Protection International (PI) strives to empower human rights defenders (HRDs) in ensuring their own security, rather than fostering a reliance on external actors and emergency interventions. PI has evolved and grown significantly over the years, starting from just a few inspired activists with a vision, to now a global organisation of nearly 100 staff.
PI was formally established in 2007 by former volunteers of the NGO Peace Brigades International who decided to form a new organisation that focused on the preventive and collective approaches to HRDs’ protection.
Working in partnership with local civil society groups, we have supported individuals, organisations, networks and communities facing threats, judicial harassment, stigmatisation or other forms of repression in order to best mitigate risks. PI’s participatory model of intervention is continually evolving in accordance with the changing socio-political contexts in which human rights defenders are situated. We started with ‘Protection Desks’ in countries that needed particular support, and then we expanded into a larger collection of offices around the globe which reported to a centralised headquarters in Brussels. Now, we are going through a decentralisation process to create regional hubs that are able to make context-oriented strategic decisions for their teams.
Overall, within the last 15 years, PI contributed to the implementation of tools and strategies for the protection of HRDs, by:
- piloting new methodologies, including by drafting the first manual on the protection of HRDs;
- supporting defenders at risk in developing their own security and protection strategies from and for their territories;
- exploring innovative approaches for the self-protection of organisations and grassroots communities;
- monitoring and advocating for public policies initiatives for the protection of HRDs worldwide; and
- contributing to the recognition of human rights defenders as actors of positive social change.
1998
Protection experts, who eventually became the founders of PI, organise the first European Parliament hearing on the newly adopted UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
2001
The future founders of PI participate in the drafting committee of the Deng Principles on Internally Displaced Persons (today the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement).
2002
As a result of the previous year’s advocacy efforts, the Belgian Chamber adopts the first national parliament resolution for Human Rights Defenders, a second resolution in the Belgian Senate in 2005 and a third resolution in the Belgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission in 2011.
2003
As a result of the previous year’s advocacy efforts, the Belgian Chamber adopts the first national parliament resolution for Human Rights Defenders, a second resolution in the Belgian Senate in 2005 and a third resolution in the Belgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission in 2011.
2004
The future founders of PI contribute to the development of the European Union Guidelines for the Protection of HRDs and set up steering committees and consultations with HRDs for in-country implementation of European Union human rights strategies.
As a result of previous advocacy efforts, a motion in the German Bundestag is passed in 2004 that recognises the importance of protecting human rights defenders.
2005
The future founders of PI produce their first documentary on situation on HRDs (in Nepal).
The future founders of PI launch Protectionline.org as a web platform to provide information about 50 human rights defenders organisations worldwide.2006
2007
PI officially joins the Human Rights and Democracy Network- HRDN in Brussels.
2008
2009
PI publishes its New Manual on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, which is based on research by Enrique Eguren and Marie Caraj, and contributions by defenders from all over the world.
PI, jointly with 20 national and international organizations, launches the National and International Campaign for the Right to Defend Human Rights.PI publishes its first trial observation report on the Maheshe case in DRC.
2011
PI’s documentary on the situation of defenders in Turkey “Living Like a Tree” is selected at the Labour Film Festival of Istanbul and screened in over ten cities in the country.
PI publishes the action-oriented research publication Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Best Practices and lessons learnt.
Protection Desks open in Indonesia and Honduras.
PI Protection Desks open in Thailand, Kenya, Colombia and Mexico (with the latter closing in 2012).
PI, together with Amnesty International Belgium, launches the first twinning initiative between defenders in Burundi and members of the Belgian Parliament. In 2012, it expands to include the Dutch Parliament jointly with the Justice and Peace Commission.
2012
2013
PI releases its first FOCUS report , pioneering a global overview of the state of the art of national public policies for the protection of HRDs. The Focus Report series was published regularly until 2018. The online Focus Observatory was later launched in 2021.
2014
PI conducted its first “organizational management review” to strengthen its internal structure and procedures.
2015
PI publishes the report Criminalisation of Human Rights Defenders which aims to provide responses to protection challenges for criminalised HRDs, civil society organisations and rural communities.
In coordination with 11 NGOs, PI co-establishes the ProtectDefenders.eu consortium, which is the European Union Human Rights Defenders mechanism to protect human rights defenders from around the world who are in grave, high-risk situations.
PI launches its woman human rights defender interview series with testimonies from Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan and Indonesia.
2016
PIs award-winning photo exhibition “For Those Who Died Trying”(photographed by Luke Duggleby) opens in Geneva.
PI's documentary "No estamos solas" (directed by Maria Aizpuru) about the Lenca women human rights defenders in Honduras and El Salvador, won the gender equality prize at the International Festival of Invisible Cinema of Bilbao.
See our 2016 Impact stories.
2017
Protection International and the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) of the University of York organise an International Round Table on “Rethinking the Protection of Human Rights Defenders: A critical and creative reflection on protection approaches”.
PI launches the first edition of a new publication series on criminalisation.
See our 2017 Impact Stories.
2018
PI, in collaboration with Broederlijk Delen, CNCD-11.11.11, CIDSE and the EU-LAT network, organizes a public meeting with Berta Zúñiga Cáceres and members of COPINH, as part of their European Union advocacy tour #COPINHTourMay2018.
Protection International, in collaboration with WHRDs, the award-winning photographer Luke Duggleby and the Canadian Embassy, publishes “Her Life, Her Diary: Side by Side”to raise awareness on the vital work of WHRDs.
Protection International and the Centre for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) present their publication The Time is Now: Effective public policies for the right to defend human rights, in Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras.
2019
PI began implementing its 2019-2023 Global Strategy, which aims to decentralise operations towards the establishment of regional hubs. The Global Team begins working to strengthen their operational capacities and decision-making powers within the organisation.
The first PI Africa hub is launched in Nairobi, Kenya, with the aim of this hub expanding to serve human rights defenders across the African continent.PI’s advocacy work towards improving public policies leads to the adoption of a Provincial Edict to Protect HRDs and Journalists in North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2020
PI brought together a group of interdisciplinary experts from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia to craft a list of principles for “redefining the risk approach” which were later called The Risk Analysis and Protection Plan Principles. These principals are the new minimum standards for how states and protection mechanisms should approach HRD protection.
The PI Mesoamerica hub is launched in Guatemala City, Guatemala, with the aim of expanding to serve human rights defenders in the entire Mesoamerican region.
2021
PI implements a newly re-vamped version of its e-learning programme for human rights defenders, with improved methodologies based on the lessons learned over the years.
2022
PI Africa gets observer status at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
PI, together with the University of York and the ProtectDefenders.eu mechanism, carried out the Human Rights Defenders Poetry Challenge. UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor and representatives from the European Commission were involved in the closing poetry reading.