Moray students Write for Rights
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UHI Moray’s students have taken part in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign by helping raise awareness of people from around the world whose human rights are in danger.
On Monday at the college’s main campus in Elgin, the social sciences department showed their solidarity by writing letters to authorities appealing for the release of wrongfully imprisoned people.
The students were assisted by Katy O’Connor, a social sciences lecturer at UHI Moray, who has visited Iraq and Lebanon over the past year.
Katy said: “We got many donations and more than a hundred signed letters.
“Members of the public turned up, which was really good. There were inter-generational chats going on with the young students and the older people in the community, which was lovely.”
Katy also visited a Palestine refuge camp in 2018. Her commitment to human rights led her to bring Amnesty’s annual campaign to UHI Moray several years ago.
She added: “I travel globally a lot. Seeing what happens in different countries inspired me to do something to promote their rights.
“Not everyone has the freedom of speech we may take for granted.”
Write for Rights is an annual campaign run by Amnesty.
Since its launch in 2010, millions of letters have been written and many lives have been saved.
Katy said: “Every year, Amnesty publishes good stories that have happened and their progress.
"We are contributing towards that because the letters we send are putting pressure on the appropriate authorities.
“All the UHI students efforts were really powerful. I found it positive to watch young people making a difference in the world instead of seeing them glued to their phones.”
