A Manual for Human Rights and Legal Protection Protocols for CSO Partners, Staff and Human Rights Defenders Facing Risk as a Result of Their Influencing Work in Ghana.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Human Right Defenders and other actors involved in human rights protection and advocacy often focus more on the protection of others whilst neglecting their own security amidst threats and risks associated with the influencing work they do. These activists are variously referred to as human rights defenders, human rights activists, human rights advocates or human rights actors.
Regardless of how they are called, they play key role in protecting and promoting human rights and strengthening the rule of law, often at great risk to themselves, their families and communities, and to the organizations and movements they often represent as a result of their influencing work. For instance, in 2004, the United Nations Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders worked on reports of at least 47 defenders who had been killed because of their work1.
Again, the report in 2018 stated that - “Since the adoption of the Declaration (on human rights defenders in 1998), at least 3,500 human rights defenders have been killed for their role in the struggle for human rights. Countless other human rights defenders have suffered all forms of indignities and abuses”. The situation is even worst in Africa largely due to instability, weak State Institutions, resource-based conflicts, and wars.
