Hydropower – The Effect of Climate Mitigation on Human Rights Authors: Judit Kolbe and Malene Solheim GHRD, November 2021 On the 1st of March 2021, Sri Lanka’s President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, became one of the first South Asian Heads of State, and the first Sri Lankan President, to publicly acknowledge LGBTQ+ rights in a Twitter post celebrating …
Discrimination against the LGBTQ + Community in Sri Lanka Read More »
Hydropower – The Effect of Climate Mitigation on Human Rights Sina HeckenbergerEnvironment and Human Rights ResearcherGlobal Human Rights Defence Introduction: The longstanding burning of fossil fuels causes momentous changes to our climate and environment that directly threaten human wellbeing. The current climate crisis highlights that business as usual is unsustainable. Hence, transitioning to renewable energy …
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The rapidly growing enforced disappearances in Pakistan Author: Eva Bredenbeek The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) stated that over more than 7000 enforced disappearances occurred in Pakistan since 2011, with over 700 enforced disappearances in 2019 alone (NHRF, 2021). However, victims’ families and independent groups claim the number to be much higher due …
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Cybercrime Towards Children in Pakistan According to official figures documented by the Federal investigation Agency (FIA), in recent years, Pakistan has witnessed an immense increase in online harassment, blasphemous and anti-religious content as well as child pornography complaints. Last year, the FIA registered 260 complaints daily, reaching up to a total of 94,500 complaints in …
Transgenders’ Rights in Pakistan: Steps Forwards and Backwards Author: Giovanni Falcinelli On October 6th, 2021, tragedy struck the transgender community in Karachi when a 47-year-old transgender person was killed in an acid attack in the Korangi area (Dawn, 2021a). The police said neighbours heard the victim screaming at around 8 am. The incident appears to …
Transgenders’ Rights in Pakistan: Steps Forwards and Backwards Read More »
Why the recognition of ‘climate human rights’ is relevant for the Punjab region Author: Giovanni Falcinelli On the 8th of October 2021 the UN Human Rights Council passed a historical resolution recognising access to a healthy and sustainable environment as a universal right (UN News, 2021). This recognition is not legally binding and may therefore …
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The climate crisis in Brazil: the dismantling of the environmental policy and human rights violations Author: Sofia Dolabela (intern) Recently, civil society organizations and activists have drawn attention to the severity of the climate crisis, especially concerning developing countries and marginalised groups in all parts of the world. Historically, Brazil has played a leading role …
HRFP with GHRD and NMAP, PDF and networks observed Human Rights Day 2021 on “EQUALITY – Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights”! PRESS RELEASE Faisalabad (10 Dec 2021): Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) observed International Human Rights Day 2021 in collaboration with Global Human Rights Defense (GHRD), GHRTV, National Minorities Alliance Pakistan (NMAP) and Peace and …
Pakistan: Victims of enforced disappearance should not be discouraged from lodging complaints GENEVA (10 December 2021) – A group of UN experts today called on Pakistan to halt the approval of an amendment to a bill criminalizing enforced disappearances that would harshly penalize families and other sources for reporting alleged cases. The Criminal Laws (Amendment) …
HRFP with GHRD and NMAP, PDF and networks observed Human Rights Day 2021 on “EQUALITY – Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights” Faisalabad: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) observed International Human Rights Day 2021 in collaboration with Global Human Rights Defense (GHRD), GHRTV, National Minorities Alliance Pakistan (NMAP) and Peace and Development Foundation (PDF) with civil …
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Kenza Mena has expertise in international criminal law since she is currently pursuing a last-year Master’s degree in International Criminal Justice at Paris II Panthéon-Assas and obtained with honors cum laude an LLM in International and Transnational Criminal Law from the University of Amsterdam. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in French and Anglo-American law.
Since September 2021, she has been the coordinator of Team China at GHRD, a country where violations of human rights, even international crimes, are frequently perpetrated by representatives of the State. Within Team China, awareness is also raised on discrimination that Chinese women and minorities in the country and, more generally, Chinese people around the world are facing.
Kenza believes that the primary key step to tackle atrocities perpetrated around the world is advocacy and promotion of human rights.
Aimilina Sarafi holds a Bachelor’s degree cum laude in International Relations and Organisations from Leiden University and is currently pursuing a Double Legal Master’s degree (LLM) in Public International Law and International Criminal Law at the University of Amsterdam.
She is an active advocate for the human rights of all peoples in her community and is passionate about creating a better world for future generations. Aimilina is the coordinator for the GHRD team of Pakistan, in which human rights violations of minority communities in Pakistan are investigated and legally evaluated based on international human rights legal standards.
Her team is working on raising awareness on the plight of minority communities such as women, children, religious and ethnic minorities within Pakistan.
Lucas Mitidieri is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in International Relations at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). As the GHRD Bangladesh Team Coordinator, he advocates for human rights and monitors violations across all minorities and marginalized groups in Bangladesh. Lucas believes that the fight for International Human Rights is the key to a world with better social justice and greater equality.
Nicole has an MSc in International Development Studies with a focus on migration. She is passionate about promoting human rights and fighting poverty through advocacy and empowering human choice. Nicole believes that even the simplest social justice efforts, when properly nurtured, can bring about radical and positive change worldwide.
Gabriela Johannen is a lawyer admitted to the German bar and holds extensive knowledge in the fields of human rights, refugee law, and international law. After working for various courts and law firms in her home country, she decided to obtain an LL.M. degree from Utrecht University where she studied Public International Law with a special focus on Human Rights. Additionally, while working as a pro-bono legal advisor for refugees, she expanded her knowledge in the fields of refugee law and migration.
Gabriela is the coordinator and head researcher for GHRD India, a country, she has had a personal connection with since childhood. Her primary focus is to raise awareness for the severe human rights violations against minorities and marginalized groups that continue to occur on a daily basis in India. By emphasizing the happenings and educating the general public, she hopes to create a better world for future generations.
João Victor is a young Brazilian lawyer who leads our team of International Justice and Human Rights. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and possesses over 5 years of experience in dealing with Human Rights and International Law issues both in Brazil and internationally, including the protection of refugees’ rights and the strengthening of accountability measures against torture crimes.
João has an extensive research engagement with subjects related to International Justice in general, and more specifically with the study of the jurisprudence of Human Rights Courts regarding the rise of populist and anti-terrorist measures taken by national governments. He is also interested in the different impacts that new technologies may provoke on the maintenance of Human Rights online, and how enforcing the due diligence rules among private technology companies might secure these rights against gross Human Rights violations.
As the Environment and Human Rights Coordinator, Célinne is passionate about the health of our planet and every life on it.
Angela holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from Vitória Law School (FDV) in Brazil. Her research combines more than five years of experience conducting debates and studies on the rights of homeless people, the elderly, children, and refugees. Besides that, she also volunteers in a social project called Sou Diferente (I am Different in English), where she coordinates and takes part in actions aimed at the assistance and the emancipation of vulnerable groups in the cities of the metropolitan area of Espírito Santo state (Brazil).
She is currently heading the Promotions Team and University Chapter of Global Human Rights Defence. Her background is the one of European and International Law, which I am studying in The Hague. She has previously gained experience at Women´s Rights organizations in Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey over the past years.
She has been working for Global Human Rights Defence in the Netherlands since 2020. Her focus now is concentrated on the Human Rights and Minorities Film Festival and the cooperation of GHRD with students across the country.
Pedro holds an extensive background in Human Rights, especially in Global Health, LGBTQ+ issues, and HIV and AIDS. He is currently finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Affairs at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Moreover, he successfully attended the Bilingual Summer School in Human Rights Education promoted by the Federal University of Minas Gerais and the Association of Universities of the Montevideo Group. Besides, Pedro Ivo has a diversified professional background, collecting experiences in many NGOs and projects.
With outstanding leadership abilities, in 2021, Pedro Ivo was the Secretary-General of the 22nd edition of the biggest UN Model in Latin America: the MINIONU. Fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, Pedro Ivo is the Team Coordinator and Head Researcher of the Team Africa at Global Human Rights Defence. Hence, his focus is to empower his team from many parts of the world about the Human Rights Situation in the African continent, meanwhile having a humanized approach.
Alessandro Cosmo obtained his B.A. with Honors from Leiden University College where he studied International Law with a minor in Social and Business Entrepreneurship. He is currently pursuing an LL.M. in Public International Law at Utrecht University with a specialization in Conflict and Security.
As GHRD’s E.U. Youth Ambassador, Alessandro’s two main focuses are to broaden the Defence’s reach within E.U. institutions and political parties, as well as mediate relations between human rights organizations abroad seeking European funding.
Alessandro believes that human rights advocacy requires grass-roots initiatives where victims’ voices are amplified and not paraphrased or spoken for. He will therefore act on this agenda when representing Global Human Rights Defence domestically and abroad
Veronica is a Colombian lawyer who leads our team of Japan, Sri Lanka and Tibet. She holds a master’s degree in Public International Law from Utrecht University. She has experience in Colombian law firms. Here she represented clients before constitutional courts. She also outlined legal concepts to state entities such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ombudsman’s Office on international law issues.
Veronica has an extensive research background with subjects related to public international law. She worked as an assistant researcher for more than two years for the Externado University of Colombia. Here she undertook in-depth research on constitutional, business, and human rights law issues. She was involved with consultancy services with the Colombian Army regarding transitional justice.
Wiktoria Walczyk has joined GHRD in June 2020 as a legal intern. She is currently coordinator and head researcher of Team Nepal and Indonesia. She has an extensive legal knowledge concerning international human rights and is passionate about children’s and minorities’ rights. Wiktoria has obtained her LL.B. in International & European Law and she specialised in Public International Law & Human Rights at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Moreover, she is pursuing her LL.M. in International & European Law and focusing on Modern Human Rights Law specialisation at the University of Wroclaw in Poland. In order to gain an essential legal experience, Wiktoria has also joined Credit Suisse’s 2021 General Counsel Graduate First Program where she is conducting her legal training and discovering the banking world. She would like to make a significant impact when it comes to the protection of fundamental human rights around the world, especially with regard to child labour.
Fairuz Sewbaks holds extensive legal knowledge regarding international human rights, with a specific focus on human rights dealings taking place in continental Africa. She holds a bachelor’s degree from The Hague University in public international law and international human rights and successfully followed advanced human rights courses at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. She furthermore participated in the Istanbul Summer School where she was educated about the role of epidemics and pandemics in light of human rights.
Fairuz is the coordinator and head researcher for GHRD Africa. Her primary focus is to establish and coordinate long-term research projects regarding the differentiating human rights dealings of vulnerable and marginalized groups in continental Africa, as well as conducting individual research projects.
Priya Lachmansingh is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in International & European
Law at the Hague University of Applied Science.
As GHRD’s Asia & America human rights coordinator and GHRD Political Advisor, Priya’s
prominent focus is to highlight human rights violations targeted against minority and
marginalized groups in Asia and America and to broaden GHRD reach within Dutch political
parties and as well seek domestic funding.
Jasmann is a political science student at Leiden University who joined GHRD in May 2021 as an intern in team Pakistan. Now, she is the team coordinator for North America and is responsible for coordinating the documentation of human rights violations in USA, Canada, and America.