You and me! We are each responsible for defending each other’s rights. A human rights defender is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights through peaceful means.
It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.
Nelson Mandela
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides the common framework of our rights and freedoms. Among the Declaration’s thirty articles are the right to equal treatment, the freedom from discrimination, freedom of speech and the right to education.
A human rights defender may…
- work for the realization and protection of one or more human right
- focus on addressing the violations against a specific group.
A human rights defender accepts the principle of universality. Universality means that these human rights apply to everyone without exception!
Who is NOT a human rights defender?
Anyone who speaks against or denies the universality of human rights. Anyone who uses violence.
As human beings, we all have our prejudices. We are each a product of our upbringing, beliefs and culture. But human rights carry the quality of being true in all situations. We are striving to advance human rights for all. From within our own home, our community, our country and our world. This includes whether we are in a time of peace, conflict or war.
The principle of universality is at the center of human rights. All people share these human rights. You cannot advocate for the rights of some while seeking to undermine the rights of others.
Yes, you can advocate for your own rights and those of your community. AND you must accept that others and their communities have the same right to advocate for theirs.
It is essential to recognize that advocating for our own rights is not done at the expense of the rights of others. For example, our right to an adequate standard of living (UDHR – Article 25) cannot be dependent on
- the exploitation of child workers, or
- denying some sick people health care, or
- the destruction of housing or the environment in another community.
It is exactly this tension between our own rights and the rights of others that makes advocating for human rights so important and complicated.
Does it make a difference who is right and who is wrong?
Defending human rights is not about being “right” or “wrong” in the eyes of the state or public opinion. It is about standing up for fundamental rights and freedoms. Human rights defenders do exactly what their name suggests: they defend human rights. They defend rights even when the law or government policies contradict these principles. A defender’s argument may not always align with legal frameworks in a specific time and place. What matters is that their actions uphold human rights. This is crucial and central to defending human rights. Human rights defenders are often accused—by the state or even their own communities—of being in the wrong simply because they challenge injustice.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail
Human rights defenders keep working to realize that core principle of universality. Human rights defenders often come under attack when they defend the rights of “unpopular” people or groups. This might be refugees, migrant workers, political prisoners, opposition parties or the rights of armed groups. In this way, they are accused of not being “real” human rights defenders. Human rights defenders are seen as supporting one side of an argument. This is not true. We must define and accept human rights defenders according to the rights they are defending and according to their own right to do so. Human rights defenders are by definition defending those whose rights have been violated. These are most often the forgotten, the outsiders, the marginalized, the voiceless in our communities. The actions taken to defend their rights must be peaceful in order to follow the declaration on human rights defenders.
Do you see yourself as a human rights defender?
Each time you speak, stand for and protect the rights and freedoms of others you are a human rights defender. Perhaps you have not seen yourself as a human rights defender. You are defending rights when you…
- speak out against human rights violations, such as bullying, discrimination, and ill-treatment
- stand up for the rights of others, such as freedom of belief and expression
- peacefully promote and protect human rights, such as the legal rights to due process.
Your role as a human rights defender may be in small but important daily ways…
- As an individual person of any age – child or adult
- As part of a group or member of your community
- In your professional capacity
- As part of an organization or institution
- In your role in government or a governmental body
- In your role in an inter-governmental body.
How can you defend human rights?
There are no limits to the peaceful ways you can defend human rights! New Tactics in Human Rights celebrates the boundless creativity of the human spirit and imagination. We can learn from the experiences and resourcefulness of each other. We can develop our strategic and tactical skills to be more effective in our human rights advocacy. We can gain inspiration from the successes and victories of others.
What are the costs of defending human rights?
There is always a cost. Yes, we can each defend human rights. This does not mean it is easy to do. It is not easy to speak up against hate and cruelty – in our homes, our communities, on social media. It is not easy to stand up for others when facing on-line threats, physical threats and violence. It is not easy to promote and protect human rights when our laws and systems are violating our rights. For some, defending human rights has had a very high cost. It has cost their…
- reputations and livelihoods
- physical, emotional and mental health
- families and exile from their country
- disappearance, imprisonment, torture and death.
How can we honor human rights defenders?
I want to bring attention to the United Nations days of observance. You can plan actions around these significant days of observance. This is one way to acknowledge and honor the costs people and communities have paid for defending our collective human rights. I want to share these observances that fall in the month of March. I selected these to highlight the wide range of human rights and international mandates we continually seek to fulfill.
These are just a few of the days honoring those who have gone before us and worked to create a better world for all who live in it.
- March 1 – Zero Discrimination Day (UNAIDS)
- March 8 – International Women’s Day (UN Convention, CEDAW, 1979)
- March 15 – International Day to Combat Islamophobia (UN Declaration on Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, 1981)
- March 21 – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN Convention, ICERD, 1965) and World Down Syndrome Day (UN Convention, CRPD, 2006)
- March 24 – International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims (UN Convention, CPED, 2006 and UN Convention, CAT, 1984)
What actions can you take today to defend human rights and make a difference?
By using these days as focal points for advocacy, education and solidarity, we can continue promoting human rights. We can amplify their impact and make a difference in our communities.
Here are some ways you can participate:
- Educate & Raise Awareness
- Advocate for Change
- – Write to policymakers or local leaders to push for stronger human rights protections.
- – Organize a petition or campaign that aligns with the observance day’s theme.
- – Partner with local organizations to support ongoing advocacy efforts.
- Support Impacted Communities
- – Volunteer or donate to organizations that serve affected communities.
- – Attend or organize actions that amplify the voices of those directly impacted.
- – Take part in solidarity actions, such as vigils, protests, or letter-writing campaigns.
- Take Personal Action
- – Reflect on how these human rights issues affect your community and workplace.
- – Make a commitment to challenge discrimination and injustice in your daily life.
- – Engage in self-education by reading books, articles, or watching documentaries on these topics.
- Share Your Actions
- – Post about your participation on social media and tag @NewTactics.
- – Share photos, reflections, or resources that can inspire others to get involved.
- – Write a blog post or article about how you and your community are taking action.
- – Share your tactic innovations with us!
