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Welcome to the Penn State Center for Applied Human Rights Research

The Penn State Center for Applied Human Rights Research is an interdisciplinary center for research on cutting-edge issues in human rights law and policy. Through the center, students engage in projects for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and inter-governmental organizations (IGOs) under the supervision of the director, Professor Stephanie Farrior.

In the inaugural year, projects have included:

Conducting research and drafting legal documents for the World Organization for Human Rights USA in the lawsuit against Yahoo! and its subsidiaries for its alleged role in aiding and abetting torture and other abuses of Chinese journalists and human rights advocates in China. In November 2007, Yahoo settled the lawsuit with jailed Chinese internet users. Read the news reports here.
Performing research for a post-Katrina New Orleans project for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights. Conducted within the framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, this involved research of federal expenditures in order to assess whether the United States has fulfilled its obligation to rebuild in a way that helps internally displaced persons return home.
Drafting reports for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Initiative of Global Rights to submit to the UN Human Rights Committee on human rights violations targeting people because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. For the report submitted in October 2007, click "Global Rights" on this United Nations webpage.
Drafting a handbook for the World Organization for Human Rights USA to be used in training advocates who wish to help bring about criminal prosecutions for torture under the "extradite or prosecute" provision of the UN Convention against Torture.
Conducting research on a range of international legal issues for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Contact Information

Stephanie Farrior
Professor of Law and
Director, Center for Applied Human Rights Research
sfarrior@psu.edu
(717) 240-5249