Gulu University Book Drive
The International Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) of
the University of Pennsylvania Law School is organizing a book drive for Gulu University's Center for Conflict Management and Peace Studies. In addition to
assisting the Center in increasing its resources, IHRA is helping the
university develop its human rights curriculum.
In the spring of 2007, IHRA hosted two advocacy
events to educate the Penn community on the conflict in Northern Uganda. Our first
event, a panel entitled “Peace v.
Justice: A Discussion on Northern Uganda,” hosted the Ugandan Ambassador to the United
States, the Ugandan Defense Attaché to the United States, and representatives from
the International Criminal Court and the International Crisis Group.
IHRA also screened Invisible Children. This
documentary depicts the plight of children attempting to escape abduction into the LRA.
About the Center
The development of the Center for Conflict Management and Peace Studies at Gulu University in Northern Uganda is a highly symbolic event. Northern Uganda has been ravaged by a brutal civil war for over twenty years. The conflict has had particularly deleterious effects on children, who have been abducted as child soldiers and sex slaves for the Lord’s Rebellion Army. While the peace process in Northern Uganda is still tenuous, Gulu University's Conflict Management Center signifies that the study of human rights and conflict resolution has an intellectual and practical home in this war-ravaged region. The Center will offer opportunities for students toengage in studies of peace, reconciliation, human rights, and international law.