Donate | Share hope and compassion on International Migrants Day

People everywhere have moved from one place to another since the beginning of time. We are all migrants or descend from migrants – people in search of a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Today, more than 68 million people around the world have been forced to leave their homes in their quest for a safer life or just to survive. A further 150 million people are migrant workers – people striving to earn a decent living for themselves and their families and frequently subject to exploitation and abuse in circumstances where their rights are not recognised or protected.

Migrant rights defenders – those individuals and organisations who work to protect the dignity and rights of refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers and other people on the move – are often criminalised by governments who cynically depict migrants as a threat, or who would have us believe that national security means building walls to keep people out rather than building bridges to include and empower them. Some defenders have been prosecuted for something as simple and human as sharing a cup of coffee, a meal, or a roof with those who have nothing.

Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, chose to dedicate his 2018 report to the UN’s top human rights body to highlighting the important contributions of defenders of people on the move, exposing the violations they face, and recommending ways for governments to protect and support their work. Watch our video about the report here. 

This video is also available in French and Spanish.

In a recent major speech, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, herself a former refugee, said:

‘Although no State is bound to accept every person who arrives at its borders, all human beings are bound by the imperative of compassion.’

On International Migrants Day, can you share hope and show compassion? Donate the equivalent of a daily cup of coffee to support a migrant rights defender, by joining our monthly donation scheme today!

At ISHR, we work relentlessly to create a world where defenders are protected and recognised for their vital work. We build bridges for migrant rights activists – people like Mariana from Mexico, who attended our Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme last June – to make their voices heard on the international stage. We coach them in long-term programmes so that they become even more effective locally. We advocate for States to ensure a safe and enabling environment for anyone working to assist people on the move, protect them from violence, ensure justice for attacks against them and change migration laws that make them vulnerable. Because no human is illegal.

Human rights defenders are the lifeblood of the human rights movement. They are our best hope for a fairer, safer world. Let’s help them today to achieve transformative change.

Thank you to everyone who contributed so far!

Photo: Pxhere.com​