Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

More than seven civil society organizations have merged to form a coalition known as the South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network (SSHRD).

The Protection Officer for the East and Horn of Africa Human Right defenders, Yona Wanjala said it is important for the SSHRD to join and work closely with East Africa regional groups.

Wanjala urged SSHRD to put their safety first-adding that a human rights defender is valuable to his/her own society when alive.

“So we feel we should equip them with skills, knowledge and tools to be able to assess the risk in respect of their working environment. In most cases human rights defenders do think mostly of the people whose rights they do protect but they never think about their security, yet the work of human rights defenders exposes them to a lot risks and threats because in one way or the other they step on peoples interest. So these people in most cases perpetrate violence against human rights defenders. It’s only prudent that he who defend others should think about his security because we get from the backer ground that you are a better human rights defenders alive but not death.“