ATM joins protection hub for human rights defenders
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) vowed to help ensure a safe space for human rights defenders (HRDs) as it joined a consortium of civil society and human rights organizations working towards strengthening protection mechanisms and networks for activists and community leaders.
Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator, said “In particular, HRDs fighting against environmental destruction and human rights violations caused by large-scale mining constantly face threats, intimidation, and harassment, both from state and non-state actors. These assaults on their rights, freedoms, and well-being must stop, and their safety and security need to be supported through solidarity networks and capacity-building initiatives.”
KALASAG: The Advocates’ Hub for Human Rights, Safety, and Protection, powered by (SHIELD-HR) was recently launched to strengthen the protection, leadership, and collective capacity of HRDs across the Philippines. The national initiative aims to ensure that community leaders, activists, journalists, lawyers, environmental defenders, and civil society organizations can do their work safely and effectively.
“We are pleased to be part of KALASAG as it strives to equip our partners and grassroots communities with the necessary skills and know-how on safety protocols and emergency response, monitoring and documentation, as well as policy and advocacy engagement”, Garganera said.
“We hope that through this initiative, we can foster democratic civic spaces, where HRDs exercise their rights and freedoms without fear of reprisals. We also commit to helping exact accountability from perpetrators of human rights abuses and obtain justice for victims,” Garganera said.
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