Midwest Coalition for Human Rights

The Midwest Coalition for Human Rights is a network of 44 advocacy and direct service organizations and university-based human rights centers collaborating in nine states to promote and protect human rights in the Midwest, the U.S., and internationally. Working together the Coalition provides broader visibility for urgent human rights issues in the Heartland and project a strong Midwest advocacy voice in the national and international human rights debate.

The Coalition was founded in 1995 as a result of the serious human rights violations occurring in the U.S. and around the world. By becoming cognizant of the mood of national isolationism in the U.S. and in the Midwest, and taking into account the skills and interest of international human rights among individuals and groups working in the nation’s heartland, the Coalition determined that increased communication and collaboration in our region would lead to more effective efforts to promote and protect international human rights.

Since then, the Coalition has evolved into an operational network for its member organizations to jointly address human rights violations in the Midwest. In recent years, the Coalition has expanded its collective capacity to monitor and report on human rights issues in the region, to link disparate organizations together to promote common human rights objectives, to use international laws and mechanisms to advance human rights in the U.S., and to enhance the Midwest’s voice for human rights in policy arenas.