In this piece for Alliance magazine, our CEO explores the growing trend of international relocation as a response to serious threats against human rights defenders and other activists, and why it's not always the answer we assume it is. This article builds on findings from our earlier report, Rethinking International Relocation, which introduces the protection continuum and argues that when relocation becomes unavoidable, it's only the beginning of the journey.
Category: Blog
Join our team as an office manager! (Maternity cover)
We are seeking an experienced office manager for maternity leave cover. You will play a key role in the smooth running of our organisation and helping our leadership team succeed. You will hold a central role within the organisation, supporting team members across all programmes. Working closely with the Senior Leadership Team, your role is diverse and often responsive to ever changing needs of the organisation.
Strengthening feminist activism: Holistic security in action
Feminist-led organisations have long been at the forefront of transformative change, championing human rights and social justice. Yet today, a toxic combination of democratic backsliding, rising authoritarianism, and political polarisation is closing the space for feminist-led activism at an alarming rate. In this increasingly repressive environment, an intersectional feminist organisation in Southeast Asia approached Open Briefing for support. The staff of this women-led human rights organisation faced escalating harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests by police and state security forces.
Holistic security: A crucial investment in grassroots environmental action – Lessons from Mexico
Caminos de Agua is leading efforts to improve human health and community wellbeing in Mexico by ensuring access to clean water. Its participatory approach empowers communities across the country to take ownership of their water future. Operating in areas affected by territorial disputes between drug cartels and other non-state actors exposed the Caminos team to severe security threats, including harassment, physical assault, extortion, and death threats - especially when travelling through territories controlled by criminal groups. Recognising these dangers, Caminos partnered with Open Briefing to strengthen its security and resilience.
Embracing risk as a pathway to resilience: Lessons from West Africa
Activists and civil society organisations advocating for rights-based government policies face persistent threats from state authorities, particularly in the realm of national security. Surveillance, harassment, and intimidation are used to instil fear and silence critical voices. This relentless pressure erodes not just the resilience of individual activists and organisations, but the sustainability of entire movements. Open Briefing partnered with a women-led human rights organisation in West Africa that is frequently targeted by security services for scrutinising national security policy and exposing abuses of power.
Our impact in 2024
The past year has been marked by profound challenges and widespread suffering for communities across the globe. Against this backdrop, Open Briefing received 575 calls for assistance from grassroots activists, community groups, and social movements at risk in 2024. This marks a 66% increase in cases over the past two years. Despite this surge in demand, we continue to provide timely and highly-effective support - delivering over 6,000 hours of holistic security mentoring and accompaniment across 100 countries last year.
Defending LGBTQIA+ rights: Safeguarding the plaintiff in a landmark case
Just over a year after a landmark legal victory overturned 186 years of state-sanctioned discrimination of LGBTQIA+ people in Mauritius, we reflect on Open Briefing’s partnership with the Human Dignity Trust and Collectif Arc-En-Ciel to support the remarkable plaintiff, Abdool Ridwan Firaas Ah Seek, in this groundbreaking case.
Building digital resilience with Civic Defenders
Open Briefing is proud to be a key partner in Civic DEFENDERS, an ambitious five-year global programme aimed at countering digital repression and fostering long-term resilience within civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders. This transformative initiative, supported by USAID and coordinated by Internews, brings together a powerful consortium of leaders in internet freedom to collaborate across global, regional, and national levels.