Today we join with many human rights defenders to thank all those of you who donated to our Human Rights Defender Appeal. Thanks to your generosity, we will expand our support for at-risk defenders to make the world more fair, just and equal.
The 14 inspiring participants in the 2018 edition of our Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme have now returned to their homes, families and communities, where they continue their hard work for peace, security, and for sustainable and inclusive development.
Have you ever wondered what personal challenges they might face as a result of their work? Have you ever thought about what impact their fight might have on their families and their life? Click on the video below to learn more!
Human rights defenders and leaders of civil society are important to our daily lives – they help make our governments more transparent, our environments cleaner and safer, our schools and workplaces fairer, and our futures more sustainable. Yet we see governments increasingly afraid of constructive criticism, afraid of voices that question their authority. And that fear causes them to crackdown on civic space and engage or acquiesce in intimidation, harassment, and violence against defenders.
What we don’t see is how this can affect the families of those individuals, who may be caught in the crosshairs. It was only in 2015 that the UN passed a resolution on human rights defenders that recognised the role their families play, and the need for governments to protect them.
At ISHR, we are committed to a movement that sees human rights defenders in all their roles – lawyers, journalists, trade unionists and community organisers, but also daughters, wives, parents and loved ones. That’s why we fight fiercely for defenders to live in a safe, enabling environment where they don’t have to fear for their families.
Help us protect and amplify the voices of defenders and make sure that they and their loved ones can have the future they hope for all of us!
Phil Lynch
ISHR Director
email: [email protected]
tel: + 41 76 708 47 38
Photo: ISHR
On 19 September the Secretary-General’s report on reprisals was made public, including three of five cases ISHR has been actively campaigning for, namely the cases of Vanessa Mendoza (Andorra), Kadar Abdi Ibrahim (Djibouti) and the situation of civil society in Hong Kong.
The policy to silence and quash opposition to the Venezuelan government continues, says the UN’s body of experts on Venezuela in its report to the Human Rights Council.
Activists from all regions of the world joined ISHR and a coalition of 17 civil society organisations to mark the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and to call for an update of this landmark document.
