The Role of Universities in Human Rights: Interview with Dr. Michael Hayes
168 Hours continues its collaboration with the Global Campus of Human Rights. In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Michael Hayes, Academic Director of the APMA program and member of the Global Campus Council.
At the end of October, Dr. Hayes will lead the Global Classroom in Bangkok on business and human rights. The event will bring together students from the eight regional programs of the Global Campus. Its main focus is on the challenges of global advocacy, especially regarding business, human rights, and the environment. “Human rights advocacy works well at national and sometimes regional levels,” Dr. Hayes explains. “But issues like climate change and supply chains require global cooperation. The classroom is an experiment where students from different regions collaborate on these cross-border challenges.”
According to Dr. Hayes, universities should play a much larger role in promoting and protecting human rights. Beyond teaching and research, they should also monitor governments, provide critical input, and help vulnerable communities. “In Thailand, for example, with the conflict in Myanmar next door, universities support refugees, minorities, and persons with disabilities. This shows they can contribute directly to protection,” he notes.
Universities are increasingly under pressure worldwide due to authoritarianism, attacks on academic freedom, and sensitive topics such as migration, gender, and the environment. “One of the first institutions targeted by the Myanmar military were universities, seen as sites of opposition,” Dr. Hayes says.
He emphasizes that restricting universities only weakens democratic and academic culture.
Maintaining academic freedom is becoming more difficult, with restrictions on funding, contracts, and expression. Dr. Hayes stresses that while hate speech must be rejected, free debate must remain open. He also highlights the role of students: “Too often academic freedom is seen as only for professors. Yet students, too, should have the right to freedom of expression. Sadly, in Thailand, some students have even been jailed for their views.”
Lecturers should not avoid difficult subjects, Hayes argues, but they must approach them with care. Gender identity, sexuality, and national histories often remain taboo. “History is one of the most sensitive areas. In several Southeast Asian countries, past uprisings and tragedies are still not openly discussed,” he points out.
The Global Campus provides access to human rights education, scholarships, and a protective network for students at risk. “Sometimes governments target students, but being part of a respected global network gives us the leverage to advocate for their protection,” says Hayes.
Universities often act as a bridge between governments and NGOs. They contribute through capacity building, research, and training. Hayes points to successful examples in Timor, Vietnam, and Cambodia, where universities and NGOs worked together to establish human rights programs.
Reflecting on his career since the late 1990s, Hayes observes significant growth: “In 2010, only about one in 500 students had exposure to human rights in class. Now, courses and degrees have expanded, and students increasingly choose human rights as preparation for careers in international organizations.”
He adds that human rights education also changes classroom culture itself: “In authoritarian settings, classrooms often mirror dictatorship—no participation, no dialogue. Human rights bring democracy into education, encouraging diversity, respect, and participation that extends into society.”
By Razmik Martirosyan
