International Protection Measures for Human Rights Defenders at Risk: The Roles of States, CSOs and Business

When human rights defenders are threatened and harassed, where will they go? Who will protect the defenders? This study seeks to identify and analyze the roles of states, civil society organizations and business in establishing international protection measures for human rights defenders at risk. The study will be based on facts and data gathered from the narratives of human rights defenders who experience threats and harassments, and on relevant academic and other literature and documentation. Interviews will be conducted with officials and representatives of civil society organizations like Justice and Peace (the Netherlands), the Hague Peace Projects, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the business sector. The study seeks to evaluate the existing policies and mechanisms to assess their effectivity and suggest improvements in creating a safe and enabling environment for HRDs at risk.