São Tome and Principe: Defenders strengthen their knowledge of human rights mechanisms

On 16 July 2024, ISHR and Associação São-tomense de Mulheres Juristas organised a workshop in São Tome to gather civil society organisations and discuss the challenges they face in their work as well as the possibilities afforded to them to raise the restrictions they face to international and regional human rights mechanisms.

During our discussion reviewing the situation of defenders in the country, including regarding the legal framework in place, participants identified a number of challenges preventing them from working in an enabling environment. Amongst those was the lack of funding and the sensitivity linked to certain subjects such as corruption.

‘Working on issues related to good governance can be challenging,’ a participant said. ‘In some cases, when defenders denounce corruption, they are victims of smear campaigns online, and often their profiles and websites are hacked to discredit the information published on them.’ 

The workshop was also an opportunity for participants to learn more about the work of international and regional mechanisms and how they can use them to further their advocacy objectives as well as to report violations of their rights. In particular, as most participants expressed their lack of knowledge of these mechanisms and how their country engages with them when it comes to their international obligations, they shared their willingness to attempt to include these mechanisms in their wider strategies. 

‘It is very important that we keep pushing on São Tome and Principe to submit its first periodic report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights,’ said Domitilia Trovoada Sousa, Executive Director of Associação São-tomense de Mulheres Juristas. ‘The review of the country would present us with a unique opportunity to share more about the rights violations we face in São Tome and Principe,” she added.