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’.“

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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.“

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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.“

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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.“

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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.“

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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.“

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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.“

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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.“

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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.“

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Klemens Hering
Doctoral researcher (IDP) at FAU (Chair for Corporate Sustainability Management and FAU CHREN)
Research focus: Local participatory group certification for human and environmental rights

What inspired you to research human rights?

The world is a contradictory place when it comes to human rights. In some places we live unprecedented wealth and health. In others it is painfully obvious how much we still have to achieve. Our current economic system, the “rising tide”, has lifted many boats in the West. Others sunk in waves of exploitation and omission of help. To work towards a fairer design and distribution of wealth without toppling what obviously works is my inspiration for research on human and environmental rights-protection in business.

What is a misconception about human rights that you often encounter in public discussions?

Global developments, international law, supply chain regulation are all central to changing our economic system for the better. What we often forget is that global calls for action need effective local resonance. Local participation must be a centrepiece of international efforts.

Photo: private.