2023 Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme participants and ISHR staff in front of the UN building in Geneva ©Ben Buckland
Here at ISHR we are constantly being inspired by the brave people taking action to defend human rights and want to share some of their stories with you.
Moses Von Kallon is a human rights defender and the co-founder of Aquarius Supervivientes, a group that advocates for the rights of immigrants in Spain and supports their integration.
David Yambio is a community advocate and spokesperson at the NGO Refugees in Libya. His own experiences of forced exile inspired him to fight for the human rights and well-being of migrants and refugees on both sides of the Mediterranean.
'The rights of migrant workers is a global problem, and actors in different jurisdictions have to come together to make a difference in this particular area,' says Barun Ghimire, a human rights lawyer based in Kathmandu, Nepal. 'And we need to create a collective narrative that is based on a rights-based approach of migrant workers.'
All human beings have the right to live with dignity, no matter whether they are documented or not. Meriem El May and Sofia Vegas both work for Permanence MNA/RMNA, a Geneva-based legal centre that protects young unaccompanied migrants.
Abdul Aziz Muhamat, a Sudanese refugee, human rights defender, and the laureate of the 2019 Martin Ennals Award and migrants' rights defender became a beacon of hope for exposing the violations committed against migrants by Australian authorities on Nauru and Manus islands.
Cédric Herrou, a farmer, migrant rights activist, and a president of Association Défends Ta Citoyenneté from the Roya Valley in France, shared his testimony, challenges, aspirations, and calls to action to advocate for the rights and well-being of migrants trapped at the French-Italian border.
Mariana Zaragoza, a dedicated advocate working in the immigration programme at the Ibero-American University of Mexico, tirelessly champions the rights of migrants and refugees, promoting a culture of hospitality and robust protection of their rights amidst challenging policy environments.
Azadi, a pseudonymous human rights defender, is dedicated to protecting the rights of migrants and refugees, advocating against the criminalisation of migration and promoting a Europe of solidarity and civil society.
Ligia Bolivar, the director of the Human Rights Center at the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela, advocates for children's rights and provides legal assistance to students, focusing on freedoms of association, expression, and assembly.
Stephania Koulaeva, from ADC Memorial in Russia, battles government oppression and works on a broad range of discrimination issues. Despite facing political repression, her focus expands beyond national borders to include international advocacy for change.
