About PHR

Mission and History

PHR's Mission

Physicians for Human Rights mobilizes health professionals to advance health, dignity, and justice and promotes the right to health for all. Harnessing the specialized skills, rigor, and passion of doctors, nurses, public health specialists, and scientists, PHR investigates human rights abuses and works to stop them.

Our research takes us to conflict zones, to AIDS-ravaged Africa, to US prisons and juvenile detention centers—and our advocacy brings us to the offices of national and international policymakers. The courts, decision makers and the media have come to rely on our credibility and expertise. Motivated by moral urgency, based on science, and anchored in international human rights standards, PHR’s advocacy advances global health and protects human rights.

As we mark our 20th anniversary, we acknowledge the past as we look toward the future. PHR is building a new movement for human rights based on the solid foundation of two decades of investigation, advocacy, and accomplishment.