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Human rights defenders

A human rights defender is any person who, individually or with others, acts to promote and protect human rights.

Examples of human rights defenders (HRD) include journalists, bloggers, members of human rights NGOs, academics, lawyers, trade unionists, representatives of indigenous communities.

HRDs stand up for the rights of others, which is why it is so essential to protect them and their families. They often do so at great personal cost. In standing against human rights violations committed by States and non-state actors, HRDs are increasingly exposed to serious threats, including physical attacks, harassment, smear campaigns, arbitrary detention, torture and killings.

As laid out in the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, the EU is firmly committed to protect HRDs at risk by enhancing their visibility and recognition, and by publicly speaking out against the threats, they face.

Together with civil society organisations, the EU set up the Protect Defenders mechanism: a 24/7 hotline for HRDs that face immediate risk, which can finance a wide range of measures, including legal representation, medical costs and protection measures. The EU has a variety of tools that it can use to protect HRDs at risk, including trial observations or visits in detention, while using public and private diplomacy to raise individual cases of HRDs at risk.

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Protecting human rights defenders online - 10 recommended actions

EU - U.S issue joint guidance to platforms

The EU – U.S. joint guidance for online platforms sets out 10 practical steps that platforms can take globally to prevent, mitigate, and provide remedy for attacks targeting human rights defenders (HRDs) online.

These recommendations reflect commitments made with global partners through the Declaration of the Future of the Internet. 

Actions for human rights

10 actions that online platforms can take in partnership with stakeholders to improve HRD safety globally and to further respect for the human rights of all: 

  1. Commit to an HRD Protection Policy
  2. Identify Risks to HRDs
  3. Exchange Information with HRDs, CSOs, and Industry Peers
  4. Create a Policy Implementation Plan to Mitigate Risk and Prevent Adverse Impacts with Monitoring Benchmarks to Measure Success
  5. Resource and Staff HRD Protection Efforts
  6. Build Capacity to Address Risks in Local Contexts
  7. Provide Safety Tools and Security Education to HRDs
  8. Create and Maintain Accessible Incident Reporting Channels for HRDs 
  9. Contribute to and Provide Access to Remedy for HRDs
  10.  Commit to Transparency, Public Reporting, and Continuous Improvement 

To learn more, follow the link to download U.S. - EU recommended actions for online platforms on protecting Human Rights Defenders online

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