Many victims of human rights abuse do not know that they can file international, legal complaints against their own governments in the United Nations. While little research has been done to understand this process, Dr. Rachel Schoner's research shows that civil society organizations play a key role by informing and protecting individuals who file complaints. Her talk asked: when a victim files a complaint in the United Nations, will their government respond positively and improve its practices, or will they be ignored? She showed the answer depends on the active involvement of civil society organizations.
