That's more than half of the global population for whom information is suppressed and censored.
Communicating the very idea of human rights violations within the walls of closed societies is a challenge—one Human Rights Foundation strives to meet through the production and distribution of Your Human Rights Guides. Working closely with international law experts, individual rights advocates, and dissidents from across the globe, HRF compiles and publishes comprehensive, country-specific guides on human rights and dignities. With support from experts on the ground, the texts are distributed within the countries. Each is compact, engaging and accessible, and includes sections which explain individual liberties.
Educational materials that provide clear understanding of fundamental human rights are essential tools in the fight to dismantle authoritarian regimes.
freedoms of thought and expression
rights to life and personal integrity
freedoms of association and movement
right to property
Rights to privacy and due process
right to political participation
The guides are tailored to each country and culture, providing examples of human rights violations particular to those people and places.
The first was produced and distributed in Cuba in 2009.
The Cuban police state suffocates civil society; it outlaws free expression and other civil liberties. HRF’s regular visits to Cuba supplied basic technology, material, medication, and other humanitarian aid to human rights groups in Cuba. HRF worked to make more information digitally available to Cubans, who are hindered by internet access restrictions, government censorship, and prohibitively slow internet connections. HRF created educational materials about human rights for civil society leaders to use and distribute within Cuba, both digitally and physically.
Tus Derechos Humanos (TDH) was the first educational guide produced by HRF and distributed in Cuba. The compact and engaging information about human rights, printed in pamphlet form, provides in-depth explanations of fundamental human rights, along with questions to provoke discussion and reflection for individual or group readings, in simple-to-follow language that appeals to a wide demographic. The guide is highly popular on the island, and is used as a textbook by some Cuban civil society groups. Hundreds of thousands of both hard and digital copies are currently circulating around Cuba.
Since 2009, HRF has sent human rights guides to 13 countries in 16 local languages.
In 2017, HRF sent 100,000+ human rights guides into closed societies.
The guides provide crucial knowledge of fundamental human rights in local languages.
Your contribution will fund the production and distribution of guides in closed societies.
