Defenders' stories

'What we need first is peace. (...) The international community, the UN, has the ability to end what's happening in eastern RDC - what is happening today in the East is truly alarming.'

‘There is currently no law to protect human rights defenders in Madagascar. We need this law to pass. The army and the gendarmes must be trained to understand who we are so they can become our allies.'

'The tragic irony here is that it should be very easy for duty bearers to take immediate and urgent action. States need only to abide by their legal obligations'.

Yuteita Hoyos Ramos is an Indigenous woman human rights defender from Mexico. In an interview, she told us how she came to work in defence of the rights of girls, women and Indigenous peoples, and about her aspirations for the future of Mexico.

'There is a responsibility for big tech companies to uphold human rights to make sure that they are not complicit in the violation of human rights, especially in the context of genocide.'

‘The Egyptian authorities must open the civic space for civil society to play its role. They must stop persecuting human rights defenders, political opponents, and journalists simply for doing their jobs. The UN and the international community must maintain pressure on them to comply with human rights standards.’

'Indigenous communities must have better political representations to ensure our rights are protected both constitutionally and in practice.'

‘We try to address issues of climate change and inequality only through answering symptoms of the disease. It's time that we address the root cause which is the global financial architecture.’

‘We strongly believe that we must push the gender perspective, that we must work with the present and future generations, and that also puts their lives at risk, because they are looking for their birthright. And [these risks] should not be normalised in our world, as we look to reach what is known as climate justice.'

‘Environmental conservation requires the involvement of local communities living close to natural resources. These communities are key to effective protection and should be included in all decision-making processes to ensure their livelihood.’

'With everything happening around the world, the international community may be stretched thin, but it’s very important to look at places that may not have as much public visibility.'

‘All we are asking for are the most basic rights. We hope to see Bahrain healing from over a decade of ordeal, of repression, of imprisonment, of torture, into a State where individuals can challenge their State without fear.’