Countries where the project is to be carried out:

Africa:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Region: East Africa and Horn of Africa

Asia:

• Region: South East Asia
• Indonesia
• India

Americas:

• Guatemala
• Colombia
• Brazil

Europe:

• Turkey

• Objectives:
• Summary of the main activities:

Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) are one of the main actors fighting against impunity in the name of justice; they are essential markers in constructing and consolidating peace and democratisation. They find themselves on the receiving end of attacks and intimidation on a regular basis.

PI contributes to reinforcing the security and protection of HRDs by mobilising the national and international community (parliaments, governments, the UN, ordinary citizens, the media) and by providing the concerned parties and beneficiaries with the knowledge and necessary tools to integrate protection on the ground into work plans and programmes. This programme will also facilitate the exchange of experiences locally and foster best practices between HRDs.

PI develops strategic and sustainable relations protection desks with partners, particularly in the target countries, in order to transfer the skills and logic needed to ensure security. The programme takes into account the specific activities of the defenders as well as their qualifications and skills. By doing so it provides the appropriate solutions to the security problems each HRD encounters. Ad hoc (emergency situations) and medium-term activities, such as security and protection training, permanent technical desks on the ground (protection desks), networking, advocacy, political support and media presence all aim at building a protection system, which is as comprehensive as possible, to prevent attacks against HRDs and to reverse the trend towards criminalising and ‘delegitimising’ defenders’ activities, cases of which we have seen in numerous countries, in particular in those countries selected.

Objectives:

Objective I – Human rights defenders improve their skills at managing security, protection and psychosocial support for themselves and for the people they work with (other defenders, victims, witnesses).

Objective II – The authorities and other relevant players in protection work towards fulfilling their protection obligations towards defenders and react appropriately/improve their response when protecting defenders where necessary (in specific priority cases for each country).

Summary of the main activities:

1. Training on questions of security and protection for HRDs and other interested beneficiaries to develop skills in selected countries (seminars and in situ courses) and long-distance (modules on the website).

2. Work with local HRDs to establish permanent technical desks (protection desks or PDs). The PDs will develop local risk analysis skills, the setting-up, implementation and management of the security plan. They will establish early warning systems where necessary and create databases on the type of security incidents that occur based on the profile and activities the HRDs carry out (female defenders, trade unionists, the rights of ethnic, social, sexual and religious minorities, the rights of displaced people, etc.) (See list of countries above)

3. Advocacy: working with European Union missions to set up and follow up on local strategies aimed at implementing the EU’s guidelines on defenders for the countries selected, creating an international network of parliamentarians to protect defenders (MPs for HRDs). Advocacy and networking on individual cases of HRDs under threat.

4.Creating and publishing of new manuals.

5. Filming documentaries and video clips on individual HRD cases and on issues of concern to their protection/security

6. The website (www.protectionline.org) is improved to be a one-stop website and key reference source on HRD protection. The site allows the exchange of information and best practices and provokes action from the maximum number of players in support of defenders (individuals, forum for members of parliaments, governments, international NGOs, the media).