The Human Rights Watch Student Task Force and Model United Nations worked together to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the Archer community. In the courtyard, students could pick up a baked good after learning about the purpose of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“The event is to spread awareness about different human rights, and to get people more involved in our community,” sophomore Ava Salomon, a member of the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force, said. “Hopefully, it will inspire people to get involved and stand up for what they believe in.”

The document lays out a list of fundamental human rights that are expected to be protected worldwide. There are 30 articles that have been translated into over 500 languages.

“Human rights are important because they are the rights that every human is born with,” junior and co-leader of the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force Abigale Lischak said. “Having a declaration like the UDHR promises that the world and individual communities will work to uphold human rights.”

However, Human Rights Watch Student Task Force member Rachel Azrialy said that, because the declaration is not a legal document, most countries do not have legal punishments for those who do not uphold the agreements. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, the United States broke 18 of the commitments that had been agreed upon internationally in 2012. The Human Rights Watch Student Task Force allows students to learn more about human rights, and take action to help those who do not have their rights.

“People can get involved by coming to our club. It’s once a week in the yoga room,” Salomon said. “[Students] can become more educated on different human rights, and how they affect our community and other communities in different ways.”