Greetings from Protection International Thailand,

With deep respect for the courage, care, and resistance across our region, we are excited to invite 14 Human Rights Defenders from Southeast Asia to join the first in-person HRDs School:

Security and Protection Management for Human Rights Defenders and Social Organisations (SEEDS – South East Asia Experimental Defenders’ School). 

Applications are now OPEN!

Protection International (PI) Thailand will host the first Southeast Asia HRDs School from 26 May – 1 June 2026.

Application deadline: 30 April 2026.

What is this school?

This is not a traditional training.

SEEDS is a collective learning space, grounded in the realities of our struggles. It is built on the belief that:

→ everyone is a teacher, and everyone is a learner
→ knowledge comes from lived experience, resistance, and community
→ protection is not individual, it is collective

Together, we will build strategies for safety and protection rooted in feminist ethics of care, solidarity, and movement power.

This is a space where Human Rights Defenders especially women come not only to learn, but to share, reflect, and strengthen each other, so that our movements grow stronger together.

Who is this for?

We invite applications from:

Human Rights Defenders across Southeast Asia. 

Those working with grassroots communities, social movements, and people’s struggles. 

Defenders facing risks due to their work on human rights, democracy, land, environment, labour, gender justice, and more. 

Priority will be given to

Women Human Rights Defenders (including mothers and caregivers). 

Grassroots leaders and movement-based organisers. 

Those committed to sharing their experiences, learning, and practices back to their communities, collectives, and wider social and human rights movements. 

This school is for those who see learning not as individual gain, but as collective responsibility to strengthen movements.

Our journey so far

This school builds on learning from our earlier pilot with defenders from Burma. Their leadership, experience, and feedback helped us reshape this curriculum to better reflect the realities of our region.

This is a living curriculum, shaped by movements and it will continue to grow with you.

What will we explore together?

This 6-day in-person course (48 hours) will support defenders to:

• Understand and respond to risks in their activism 
• Develop security and protection plans (physical, digital, emotional) 
• Strengthen collective protection networks 
• Practice risk analysis grounded in real situations 
• Integrate feminist, intersectional approaches to protection 
• Build cultures of collective care and solidarity 

This is not about abstract tools, it is about what keeps us safe, together, in real struggle.

Field trip to visit inspiring grassroots HRDs movement in Thailand to learn directly from lived resistance, community strength, and collective organising.

Language & accessibility

Working language: English 

Interpretation support can be arranged, especially for grassroots women defenders. 

We welcome collaboration with participants to bring interpreters from movements. 

We are committed to creating a space where people can fully participate with dignity, care, and respect for diverse realities.

Support

Protection International Thailand will cover:

• Flights
• Travel
• Accommodation
• Meals and training costs

How to apply

Please send an email (in English) to:
📧 thailand@protectioninternational.org

Include:

• A short introduction about yourself 
• Your role in your movement or community 
• How this course will support your safety and work with social and human rights movement 
• Two references (names and contact details) 

Why join?

Because the risks we face are not individual.

Because protection is not only about reacting but about building power, relationships, and care.

Because across Southeast Asia, in contexts of repression and struggle, our strongest protection is our movements and each other.

Because when women Human Rights Defenders come together sharing experiences, knowledge, and strategies we strengthen not only ourselves, but entire movements and collectives.

Certification

Participants who complete the course will receive a certificate on Security and Protection for Human Rights Defenders and Social Organisations.

Facilitation

The course will be facilitated by Pranom Somwong (Bee) and the Protection International Thailand team, together with the collective wisdom, experiences, and leadership of all participants.

Download this information in PDF format here.