2.3 Well-Being for Defenders: How Far Have We Come?
2nd November, 10:00 – 12:00 pm, Room: Anggerik 1&2
Background: The topic of well-being has emerged as a pivotal concern within the human rights movement. It plays an essential role in ensuring that both the human rights movement as a whole and individual human rights defenders (HRDs) maintain resilience amidst the myriad challenges they confront daily.
Well-being practices do not adopt a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Influences such as cultural context, power dynamics, and gender all play a part in shaping the well-being protocols across diverse communities, and even on an individual level. From ongoing research and discussions on this subject, several strategies have been identified that promote the integration of well-being within the human rights movement.
While the adoption of organizational policies, availability of mental health resources, and assurance of social and job security are frequently cited and recommended methods for safeguarding HRDs’ well-being, a pressing question lingers: how effective have these implementations been, and how much progress have we truly made?
A holistic approach is needed to successfully embed the well-being component within human rights movements. The responsibility does not solely rest on the shoulders of the movement and individual defenders. External pillars of support, such as funders and access to remedies mechanisms, also play a pivotal role.
This session aims to delve deep into the practices of well-being, drawing from movements or organizations that have adeptly incorporated this element. Through collective reflection and relearning, the goal is to discern improved strategies to incorporate well-being better into all aspect of human rights work, subsequently formulating recommendations for an array of stakeholders.
Objective
- To assess and evaluate the current practices and progress related to the incorporation of well-being in the human rights movement.
- To identify and brainstorm enhanced strategies and recommendations for ensuring the well-being of HRDs.
This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.
