Frontline Defenders Closing Ceremony
On the 6th of November, I attended a
Frontline Defenders Conference in Dublin Castle which I was invited to because
of my extensive interest in human rights and public speaking. I gladly accepted
the kind offer and counted down the days excitedly until I could attend.
Frontline Defenders or The International Foundation
for the protection of Human Rights Defenders is an Irish-based human rights
organisation founded in Dublin in 2001 to protect human rights defenders at
risk, i.e. those who work non-violently to uphold the human rights of others as
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Frontline Defenders’ overall goal is to
enable human rights defenders, as key agents of social change, to continue
their work without the risk of harassment, intimidation or arrest. It is a
non-profit, NGO, Global organisation. Its Irish base is in Blackrock.
I arrived at Dublin Castle at 11.15 am and was given
my badge. Surrounding me were human rights defenders from all around the world,
from Spain to India to The Lebanon. I was fascinated that there was so many
people who just like me were invested in the human rights of others.
At 11.30 am, everyone took their seat in a massive
hall where there was interpreters because of the various languages around the
hall. One by one each human rights defender got up and said a testimony on
their experiences in fighting peacefully for human rights. Many had been
tortured and thrown into jail because of their work. They bravely told us their
sometimes horrific circumstances and truthfully spoke about the fact that there
was still a lot to do in regards to improving/fixing the rights of others.
It was a fascinating, thought-provoking and at times
saddening few hours, it really improved my knowledge and understanding of the
hard work human rights defenders do on behalf of other people who are suffering
in the world today.
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