On March 5, 18 children from across California will stand alongside the climate litigation team at Our Children's Trust before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Genesis v. EPA, challenging a federal agency that’s valuing the interests of adults and the fossil fuel industry over their lives. These youth plaintiffs argue that the EPA, the very agency charged with protecting children’s health and welfare, has systematically discounted the economic value of their lives and their future when determining how much climate pollution to allow. By doing so, the government is violating their constitutional rights to equal protection and their fundamental right to life. They’re asking the Ninth Circuit to reinstate their case, and rule that courts have a duty to hear constitutional claims brought by children whose lives and rights are harmed by government policies. HRC has supervised law students in the Climate Migration and Displacement Project who have supported Our Children's Trust on climate migration and displacement research, specifically supporting research into the intersection of climate disasters and sexual and gender-based violence in Guatemala. We couldn’t be prouder of their work protecting youth in California Join Our Children's Trust outside the James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse, 95 7th St, San Francisco, CA 94103, to rally and cheer on the youth as they enter, then pack the courtroom for oral arguments. Rally starts at 8:30 a.m., and court proceedings start at 10 a.m. in Room 1. RSVP: bit.ly/genesishearing-rsvp #YouthvGov #GenesisvEPA #Climate #California
Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law
Research Services
Berkeley, CA 10,496 followers
Pursuing justice through science and law
About us
The Human Rights Center at the UC Berkeley School of Law promotes human rights and international justice worldwide and trains the next generation of human rights researchers and advocates. We are an independent research and training center that applies innovative technologies and scientific methods to investigate war crimes and other serious violations of human rights. Based on our findings, we recommend specific policy measures to protect vulnerable populations and hold perpetrators accountable. We train advocates around the world and provide them with the skills and tools necessary to document human rights abuses and turn this information into effective action hrc.berkeley.edu
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http://hrc.berkeley.edu
External link for Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law
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- Research Services
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- 11-50 employees
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- Berkeley, CA
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- 1994
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- Human Rights, Research, Education, and Fellowships
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396 Simon Hall
UC Berkeley School of Law
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Employees at Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law
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Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law reposted this
Today feels big and deeply personal!! As a former foster youth, I know what it feels like to move so often you stop believing stability is possible. I know what it means to be separated from the few adults you trust because a system values compliance over connection. And I know how those fractures create risk, not safety. That lived experience is why Family and Me (FAM) matters so deeply to me and to the work we do at Freedom Forward. FAM was created by Freedom Forward’s co-founders in partnership with young people and community leaders to address the specific vulnerabilities of foster youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation. The release of the final FAM 2.0 evaluation marks the end of a six-year journey to demonstrate something many of us already knew: relationships are protective infrastructure. When young people can identify safe adults in their lives, when those adults are trained and supported, and when flexible resources are available to meet real needs, stability follows. Safety follows. Healing follows. This matters not just on a human level, but on a systems level. Foster care too often responds after harm has already occurred. FAM shows what prevention actually looks like and how investing upstream in relationships is a smarter use of public resources than paying for repeated placement disruptions, homelessness, emergency care, or justice system involvement downstream. As California prepares to roll out its new foster care tiered rate structure in 2027, this evidence arrives at a critical moment. The question is no longer whether youth-centered, relationship-based models work. The question is whether policy and funding will align with what young people tell us keeps them safe. At Freedom Forward, we remain committed to advancing solutions that are for youth, by youth, and to strengthening systems that honor dignity, agency, and belonging. I’m deeply grateful to the young people, caregivers, co-founders, staff, partners, and researchers who brought this vision to life. This report is not the finish line. It’s an invitation to do better - together. The final FAM 2.0 evaluation is now available: https://lnkd.in/grk6htwx #FreedomForward #FamilyAndMe #FormerFosterYouth #YouthCenteredCare #FosterCareReform
📣 📒 🥳 The Human Rights Center has published the final evaluation of the Family and Me (FAM) 2.0 foster care pilot, designed by Freedom Forward to support youth impacted by, or at high risk of, commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in San Francisco. This evaluation marks the end of a six-year collaboration to develop a transformative, relationship-centered approach to care for a population long underserved by traditional child welfare systems. Led by Senior Director of Health and Human Rights Julie Freccero and made possible by team members Michaela Anastasia Austin, Ana Linares Montoya, Audrey Taylor, and Cassie Walter, our evaluation found that when youth can choose trusted adults in their lives — and when those adults are trained and resourced — housing stability, safety, and emotional well-being of youth improve. FAM 2.0 was designed to increase the safety, housing stability, and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing or at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. The pilot featured three core elements: 1) enabled youth to select their own alternative caregivers who provided mentoring and a safe place for overnight stays; 2) provided youth with direct access to flexible funding to support essential needs and activities that fostered joy, self-esteem, and normalcy; and 3) offered trauma-informed, CSE-specific training for primary and alternative caregivers. We found FAM 2.0 to be a scalable, youth-centered alternative to traditional foster care placements, and advocate for its replication across California. We call on the California Department of Social Services to integrate the FAM model into existing child welfare financing, and align it with the state’s tiered rate structure set to roll out in 2027. 📖 Read our final evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gt6NWv6B 🔠Learn more about the FAM 2.0 evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gfF4jYsN 📠Read our Q&A breaking down the research with Senior Research Manager Michaela Anastasia Austin: https://lnkd.in/g_QZAxFu 🎬 Watch our video describing the impact of FAM 2.0 with Freedom Forward's Francesca Gonzalez: https://lnkd.in/ghFTGY-W
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Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law reposted this
Check out the evaluation our team at the Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law completed of a new foster care model designed to better protect youth at risk of commercial and sexual exploitation. Julie Freccero Michaela Anastasia Austin Audrey Taylor Ana Linares Montoya
📣 📒 🥳 The Human Rights Center has published the final evaluation of the Family and Me (FAM) 2.0 foster care pilot, designed by Freedom Forward to support youth impacted by, or at high risk of, commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in San Francisco. This evaluation marks the end of a six-year collaboration to develop a transformative, relationship-centered approach to care for a population long underserved by traditional child welfare systems. Led by Senior Director of Health and Human Rights Julie Freccero and made possible by team members Michaela Anastasia Austin, Ana Linares Montoya, Audrey Taylor, and Cassie Walter, our evaluation found that when youth can choose trusted adults in their lives — and when those adults are trained and resourced — housing stability, safety, and emotional well-being of youth improve. FAM 2.0 was designed to increase the safety, housing stability, and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing or at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. The pilot featured three core elements: 1) enabled youth to select their own alternative caregivers who provided mentoring and a safe place for overnight stays; 2) provided youth with direct access to flexible funding to support essential needs and activities that fostered joy, self-esteem, and normalcy; and 3) offered trauma-informed, CSE-specific training for primary and alternative caregivers. We found FAM 2.0 to be a scalable, youth-centered alternative to traditional foster care placements, and advocate for its replication across California. We call on the California Department of Social Services to integrate the FAM model into existing child welfare financing, and align it with the state’s tiered rate structure set to roll out in 2027. 📖 Read our final evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gt6NWv6B 🔠Learn more about the FAM 2.0 evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gfF4jYsN 📠Read our Q&A breaking down the research with Senior Research Manager Michaela Anastasia Austin: https://lnkd.in/g_QZAxFu 🎬 Watch our video describing the impact of FAM 2.0 with Freedom Forward's Francesca Gonzalez: https://lnkd.in/ghFTGY-W
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Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law reposted this
Congratulations and a huge thanks to our Health and Human Rights team, which just concluded an epic six-year project assessing new forms of support for youth in foster care in SF who are impacted by or are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. For more on what they found actually helps, please see the links below 👇 It's a really powerful project, one that will hopefully eventually impact youth experiences statewide ... and beyond
📣 📒 🥳 The Human Rights Center has published the final evaluation of the Family and Me (FAM) 2.0 foster care pilot, designed by Freedom Forward to support youth impacted by, or at high risk of, commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in San Francisco. This evaluation marks the end of a six-year collaboration to develop a transformative, relationship-centered approach to care for a population long underserved by traditional child welfare systems. Led by Senior Director of Health and Human Rights Julie Freccero and made possible by team members Michaela Anastasia Austin, Ana Linares Montoya, Audrey Taylor, and Cassie Walter, our evaluation found that when youth can choose trusted adults in their lives — and when those adults are trained and resourced — housing stability, safety, and emotional well-being of youth improve. FAM 2.0 was designed to increase the safety, housing stability, and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing or at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. The pilot featured three core elements: 1) enabled youth to select their own alternative caregivers who provided mentoring and a safe place for overnight stays; 2) provided youth with direct access to flexible funding to support essential needs and activities that fostered joy, self-esteem, and normalcy; and 3) offered trauma-informed, CSE-specific training for primary and alternative caregivers. We found FAM 2.0 to be a scalable, youth-centered alternative to traditional foster care placements, and advocate for its replication across California. We call on the California Department of Social Services to integrate the FAM model into existing child welfare financing, and align it with the state’s tiered rate structure set to roll out in 2027. 📖 Read our final evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gt6NWv6B 🔠Learn more about the FAM 2.0 evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gfF4jYsN 📠Read our Q&A breaking down the research with Senior Research Manager Michaela Anastasia Austin: https://lnkd.in/g_QZAxFu 🎬 Watch our video describing the impact of FAM 2.0 with Freedom Forward's Francesca Gonzalez: https://lnkd.in/ghFTGY-W
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Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law reposted this
We’re proud to share the release of the final FAM 2.0 evaluation by Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law. Family and Me (FAM) was co-created by Freedom Forward’s founders alongside young people and community partners to address the specific vulnerabilities of youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation. The evaluation affirms what has guided this work from the beginning: when youth can rely on trusted relationships and those relationships are resourced, safety and stability improve. We’re grateful to the youth, caregivers, co-founders, partners, and researchers who made this work possible—and committed to advancing solutions that honor youth agency, dignity, and belonging.
📣 📒 🥳 The Human Rights Center has published the final evaluation of the Family and Me (FAM) 2.0 foster care pilot, designed by Freedom Forward to support youth impacted by, or at high risk of, commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in San Francisco. This evaluation marks the end of a six-year collaboration to develop a transformative, relationship-centered approach to care for a population long underserved by traditional child welfare systems. Led by Senior Director of Health and Human Rights Julie Freccero and made possible by team members Michaela Anastasia Austin, Ana Linares Montoya, Audrey Taylor, and Cassie Walter, our evaluation found that when youth can choose trusted adults in their lives — and when those adults are trained and resourced — housing stability, safety, and emotional well-being of youth improve. FAM 2.0 was designed to increase the safety, housing stability, and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing or at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. The pilot featured three core elements: 1) enabled youth to select their own alternative caregivers who provided mentoring and a safe place for overnight stays; 2) provided youth with direct access to flexible funding to support essential needs and activities that fostered joy, self-esteem, and normalcy; and 3) offered trauma-informed, CSE-specific training for primary and alternative caregivers. We found FAM 2.0 to be a scalable, youth-centered alternative to traditional foster care placements, and advocate for its replication across California. We call on the California Department of Social Services to integrate the FAM model into existing child welfare financing, and align it with the state’s tiered rate structure set to roll out in 2027. 📖 Read our final evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gt6NWv6B 🔠Learn more about the FAM 2.0 evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gfF4jYsN 📠Read our Q&A breaking down the research with Senior Research Manager Michaela Anastasia Austin: https://lnkd.in/g_QZAxFu 🎬 Watch our video describing the impact of FAM 2.0 with Freedom Forward's Francesca Gonzalez: https://lnkd.in/ghFTGY-W
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📣 📒 🥳 The Human Rights Center has published the final evaluation of the Family and Me (FAM) 2.0 foster care pilot, designed by Freedom Forward to support youth impacted by, or at high risk of, commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in San Francisco. This evaluation marks the end of a six-year collaboration to develop a transformative, relationship-centered approach to care for a population long underserved by traditional child welfare systems. Led by Senior Director of Health and Human Rights Julie Freccero and made possible by team members Michaela Anastasia Austin, Ana Linares Montoya, Audrey Taylor, and Cassie Walter, our evaluation found that when youth can choose trusted adults in their lives — and when those adults are trained and resourced — housing stability, safety, and emotional well-being of youth improve. FAM 2.0 was designed to increase the safety, housing stability, and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing or at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. The pilot featured three core elements: 1) enabled youth to select their own alternative caregivers who provided mentoring and a safe place for overnight stays; 2) provided youth with direct access to flexible funding to support essential needs and activities that fostered joy, self-esteem, and normalcy; and 3) offered trauma-informed, CSE-specific training for primary and alternative caregivers. We found FAM 2.0 to be a scalable, youth-centered alternative to traditional foster care placements, and advocate for its replication across California. We call on the California Department of Social Services to integrate the FAM model into existing child welfare financing, and align it with the state’s tiered rate structure set to roll out in 2027. 📖 Read our final evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gt6NWv6B 🔠Learn more about the FAM 2.0 evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/gfF4jYsN 📠Read our Q&A breaking down the research with Senior Research Manager Michaela Anastasia Austin: https://lnkd.in/g_QZAxFu 🎬 Watch our video describing the impact of FAM 2.0 with Freedom Forward's Francesca Gonzalez: https://lnkd.in/ghFTGY-W
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Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law reposted this
🔥 Congrats to the four (!) students named Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar Award winners: Hyeyoon Cho ('27), Hamza Fahmy ('27), Kelly Liu ('26) and Seven Wu ('26)! REUTERS SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Hyeyoon’s focus on international reporting began with questions about her grandfather, a Korean soldier who fought for the U.S. during the Vietnam War and later died from cancer linked to Agent Orange exposure. Hyeyoon has covered refugee policy and human rights for the San Francisco Chronicle and is working as a researcher at Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law. She plans to pursue cross-border reporting on war, memory, and displacement. RICK DAVIS - DEB AMOS SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Hamza’s experience reporting in high-risk environments solidified his commitment to public-service journalism across the Middle East and French-speaking Africa. Hamza has served as a digital producer for KRON4 and is an award-winning audio reporter covering topics like child marriage in California. He also reported for Egypt’s MO4 Network, profiling cultural figures. Trilingual in English, Arabic, and French, Hamza aims to use his on-the-ground experience to document complex stories across the Arab and French-speaking worlds. NATHAN S. BIENSTOCK SCHOLARSHIP WINNER After witnessing devastating natural disasters in China, Kelly joined Tipping Point, the country’s first digital magazine dedicated to climate change. Kelly has reported for The Paper, Sixth Tone, and Southern Weekly, covering global crises from human trafficking in the Philippines to earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations and broadcast journalism from New York University and is fluent in English and Mandarin w/ additional skills in Cantonese and Spanish. SEYMOUR AND AUDREY TOPPING SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Seven developed a passion for ethnographic filmmaking while documenting the struggles of Chinese women whose children were taken by fathers. Seven has reported from Uganda, Papua New Guinea, and the U.S., and previously served as a video journalist for The Paper in Shanghai, where she published over 20 in-depth documentaries. #proud #ucberkeley #jschool
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🚨📣 Only three days left to apply! 📣🚨 Calling all investigators, lawyers, journalists, and researchers interested in improving your #OSINT skills to investigate violations of human rights: Join us and Institute for International Criminal Investigations IICI - this April at The Hague for our foundational open source investigations training. Learn how to effectively search the internet for information, verify and preserve the content you find, and use it for legal accountability purposes. ðŸ—“ï¸ April 20–24 ðŸ“The Hague 🖊ï¸Apply by February 23 https://lnkd.in/g9MYPyFp
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Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law reposted this
We're all facing challenging times. The Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law stepped up to the plate over the last 30 years, and now we're stepping up for the next 30. This time with a heightened focus on using new and emerging technology to investigate crimes and assessing technology's impact on humans. Check out our website to see our deepened focus.
At the Human Rights Center, we investigate war crimes and human rights violations; set standards for practitioners; and train the next generation of human rights defenders. Based at the world’s top public university, we’ve spent the last thirty years pursuing justice through science, technology, and law. The moment we’re living in has humbled all of us. The prevailing political rhetoric against work that champions the power of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement has soured the funding and development landscape surrounding our mission. Navigating this new reality requires a creative and flexible approach, one that fully leans into our interdisciplinary expertise, and is grounded in the strength of our diversity — rather than shying away from it. What are the implications of new and emerging technologies on human rights, and how will they continue to change? How can we leverage our experience investigating atrocities around the globe to protect democracy at home? What opportunities can we create for practitioners and students to strengthen their work and maximize impact? The Human Rights Center is dedicated to spending the next thirty years answering these questions; asking impacted communities how we can best support them; and sharing what we learn with you. Join us in doing so: https://lnkd.in/gzNvvsHR Alexa Koenig Betsy Popken