Last year PBI Colombia celebrated 25 years of offering protective accompaniment to human rights defenders across the country.  To celebrate, PBI Colombia produced a series of 25 videos, recounting the history of the project in the country from the voices of those who have been accompanied by PBI through the years.  See the videos here. 

The following is a short film produced by Manu Valcarce about human rights defenders across Latin America and the fundamental role they play in the construction of peaceful and fair societies.  Without defenders, there would be no human rights.  

This December, and continuously, PBI puts human rights defenders at the centre, in the position they deserve given the fundamental role they play in the protection of human rights and the construction of fair and peaceful societies.

Human rights defenders continue to provide voices for the voiceless, pushing for social justice. They often risk their lives to stand up for what they believe in, holding states to account and pushing for human rights to be respected, protected and fulfilled.

More than 250,000 Colombians went on continuous protests during the last two weeks of November over a series of issues that have set strong clashes against the current government. The protests began as a normal workers’ unions strike but was amplified due to President Duque’s lack of response to acknowledge workers’ demands. 

The Defenders’ Coalition and HRD Working Group in Kenya announced the winners of the Human Rights Defender of the Year 2019 last Friday. The awards are an initiative to honour, promote and protect the work of HRDs in the Kenya.

The Importance of Dialogue