In 2013 I learned of Professor Koen De Feyter’s work almost by chance. Then a young Congolese researcher in human rights, I was invited to join De Feyter’s inter-university project on “the localization of human rights”. Although my background was in political studies rather than law, I applied and was soon introduced to De Feyter (first via Skype, then in person). Over the years, he became both my mentor and a model of integrity. One trait of his that struck me was his spontaneous trust in colleagues, when he assigned a task, he seemed already convinced it would be carried out with care. To me, this was a living lesson in human dignity – the very principle he pursued in his scholarship.
In subsequent interactions even after my PhD funding fell through, De Feyter continued to support me selflessly. For example, in 2019 he encouraged me to apply for a research scholarship in India, enabling me to finish my thesis during the COVID-19 lockdowns. His gestures of trust and mentorship reinforced how he practiced human dignity as both a person and a scholar. In honor of his memory, I now revisit De Feyter’s ideas on human rights in light of my own Congolese experience.
Localization of Human Rights and the “Infusion from Below”
Koen De Feyter’s scholarship emphasized that human rights must be made relevant to local needs. He argued that traditional international law often focuses on abstract universality. In World Development Law (2001), he stressed that globalization has diverse local impacts, so human rights must be situation-specific and grounded in the needs identified by local communities.[1] Later, in Localizing Human Rights (2007), he coined the phrase “global human rights need an infusion from below”.[2] That is, local people’s own experience and demands should shape how we interpret and develop rights, rather than applying one-size-fits-all doctrines.
In practice, this means listening to grassroots voices whether in Kinshasa’s slums or the villages of Kongo Central and adapting human rights law to address those community-defined challenges. De Feyter also invoked the principle of subsidiarity, drawing on international law theorist Paolo Carozza. He stressed that, where possible, “local communities should be left to protect and respect human dignity… represented by human rights whenever they are able to achieve those ends on their own”.[3]
This view aligns closely with what I experienced: Koen empowered Congolese researchers (like me) to frame rights issues from the local perspective, rather than imposing external agendas. His scholarship privileged local agencies while still linking those efforts to broader international frameworks.
“Sites of Rights Resistance” and Human Dignity
A central theme in De Feyter’s work is what he called “sites of rights resistance.” He observed that marginalized groups around the world use human rights language as a counter-hegemonic strategy to demand dignity.[4] In his analysis, a human rights claim typically originates in a specific place (a village, neighbourhood, or community) but appeals to multiple levels of power, from local authorities up to international bodies.
For example, local Congolese villagers might cite constitutional land rights to contest a forced eviction, appealing both to local courts and to national law or UN treaties. De Feyter noted that “supporting individual human rights claims is useful because they… serve the interests of all those in similar situations”.[5]
At the core of these ideas is human dignity. De Feyter argued that human rights are ultimately about protecting dignity where it is threatened. When a community holds leaders accountable for abuses, they are insisting on respect for their dignity. His work shows that local human rights claims even by the most disadvantaged contribute to universal protection of dignity.
This resonates deeply with my Congolese experience: I came to see that ordinary Congolese people, in villages and cities alike, are daily defenders of dignity through their rights claims, even under repression.
The Congolese Context: Dignity Amid Crisis
The Democratic Republic of the Congo today exemplifies precisely the conditions where De Feyter felt human dignity must be claimed. For decades, Congolese communities have suffered conflicts, displacement, and poverty. According to Amnesty International (2023), at least hundreds of civilians have been killed by indiscriminate shelling and executions, and over seven million people have been internally displaced by fighting. The expansion of large mining projects has also “led to mass forced evictions and the denial of rights, including to housing, health, water and other essential services” (Amnesty International, 2023, para. 15).[6]
Compounding the crisis is the way Congo is often discussed abroad. As Shacklock (2025) observes, global narratives tend to lump the DRC together with other struggles (e.g., Sudan or Palestine) as “interrelated struggles” against neocolonialism.[7] While well-intentioned, such framing can oversimplify the specific realities of Congolese people. Shacklock cautions that the DRC’s crises are complex and must be understood “by local and national dynamics” (Shacklock, 2025, p. 92).[8] This critique echoes De Feyter’s call to focus on local experiences.
Sites of Resistance: Examples from the Ground
Throughout the DRC, there are striking examples of local “sites of resistance” where Congolese enact human rights claims. One vivid case is the village-courts movement in eastern Congo. As Peace Direct (2011) reported, the Chirezi Foundation trains volunteer judges to run informal village courts based on traditional methods. In areas where the official justice system is slow, expensive, and corrupt, these courts give villagers “fast, effective access to justice” (Peace Direct, 2011, para. 3).[9]
For example, an elderly widow named Mama Kabibi had lost her cassava field to a former militiaman. After appealing to Chirezi’s village court, the combatant was ordered to return her land in just two hearings. This small but real victory restored Mama Kabibi’s livelihood and dignity and deterred others from land grabs. In De Feyter’s terms, these courts are exactly the kind of local institution where human rights (here, property rights and fair trial) can be protected by communities themselves.
Another powerful example is women’s human rights defenders. Women in Congo face multiple layers of oppression, including armed conflict, patriarchy, and poverty yet many organize to defend rights. In 2024, Protection International launched the #HumanRightsByWomen series to amplify these voices. In it, activists like Gratias Kibanja of Women in Action for Human Dignity share how they combat injustice despite obstacles (Protection International, 2024).[10]
Their activism educating others about rights, documenting abuses, lobbying for survivors of violence is itself an assertion of dignity. In De Feyter’s language, these courageous Congolese women create “sites of resistance” by invoking universal human rights in their local context.
Reflections and Legacy
My Congolese experience confirms the core of Koen De Feyter’s thought: human rights flourish most in the very places of injustice. When I overcame obstacles to finish my thesis and advocate for local human rights work, I saw that belief realized. De Feyter’s example taught me to trust Congolese colleagues and communities: they bring invaluable perspective on what rights mean on the ground.
Academically, engaging with De Feyter’s scholarship through the Congolese lens means two things. First, it means valuing our local case studies as full contributors to human rights theory, not merely recipients of Western norms. Every land rights win or women’s march in Congo offers evidence on how universal rights operate in practice. Second, it means using De Feyter’s ideas to critique simple narratives. Shacklock’s warning that outsiders oversimplify the DRC’s crises resonates deeply.
In closing, I carry forward Koen De Feyter’s legacy by continuing the dialogue between his work and Congolese reality. Koen was, as I saw firsthand, a true apostle of human dignity. His faith in people mirrored in his trust of me and many Congolese colleagues embodies the very dignity he wrote about. By revisiting his thought through the Congolese experience, we honour that faith and ensure that his ideas remain alive in the places that matter most.
[1] Koen De Feyter, World development law: sharing responsibility for development (Antwerpen: Intersentia, 2001).
[2] Koen De Feyter, “Localizing human rights“, in W. Benedek et al (eds.), Economic Globalisation and Human Rights (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).
[3] Idem
[4] Koen De Feyter, Stephan Parmentier, Christiane Timmerman and Ulrich George (eds), The local relevance of human rights (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011).
[5] Koen De Feyter, “Localizing human rights“, in W. Benedek et al (eds.), Economic Globalisation and Human Rights (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).
[6] Amnesty International, ‘DRC: Civilians killed, millions displaced amid armed conflict and human rights abuses’ (15 December 2023) https://www.amnesty.org accessed 29 September 2025.
[7] T Shacklock, ‘Human rights beyond borders: Local voices and global narratives on Congo’ (2025) 61(1) Journal of African Studies 87.
[8] T Shacklock, ‘Human rights beyond borders: Local voices and global narratives on Congo’ (2025) 61(1) Journal of African Studies 87, 92.
[9] Peace Direct, ‘Village courts in eastern Congo’ (2011) Insight on Conflict https://www.peacedirect.org accessed 29 September 2025, para 3.
[10] Protection International, ‘#HumanRightsByWomen: Stories of women human rights defenders in the DRC’ (8 March 2024) https://www.protectioninternational.org accessed 29 September 2025.