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.
Jacobus Witbooi from Namibia champions LGBTIQ rights and sexual health education, impacting national policies and fostering support for sexual orientation and gender identity rights in Africa.
Tuisina Ymania Brown, a leading voice for Samoa's indigenous LGBTIQ community, advocates for legal recognition and rights, facing challenges posed by cultural and religious norms.
Kaona Saowakun, a dedicated advocate from Thailand, champions LGBTQI rights and acceptance of transgender individuals amidst societal discrimination and legal challenges.
Khartini Slamah, a dedicated Malaysian transgender rights defender, works tirelessly on HIV/AIDS and LGBTI rights, facing challenges in a country where legislation and societal norms significantly hinder the LGBTI community's freedoms.
Thilaga Sulathireh initially joined the struggle for LGBTI rights in Malaysia in response to her own experience of discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. She now devotes herself to promoting and protecting the rights of others.
Rachel Arinii, representing the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, navigates UN bureaucratic challenges to advocate for youth empowerment and sexual and reproductive rights on a global stage.
Rolando Jiménez Perez is a Chilean human rights defender and President of Movilh (Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation), which he co-founded as soon as Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile ended.
Huy Luong works for iSEE based in Ha Noi City, Vietnam. He is a LGBT human rights defender who undertakes public awareness and education campaigns in Vietnam on LGBT issues. He is also engaging around Vietnam’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review, which will take place in January 2014.
In 2010, Fikile Vilakazi, a fearless defender in South Africa, challenged discrimination as a black lesbian woman. As part of the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL), she championed LGBTI rights in a nation with persistent discrimination. Fikile's story highlighted the need for justice and equality in the face of discrimination.
