described how these experiences transformed her life – she decided to put her journalistic career on hold to help former child soldiers and advocate for their rights.

Albert K. Barume, a Congolese human rights lawyer working on the rights of indigenous people in Africa, recalled how difficult it was to persuade African governments and broader public that there actually are indigenous people in Africa who are being marginalized and discriminated against by mainstream African societies.

Julia Ehrt, a transgender activist from Germany, shared her experiences of coming out and not having anyone to turn to, explaining how that inspired her to help others in a similar situation.

Gábor Gombos, an activist on behalf of users of mental health services, recounted how he experienced the degrading conditions of psychiatric wards first-hand before becoming an activist. He said he knew he had either to succumb or to start fighting to change things. He has since worked on ending practices which violate human rights and on highlighting the human potential of persons with mental health problems.

Sri Kumar Vishwanathan, who lives with marginalized Roma in the Czech Republic, recalled how he initially intended to spend only three months living with a group of Roma who had been affected by the floods in 1997. But 13 years later, he is still living amongst the Roma and struggling for their empowerment, against racial violence and discrimination.

The lively debate that ensued was moderated by Reed Brody, the spokesperson of Human Rights Watch. The panelists stressed that it was not only a task for governments, but also the role of citizens to be more active in ensuring that human rights are respected; that defending human rights does not have to entail grand acts of heroism but can start from taking a stand on issues by which one is personally affected. The message that clearly emerged from the evening was that anyone can become a human rights defender.