Civil Rights Defenders

Civil Rights Defenders is an international human rights organisation founded in Stockholm in 1982 with the aim of defending people's civil and political rights, and to support and empower human rights defenders at risk.

With a presence on four continents, Civil Rights Defenders works in some of the world's most repressive regions. Our goal is to achieve long-term change by partnering with local organisations and focusing on innovation.

Our work has resulted in strengthened protection against discrimination in several countries, support for independent media as an alternative to state-sponsored propaganda, and the empowerment of marginalised groups.

We have engaged over a hundred participants in the Natalia Project – the world's first alarm system for human rights defenders at risk, trained human rights defenders across the world, and provided assistance to thousands of people seeking justice for violations of their human rights.

TO ACHIEVE CHANGE WE TARGET SEVERAL LEVELS IN SOCIETY:

We monitor state authorities and demand accountability, justice and reparations when people's human rights have been violated;

We keep the public informed so that they have the proper tools and knowledge to claim their fundamental human rights and freedoms;

We advocate and lobby decision makers so that they can make informed choices on important human rights issues;

We empower individual human rights defenders and organisations by providing expertise, training, and – above all – long-term support.