///////

Human Rights Center

Charting the Frontiers of Research and Advocacy

The Human Rights Center creates a positive change through research, education and dialogue. At the heart of a global human rights community, we're committed to bridging the gap between theory and practice, between scholars and practitioners.

Fast Fact

2013

Human Rights Center was established

A Global Hub

The University of Dayton's Human Rights Center is a global hub, made up of a vibrant human rights community, dedicated to making a real-world impact through research, education and advocacy.
Learn More About Us
Connect With Us
Our Signature Events
Human Rights Day SPHR 2023

Social Practice of Human Rights Conference link-arrow link-arrow

The biennial Social Practice of Human Rights (SPHR) conference provides a unique space for scholars and practitioners to engage in collaboration, dialogue and critical analysis of human rights advocacy and practice, locally and globally.

Saint Oscar Romero

Romero Human Rights Award link-arrow link-arrow

The Romero Human Rights Award commemorates the ministry and martyrdom of the slain Salvadoran Archbishop and honors an individual or organization whose work has contributed significantly to the alleviation of human suffering and injustice.

Student Growth and Involvement

Human Rights Academics

UD offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as individual courses, allowing all students to study human rights.

Explore Human Rights Academics

Experiential Learning

Through fellowships, undergraduate and graduate students have opportunities to gain real-world experience.

Explore Fellowships and Scholarships
Human Rights
10.10.2025
divider

A Right to a Clean Coastline: Confronting Plastic Pollution in Ghana link-arrow link-arrow

Exploring how human rights, environmental protection, and economic innovation converge on Ghana’s shores to confront the global plastics crisis.
Human Rights
9.17.2025
divider

#SPHR26 Call for Proposals link-arrow link-arrow

The University of Dayton Human Rights Center is excited to announce the call for proposals for the Social Practice of Human Rights (SPHR) 2026 Conference: Creative Resistance—Artivism, Technology, and the Right to Dissent, taking place April 9–11, 2026 in Dayton, Ohio (with hybrid options available).
Human Rights
4.30.2025
divider

A Moment at the UN link-arrow link-arrow

On April 15, 2025, the University of Dayton Human Rights Center, in collaboration with the University of The Bahamas and the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, officially launched the report “Looking Back, Reaching Forward: Commemorating the International Decade for People of African Descent and the Human Rights of Women and Girls.”