Human Rights Organizations in Chile, Uruguay and Argentina Essay

Human Rights Organizations in Chile, Uruguay and Argentina - Essay Example Core Argument or Thesis Social movements occur when issues that affect human rights are challenged. Sometimes political issues within a region spawn the occurrences, and other times the repression of people stirs others to become involved. The change of political power in Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina offers a close look at what instigates a social movement in countries where political regime changes trigger inhumane treatment of its citizens (Loveman, 1998). A closer look at how the citizens reacted to such atrocities, who came to their aide, and why some individuals took the risk of death to protest against the government and help fellow citizens will be considered as the argument in this essay. Literature Review Gauding (1991, p. 86) stated that the church in Chile had possessed a strong tie with America and Europe Catholic Churches, where Uruguay did not have the same strong religious support. Respect for the church in Uruguay was non-existent compared to the respect by political individuals with the church in Chile and the vast support provided by other religious affiliations in other parts of the world (Loveman, 1998, p. 501). Uruguay had such thorough crime laws that anyone could be arrested simply for thinking they might commit a crime, or be perceived as thinking about committing a crime by another person within society. At one point, it is estimated that 1 in every 47 individuals in Uruguay spent time in prison, was tortured, beaten, or had their house raided (Loveman, 1998, p. 505). Uruguay had no provisions for anonymously receiving financial support from outside the country, while Chile had numerous ways financial aid could be... Political repression and human rights violations were the main reasons for the social movement in Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina (Loveman, 1998, p. 485). Disappearances occurred regularly during the insurrections throughout the countries of Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina. Family members, relatives, and friends would be taken during the night, tortured, and often murdered to spread terror throughout the region (Brysk, 1994, p. 36). Strict censorship laws banned â€Å"thousands of books, songs, and films† throughout the country (Garcia as quoted by Loveman, 1998, p. 513). Amnesty International (1982, p. 1) discussed the assumption that one in every 500 citizens experienced a period of imprisonment. The Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights (1985, p. 52) suggested that numbers were quite a bit lower and possibly as low as 1:47 ratio of citizens experiencing prison, home invasions, beatings, torture, or other repressive actions to maintain subservient domination over the people. It is suggested that certain factions in Argentina tried to create social human rights organizations to help those individuals who were severely repressed or oppressed (Mignone, 1986). The human rights organizations that emerged were not through institutional channels. While Chile acquired help from America and Europe religious groups and Uruguay received no help from any of the religious sects, Argentina secured financial support for human rights organizations from Sweden’s nongovernmental organizations (Gauding, 1991, p. 103).