Wednesday 31 October 2018

Campaign response - Help protect human rights defenders


I am grateful to my constituents who contacted me over the past few days regarding the issue of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) who are facing repression and abuse as a result of their work to challenge human rights abuses across the world.

I am appalled at reports that in 2017 more than 300 HRDs were killed carrying out their work of defending the fundamental rights of all humans.  

The UK Government has recently updated its Guidelines on Working with HRDs to help British diplomats to better support them, and progress is being made to protect human rights defenders in other countries.

More must be done to ensure that the safety and rights of HRDs around the world, and I have now tabled a Written Parliamentary Question to the Foreign Secretary seeking his assurance that the protection of HRDs would be a priority for him and his departmental officials.