Human Rights Defenders Movement -jlac

The Human Rights Defenders Movement was created through JLAC 'Mobilizing Grassroots for the Defense of Human Rights' program funded by the Ford Foundation. The Movement is an independent Palestinian youth movement, comprised of 300 young men and women from throughout the West Bank. Youth participate in intensive training sessions in relevant international humanitarian and human rights laws and conventions, as well as in methods of monitoring and documentation of violations thereof (whether committed by Israeli or Palestinian authorities). The trainings enhance their capacity to detect violations and advocate for needed changes through media campaigns, building public opinion, mobilizing support, formulating memorandums, and raising community awareness. At the same time, the youth are trained in defending personal freedoms within the Palestinian community itself, including freedom of opinion and belief, and standing against any human rights violations carried out by the Palestinian Authority. The Movement believes in a free and democratic Palestinian society. To achieve this, the youth are actively involved in community education and the promotion of a culture of human rights.

Objectives:

• Monitoring and documentation of human rights violations.

• Arming the youth with domestic and international tools for defense of human rights.

• Confidence building for the youth in their ability to create change.

• Involvement of civil society organizations in support of such youth groups.

• External communication between the youth and community-based or international organizations.

Activities:

• Training courses in international human rights and humanitarian law.

• Training courses on how to properly document human rights violations – through photography, writing affidavits, and preparing questionnaires.

• Training courses in utilizing social media outlets (blogging, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter).

• Training of trainers program.

• Workshops on various community issues.

• Participation in various JLAC campaigns.

• Production of a magazine that allows the youth a platform to discuss what they are working on, developments they see in the community, what they need, or topics of interest to them.