Today, 24 October 2016, the NGO CIVICS has launched its Monitor. The CIVICS Monitor, in cooperation with 20 global research partners, rates countries based on how well they uphold the three fundamental rights that enable people to act collectively and make change: freedom of association, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression. The CIVICUS Monitor is not the first to try and provide an overview of the human rights situation the world (see links below) but to my knowledge the first to do so online, in real-time on a global scale, making use of new digital possibilities. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘human rights documentation’
Today CIVICUS launches its worldwide Monitor to track civil space
October 24, 2016Executive Director of HURIDOCS needs to have the following:
September 6, 2016
(Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, International) has started its search for a new Executive Director as envisaged in my post of 5 August: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/daniel-desposito-huridocs-executive-director-announces-his-departure/.
HURIDOCS expects:
- A willingness to embrace new challenges with HURIDOCS’ partners while ensuring continuity and quality in our work and products.
- Some travelling will be required, but Geneva will be the base for the most part of the working time.
- An open management style, with regular contact and ongoing communication and dialogue with all staff members regardless of their physical location. [HURIDOCS employs 17 staff members with a total of 13 full time positions with many staff members operating remotely]
General Duties include:
- Lead strategic planning and implementation of strategy
- Fundraising
- General management of HURIDOCS resources, including financial and human resource
- Representing HURIDOCS to the human rights community, and to the public at large
- Maintaining knowledge of the needs in relation to information and documentation of organisations in the human rights space, as well as an understanding of technology trends and directions from a management perspective
Specific Duties:
- Overall supervision and guidance of the software development process
- Identifying and understanding the needs of the organisations HURIDOCS serves, and available opportunities
- Cultivating the ground for HURIDOCS‘ powerhouses’ – organisations in different regions to serve as focal points for HURIDOCS’ human rights solutions in different regions of the world
Qualifications:
- University education: Preferably at least a master’s degree in a discipline relating to the work of HURIDOCS, or its equivalent in a relevant field
- A background in the Human Rights environment and knowledge of how legal systems operate is highly desirable
- An ability to communicate about complex topics in engaging ways
Skills include:
- Proven ability to raise funds and to secure strategic relationships with key actors (Required)
- Fluency in both written and spoken English and proficiency in another language (Required)
- Familiarity with different types of technology and their application in a human rights context (Required)
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage a diverse international and multicultural workplace (Required)
- Ability to lead negotiations (Required)
Experience:
- Experience in the successful management of a non-profit organisation (Required)
- At least 5 years experience in the human rights field (Strongly desired)
The new Executive Director should be in place in Geneva in January 2017. Visit www.huridocs.org for more information. If you have any specific questions you may contact HURIDOCS Board Member Douglas Arellanes at douglas.arellanes@huridocs.org. Your application and CV should be sent to edrecruitment@huridocs.org no later than 15 October 2016.
UWAZI: Open-source solution for building and sharing document collections for non-profit sector
August 31, 2016Uwazi offers powerful browsing & searching, ability to define your own document properties, create cross references between documents and mobile first development.
Uwazi is an open-source solution for building and sharing document collections, empowering NGOs and networks, universities, foundations, and courts to publish and share their knowledge
Source: Open-source solution for building and sharing document collections – Uwazi
via: @HURIDOCS @UwaziDocs
Daniel D’Esposito, HURIDOCS Executive Director, announces his departure
August 5, 2016
After more than 5 years as Executive Director and over 10 years at HURIDOCS (he joined as training officer in January 2006) Daniel D’Esposito will leave the organizations on 1 October 2016. He joined the organization when it was in a very difficult position but managed to bring it back to be the key documentation network on human rights. Eddie Halpin, HURIDOCS Chair: “I need to pay particular thanks to Daniel. His achievements are amazing, his strength incredible, and his passion frightening; I do not think anybody else could possibly have brought HURIDOCS, to where it is and I am honoured to have shared in some of that with him.” He encourages you to watch the HURIDOCS mailing list so as not to miss the vacancy announcement.
For my earlier posts on HURIDOCS: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/category/organisations/huridocs/
For my own involvement in the network’s development, see: https://www.huridocs.org/a-biased-history-of-huridocs/
Daniel himself has written a substantive farewell piece that you can find in the link below:
Source: Departure of Daniel D’Esposito, HURIDOCS Executive Director
Images and military-style precision characterize violations-recording group
April 16, 2016
Videre Est Credere founder, Oren Yakobovich, holds a miniature camera with which he equips human rights defenders to expose abuses on the ground. Videre Photo
Astrid Zweynert of the Thomson Reuters Foundation published a very interesting interview on 15 April 2016 with Oren Yakobovich, founder of Videre Est Cruder:
Videre Est Credere, founded by Yakobovich, equips human rights defenders with cameras – some of them almost as small as a shirt button – and training to expose violence and human rights abuses around the world. “Our vision is that no human rights violation anywhere should go unnoticed, no matter how remote and dangerous a place is,” Yakobovich, a former Israeli army officer, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation before being awarded the $1.25 million Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship at a conference in Oxford this week.
Videre’s mission is to reveal abuses of armies, security forces, militia groups or officials through a network of activists who film and record abuses and violations of human rights, often at enormous personal risk. Since Videre was founded in 2008 it has distributed more than 500 videos to more than 140 media outlets, including major broadcasters such as the BBC and CNN. “It’s great to get something broadcast by a big TV channel but it’s most effective when it goes out on local stations – it makes it very clear to the perpetrators that they are being watched – and that’s powerful,” Yakobovich said. Footage has also been used in court cases to prosecute corruption and incitement to political violence.Yakobovich said his own journey to becoming a human rights activist started after he joined the Israeli Defense Forces at the age of 18.
“I spent a lot of the time in the West Bank and it shocked me what we were doing there – checkpoints in crowded areas in the city, raids on Palestinian homes in the middle of the night, scaring small children,” the 45-year-old said. Eventually, he refused to serve in the West Bank, a decision that landed him in jail. “It gave me time to think and it struck me how powerful information is, but also how little voice those have who are suffering – and how little accurate information we are getting from those places.”
He became a documentary filmmaker but said he was not happy spending more time at film festivals than helping people. “I realised that people who are suffering need to tell their own stories, not the journalists or the filmmakers.” In 2005 Yakobovich joined the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem and set up a video unit. Three years later he co-founded Videre Est Credere – which means “to see is to believe” – with Israeli filmmaker Uri Fruchtmann.
Videre has deployed some 600 people across Africa, the Middle East and Asia and has partnered with organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. In-depth research, solid on-the-ground contacts and thorough verification are key for Videre, which is highly secretive about its work to avoid putting human rights activists at risk. No one has been killed as a result of its work but some activists have been arrested. “The safety of the people we work with is paramount,” Yakobovich said, adding that Videre applies a “military-style” precision and security to its operations. “I’m still a soldier, just not in the army anymore,” he said.
(Visit news.trust.org to see more stories)
Source: INTERVIEW-Secretive human rights group fights abuses with military-style precision
Responsible Data Forum to be held in San Francisco on 29 March
March 23, 2016In an era of rapid technological innovation and increasing access to new data sets, the possibilities for reconceptualizing and revolutionizing our ability to document human rights violations are vast. These new and emerging tools, resources and data streams provide exciting opportunities for human rights defenders.
The upcoming Responsible Data forum (RDF) looks to build upon the ethical, privacy and security challenges posed by the use of new & emerging data sets and new technologies in human rights documentation. This event will build off of the discussions started the 2015 RDF on Human Rights Documentation in Manila, in particular building on the tools & resources started there. This RDF will be a hands-on and collaborative event, focused on developing concrete resources and strategies to ensure that human rights documentation efforts are bettered by technology and data without causing undue or unforeseen harm.
New challenges and questions. Are we taking advantage of these new technologies and data streams to actually enhance our work? Do we sometimes use new kinds of data simply because it seems to enhance our credibility but doesn’t actually change our documentation? Are our project planning systems changing as a result of these new tools and resources? Should they? What can we learn from each other about how to helpfully engage with new and emerging technology and data? How can we tell the difference between innovation and tech & data exuberance? How should we weigh the potential benefits of experimenting with new technology and data versus the potential risks and harms that could occur?
VENUE: Thoughtworks, San Francisco, United States
APPLY HERE by March 24th, 2016!
[The Responsible Data Forum is a collaborative effort to develop useful tools and strategies for dealing with the ethical, security and privacy challenges facing data-driven advocacy. This is not a talk-shop. This RDF will bring together a small group of experts, practitioners and policy specialists to have a frank and open discussion about challenges with responsible data in data visualization. It is not about ‘naming and shaming’ but about being open about past experiences and building from them to better support the broader community. This event will employ a participatory methodology that enables participant collaboration on the development of actual tools and resources such as guidelines, checklists, frameworks and hopefully creative tools we haven’t yet thought of! A key outcome of this event will be the sharing of the developed tools with others outside of this event to promote and test the content, and develop further iterations.]
see also: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/category/organisations/huridocs/
Source: Human Rights Documentation — Responsible Data Forum
Human rights resolutions count at RightDocs
March 7, 2016has now launched RightDocs [see announcement https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2016/02/25/huridocs-launches-rightdoc-to-improve-access-to-un-human-rights-documents/] You can try it out yourself: #RightDocs. This tool is a work in progress, so in addition to adding new features, the website and experience will improve over time. Your feedback is welcome: feedback@right-docs.org.
HURIDOCS launches RightDoc to improve access to UN human rights documents
February 25, 2016
launches its new RightDocs tool with a Demo on 29 February 2016, from 18:00-19:30 in the Palais des Nations, Delegates Restaurant, Geneva.
RightDocs is a new tool to search, sort, filter, and discover resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council online and public.
The RightDocs tool is supported by the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN in Geneva. Read the rest of this entry »
Fly Emirates? If the Emir lets you!
September 15, 2015The Emirates proudly sponsor major clubs such as AC Milan, Real Madrid, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, but when it comes to flying out of the country there is a problem for those who do not toe the line. A case in point is Ahmed Mansoor, one of 3 finalist for the 2015 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
Today – 15 September 2015 – the 10 international NGOs on the Jury of the MEA (see list below) came out with an exceptional joint statement calling on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to lift the travel ban imposed on Ahmed Mansoor and to issue him a passport before the ceremony on 6 October in Geneva (in which the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights participates).
Widely respected as one of the few voices within the UAE to provide a credible independent assessment of human rights developments, Ahmed Mansoor regularly raises concerns regarding arbitrary detention, torture or degrading treatment, and failure to meet international standards of fair trial. He also draws attention to other human rights abuses, including against migrant workers. As a result, Ahmed Mansoor has faced repeated intimidation, harassment, and death threats from the UAE authorities or their supporters, including arrest and imprisonment in 2011 following an unfair trial. He and four other activists who called for democratic rights in the UAE were jailed in 2011 on the charge of “insulting officials”. Although pardoned and released later that year, Ahmed Mansoor has been banned from travel and had his passport confiscated.
Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders
The Martin Ennals Award Jury today said: “Ahmed Mansoor’s absence at the ceremony would mark a very disappointing position for the UAE, which is a country that prides itself as one of the hubs of international business and tourism in the Middle East, as well a safe haven in the region. As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, which is running for a second term, we expect the UAE authorities to honour their obligations to uphold human rights and protect human rights defenders. The UAE government must match its rhetoric on the international stage with meaningful actions at home, starting with immediately lifting the travel ban on Ahmed Mansoor, to returning and renewing his passport, and allowing him to travel to Geneva for the ceremony.”
see also: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/04/29/the-emirates-not-a-paradise-for-human-rights-defenders/
Jury:
– Amnesty International,
– Human Rights Watch,
– Human Rights First,
– Int’l Federation for Human Rights – (FIDH)
– World Organisation Against Torture – (OMCT)
– Front Line Defenders,
– International Commission of Jurists,
– EWDE Germany,
– International Service for Human Rights,
– HURIDOCS.
for the full text of the statement see: www.martinennalsaward.org or those of the NGOs on the Jury.
Guidelines issued to protect human rights defenders in Sri Lanka
September 7, 2015The Colombo Gazette of 17 July 2015 carried an article that is interesting in the light of efforts to create an enabling national environment for Human Rights Defenders in Sri Lanka:
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has issued guideline for state authorities to ensure the protection of Human Rights Defenders (HRD) including ensuring their freedom of association.
The Human Rights Commission noted that Human Rights defenders act as the voice of vulnerable person or group or community or society and engage to ensure universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms.
“They work very hard, for example; they document violations, reveal the human rights violations and help to redress these violations by peaceful means. HRDs are facing challenges in diverse political and social context at national, regional and international levels. Sometimes their activities are neglected or underestimated or seen as something negative by some of the authorities. Therefore they undergo severe risk when they carry out the activities to promote and protect human rights,” the Human Rights Commission said.
It said that the protection of HRDs is a corporate responsibility of the State, Civil societies and international communities. Although, State authorities have primary responsibility to protect the HRDs and ensure a conducive working environment where HRDs can operate free from hindrance and insecurity. All of them respect the rights of HRDs and support the activities of the HRDs to promote the overall enjoyment of human rights.
Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) as a National Human rights Institution (NHRI) has to perform as a defender of HRDs. HRCSL has serious concern for the Protection of HRDs. For this purpose the HRCSL has developed guideline for state authorities. These guidelines will assist the state authorities to protect the HRDs and ensure the internal dignity of the HRDs.
The guidelines call on State authorities to recognize the activities of the HRDs to protect and promote all human and fundamental freedoms which are guaranteed by the Sri Lankan laws including the Constitution of Sri Lanka and International human rights laws, be mindful of the fact that HRDs activities have the true intention to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedom, are transparent, visible and accountable, are not a threat to state sovereignty, national unity and national security and are activate through peaceful means.
The guidelines also note that all the human rights defenders or groups or organs of society shall be treated equally according to Article 12(2) of the Constitution which ensures “No citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion, and place of birth or any one of such grounds”. Any special or unequal treatment or discrimination will be an express violation of Article 12 of the Constitution.
State authorities have also been told to recognize the freedom of association of human rights defenders or group or organs of society for a common purpose or joint action towards protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedom. Unreasonable restriction, suppression, dismissal, prohibition, negatively viewed or any such ways will be a sign of violation of the freedom of association which is guaranteed by Article 14 and 12 of the Constitution and other domestic laws.
State authorities should respect, protect and ensure the right of freedom of speech and expression of HRDs related to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedom. Restrict, prohibit, show contempt, deform, criticize, comment negatively or any such ways will be an expression of violation of Article 14 and 12 of the Constitution.
HRCSL also notes that State authorities must ensure the right of movement of human rights defenders or groups or organs of society to meet the vulnerable groups particularly their rights violated or peaceful parade or travelling for peaceful gathering and seek, obtain and receive information for the purpose to facilitate the victim to seek appropriate remedies. If the movement of HRDs is unlawfully or unjustifiably restricted it violates article 14 of the Constitution.
Guidelines issued to protect human rights defenders | Colombo Gazette.
