Goal: Boost safety, effectiveness of LGBTI rights defenders

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

Justitia et Pax logo

The human rights group Justice and Peace Netherlands (Justitia et Pax) is offering a training program for human rights defenders who want to increase their effectiveness as activists and reduce the risks they run as they challenge the status quo.

The one-week course in The Hague, the Netherlands, is offered specifically to LGBT rights activists as well as to people who advocate for human rights more broadly.

It promises participants “the knowledge, skills and international contacts to reduce their vulnerabilities and to strengthen them in their work.”

The course, for up to 20 participants, will cover:

Physical and digital security.
Guidelines and protection mechanisms.
Impunity and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Reporting of human rights violations,
Financial and legal restrictions.
Gender and security.
Policy influencing and network building.

Accommodations will be in The Hague. Participants’ expenses will be covered by Justice and Peace.

Course organizers provided this information for prospective applicants:

1. The training participants should work as a Human Rights Defender (HRD). A HRD is anyone working for the promotion and protection of human rights. This broad definition includes professional as well non-professional human rights workers, volunteers, journalists, lawyers and anyone else carrying out a human rights activity.

2. The HRD should have adequate skills to communicate in English.

3. The HRD is willing and able to participate in an intensive training course in the Netherlands from the 3rd of December till the 10th of December.
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4. The HRD will organize a training for at least 5 colleagues or partners to share the knowledge that was gained during the training within three months after the The Hague Training Course.