Podcast: Defending dignity with Hassan Shire

Human rights defenders choose to act to promote and protect human rights in a peaceful manner. And yet, often for their efforts they are the targets of abuse, threats and in extreme cases death. What can be done to help protect them?

One way is through networking, said Hassan Shire.

“We found that networking and coalitions are the best tool for the protection of human rights defenders,” he said.

Shire is the chair of the Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network, a group of five African sub-regional organisations, dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights defenders across the continent.

In this episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast, Shire discussed how the organisation helps to provide not only protection, but also respite for beleaguered defenders, through safe “hub cities” where they can rest and regroup.

“When they are at risk or in danger, we organize temporary relocation from a critical place where there is danger to another place through our Ubuntu hub cities,” he said. “There are hundreds who have been undergoing what we call rest, respite and retraining and retooling.”