Project profile — Support to Human Rights Defenders Protection Fund in Guatemala

This projects aims to support vulnerable human rights defenders in Guatemala. Special care is taken with women and Indigenous defenders to ensure their physical and psychological well-being. Project activities include: (1) providing training to increase their knowledge of risk and protection measures; (2) providing legal, psychological, physical and other services with differentiated approaches for women's human rights defenders; (3) creating communication materials to increase knowledge of the role and importance of women and other human rights defenders; and (4) supporting the creation or consolidation of protection mechanisms for human rights defenders.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved response and services to human rights defenders in vulnerable situations. This applies in particular to women and Indigenous peoples because of their work, gender or ethnic origin; and (2) improved environment for the respect of the rights of human rights defenders. This includes the reduction of gender barriers and gender-based violence experienced by human rights defenders due to their work, their gender or their Indigenous identity.

Results achieved as of March 2022 include: (1) provided legal and psychosocial services to 43 human rights defenders (20 women) and to members of their families and communities. Reached 117 people in total, of which 72 were women; (2) provided collective psychosocial and health attention to 150 Indigenous community members; (3) recruited two law students, including one Indigenous woman, to complete legal internships with one of the project’s local partners; and (4) identified and documented one emblematic legal case.