I’m all for self-determination I really am but the prolific use of the term Human Rights Defender (HRD) is somewhat puzzling. It seems to be used more as a shield from accountability rather than a descriptor for REAL behaviour.
If you hold the title HRD in any way, I would think that it shows in your action, it’s not something you put on and take off. This doesn’t mean that the work goes on 24/7, I’m into balance not sacrifice, and I understand that two things can be true at the same time. BUT I am suspect of someone who on one hand is happy to abuse someone, even laugh about their own shitty behavior, then claim publicly that they defend human rights. Is it simply a facade and convenience?
This puts vulnerable communities severely at risk and enables money grabs for a disappearing funding pot by people who are nasty pretending people and simply interested in lining their bottomless pockets with yummy cash, and looking amazing on social media.
None of this is anything to do with human rights or a better world, it’s an industry with a percentage of shite folks climbing onboard who wouldn’t (couldn’t) identify a human right even if it slapped them full in the face in a 100 km gale. They paste a big HRD moniker on their profiles and that means they look out for people’s human rights.
Unless of course if it’s their fragile ego being questioned then they rush to the courthouse, and scream their tantrums on socials, whipping up piranha eating frenzies with their proclivity to lie.
Allegedly. My personal observations only.
Lets Get An Official Definition
Sorry I got ahead of myself, this is a huge subject of interest for me, and I speak with passion and am hopefully able to add some insight. Lets step back a little and look at a recognised definition from the UN.
“Human rights defender” is a term used to describe people who, individually or with others, act to promote or protect human rights in a peaceful manner. Human rights defenders are identified above all by what they do.
This looks pretty simple, straightforward, but what I have noticed that the real life application of these three simple letters seems to be nil or non-existent, or at best selective for friends and acquaintances. Any questioner is fair game to be smeared, defamed, and even destroyed online by the worker bees at the whim of their queen.
How Can a HRD Be An Abuser?
So many are abusers it is INSANE. And I am not just making an assumption it’s from personal experience. It has gotten so bad that if they have HRD as a descriptor on their socials, I am instantly suspicious, and watching more carefully.
And you know what, this makes me so sad. I used to love the fact that so many people were willing to stand up for marginalized folks, that so much work must be happening, people being empowered, fed, clothed etc. etc.
Then I saw, second hand, the masses of money activists are spending on activists, not community. Yes rest and looking after self is so important, maybe do some work first? Or pick a less expensive resort? Something? So little funding actually gets to the people it was intended for.
Let’s Plan To Put Activism Out of Business
Getting together and planning, networking, is essential, so if all of this is working towards a better world, why are we doing the same things every year. Lets look at the stats.
- 16 days of activism against GBV started in 1991
- IDAHOBIT May 17 since 2005 – yes its awareness, but we are going backward
I can go on with this list, where we are now we are sliding backwards. And yes I know that the fight never seems to be over, we keep sliding backwards with political storms. But just maybe we need a fresh strategy and actually work to end these problems. Like period poverty, how can that still be a thing.
In activism (I am in that too, screaming obviously into the void) maybe, just maybe, we need to do it differently and hoist the pretenders into other industries and work at really ending things, instead of planning next years campaign theme, as soon as this years campaign has finished.
Sorry, rambling again, I told you this is a tough subject for me.
Let’s Open It Up For a Vote
Some of the worst people I have ever met claim to be human rights defenders while stomping on some peoples rights maybe because they dont like them, or they are not pretty enough, or some other bullshite reason.
News flash, defending peoples human rights is not a popularity contest, you don’t have to like someone to help them, and you cannot be an abuser and then claim to be a HRD. We are watching, we are not stoopid.
Let’s open it up to vote. Let those of us that have received your abuse, or observed it, rate you funkers on some kind of website so we, everyone, including funders can really see what you are up to. We can make it fair somehow, no liars they must have receipts cos these ones also pride themselves in setting others up.
Make it a global thing, like that site that outs skanky men, cheaters, that kind of thing but for HRD’s. Would that help, cos these shites are seriously making this world worse for the rest of us and need to discover accountabilty or at the very least a new career.
Let’s Be Real
I love human rights defenders, the real ones. The ones that care for the communities they work with, like really care and effect positive change and you have my support 1000%.
Peace Out