Human Rights Advocacy

APA’s vision statement includes serving as an effective champion of the application of psychology to promote human rights. In order to support that vision, the APA seeks to promote attention to the critical role of human rights in the work of psychologists across the broad range of the field and identify resources for educating psychologists about human rights at all levels of professional development, with particular attention to the identification of materials appropriate for psychology graduate training programs. The APA aims to ensure that the next generation of psychologists has resources that will help inform them about the role of human rights in their careers.

• The next meeting of Advancing Science, Serving Society (AAAS) Human Rights Coalition will be Jan. 23, 2012.
  Programming will focus on indigenous peoples. The coalition meetings are open to everyone who is interested in science and human rights and individual scientists may become affiliate members of the coalition.

• White House issues Presidential Memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies: 
  International Initiatives to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons; watch Secretary Clinton’s International Human Rights Day speech to the U.N. on LGBT rights. 
  View the transcript. Dec. 6, 2011

The policy documents listed below include only those that specifically reference human rights or international human rights law.  APA has a number of other policies that are relevant to human rights.  For these policies, see the Council of Representatives Policy Manual.

• Human Rights (1987)

• Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2010)

• Psychologists and Unlawful Detention Settings with a Focus on National Security (2009)

• Reaffirmation of the American Psychological Association Position Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and Its Application to Individuals Defined in the United States Code as “Enemy Combatants” (2008)

• Resolution Against Genocide (2008)

• Resolution Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (2006)

• Resolution Against Racism and in Support of the Goals of the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (2001)

• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention's Optional Protocols (2001)

• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

• Violence Against Children by Governments (1988)

• Opposition to Torture (1986)

• Support for the Rights of Psychologists in Other Countries (1980)

• APA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns Office
  The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns Office serves as secretariat for the International Network for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns and Transgender Issues in Psychology. 

• APA Public Interest Government Relations Office
  APA policy advocacy on issues related to human rights is handled by the Public Interest Government Relations Office.

• APA Office of International Affairs
  International activities at APA are coordinated by the Office of International Affairs and the Committee on International Relations in Psychology, including advocacy for psychologists who may be experiencing violations of their human rights

• APA at the United Nations
  APA representatives work within the NGO community at the UN headquarters in New York to bring psychological science and a psychological perspective to bear on global policies and programs, including on human rights issues.

• Position on Ethics and Detainee Welfare 
  The issue of detainee welfare in national security contexts has been the subject of extensive consideration by the APA in recent years. A timeline of activities has been developed to clarify the APA’s position.

• AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition
  APA is an active participant in the Coalition. To learn more about APA’s role in the Coalition, contact (use contact information provided by ITS)

• Understanding Human Rights

• Human Trafficking

• Rights of the Mentally Ill

• AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition

• APA Actions to Implement the Council Resolutions Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

The Welfare of Psychologists, Scientists and Scholars

Scholar Rescue Fund
Resources for those who may need assistance

Take Action in Support of Psychologists, Scientists and Scholars Whose Human Rights are Being Violated

• AAAS Science and Human Rights Program

• Scholars at Risk

• Physicians for Human Rights