Global Response Unit

Authoritarian governments restrict fundamental human rights, criminalize legitimate dissent, harass, arrest, and even murder those who raise their voices in protest. Documenting these violations has been a significant challenge for local activists and civil society organizations until the arrival of camera-equipped phones. Smartphones, combined with social media, have transformed millions of individuals into sources of information and local civil society organizations into guardians of critical evidence. However, this documentation is often too inadequate to be used in courts and international forums.

With the rapid technological advancements, especially in artificial intelligence, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Documentation of human rights violations is lost in a sea of disinformation and misinformation, often manipulated by the perpetrators themselves. Local activists and civil society organizations strive to meet these challenges, but the uneven distribution of power makes it difficult to keep up with the perpetrators’ extensive resources.

In this project, Videre aims to establish a global response unit to enhance civil society’s ability to act on and collect legal documentation of human rights violations.

The project is supported with 2 800 000 SEK.

What happens in the project?

The project consists of two parts. In the first part, Videre will establish a global response unit to quickly and efficiently gather critical information on human rights violations in the world’s most challenging places. Activities include:

– Reviewing and developing Videre’s processes and systems.

– Creating adaptable and quickly implementable modules and training.

– Compiling reports.

– Recruiting and training an expert group to mentor and strengthen the capacity of local organizations.

In the second part, a pilot will be conducted in Ethiopia where the response unit will support the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH) by:

– Strengthening OJAH’s work and training their staff and investigators.

– Reallocating funds to enable OJAH to review evidence and identify and uncover gaps in serious incidents that illustrate systematic rights violations.

– Filling identified gaps, analyzing, and verifying evidence.

– Developing dissemination strategies and sharing the material with key stakeholders.

– Producing and disseminating two reports on crimes in Ethiopia.

Why was the project supported?

Strengthening civil society’s ability to respond to human rights violations is crucial for reversing the negative democratic trend. This project contributes to increased accountability to highlight and reduce the risks of abuse of power and impunity.