The Fund for Global Human Rights

The more we understand the way authoritarians work, the more we can resist them. The more we amplify activists' voices, the harder it is for authoritarianism to take root. Swipe to find out how authoritarians are cutting funding for activists and criminalizing civic space. #humanrights

In India, four local organizations supported by the Fund are exploring whether increasing access to mental health care and education can create healthier relationships. Read the article to find out how their research study progressed.

The Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF) and the Children & Youth Rights Program (CYP) of the Fund for Global Human Rights are launching a $1 million fund to support youth-led groups using legal empowerment strategies to protect their communities and environments. Across Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, young people are leading efforts to protect their environment, safeguard their lands, and respond to the climate crisis—despite on-going land grabs, environmental destruction, and limited resources. Yet less than 1% of global climate funding reaches youth-led movements. This new fund will help close that gap—resourcing youth-led, community-rooted action that puts the power of the law in the hands of those most affected. ?? Learn more: https://lnkd.in/emGAaJMQ #ClimateJustice #LegalEmpowerment?

"At what point does restrictions to protest rights, a deeply toxic discourse against protesters and a growing intolerance from the police and the state towards any form of protest finally tip over into repression?" New laws in the UK criminalize protesters and allow police to shut down demonstrations if they cause “more than minor” disruption, according to a new report from the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol). These restrictions are part of a growing global crackdown on civic space and the right to protest. Read Netpol's first annual "State of Protest" report here:?https://lnkd.in/eep5XeeP

In Nigeria, Fund grantee SPACES FOR CHANGE (S4C) is supporting women who have been displaced by oil and gas exploration, with some losing their homes and having their livelihoods destroyed. S4C’s WOMENPOWA program provides women—particularly from marginalized communities—with zero-interest loans to support their livelihoods and transition to new homes. On International Women’s Day, the WOMENPOWA program expanded into Imo State, ensuring that more women were provided with critical economic support.?We salute the work of Spaces For Change as they scale up their WOMENPOWA program.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for crimes against humanity, linked to thousands of extrajudicial killings during his controversial “war on drugs”.? This is the result of years of relentless work by a diverse movement of activists and groups—including Fund grantees—who have supported victims' families and documented #humanrights violations. When justice seemed impossible, they refused to back down. Duterte’s arrest proves the power of grassroots organizers when given the trust and long-term support they need to push for change. There’s still a long road ahead, but this is a clear acknowledgment that Duterte’s brutal approach to drug enforcement was both criminal and morally indefensible.

On #InternationalWomensDay, we're highlighting the work of grantee partner Jan Sahas who led a collaborative project to reduce gender-based violence in India through grassroots counselling and mental health workshops. Swipe to read the story.

“[It was as] if I were the worst drugs trafficker in Guatemala. When we drove out of the underground parking in my building there were soldiers, the police, hooded, with heavy weapons on both sides of the street. It was like in a film.” This is how the Guatemalan state responded to Virginia Laparra’s courageous work prosecuting corruption and organized crime—with trumped-up charges and solitary confinement that led to Virginia taking the difficult decision to live in exile in Mexico. Together with Amnesty International, we’re deeply concerned about the systematic pattern of criminalization imposed by the Guatemalan judiciary and the public prosecutor’s office against former judges, prosecutors, human rights defenders and journalists who have worked tirelessly for years to fight impunity and corruption in the country. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eF73nTFy

“Although some funders have taken important steps in directing more money and support towards grassroots organising and social movements . . . the proportion of funding from leading grantmakers in the UK for this kind of work remains tiny.” Researchers from Civic Power Fund analyzed over 20,000 grants in the UK totaling ￡935.7 million and found that just 0.2% was being directed to community organizing work. Grassroots organizing plays a critical role in driving social change. It's right to fund and resource it adequately. Read the #FundingJustice report: https://lnkd.in/eKCUKJsH #socialjustice

Alarming new research from LSE IDEAS shows that state authorities are using counterterrorism-style tactics to clamp down on climate activism. Funders must respond to help keep civic space open writes James Savage, program director for the Enabling Environment for Human Rights Defenders Program.