Human Rights Day – Voices from the FAU CHREN Community
For International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2025, the FAU Research Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU CHREN) invited students, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers to share their personal reflections on human rights.
The campaign focused on these guiding questions:
Why do human rights matter?
What inspired you to study or research human rights?
What makes researching/studying human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
The contributions reflect the diversity of human rights research at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and offer insights into the personal perspectives, academic motivations, and individual sources of inspiration of our students and researchers.
Contributions from the Participants
Grace N. Sitati
Doctoral Researcher, International Doctorate Programme “Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World” (IDP BHR), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Research Assistant at the Chair of African Legal Studies (Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime), University of Bayreuth
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically and what makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
“Human rights matter because they are inalienable and substantiate the existence of humans. When violated, they lead to injustices, inequality and threaten the sustainability of human life. Hence, researching human rights at FAU is unique because it offers an interdisciplinary space to study the intersection between business and human rights (BHR), BHR violations and explore effective remedies to address these violations. Interestingly, what surprises me is that corporations also seek recognition as ‘humans’ and advocate for ‘corporate human rights’.”
Photo: private.
Milena Störmer
PhD and research associate at the Chair for Strategic and Value-Oriented Management, former student of the 2021-2025 IDP BHR cohort. Research focus: Corporations in conflict regions
What inspired you to study and research human rights?
“I believe that some things can’t be understood with the mind if they haven’t first been lived with the heart. My time away from my desk moved me deeply and left me with a profound urge to act—a longing for justice and peace. So when I began my PhD, I naturally and immediately felt drawn to the field of human rights.”
Photo: private.
Dr. Caroline Lichuma
Postdoctoral Researcher and member of the FAU CHREN. Research focus: Regulatory developments in Business and Human Rights, with a particular focus on how mandatory human rights due diligence laws such as the German Lieferkettengesetz (LkSG) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) impact Global South stakeholders.
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically?
“Human rights matter to me both personally as well as academically especially because we live in a time where millions of individuals and communities all around the world are not able to enjoy their human rights. Human Rights are not just abstract academic concepts. For many rightsholders they are quite literally a matter of life and death.”
What makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
“Researching at FAU has been invaluable to my academic (and personal) growth. I cannot overstate the importance of being able to carry out research as part of a community of like-minded individuals. I learn so much from my colleagues every day, and draw continued inspiration for my own work.”
Photo: private.
Nishrin Azzely Qowamuna
Doctoral Researcher, International Doctorate Programme „Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World“ (IDP BHR), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.
What inspired you to study and research human rights?
“I was inspired to study human rights through my work in a non-profit organisation, where I met migrant workers who had experienced severe labour exploitation. Those encounters pushed me to question why these abuses persist and motivated me to understand the issue at a deeper level through research.”
Photo: private.
Philipp Bogensperger
Doctoral Researcher, International Doctorate Programme „Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World“ (IDP BHR), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Research Assistant at the Chair of African Legal Studies (Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime), University of Bayreuth
What makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
“As part of the IDP Cohort 2025-2029, I’m learning how human rights scholarship can reveal both the power and the limits of legal frameworks in addressing systemic injustice – especially at the intersection of business and human rights. At FAU, the interdisciplinary and international environment allows us to engage with peers and mentors, uncover regulatory blind spots, and contrivute to develop solutions that connect rigorous theory with meaningful real-world impact.”
Photo: private.
Libele Vogt Volkmer
Student of the International Master’s programme in Human Rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (M.A. Human Rights)
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically?
“Human rights matter to me because I believe in justice. And justice without human rights as the ethical compass can easily slip into arbitrariness or revenge.”
What makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique? “Nuremberg is known as the city of human rights. Here, humanity watched the horrors of World War II but also the first international tribunal against war crimes. It is profoundly meaningful to be here and learn about all that has been achieved since then.”
Photo: private.
Omri Levin
Doctoral Researcher at the Chair for Human Rights Law (Alexander von Humboldt Professur). Research focus: Autocratisation in Israel
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically?
“My grandfather lost most of his family in the Holocaust and my grandmother was forced as a child to leave Germany for racial reasons. When I read history books and encounter the sheer brutality, arbitrariness and cruelty of humans for most of history, I realise that coming together as humans and deciding to end torture or discrimination for example, is one of the most noble projects humanity ever took upon itself. We should always remember it did not come for free or without a struggle, and be ready to defend human rights in our generation.”
Photo: private.
Husam Al-Eryani
Student of the International Master’s programme in Human Rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (M.A. Human Rights).
Human Rights Lawyer.
What inspired you to study and research human rights?
“I was inspired to study human rights by the immense scale of violations committed by parties to the conflict in Yemen. I made a personal commitment to ensure that the voices of victims and their families are heard and not forgotten. Having witnessed firsthand how the absence of rights shapes people’s daily lives, choices, and dignity, human rights matter to me both personally and academically. They offer a universal language to challenge injustice and defend those whose voices are too often silenced.”
Photo: private.
Mareike Höcker
PhD student at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. Research focus: Education as a Weapon of War (Bildung als Kriegswaffe).
What is a misconception about human rights that you often encounter in public discussions?
“A common misconception about human rights is that they apply uniformly across the globe, but in reality not all countries are bound by the same obligations.
Additionally, states enjoy wide discretion in how they implement especially economic, social, and cultural rights. This makes it all the more compelling to study what core content must be uphold, even in the midst of conflict.”
Photo: private.
Research, Study and Teaching in the Field of Human Rights
At FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, there are various opportunities for students, doctoral candidates and postdocs to study and conduct research on human rights:
Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”
This research initiative aims to describe, analyze, and assess how five megatrends, namely autocratization, fragmented economic globalization, international migration, planetary environmental crises, and digitalization, are transforming human rights, and how in turn human rights can and should transform responses to the megatrends. Further information about the Cluster of Excellence can be found here.
International Doctorate Programme Business and Human Rights (IDP BHR)
Funded by Elite Network of Bavaria the programme „Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World“ establishes an inter- and transdisciplinary research forum for excellent doctoral projects addressing practically relevant problems and theoretically grounded questions in the field of business and human rights. All information about the IDP BHR can be found here.
Master’s Programme in Human Rights
The M.A. Human Rights is an interdisciplinary and international postgraduate degree programme offered at the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. It addresses human rights in all areas of society and academia. The course programme covers fundamental challenges as well as current issues. It pursues an interdisciplinary approach by taking the political, philosophical and legal dimensions of human rights into account. All information about the M.A. Human Rights can be found here.
Campaign Schedule
The campaign will launch on our social media channels on 10 December 2025 with an introductory post; afterwards, one new contribution will be published each week. You can support the campaign by following, liking and sharing:
Human Rights Day – Voices from the FAU CHREN Community
The campaign focused on these guiding questions:
The contributions reflect the diversity of human rights research at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and offer insights into the personal perspectives, academic motivations, and individual sources of inspiration of our students and researchers.
Contributions from the Participants
Doctoral Researcher, International Doctorate Programme “Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World” (IDP BHR), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Research Assistant at the Chair of African Legal Studies (Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime), University of Bayreuth
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically and what makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
“Human rights matter because they are inalienable and substantiate the existence of humans. When violated, they lead to injustices, inequality and threaten the sustainability of human life. Hence, researching human rights at FAU is unique because it offers an interdisciplinary space to study the intersection between business and human rights (BHR), BHR violations and explore effective remedies to address these violations. Interestingly, what surprises me is that corporations also seek recognition as ‘humans’ and advocate for ‘corporate human rights’.”
Photo: private.
PhD and research associate at the Chair for Strategic and Value-Oriented Management, former student of the 2021-2025 IDP BHR cohort.
Research focus: Corporations in conflict regions
What inspired you to study and research human rights?
“I believe that some things can’t be understood with the mind if they haven’t first been lived with the heart. My time away from my desk moved me deeply and left me with a profound urge to act—a longing for justice and peace. So when I began my PhD, I naturally and immediately felt drawn to the field of human rights.”
Photo: private.
Postdoctoral Researcher and member of the FAU CHREN.
Research focus: Regulatory developments in Business and Human Rights, with a particular focus on how mandatory human rights due diligence laws such as the German Lieferkettengesetz (LkSG) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) impact Global South stakeholders.
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically?
“Human rights matter to me both personally as well as academically especially because we live in a time where millions of individuals and communities all around the world are not able to enjoy their human rights. Human Rights are not just abstract academic concepts. For many rightsholders they are quite literally a matter of life and death.”
What makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
“Researching at FAU has been invaluable to my academic (and personal) growth. I cannot overstate the importance of being able to carry out research as part of a community of like-minded individuals. I learn so much from my colleagues every day, and draw continued inspiration for my own work.”
Photo: private.
Doctoral Researcher, International Doctorate Programme „Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World“ (IDP BHR), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.
What inspired you to study and research human rights?
“I was inspired to study human rights through my work in a non-profit organisation, where I met migrant workers who had experienced severe labour exploitation. Those encounters pushed me to question why these abuses persist and motivated me to understand the issue at a deeper level through research.”
Photo: private.
Doctoral Researcher, International Doctorate Programme „Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World“ (IDP BHR), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Research Assistant at the Chair of African Legal Studies (Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime), University of Bayreuth
What makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
“As part of the IDP Cohort 2025-2029, I’m learning how human rights scholarship can reveal both the power and the limits of legal frameworks in addressing systemic injustice – especially at the intersection of business and human rights. At FAU, the interdisciplinary and international environment allows us to engage with peers and mentors, uncover regulatory blind spots, and contrivute to develop solutions that connect rigorous theory with meaningful real-world impact.”
Photo: private.
Student of the International Master’s programme in Human Rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (M.A. Human Rights)
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically?
“Human rights matter to me because I believe in justice. And justice without human rights as the ethical compass can easily slip into arbitrariness or revenge.”
What makes researching human rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg unique?
“Nuremberg is known as the city of human rights. Here, humanity watched the horrors of World War II but also the first international tribunal against war crimes. It is profoundly meaningful to be here and learn about all that has been achieved since then.”
Photo: private.
Doctoral Researcher at the Chair for Human Rights Law (Alexander von Humboldt Professur).
Research focus: Autocratisation in Israel
Why do human rights matter to you personally or academically?
“My grandfather lost most of his family in the Holocaust and my grandmother was forced as a child to leave Germany for racial reasons. When I read history books and encounter the sheer brutality, arbitrariness and cruelty of humans for most of history, I realise that coming together as humans and deciding to end torture or discrimination for example, is one of the most noble projects humanity ever took upon itself. We should always remember it did not come for free or without a struggle, and be ready to defend human rights in our generation.”
Photo: private.
Student of the International Master’s programme in Human Rights at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (M.A. Human Rights).
Human Rights Lawyer.
What inspired you to study and research human rights?
“I was inspired to study human rights by the immense scale of violations committed by parties to the conflict in Yemen. I made a personal commitment to ensure that the voices of victims and their families are heard and not forgotten. Having witnessed firsthand how the absence of rights shapes people’s daily lives, choices, and dignity, human rights matter to me both personally and academically. They offer a universal language to challenge injustice and defend those whose voices are too often silenced.”
Photo: private.
PhD student at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. Research focus: Education as a Weapon of War (Bildung als Kriegswaffe).
What is a misconception about human rights that you often encounter in public discussions?
“A common misconception about human rights is that they apply uniformly across the globe, but in reality not all countries are bound by the same obligations.
Additionally, states enjoy wide discretion in how they implement especially economic, social, and cultural rights. This makes it all the more compelling to study what core content must be uphold, even in the midst of conflict.”
Photo: private.
Research, Study and Teaching in the Field of Human Rights
At FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, there are various opportunities for students, doctoral candidates and postdocs to study and conduct research on human rights:
Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”
This research initiative aims to describe, analyze, and assess how five megatrends, namely autocratization, fragmented economic globalization, international migration, planetary environmental crises, and digitalization, are transforming human rights, and how in turn human rights can and should transform responses to the megatrends.
Further information about the Cluster of Excellence can be found here.
International Doctorate Programme Business and Human Rights (IDP BHR)
Funded by Elite Network of Bavaria the programme „Business and Human Rights: Governance Challenges in a Complex World“ establishes an inter- and transdisciplinary research forum for excellent doctoral projects addressing practically relevant problems and theoretically grounded questions in the field of business and human rights.
All information about the IDP BHR can be found here.
Master’s Programme in Human Rights
The M.A. Human Rights is an interdisciplinary and international postgraduate degree programme offered at the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. It addresses human rights in all areas of society and academia. The course programme covers fundamental challenges as well as current issues. It pursues an interdisciplinary approach by taking the political, philosophical and legal dimensions of human rights into account.
All information about the M.A. Human Rights can be found here.
Campaign Schedule
The campaign will launch on our social media channels on 10 December 2025 with an introductory post; afterwards, one new contribution will be published each week. You can support the campaign by following, liking and sharing: