HRW Code Of Ethics

When dealing with international human rights and the violations that occur, a code of ethics to follow is extremely important. Currently, the HRW does not have a published code of ethics. However, they do have a list of core values to which all members of the organization follow and a code of ethics can be created. The core values of the HRW include being committed to their mission of defending human rights worldwide, being independent, being factual, accurate, and ethical in their fact-finding, being actively focused on impact, and being supportive of a diverse and vibrant international human rights movement and mutually beneficial partnerships (Human Rights Watch, 2017b). The first and foremost core value that the HRW wishes to uphold is its commitment to their mission of defending human rights worldwide. Therefore, all activities and programs carried out by the HRW must, in some way, be either performance-based or mission-based (Griffin, 2013). Performance based activities work to upkeep the financial and practical responsibilities of working an NGO, while mission-based activities are responsible for carrying out the mission that HRW has committed itself to. The mission-based responsibility that HRW takes on would also include the core value of being actively focused on impact. Once a program …show more content…
This core value would allow HRW staff, including volunteers and interns, to have a clearer vision of their main mission as well as set up a code of ethics/conduct for the organization. The code of ethics should include specifics about who to solicit donations from, acceptable forms of donation, and acceptable donating organizations and people. Including this core value into the code of ethics would further define the integrity of the HRW organization and help prevent it from being involved in scandals as well as being