From Save Darfur to Kony2012, activists have been forced to confront the very real limits of name and shame strategies. Relying on the discourse of emotional empathy and moral outrage has not yielded dividends in the struggle to stem the tide of atrocities around the world. But, while America's diplomatic capital may be depleted, our financial systems remains indispensable. Recognizing that global capital cannot move without coming into contact with US dollars, Akshaya makes a call for the human rights movement to adopt a new vocabulary and apply a different toolbox for atrocity prevention: financial crimes enforcement.
Video Supervisor: Ford Fischer
Filmed by Arun Raman, Delana Listman, and Elaina Kimes
Edited by Ford Fischer
Recorded in The Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre at American University, Washington, DC
Akshaya is a human rights advocate with a special interest in addressing the complex political and legal challenges presented by transitional and post-conflict contexts. She currently coordinates the Enough Project's work on Sudan and South Sudan with timely, gender sensitive research, advocacy and analysis about the human rights situation in both countries. She holds a JD from Columbia Law School and an LLM from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Her passion for Sudan and South Sudan was originally sparked through work as a volunteer teacher at St. Andrews refugee services in Cairo.