As an intern at IBJ, I was lucky enough to be able to accompany the IBJ staff to the Commemoration of the Rwandan Genocide on April 7^th, 2008 at the United Nations in Geneva. The program consisted of speeches by the UN Secretary General and the Rwandan Ambassador Sebudandi, an account by a Rwandan Tutsi who lived abroad in refuge during the genocide, and a poem by a victim of the genocide. The whole tribute, which lasted an hour, addressed the tragedies and devastating crimes against humanity that occurred in Rwanda in 1994.

Sitting in that conference room and listening to the stories from survivors of the genocide, I could not help but wonder why the international community failed to intervene? The tragedy of the Rwandan genocide plagues our generation still. It is the responsibility of civil society and the international community to ensure that the crimes against the Tutsi people will never be repeated to them and all other ethnic, religious, national, or racial groups. The maintenance of such basic human rights should be an essential concern to all states, NGOs, IOs, and individuals.

Hence, I highly value my opportunity to intern at IBJ as a chance to exercise my abilities to ameliorate human rights situations. However, one does not need to work or volunteer at a human rights NGO in order to make a difference. We all, as individuals, should make it a priority to educate ourselves on the situation of all people in all parts of the world. Human rights respect is not a privilege, it is a birthright, and it is our duty to guarantee that all crimes against humanity are prevented.