Women human rights defenders in Dhanusha, a district in Nepal’s southern Terai region, are often subjected to threats and attacks due to their work. In the summer of 2010, Peace Brigades International, a non-governental organization working for the protection of Nepalese human rights defenders since 2006, visited Dhanusha to profile their struggles, as well as to bring to light the special needs of women human rights defenders across Nepal.
“Carrying the Ideal: Women Human Rights Defenders” documents the courageous and often dangerous work of women defenders carried out in a climate of impunity and injustice and in a social strata supportive of caste and gender discrimination.
Posts Tagged ‘Vimeo’
“Carrying the Ideal” film on women HRDs in Nepal
November 8, 2012Norway’s Efforts to Support Human Rights Defenders in word and image
October 23, 2012In 2010, Norway adopted a new set of guidelines with a view to intensifying its efforts in supporting human rights defenders.
In June 2012, the NGO Protection International met with Ms Claire Hubert, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Norway in Geneva, during the round table on National Policies for the Protection on HRDs.
The event was organized by PI in cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Margareth Sekaggya.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
In a short video message on VIMEO (http://vimeo.com/51596610) Claire Hubert, explains how protecting human rights defenders is a priority in Norway’s human rights policy.
She encourages defenders to reach out to diplomats, so that the latter know the defenders and adequately assist them whenever they need protection. The English version of Norway policy paper can be found on:
regjeringen.no/upload/UD/Vedlegg/Menneskerettigheter/Menneskerettighetsforkjaempere/VeiledningMRforkjengelskFIN.pdf
new film shows rampant and systematic use of torture by Sri Lankan police
May 11, 2012This recent film is not directly about Human Rights Defenders (although they are certainly victims of it) nor about the treatment of ethnic minorities. Rather is demonstrates. through a large variety of interviews with victims, lawyers – including Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission – and experts, how a lack of investigative skills and high-level condoning have led the Sri Lankan policy to use torture routinely. Most shockingly a former police officers confirms that this is what is expected from the police by the system. It has become a mindset at all levels, including most of the judiciary. It is a long film but worth it. The Danish film maker, Josefina Bergsten, manages to demonstrate the disconnect between international procedures (which are based on functioning institutions that have to address a few bad apples) and the reality on the ground in Sri Lanka where the good apples are the exception. See it and forward it: https://vimeo.com/41898677
Summary of press conference in Geneva on 24 April now on www.martinennalsaward.org
April 30, 2012The streaming of the press conference in Geneva on 24 April has some technical problems but now there is a nice and short summary of it on the website http://www.martinennalsaward.org. Also the 3 mini portraits on the 3 nominees are available on that site.
Related articles
- Upon handing over the Martin Ennals Foundation to Mrs Micheline Calmy Rey (thoolen.wordpress.com)
Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, does interview with Protection International.
January 13, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
On the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the UN Declaration on human rights defenders (HRDs) on December last year Protection International issued a video interview with the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Ms Margaret Sekaggya. In 1998, after 14 years of negotiations with governments and under continuous pressure of human rights NGOs, the international community finally recognized the need of human rights defenders for a better protection. To support the implementation of the Declaration, the UN created a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, at present Mrs. Margaret Sekaggya.
The interview can be seen on: http://www.vimeo.com/27006290, in which Ms Sekaggya explains her motivations for promoting defenders rights, the difficulties defenders are currently facing and how they can rely on her mandate.
For more information on Protection International http://www.protectionline.org/.
Filmed Portrait of Honduran Human Rights Defender now available
January 5, 2011http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbCPtPbIS1I and
http://vimeo.com/18428362 are the links to the new film portrait on Bertha Oliva, winner of the 2010 Tulip.
The film was made by the True Heroes Foundation.
Al-Hassani, MEA 2010 Laureate on You Tube and reaction by the EU
October 21, 2010The portrait of the 2010 MEA Laureate Muhannad Al-Hassani (duration approximately 15 mn) can now be found on:
VIMEO: http://vimeo.com/16030613 as well as YouTube (where it had to be in 2 parts) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiZOF_8OOdM PART 1 andhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkZ5ZOwU5KQ PART 2.
It was made by True Heroes, Films for Human Rights Defenders.
There is also a strongly worded EU statement that can be found on: http://ec.europa.eu/delegations/syria/press_corner/all_news/news/2010/20101018_ar.htm (in Arabic) and http://ec.europa.eu/delegations/syria/press_corner/all_news/news/2010/20101018_en.htm (in English)
Please pass on this information to those who need to know
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 