directoryofAsia-Pacific
Human Rights
Centers2008

Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center
Osaka, Japan

Directory of
Asia-Pacific
Human Rights
Centers2008

Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information CenterDirectory of Asia-Pacific Human Rights Centers
was published by the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center
2-8-24 Chikko Minato-ku, Osaka 552-0021 Japan

Copyright © Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center, 2008

Printed and bound by Takada
Osaka, JapanAll rights reserved.

foreword
We launched the Directory of Asia-Pacific Human Rights Centers in late 2007 to highlight the importantrole that organizations, institutes, and other entities that gather and disseminate information on humanrights play or should play in the field of human rights.
This Directory (with an online version) profiles the organizations, institutes, and other entities in the
Asia-Pacific that perform the role of human rights centers in one way or the other. The numerous issues,
programs, approaches and outputs they work on show the existence of resources that are useful forhuman rights protection, promotion and realization.
This Directory provides a substantive list of the human rights centers in the Asia-Pacific. Yet, it certainly
does not cover all the human rights centers existing in various parts of the region. It includes humanrights centers that work at various levels – community, national, regional and international.
We hope that this Directory helps focus attention to the importance of gathering and disseminating
information on human rights as shown by the valuable work of the human rights centers. We hope alsothat this Directory opens more opportunities for people, particularly those in small communities, to makethe human rights centers work for their needs and aspirations.
We thank the human rights centers profiled in this Directory for supporting the objectives of thisproject.

Osamu Shiraishi
Director
HURIGHTS OSAKAabout this directory
The Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA) created this Directory of AsiaPacific Human Rights Centers to facilitate wider dissemination of human rights information in the region
and beyond, support the development of human rights centers in the region, and provide opportunities
for possible networking among them.
This Directory compiles the objectives, programs, activities, special concerns, publications, other relevant
information, and the contact details of the human rights centers in the region.
In this Directory, a human rights center is defined as an institution engaged in gathering and disseminating
information related to human rights. The information refers to the international human rights instruments,
documents of the United Nations human rights bodies, reports on human rights situations, analyses ofhuman rights issues, human rights programs and activities, and other human rights-related informationthat are relevant to the needs of the communities in the Asia-Pacific.
The human rights centers covered by this Directory are non-governmental, government-supported
and university-based institutions. Many of them do not call themselves human rights centers, but theyrecognize their role as institutions that gather and disseminate human rights information.
Many of the human rights centers in this Directory focus on particular human rights issues (such as
those relating to women, children, indigenous peoples) or limit their operation to a particular area (suchas province/state or the academic community). There are also a number of human rights centers with
regional or subregional character (some cover Asia-Pacific, Asia, Pacific or the subregions within them).
Many are regional networks on specific human rights issues. Many have libraries or documentation/
resource/information centers where materials on human rights are made available to the public (or to themembers of their particular community – such as students in the case of universities). Many of their own
resources (up-to-date information on human rights issues, publications, teaching/learning materials) areavailable in their websites.
This Directory serves as a tool that allows the “Asia-Pacific Human Rights Centers” to know whichhuman rights centers exist, what human rights issues are covered, what programs/ initiatives are being
implemented, and what human rights resources are available in the region. It facilitates the identificationof areas that are not yet covered, giving motivation to create new projects. It highlights human rights
research activities, formal or otherwise.
Preparing the Directory
The idea of having a Directory of Asia-Pacific Human Rights Centers arose in 2001 when HURIGHTS OSAKA
explored the possibility of having a conference of human rights centers in Asia-Pacific to discuss the stateof human rights research in the region, define the regional human rights research agenda, and determine
the possibility of establishing a network among the human rights centers. At that time, only around
fifty institutions have been identified as human rights centers. Limited logistical resources hindered therealization of this plan.
Fours years later, HURIGHTS OSAKA revived this project in a more modest manner by continuing theinventory of human rights centers in the region. Printed and web-based information provided the needed
data to draft profiles of various types of institutions that wholly or partially perform human rights center
functions. By 2007, the number of centers in the list of HURIGHTS OSAKA rose to almost a hundred. By
early 2008, another hundred institutions were identified as possible human rights centers. Now the
Directory has the profile of one hundred eighty-four human rights centers.

HURIGHTS OSAKA took the time and effort to contact the human rights centers for the review of the draft
profiles. This process, in a sense, constituted an initial networking with them, especially for those that
HURIGHTS OSAKA has not contacted previously.
Online version
The profiles in this Directory are shorter versions of the online center profiles. The online version, launchedin November 2007, has enough space to accommodate the long profiles of some centers.
The online version of the Directory has the wiki format to allow the centers to update their profiles. Profilesof unlisted centers will be uploaded as information about them become available.
The online version of this Directory is accessible through this web address: http://hurights.pbwiki.com or
through HURIGHTS OSAKA’s website (www.hurights.or.jp).
List of centers
This Directory includes all human rights centers with sufficient information on their objectives, programs,
activities, special concerns, publications, other relevant information, and contact details. There is a separate
list for institutions that have been identified as human rights centers but without adequate information tocreate a complete profile. (See appendix)

acknowledgment
This Directory came about through the efforts of a number of people. HURIGHTS OSAKA acknowledges
their contribution and thanks them all for their work.
Ms. Maria Rita Alfaro, who was a HURIGHTS OSAKA intern in 2005, developed the initial template forthe profiles in this Directory. She put together the first draft center profiles in a common template. In
2007, another intern of HURIGHTS OSAKA, Mr. Harvey Beasley, helped develop the online version of the
Directory. While HURIGHTS OSAKA was contemplating a simple directory file to be uploaded onto its
website, Mr. Beasley suggested a better format, the wiki format. This led to the development of an online
Directory that allows the human rights centers to correct and update their profiles online. Mr. Beasley,
who also designed the online Directory, provides technical support for the maintenance of the website.
From mid-2008, HURIGHTS OSAKA received two interns who became involved in the development of
the Directory. Mr. Sam Shoushi, who speaks Arabic, helped gather information on human rights centersin West Asia. He also contacted some of the West Asian human rights centers for the review of their draft
profiles. The second intern, Ms. Yeseul Christeena Song, who speaks Korean, helped obtain additional
information on some Korean human rights centers and reviewed the texts of the profiles prior to lay-out.
Both Mr. Shoushi and Ms. Song reviewed the proof of this Directory before it went to printing.
Ms. Maria Fe Villena did the lay-out of this Directory while nursing her newborn child.
The staff of HURIGHTS OSAKA undertook the rest of the work.

contents
Page
3
4
6
7

Foreword
About This Directory
Acknowledgment
Contents

13

Australia
1. The Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC)
2. Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
3. Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies (CAPSTRANS)
4. Human Rights Council of Australia (HRCA)
5. Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning

18

Bahrain
6. Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)
7. Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS)

20

Bangladesh
8. Ain o Salish Kendro (ASK)
9. Community Development Library (CDL)

22

Cambodia
10. The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
11. Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam)
12. Khmer Institute of Democracy (KID)

25

China
13. The Center of Women’s Law Studies & Legal Services
14. Center for Gender and Law Studies (CGLS)
15. The Cultural Development Center for Rural Women
16. China Society for Human Rights Studies
17. Human Rights Research Department, Capital Normal University
18. Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL), China University of
Political Science and Law
19. The Law and Globalization Research Center, Renmin University
20. Research Center for Human Rights, Peking University

32

Fiji
21. The Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC)
22. Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT)

34

Hong Kong
23. Asia Monitor Resource Center (AMRC)
24. Asian Migrant Centre (AMC)
25. Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
26. Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
27. China Labour Bulletin (CLB)
28. Documentation for Action Groups in Asia (DAGA)
29. Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor (HKHRM)

41

India
30. Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR)
31. Centre for Feminist Legal Research (CFLR)
32. Centre for Development and Human Rights (CDHR)
33. Centre for Organisation, Research and Education (CORE)



Page
34. Centre for Promotion of Human Rights Teaching & Research (HURITER)
35. Documentation, Research and Training Centre (DRTC)
36. India Centre for Human Rights and Law
37. Indian Institute of Dalit Studies
38. Indian Social Institute – Bangalore (ISI-Bangalore)
39. Indian Social Institute – Delhi (ISI-Delhi)
40. Navsarjan
41. Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution
42. PRASHANT (A Centre for Human Rights Justice and Peace)
43. SAKSHI Human Rights Watch - AP
44. Shubhodaya Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture and Violence - SOSRAC 		(Society for Social Research, Art and Culture) (SCRVTV)
45. South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC)
46. Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)

59

Indonesia
47. Association for Community and Ecologically Based Law Reform (HuMa)
48. Center for Human Rights Studies, Andalas University of Padang (West Sumatra)
49. Center for Human Rights Studies, Airlangga University
50. Center for Human Rights Studies, Bung Hatta University (West Sumatra)
51. Center for Human Rights and Democracy Development, Brawijaya University
52. Center for Human Rights Studies, Gorontalo University
53. Center for Human Rights Advocacy and Studies, Haluoleo University
54. Center for Human Rights Research and Studies, Hasanuddin University
55. Center for Human Rights Studies, Islamic University of Indonesia
56. Center for Human Rights Studies, Islamic University of Riau
57. Center for Human Rights Studies, Makassar State University
58. Center for Human Rights Studies, Muhammadiyah University Kendari
59. Center for Human Rights Studies, North Sumatra University
60. Center for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy, Nusa Cendana University
61. Center for Human Rights Studies, Padang State University
62. Center for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy, Riau University
63. Center for Human Rights and Terrorism Studies, Sriwijaya University
64. Center for Human Rights Studies, University of Surabaya
65. Center for Human Rights Studies, Syiah Kuala University
66. Center for Human Rights Studies, Tanjungpura University
67. Center for Law and Local Autonomy, Faculty of Law, Tadulako University
68. Center for Public Policy and Human Rights, Lampung University
69. Center for the Study of Law and Human Rights, Mularwarman University
70. Consultation Laboratory and Legal Service, Faculty of Law, Muhammadiyah
University of Malang
71. The Habibie Center
72. Human Rights Center, University of Indonesia
73. Human Rights Association, Faculty of Law, Padjadjaran University
74. Human Rights Law Studies, Faculty of Law, Airlangga University
75. Imparsial, The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor
76. Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM)
77. KALYANAMITRA – Women’s Information and Communication Center
78. Kartini Network
79. Legal Aid Foundation (LBH)
80. Research Institute, Jakarta State University

86

Iran
81. Center for Human Rights Studies (HRCUT), University of Tehran
82. Center for Human Rights Studies, Mofid University
83. UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, Shahid Behesti University

Page
89

Iraq
84. The Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI)

90

Israel
85. Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
86. The Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA)
87. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
88. B’TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights
89. The Minerva Center for Human Rights

95

Japan
90. Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center (AJWRC)
91. Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA)
92. The Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute (BLHRRI)
93. Centre for Human Rights Affairs
94. Center for Human Rights, Kinki University
95. Human Rights Now (HRN)
96. Hyogo Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute
97. Institute for Human Rights Research and Education, Kwansei Gakuin University
98. Institute of Human Rights Studies, Kansai University
99. Institute for the Study of Social Justice (ISSJ), Sophia University
100.
Kyoto Human Rights Research Institute101.
Mekong Watch
102.
Research-Action Institute for the Koreans in Japan (RAIK)
103.
Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR), Osaka City University
104.
Shimin Gaikou Centre (SGC)105.
Tokyo Metropolitan Human Rights Promotion Center (TMHRPC)
106.
Tottori Prefectural Center for the Universal Culture of Human Rights

112

Jordan107.
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS)
108.
Al-Urdun Al-Jadid Research Center (UJRC)

114

Kazakhstan
109. Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR)

115

Korea
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
115.

Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ)
Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB Center)
Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations (KLAFR)MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)
Sarangbang Center for Human Rights

121

Lebanon116.
The Institute for Human Rights (Beirut Bar Association)
117.
The Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW)
118.
The Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization Forum (LNF)

124

Malaysia
119.
Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Aliran)120.
Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW)
121.
Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC)
122.
Education and Research Association for Consumers (ERA-Consumer)

128

Mongolia
123.
Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD)



Page
129

10

Nepal
124.
125.
126.
127.
128.

Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES)
Center for Legal Research and Resource Development (CeLRRd)
Child Rights Research and Resource Center at KSL
Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC)South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR)

134

New Zealand129.
Human Rights Foundation Aotearoa/New Zealand

135

Pakistan130.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
131.
Human Rights Studies Centre - University of Peshawar
132.
Pakistan Institute of Human Rights (PIHR)
133.
Shirkat Gah
134.
Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre

139

Palestine135.
ADDAMEER - Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association
136.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
137.
Mandela Institute for Human Rights
138.
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG)
139.
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue & Democracy 				(MIFTAH)
140.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
141.
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS)

146

Philippines
142. Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC)
143. Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
144. Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR)
145. Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia Pacific (CATW-AP)
146. DINTEG
147. Human Rights Seedbed
148. Institute of Human Rights (IHR)
149. KARAPATAN
150. The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of 				 the Earth Philippines
151. National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS)
152. Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)
153. Psychosocial Support and Children’s Rights Resource Center (PST-CRRC)
154. Salonga Center for Law and Development (Salonga Center)
155. Scalabrini Migration Center
156. Women and Gender Institute (WAGI)
157. WomenLead

164

Singapore
158.
Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)
159.
Think Centre - Singapore

166

Sri Lanka
160.
Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)
161.
Centre for the Study of Human Rights (CSHR), University of Colombo
162.
Law & Society Trust - Sri Lanka (LST)

169

Syria
163.
164.

Al-Marsad - The Arab Center for Human Rights in the Golan Heights
The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC)

Page
171

Taiwan165.
Chang Fo-Chuan Center for the Study of Human Rights, Soochow University
166.
John Paul II Institute for Research into Dialogue for Peace, Fujen Catholic University
167.
Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR)

174

Thailand
168.
Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma)
169.
Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR)
170.
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
171.
Asian Research Center on Migration (ARCM)
172.
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)
173.
Asia-Pacific Network of People with HIV/AIDS (APN+)
174.
Burma Issues
175.
Committee for Asian Women (CAW)
176.
Child Workers in Asia Foundation (CWA)177.
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
178.
Mekong Region Law Center (MRLC)
179.
Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development (OHRSD), Mahidol		University

186

Timor-Leste (East Timor)
180.
La’o Hamutuk
181.
Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP)

188

Vietnam
182.
Institute for Family and Gender Studies (IFGS)
183. Research Center for Human & Citizen’s Rights (CHR), Vietnam National University
184.
Vietnamese Research Centre for Human Rights (VRC)

191

Appendix1112Australia
The Australian Human Rights Centre
The University of New South Wales

Year Established: 1986
Short Historical Background
The Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC) is a multidisciplinary Research Institute based in the Faculty of Law at
The University of New South Wales. Its predecessor, theAustralian Human Rights Information Centre (AHRIC),
was established in 1986 to coordinate and develop interdisciplinary teaching and research in the area of humanrights, with a particular focus on Asia and the Pacific.
During the first decade of its existence, the Centre organized a series of seminars, workshops, public lecturesand occasional publications. In June 1995, the Human
Rights Centre received funding from the Federal Attorney General’s Department to establish a national humanrights database and documentation centre. The Human
Rights Centre was renamed the Australian Human Rights
Centre to reflect the development of a national databaseand documentation centre.
Objectives
The AHRC aims to increase public awareness of and academic scholarship in domestic and international humanrights standards, laws and procedures through research
projects, education programs and publications. It will:• undertake and facilitate interdisciplinary research
projects with a particular focus on economic, socialand cultural rights• develop human rights educational initiatives by hosting workshops, seminars and conferences, co-ordinating interdisciplinary human rights teaching and internship programs and providing a forum for domestic
and international scholarship and debate on contemporary human rights issues• provide accessible information on significant humanrights developments in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and internationally, facilitate access to online
human rights resources via the AHRC website andpublish the Australian Journal of Human Rights, the
Human Rights Defender and occasional papers andpublications.
Programs
Research Initiatives
International Trade, Transnational Corporations and Human Rights Project - research exploring the interrelationship between international trade, investment and business activities (and related law and policy) and economic
and social rights.
Human Rights Impacts of WTO Law - exploring two aspects of this area of concern.
The Australian Human Rights Project - research on a national approach to supporting human rights advocacy
and education.

Other Research Activities• Evolution of the UNCHR: Examination and analysis of
documents relating to the establishment and evolution of the UNCHR• Refugees’ Rights: Background research for the Australian NGOs attending the Executive Meeting of the UNHCR on people movements and human rights• The Australian Human Rights Project: Promoting human rights standards for social justice• ‘Taking Steps’ Australia’s Draft National Action Plan for
Human Rights• HREOC National Inquiry into Children in Immigration
Detention (2002)• Draft framework for reporting on Indigenous disadvantage: Steering Committee for the Review of Commonwealth/State Service Provision, Council of Australian Governments (2002)• Poverty in Australia: A Focus on Indigenous Poverty• Human Rights in Taiwan: Issues for the 21st Century• International Protection of Refugees: Voluntary Repatriation, Non-Refoulement and Cessation• High Court of Australia Case Note: Muin v Refugee Review Tribunal
Activities• Maintenance of the Human Rights Documentation Center, including cataloguing of documents and investigation of installing a more accessible virtual collection ofUnited Nations Human Rights documentation as well as
documentation from other sources to provide a facility
for specialised or advanced human rights study and research, consistent with its research program. The work
has been carried out by student volunteers, the Centre’s
Interns and other volunteers.
• Development of the AHRC website http://www.ahrcentre.org - upgrade of the website to make the research material of the AHRC accessible and creation oflinks with AustLII.
Publications• The Australian Journal of Human Rights• Human Rights Defender
Address
The Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC)
Faculty of Law
University of NSW
SYDNEY 2052 Australiaph: (61 2) 9385-1803;9385-3637
fax: (61 2) 9385-1778
e-mail: ahrc@unsw.edu.au
www.ahrcentre.org

13

Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
Monash University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
The Castan Centre was established by the Monash Law
School in 2000 to meet the need for, and interest in,
the study of human rights law, globally, regionally andin Australia. It is a non-partisan, non-profit organization
named after Ron Castan AM QC (1930-1999), a tirelessadvocate for Indigenous Australians, and a lead counsel
on the ground-breaking Mabo case and other key actions including Wik the Tasmanian Dams Case and cases
protecting the right to free speech. His work exemplified
the important connection between the law and the protection of human rights.
Objectives
The Castan Centre’s mission is to bring together the workof national and international human rights scholars, practitioners and advocates from a wide range of disciplines(including politics, health, business, economics, international relations, development, cultural studies, social
welfare and information technology, as well as law) inorder to promote and protect human rights. The Centre
uses research and public education to generate innovative theoretical and practical approaches to understanding and implementing the growing body of internationaland domestic human rights law.
Programs and Activities
The Castan Centre’s activities span a wide range of education and research areas. They include:• Research projects, including current projects covering
human rights and the World Trade Organization, native title representative bodies and human trafficking,and the development of a human rights case databasein conjunction with Oxford University Press• University human rights courses, including the teaching of numerous undergraduate human rights courses
and postgraduate human rights degrees (law andnon-law). The LLM (Human Rights) was first offered by
Monash Law School in 2006 and is the only masterslevel human rights law degree in the country• Providing opportunities for students. These include
a Victorian human rights mooting competition, a human rights careers lecture series and internship opportunities at the Centre and with partner organizations worldwide.
• Human rights training for international and Australian
government officials. Current and past clients include
the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Judicial College of Victoria, Victorian Equal Opportunities and Human Rights Commission, the Indonesian
Government and the Iraq Ministry of Human Rights.
• Assistance to Aboriginal communities through theprovision of legal advice.
• Community engagement through public lectures andseminars given by many international experts and

14

leaders (including His Holiness the Dalai Lama andJose Ramos Horta), conferences and a human rights
essay competition for secondary school students.
Special Concerns
The Castan Centre’s human rights law mandate includes
civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as wellas collective rights, sectoral rights, international humanitarian law, and international, comparative and domestic
human rights theory, policy and practice in both public
and private domains.
Publications
The many publications of its Directors and academic
members include:• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
Cases, Materials and Commentary, Joseph, S., Schultz,J., and Castan, M. (2nd ed) (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2004).
• A Handbook on the Individual Complaints Proceduresof the UN, Joseph, S., co-authored with Katie Mitchell, Linda Gyorki and Carin Benninger-Budel (Geneva:
OMCT, 2006).
• Corporations and Transnational Human Rights Litigation, Joseph, S. (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2004).
• Future Seekers II: Refugees and Irregular Migration inAustralia, Crock, M., Saul, B. and Dastyari, A. (Federation Press, June 2006).
• The Refugees Convention 50 Years On: Globalisation
and International Law, Kneebone, S. (ed) (Dartmouth/
Ashgate - 2003)• Commercial Law and Human Rights, Bottomley, S. andKinley, D. (eds) (Dartmouth Publishing Co., Aldershot,
2001)• The Castan Centre publishes a bi-annual newsletter aswell as the annual publication of papers from its Human Rights Year in Review conferences.
Address
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
Faculty of Law
PO Box 12
Monash University
Victoria, Australia 3800
ph (61 3 )9905 3327
fax (61 3) 9905 5305
e-mail: castan.centre@law.monash.edu.au
www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre

Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies (CAPSTRANS)Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
CAPSTRANS is an Australian Research Council Key Centre
for Teaching and Research and a joint venture of the University of Wollongong and the University of Newcastle.
Although the boundaries of the Asia Pacific are contested, our research focus includes East and Southeast Asia,
the Pacific islands, the APEC economies and the countries of the Indian subcontinent.
Objective
CAPSTRANS aims to examine the rapid economic development and social transformation processes through innovative research by combining methods from a variety
of disciplines, including political science, economics, management studies, sociology, anthropology, media studies,social history and language and literature studies.
Programs
Research Program
CAPSTRANS concentrates on five interlinked research
programs to achieve an understanding of social transformation in the Asia Pacific region:- Mobility and Exclusion- Globalization and International Development- Australia in the Asia-Pacific- Culture and Representation- Globalization and Education
Teaching program
An important feature of the Centre’s work is its contribution to postgraduate teaching programs in development
and social change. Students enrolled in these coursework
and research degrees benefit from their interactions withinternationally recognized researchers. In turn, we seethese students as a vital part of the Centre’s intellectual
activities.
Activities
CAPSTRANS is engaged in a series of collaborative research programs on how migration and other forms ofmobility have led to the exclusion of some groups fromdevelopment processes, and to limited opportunities toparticipate in political processes. Staff and students are
currently working on projects that examine formulationsof identity and citizenship along border zones intersectwith gender, ethnicity, class and sexuality in shaping experiences of mobility and exclusion; and processes of
democratization, including human rights and women’s
rights activism.
Special Concerns
The Asia Pacific region offers unique insights into socialtransformation processes triggered by national and international development policies and their effects at local,
regional and transnational levels. A full list of the current
research projects is available on CAPSTRANS website.

Publications• Communicating Conflict Multilingual Case Studies of
the News Media, Elizabeth Thomson & Peter R.R. White(eds). Continuum Books. (2008)• Hegemony: Studies in Consensus and Coercion, Richard Howson and Kylie Smith (eds). (Routledge, 2008)• Higher Education in the Asia Pacific: Challenges for the
Future, Peter Kell and Gillian Vogl (eds). (Cambridge
Scholars Publishing, 2007)• Medi@sia: Global Media/tion In and Out of Context,
Tod Joseph Miles Holden (ed). (2006)• Democracy and Civil Society: NGO Politics in Singapore, Terence Chong, James Gomez and Lenore Lyons(eds.) (2005)• Journeys of desire - A study of the Balinese text Malat,
Adrian Vickers (2005)• A History of Modern Indonesia - Adrian Vickers (2005)• Intellectual Property Harmonisation Within ASEAN
and APEC: The Max Planck Series on Asian Intellectual
Property Law 10, Christoph Antons, Michael Blakeney
and Christopher Heath (eds). (Kluwer Law International, 2004)• Korea’s Development under Park Chung Hee: Rapid
Industrialization, 1961-1979, Hyung-a Kim. Routledge(Curzon, 2004)• A State of Ambivalence: The Feminist Movement in
Singapore, Lenore Lyons. (Brill, 2004)• Law and Development in East and Southeast Asia,
Christoph Antons (ed) (2003)• Migration in the Asia Pacific: Population, Settlement
and Citizenship, Robyn Iredale, Charles Hawksley andStephen Castles (eds). (Edward Elgar, 2003)• Return Migration in the Asia Pacific, Robyn Iredale, Fei
Guo, and Santi Rozario. (UK : Edward Elgar, 2003)• Adult Education @ 21st Century, Peter Kell, Sue Shore
and Michael Singh (eds). (Peter Lang, 2003)• Television, Regulation and Civil Society in Asia, Philip
Kitley. (London: Routledge Curzon, 2003)• Globalization, Culture and Inequality in Asia, Timothy
J. Scrase, Todd Joseph Miles Holden, and Scott Baum(eds). (Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press, 2003)
Address
Centre for Asia-Pacific Social Transformation Studies
University of Wollongong
Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
ph (612) 4221 3780
fax (612) 4228 6313
e-mail: capstrans@uow.edu.auwww.capstrans.edu.au15

Human Rights Council of Australia (HRCA)
Year Established: 1978
Short Historical Background
The Human Rights Council of Australia Inc. is a private
non-governmental organization which promotes understanding of and respect for human rights for all persons
without discrimination through adherence to the International Bill of Rights, and other human rights instruments, internationally and within Australia.
The Council was established in 1978 and for many
years, under the leadership of James Dunn, has been
an important link between the Australian human rights
movement and human rights activists in other parts of
the world. The Council is affiliated with the International
League of Human Rights and has Special Consultative
Status with ECOSOC.
The Human Rights Council of Australia Inc is incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1984
(N.S.W.) and is a non-profit organization
Objectives
The Council aims
1. to promote a better understanding and implementation of human rights
2. to monitor and make public the performance of governments in complying with their international humanrights obligations
3. to contribute particularly to the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia and the Asian-Pacific region
4. to promote the further development of Australianpolicy with respect to human rights
5. to undertake such other tasks regarding developments internationally and in Australia with respect tohuman rights.
Programs and Activities
The Council is active in many fields and endeavors concerning the promotion of human rights in Australia andthroughout the world. It has pioneered the Rights Way to
Development and been instrumental in raising awarenesson issues such as landmines, sports and human rights.
The Council engages in the following activities:
a. Conducting studies and where appropriate, taking action on matters of human rights as elaborated in theInternational Bill of Rights
b. Supporting and publicizing the activities of and cooperating as appropriate with individuals, networks ororganizations whose aims are consistent with those of
the Human Rights Council of Australiac. Producing and/or distributing statements, reports orother materials on human rights issues collecting andcollating studies already made on particular humanrights issues, evaluating and adapting them with aview to their application in Australia and the Asian-Pacific region
d. Obtaining information on cases/situations of violation

16of human rights
e. Making representations to governments and appropriate bodies on human rights issues
f. Engaging in and commissioning research projects,
holding public meetings and seminars
g. Promoting as appropriate the formulation and adoption of constitutions, conventions, treaties and othermeasures which guarantee the rights contained in theInternational Bill of Rights
h. Maintaining links with the United Nations and nongovernmental agencies working in the field of humanrights.
Special Concerns• The Human Rights Approach to Development• Sport and human rights• Indigenous Issues• Self-determination• Business and human rights• Australia’s commitment to human rights
Publications• The Rights Way to Development - A Human Rights Approach to Development Assistance• The Rights Way to Development - Manual for a Human
Rights Approach to Development Assistance• Development – Policy and Practice• Influencing Donors: A training programme for Southern NGOs
Address
Human Rights Council of Australia, Inc.
PO Box 1071
North Sydney NSW 2059 Australia
ph (612) 9957 5200
fax (612) 9957 4063
e-mail: Patrick Earle
http://hrca.org.au

Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning
Year Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Jumbunna Aboriginal Education Centre was firstestablished in 1987 after persistent lobbying by Aboriginal students, notably Burruga Gutya (Ken Canning) andFrances Peters. Before Jumbunna was established, Ken
and Frances were the only Aboriginal students enrolled
at the then NSW Institute of Technology. After just one
year of operation the center’s student enrolments increased to thirty. By 1993, two hundred seventy-five
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were enrolled at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Initially Jumbunna was set up to provide cultural andacademic support, tutorial assistance and counselling, as
well as to address other student needs. Jumbunna has
evolved over the years, and in 2001 was structured as an
Indigenous House of Learning that supports students,
promotes Australian Indigenous culture, history and philosophy across the university, and nurtures and develops
Indigenous research and Indigenous researchers. Today,
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning provides cultural and academic support for Australian Indigenous
students studying at UTS, and undertakes research into
matters of significance to indigenous communities.
Objectives
Jumbunna aims
1. To focus on the recruitment, retention and graduation
rates of Indigenous Australians
2. To support the teaching and learning issues of Indigenous students, and the promotion of Indigenous Studies within the university
3. To undertake high quality research as well as advocacy
of issues of concern to the Indigenous community;and4. To provide advice and expertise in Indigenous areas asa contribution to the UTS community, the Australian
Indigenous community, and at national and international forums.
Program
Jumbunna aims to produce the highest quality researchon Indigenous legal and policy issues and to develop
highly skilled Indigenous researchers. Our current projects explore aspirations for Indigenous regional governance, corporate governance, the new arrangements
for Indigenous policy making and program and service
delivery in the post-ATSIC environment, Indigenous landissues and issues related to Indigenous people’s contact
with the criminal justice and legal system.
The approach to research includes consultation with
the Indigenous community to identify research priorities, including engagement with a peer network and acommitment to disseminating research outcomes in a
broad and accessible manner that includes publications,briefing papers and new media outcomes.

Publications
Journals• Balayi: Culture, Law and Colonialism (Balayi) - challenges its readers and contributors to be alert to injustice in the relationship between Indigenous andnon-Indigenous Australians, and offers an invitation to
speak about this injustice. Production of this publication will cease after Volume 10 has been distributed.
• Journal of Indigenous Policy (JIP)- provides a forum forintellectual discourse on Indigenous policy development and implementation as it affects the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia• Ngiya: Talk the Law (Ngiya) - challenges its readers andcontributors to make a contribution to current debates about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal
and policy issues.
Other Information
Jumbunna is guided by and reports to a Community Advisory Committee three times a year. Its staff are activeat a range of levels in community service, from sitting
on Boards and Councils of major institutions to various
contributions at the grassroots level. These community
activities cross cultural, education, health, land, law andgovernance issues at federal, state, local governmentand community levels. Its research work is actively disseminated to the community through the Indigenous
media, through the production of new media products,
and through community liaison activities. The Ngiya network provides a regular forum for Indigenous peers outside the university to provide input and feedback on our
research work.
Address
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning
University of Technology Sydney
Tower Building, Level 17, No. 1 Broadway,
Broadway
PO Box 123, NSW 2007 Australia
ph (61-2) 95141902
Toll Free Number: 1800 064 312
fax (61-2) 95141894
e-mail: martin.nakata@uts.edu.auwww.jumbunna.uts.edu.au/index.html

17

bahrainBahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)
Year Established: 2002
Short historical background
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization (NGO) registeredwith the Bahraini Ministry of Labor and Social Services
since July 2002. Despite an order by the authorities in
November 2004 to close it, the BCHR is still functioning
after gaining wide internal and external support for its
struggle to promote human rights in Bahrain. BCHR adopted a mission statement of encouraging and supporting individuals and groups to be proactive in the protection of their own and others’ rights, and is struggling topromote democracy and human rights in accordancewith international norms.
The twenty-six founding members include prominent doctors, lawyers, journalists, and NGO leaders (menand women). Membership in the BHRC general assemblyis open for volunteers who serve more than six months
at one of its committees. BCHR’s general assembly elects
its board of directors for a two-year term. So far, BCHR’s
activities are funded from membership fees and small
donations from individuals.
Objectives
BCHR aims
1. To promote freedoms and basic rights (civil, political,
economic and social)
2. To combat racial discrimination
3. To promote a human rights culture
4. To provide support and protection to the vulnerable
victims of torture
5. To conduct research on, and overcome, the difficulties facing the implementation of international humanrights laws and standards.
Programs and Activities
Awareness-raising on human rights issues – BCHR believes
in a grassroots approach, and thus its primary agenda isto help the affected people understand what their rights
are and how to go about protecting them (rather thanasking the government to change the situation). As such,
BCHR arranges public seminars, community-level discussion forums, and street demonstrations, all with the aimof raising awareness of human rights issues and building
solidarity among affected people.
Advocacy - BCHR engages in advocacy work as part ofbuilding a human rights culture in Bahrain. It lobbies the
Bahraini authorities, government officials, and stakeholders on various issues in order to press for greater responsibility, recognition of, and respect for human rights.
Organizing of independent issue-based committees - BCHR
believes that the affected people must speak for themselves rather than being spoken for by others. Wherever18

possible, BCHR initiates and facilitates a number of independent, issue-based committees that affected people
can choose to join to pursue their own course of action
and speak with their own voice. The committees initiatedby the BCHR include: the “Unemployed and Underpaid
People Committee”, “Landless People Committee”, and“Victims of Torture Committee.”Socio-economic rights promotion - unlike most otherhuman rights organizations in Bahrain and the region,
BCHR gives special priority to economic and social rights.
BCHR finds these rights as integral components of human rights in general and, more importantly, almost all
human rights issues are in some way tied to fundamentalsocial and economic conditions. Some people commit
human rights abuses due to socio-economic pressures,
while many victims of human rights abuses are unable toseek justice because of huge socio-economic imbalances in society. Therefore, BCHR regards socio-economic
rights as a key to the improvement of the general humanrights conditions in the country.
Publications
BCHR mainly prepares reports and publishes news articles such as the following:• Media coverage of elections marred by self-censorship, political pressure, exclusion of voices and blocking of Internet (2008)• The release of Arab detainees in Guantanamo: Successful model for the national, regional and international joint efforts (2008)• Mounting Unrest and Violations in Bahrain (2008)• Security forces assault journalists covering repressionof protest (2007)• Crackdown on Activists in Bahrain Continues (2007)
These documents can be accessed online: www.bahrainrights.org.
Address
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)
Manama, Bahrain
ph (973) 39633399; (973) 39400720
fax (973) 17795170
e-mail: info@bahrainrights.org
www.bahrainrights.org

Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS)
Year Established: 2004
Short historical background
The Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) is a
Bahraini human rights organization established in November 2004. The Society was established mainly toconsolidate the principles of human rights in the Kingdom. It has remarkable achievements in protecting
housemaids and fighting for women’s rights in Bahrain.
The Society has sought to support women’s rights activists’ campaign for the introduction of personal status law
to protect women in cases of divorce and child custody.
In association with the National Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women, the BHRWS launched the Respect
Movement, a petition in support of the Personal Status
Law. The second part of the Respect Movement’s Agenda
is a petition for laws to protect housemaids, who are notcurrently protected by Bahrain’s Labor Laws.
Objectives
BHRWS aims:
1. To play a role in consolidating the principles of humanrights in the Kingdom at both thought and practicelevels. It endeavors to stop and eradicate all effects
of any violation of those rights and to guarantee nondiscrimination between citizens on the basis of race,
language, religion, sex or opinion
2. To contribute towards raising the standards of democratic practice in the Kingdom, to form an integrated
and balanced model based on the spread of freedoms,
guarantee of political pluralism, respect for the rule oflaw and to guarantee the right to political, civil, economic, social and cultural development
3. To consolidate the principles of human rights in theKingdom inspired by the message of all divine faiths,
the values of human heritage, the Kingdom’s Constitution, the rules and concepts of the National Action
Charter and the principles adopted by international
human rights instruments
4. To strive for membership of the Kingdom in regional
and international conventions and agreements concerning human rights.
Programs and Activities
The Society strives to achieve its objectives through anumber of measures including the following:
1. Drawing up an integrated plan to enhance and develop the protection of human rights in the Kingdom,and propose means for implementing this plan
2. Expression of opinions when consulted on public or
private issues related to the protection and respect ofhuman rights, citizens’ rights, rights of groups and organizations and on how to defend and boost them
3. Submission of proposals and recommendations to theconcerned authorities in all that concern the protection, support and improvement of human rights
4. Expression of opinions and drafting of necessary proposals and recommendations on issues presented to

it by concerned authorities and parties, in connection
with human rights protection and enhancement
5. Receiving complaints concerning human rights, monitoring and studying those complaints and referring
appropriate cases to concerned bodies. Then following up the complaints or enlightening the complainants about the procedures to be followed and assisting them with those procedures, settling them andsolving the complaints with the concerned bodies
6. Enhancing and guaranteeing consistency between
the national legislations, regulations and practices,and the international human rights conventions towhich the Kingdom is a state-party, and seeking theireffective implementation
7. Participating as a part of Bahraini delegations in gatherings and meetings of local and international organizations concerned with the protection of humanrights
8. Information dissemination and publication of humanrights and the efforts exerted to fight all forms of discrimination, including sectarian and religious discrimination through the media (using the press, radio, television, etc.) and educational means to increase publicawareness.
Publications
Various reports on Women’s Rights in Bahrain and
BHRWS’ Respect Movement (http://bhrws.org/eng/index.php?action=view&page_id=13)
Other Information
The ‘Respect’ Movement is under the umbrella of the
Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society calling on the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain to implement key reforms, including the establishment and enforcement ofequal protection measures for domestic workers under
the labor laws.
Address
Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
Al Doseri Business Center, Suite 204
P.O.Box 15055, Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain.
ph (973) 17536222, ext: 204
fax (973) 17531822
email: info@bhrws.org
www.bhrws.org

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Bangladesh
Ain o Salish Kendro (ASK)
Year Established: 1986
Short Historical BackgroundAin o Salish Kendra (ASK) is a legal aid and human rights
organization in Bangladesh. It was established in 1986
with the purpose of providing free legal aid to the disenfranchised from the rights perspective. In time, it realizedthat legal aid could not be the only aspect of a necessary holistic strategy to create an enabling environment
for the disenfranchised to assert and enjoy their rights.
From that realization, ASK consequently developed programs that spread out in multiple areas, such as, investigation, advocacy, media campaign, documentation,
training and action research with a view to create anenabling environment for demanding good governance,
non-discrimination and social justice. Currently, ASK has
been implementing its programs under sixteen separate
units and one component. It obtained Special Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of theUnited Nations.
Objective
ASK aims to establish in Bangladesh the rule of law basedon the principles of equality, democracy, human rights,
justice and gender equity.
Activities
ASK carries out following activities:• Provision of free legal aid to distressed individuals andcommunities• Provision of temporary shelter to victims of violence• Offering psychosocial counseling to the survivors ofviolations• Human rights awareness raising• Advocacy for the promotion of the rights of working
children• Campaigns for relevant legal and policy reforms• Mobilization of communities to inculcate and promote
gender and social justice• Research on human rights, advocacy and policy issues• Monitoring and documenting cases of human rights
violations; and fact-finding missions where needed
Publications
The following are some of the ASK publications:
English Language• Annual Human Rights Report - This is a regular yearly
publication of ASK which provides analysis of the yearly state of human rights of the year.
• Agency, Inequality and Human Rights, Amartya Sen• Twenty years on the front line, Dina Siddiqi• Children Cry Alone, Lubna Marium• Her Unfearing Mind (Women and Muslim Laws in Bangladesh), Sultana Kamal• Rights and Realities

20

Bangla Language• Bangladeshe Jongi tatporata o tar bichar (An Accountof Militancy in Bangladesh and the Trials)• RAB: Santras Nirmul Na Rastrer Santras (Stop Terrorism
or Terrorism by the State)• Janasarthe Mamla (Public Interest Litigation)• Narir 71 O Juddha Porobarti Kathya Kahini.
• Smriti o Kotha - 1971
• Dharshon-Porobarti Aini Lorai• Aine Nari Nirjatan Prosanga• Amar Prithibi - Khursheed Erfan Ahmed• Adhikar o Bastobota• Paribarik Aine Bangladesher Nari
• Manober Nishanka Mon, Sultana Kamal
English and Bangla Languages• United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms, Qumrunnessa Nazly
Address
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK)
26/3 Purana Paltan Line, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
ph (88-02) 8315851, 9337173,9360336
fax: (88-02) 8318561
e-mail: ask@citechco.net
www.askbd.org

Community Development Library (CDL)
Year Established: 1980
Short Historical Background
The Community Development Library (CDL), a non-governmental development organization, came into being
in 1980 with the mission of delivering development information to activists and organizations who are committed to the promotion of sustainable development,
gender equity, social justice, human rights and community education.
Objectives
CDL aims
1. To provide in-depth material and information on areasof key concern, particularly on environment, education, health, women, children, human rights, peaceand ethnic minorities
2. To educate, inspire and empower underprivileged
people, including people with disability, to take part in
the process of social development and also to benefit
themselves
3. To raise mass awareness on human rights, social
equality and justice for all citizens including religious
and ethnic minority groups, gender balance, disastermitigation and preparedness, health, environment,
etc. through publications, workshops, seminars, study
circle and networking activities
4. To promote development initiatives of different grassroots groups and organizations through advisory
service, training and logistic support and introducing
those initiatives to the larger audience through publication/videos
5. To highlight the positive aspects of development
endeavors by documenting and disseminating casestudies of successful projects
6. To lobby and campaign on issues which have direct
and indirect impact on the lives of the people, specially those who are under-privileged and suffer various
levels of discrimination
7. To establish and strengthen development information
network among existing networks, NGOs and othergroups
8. To bridge the communication gap that exists between
the policy-makers, social development activists, program implementers and the grass-roots people byproviding information on ideas and experiences of innovative and sustainable development efforts
9. To provide audio-visual services and training on information-centered topics to non-governmental organization workers and other beneficiaries.
Programs
Rural Information Resource Center (RIRC) - CDL provides
development information services at the grassroots level
through twenty-five Rural Information Resource Centers(RIRC) that have library facilities and organize seminars,
workshops, study circles, discussion meetings, video
shows, sharing experiences to narrow the knowledge
and information gap that persists among the govern-ment, non-governmental organizations, civil society,private sector, the media and the related development
stakeholders on various development issues.
Central Library, Documentation & Information Center – located in Dhaka, the library has two sections (reading andreference) with books, periodicals, and newspapers inopen access and easily reached by the interested readers. Since 1980, CDL has collected 21,500 books and Research Reports on different issues and subjects.
Development Resource Promotion Centre – this is an outlet
for publications and literature (both in-house and fromother institutions). The sales are done through both Dhaka central office and the RIRCs.
Development Communication and Information Service CDL publishes current news, bulletin, poster, translated
development information, compiled development literature, etc.
Urban Information Resource Centre - launched in 1986
with a vision to enhance the accessibility to education
facilities of urban poor children and to integrate child literacy with environmental and vocational training so that
education becomes meaningful in their lives.
Other programs
Women’s Forum – this initiative was taken with an aim of
informing women communities especially the underprivileged women, about their socio-economic rights
and responsibilities, the way they can organize and empower themselves and strive for ensuring their social
rights. All the RIRCs of CDL have Women’s Forum.
Children’s Corner - every RIRC has a Children’s Corner that
contains different children-related materials for use by
children.
Youth Forum - RIRCs have twenty-six Youth Forums allover the country that engage in various information, social awareness raising and development activities that
benefit a large number of people.
Address
Community Development Library (CDL)
House-67/B, Road 9A,
Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1209
Bangladesh
ph (880-2) 8113769, 8110495, 9130365
fax (880-2) 8110254
e-mail : cdl@bol-online.com; info@cdl.com
www.cdlbd.org

21

cambodia
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) is a
registered non-governmental organization that was established in October 2002 with the mission to promote
democracy, to promote and protect civil and politicalrights, and to promote free, fair and credible elections in
Cambodia. CCHR is not affiliated with any political party.
Objectives
CCHR aims
1. To educate the people on democracy and humanrights concepts and principles
2. To strengthen the foundation of democracy at thegrass-root level, inform the public in the country andinternational community of the human rights situation in Cambodia
3. To widen public opinion in support of democracy, human rights and sustainable development; strengthen
cooperation with civil society groups working on reform of laws, governance, and judicial system
4. To reduce incidence of political violence and rights
violations.
Programs• Education program• Radio program• Advocacy and Public Relations program• Monitoring and Investigation program
Activities
Capacity building - increasing the understanding of human rights activists or focal point volunteers on theprinciples of human rights and democracy and assistingthem in establishing “Community for Democracy” network to strengthen the basic foundation of democracy
at the grass-root level.
Public Forum - informing the people on current and important issues and problems in the country and giving
them the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns on different issues.
Radio broadcasts - the radio broadcast called “Voice of
Democracy” (VOD) aired through Sambok Khmum FM
105 Mhz with programs such as: Live on Air, News, Education and Cultural/Entertainment, brings information
to the people and also responds to listeners’ questions
through its live programs. The radio live roundtable discussion, provide opportunity to the peoples to express
their concerns and opinions.
Monitoring and investigation - complaints on cases involving violations of civil and political rights are monitored

22

and investigated to assist victims and their relatives seek
justice and legal resolution.
Advocacy - dissemination of issues to the public andworking for legislative and policy reforms of the government on human rights and democracy issues.
Public Relations - building network and exchanging ofideas and information with local, regional and international organizations and coalitions working on humanrights, democracy and governance issues.
Website - information on issues and activities of CCHR are
posted in the website.
Publication - Monthly bulletin in Khmer is printed for
distribution and a web-based newsletter in English is
posted regularly. Booklets on laws are also produced forfree distribution.
Address
Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR )#798, Street 99, Sangkat Beung Trabek, Khan Chamkarmon
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
ph : (855-23) 726 901
fax : (855-23) 726 902
e-mail : info@cchr-cambodia.org
www.cchr-cambodia.org

Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam)
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) is a
Cambodian academic research institute established in
January 1995 by Yale University’s Cambodian Genocide
Program (CGP) to facilitate training and field research in
Cambodia related to CGP’s mission. The DC-Cam became
an autonomous Cambodian institute in January 1997.
With the inauguration of DC-Cam as an autonomous
research institute, the documentation and research
products of the CGP have been deposited at DC-Cam tomake them accessible to the Cambodian people. Thesematerials were principally collected and produced by
the Cambodian people themselves, with support fromscholars and experts in the United States, Australia andelsewhere. Through the World Wide Web, many of theseresearch products have been made available to all interested parties at http://www.yale.edu/cgp.
Objectives
DC-CAM aims:
1. To record and preserve the history of the Khmer Rouge
regime for future generations
2. To compile and organize information that can serve as
potential evidence in a legal accounting for the crimesof the Khmer Rouge.
Programs and Activities
The Center’s main work is to collect, document, andcatalogue materials related to the Khmer Rouge regime.
Theses materials are inputted and organized into four
extensive databases: (1) Bibliographic containing over
30,400 biographies, (2) Biographic containing over 2,900
documents, (3) Photographic containing over 5,100
documents, and (4) Geographic containing maps of over
19,000 mass graves and 189 prisons. In addition, DC-Cam
carries out a number of projects emphasizing research,outreach, and education.
Affinity Group – link with similar centers in other countries in other regions of the world.
Cham Muslim Oral History - seeks to record the experiences of Cham Muslims during the Khmer Rouge era andempower Cham Muslim women to speak out about theirexperiences.
Forensics - A team of North American forensic experts
along with the Center’s Mapping Project members collaborate on the exhumation of mass graves and memorials.
Genocide Education - seeks to promote genocide education across Cambodian schools.
Legal Training/Victim Participation - assists the tribunal
members in locating and accessing Khmer Rouge related
documents, and educates the Cambodians on how to filecomplaints for atrocities committed during the Khmer
Rouge regime.
Living Documents – assists genocide survivors, considered “living documents,” participate in the tribunal process.
Mapping – mapping of the mass graves, former Democratic Kampuchea prisons, and genocide memorial sites
in Cambodia.
Promoting Accountability – documentation of the insights of thousands of former Khmer Rouge cadres andtheir family members on the inner workings and localcentral dynamics of Democratic Kampuchea.
Public Information Room - a public space for researchers,
students, and members of the general public to access
DC-Cam materials.
Radio – broadcasting of articles from the Center’s magazine, Searching for the Truth, and excerpts from books
such as The Dairy of Ann Frank (translated Khmer version).
Student Outreach - aims to promote youth volunteerism,
educate the youth about the Khmer Rouge period, andfacilitate conversation between the survivor generationand their children about a sensitive and traumatic past.
Victims of Torture (VOT) - seeks to address the mental
health problems of survivors.
Publications
Some of its past publications include:• Searching for the Truth, monthly (Khmer) and quarterly (English) magazine• The Khmer Rouge Division 703: From Victory to SelfDestruction• Seven Candidates for Prosecution: Accountability for
the Crimes of the Khmer Rouge• The Chain of Terror: The Khmer Rouge Southwest Zone
Security System• A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979)• Annual and quarterly reports are published online.
Address
Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam)
P.O. Box 1110
66 Sihanouk Blvd.,
Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA
ph (855-23) 211 875
fax (855-23) 210 358
e-mail: dccam@online.com.kh
www.dccam.org

23

Khmer Institute of Democracy (KID)
Year Established: 1992
Short Historical Background
The Khmer Institute for Democracy (KID) was foundedin October 1992 with the goal of inculcating democraticvalues into Cambodian society. It upholds and consolidates Cambodia’s pluralistic liberal democratic order as
determined by the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, by allinternational human rights instruments adhered to by
Cambodia, and by the Cambodian Constitution of 1993.
Objectives
The Institute aims to acculturate democratic values into
Cambodian society. It upholds and consolidates Cambodia’s pluralistic liberal democratic order.
Programs and Activities
The Proto-Ombudsman Program (Citizen Advisor Project),
started in 1999, is now run by one hundred eighty-four
Citizen Advisors, of whom forty-five are women, operating in seven provinces: Battambang, Siem Reap,
Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham, Kratie, Prey Veng andSvay Rieng. It aims to assist local people in remote areas,
where there is a poor knowledge of democracy and limited respect for human rights, to address disputes related
to domestic violence, land issues, divorce, rape, defamation, breach of contract, etc.
The Local Self-Administration Program aims to strengthen
decentralization and local democracy by building the capacity of the commune councils, assisting the commune
councils to administrate their communes effectively andprovide better services to the people, contributing to thedevelopment of the commune, and encouraging active
participation of the population in the work of the commune councils.
The Community Information Center Program operates
through the four branch offices in Kampong Cham, Svay
Rieng, Kratie and Stung Treng provinces to provide accessto news and information on democracy, human rights,
elections, agriculture, health, combating drug abuse, decentralization, education and economic growth througha Khmer language web portal (www.cambodiacic.org,
www.BohChnout.info) for Cambodian citizens (training
on accessing the internet provided).
Promotion and Preservation of Human Rights in Rural
Cambodia, a two-year project (2006-2008) in Dang Tong
and Chhouk district of Kampot province and in Boseth,Phnom Srouch and Tpong district of Kampong Speu
province. The project consists of the extension of the
network of ombudsmen in two new provinces to provide legal counselling and law dissemination to the rural
population to enhance the protection and preservationof human rights, and prevent conflict.
The Khmer Rouge Tribunal Program aims to strengthen

24

the judicial reform process in Cambodia, with the ultimate goal of eliminating Cambodia’s culture of impunityand ensuring respect for the rule of law. The Institute conducted a survey in 2004 among five hundred thirty-six
people in six provinces on the Khmer Rouge Regime andCambodians’ perception of the upcoming Khmer Rougetrials. According to the survey, 96.8 % of the respondents
want to have a Khmer Rouge trial, 44.1 % would preferto have no trial at all than just a sub-standard trial, 89.1%
still think about the Khmer Rouge years, and 24.7 % are
not aware of Khmer Rouge trials being set up.
Victim and Witness Protection Standards for the Khmer
Rouge Tribunal and Beyond Program consists of police
training on victim and witness protection according tointernational standards, education on the process of the
Khmer Rouge Tribunal, and the advocacy for employment
of international standards in the Tribunal processes.
Areas of Democracy Work:
Political Parties and Political Leadership; Civic Society
Strengthening; Civic Education; Media and Freedom ofExpression; Transparency and Anti-Corruption; Elections;
Decentralization and Local Government; Legislative Development and Assistance; Rule of Law; Human Rights;
Women’s Issues; Political and Civic Participation of YouthActivities• Research• Publication• Training• Advocacy• Conferences and workshop series
Publication• Democracy and Law (monthly bulletin)
Other Information
Om Radsady Library has a collection of materials on
management, trafficking of children, commune council
administration, political sciences, social sciences, democracy, human rights as well as novels, the bi-monthly bulletins of the Royal Palace, Truth magazines and local andforeign newspapers.
Address
Khmer Institute of Democracy#5, Street 57, Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang 1, Khan Chamcar Mon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
P.O. Box 117,
ph (855-23) 214 928/ 216 085
fax (855-23) 216 208
e-mail: kid@camnet.com.kh; director.kid@online.com.kh
www.bigpond.com.kh/users/kid/ChinaThe Center of Women’s Law Studies and Legal Services
Peking University

Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
The Center of Women’s Law Studies and Legal Services
was founded by the Law Department of Peking University in 1995 to provide legal services, and to study andpromote women’s rights in the Chinese legal system. The
Center seeks to promote women’s consciousness of theirlegal rights, to increase legal protection for women’s
rights, and to improve the treatment of women by thelegal system.
The Center has become an integrated institutionof research, teaching and legal services. In addition toproviding free legal counseling, the Center researches
and publishes analyses of legal problems facing China’s
women. It is staffed by law department faculty staff,
graduate students and full- and part-time lawyers, andreceives help from some of China’s most noted pioneers
in the fields of women’s issues and women’s law.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To provide legal consultation, free of charge, to women across the nation, answering questions posted
through letters, e-mails, telephone calls and visits
2. To undertake major complex cases involving problems
typically faced by women in asserting their rights, andprovide legal aid to indigent women
3. To prepare research reports on major issues concerning women’s rights, and submit suggestions and proposals to the legislative, executive and judicial branches that would further improve the legal system in areas
relating to women’s rights
4. To cooperate with experts, scholars, legal institutions
and universities in discussing theories and practice inthe area of legal aid services to women and protectionof women’s rights
5. To cooperate with the media in educating women on
their legal rights and in heightening their consciousness to safeguard their rights. Also, enhance publicconcern about women’s rights and legal aid services inthis respective field.
Programs and Activities
Public interest litigation - integrates social resources, advocates social transformation, and fully and comprehensively guarantees the public interests of the disadvantaged group. Public interest litigation as a strategy andmodality fosters legal reform from the grassroots level
through case handling, research, seminars, advocacies,
legislative recommendations and regional legislative experiment.

women’s rights. The goal of “Women’s Watch” is to create a data bank, think tank, observation spot, monitoring and publicity center on women’s rights and related
issues.
Research - includes theoretical studies on the protection of women’s rights and legal assistance. The Centerstudies the state of women’s rights in China, the pressing
need to protect women’s rights and to set up a systemof legal assistance, and the outstanding difficulties andkey issues. The Center has been actively exploring ways
to institutionalize the protection of women’s rights andlegal assistance. Over the past ten years, Center members have written more than two hundred research articles and reports, published nearly one hundred papers,
hosted more than sixty seminars and forums, and submitted more than seventy legal letters, legislative proposals and reports to relevant authorities, some of whichhave attracted the attention of the relevant authorities,
thus successfully pushing forward the reform of relevant
policies.
Publications• The Chinese Women Work Rights and Interests Protection - Theory and Practice• A Comprehensive Q & A - Guide on Workers’ Rights• A Comprehensive Q&A Guide on Human Rights• A Comprehensive Q&A Guide on Marital Rights• A Compilation of Common Legal Regulations for Protecting Women’s Rights in the Workplace• Domestic Violence and Legal Assistance• The Theory and Practice Behind Securing Rights forContemporary Chinese Women• Theory and Practice of Protection of Women’s Rights
and Interests in Contemporary China• The Theory and Practice of Chinese Legal Assistance• Women’s Legal Assistance (Case Studies and Legal
Manual)Address
The Center of Women’s Law Studies & Legal Services
Law Department
Peking University
Room No. 1304,
The Third Building of Qianhejiayuan,
108 Beisihuan Donglu, Chaoyang District,
Beijing, 100029, P.R.China
ph (86-10) 4833270, 84833276
fax (86-10) 84831627
e-mail: go@woman-legalaid.org.cn
www.woman-legalaid.org

Women’s Watch - undertakes comprehensive and indepth exploration and practices in the protection of25

Center for Gender and Law Studies (CGLS)
Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
The Center for Gender and Law Studies (CGLS), Instituteof Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, establishedin September 2002, engages in promoting research on
theoretical and practical issues in the relationship between gender and law.
Objectives
The CGLS aims
1. To carry out and further research on gender and law
2. To analyze Chinese laws from a gender perspective,
and on the basis of the analysis, to submit legislative
advice to the state legislative body
3. To advocate for public policy on the basis of comparative study of gender theory and practical surveys
4. To form a network on gender and law studies and, by
sharing resources, promote gender mainstreaming inlegal research and education
5. To build up an international forum by facilitating exchanges between Chinese legal professionals and foreign counterparts
6. To disseminate and popularize its research output andto raise the gender awareness of the public.
Programs
Research projects
1. Comparative Study on Gender and Law (April 2003 -July2005) – the project utilized the new method of incorporating gender perspective into legal research.
2. Amendment of the Law on Protection of Women’s Rights
and Interests (LPWRI) (October 2003-October 2005)– aimed to improve the LPWRI in effectively guaranteeing women’s human rights during the transitional
period of China, and to promote gender equality andsustainable development of society.
3. Theoretical and Action Research on Gender and Law(2005-2009) - a continuation of the project “Comparative Study on Gender and Law,” it aims to improve theoretical and action research, and to give an impetus togender mainstreaming in the legal field.
4. Study on Gender Equality Issues Arising in the Course of
Legal Construction (2006-2009) - aims to analyze gender bias or discrimination existing in the legal system
in China, and to explore their causes and forms of expression in order to provide legal proposals.
Activities
CGLS holds the following activities:
1. Seminars – aim to promote academic exchanges withscholars and experts both from China and abroad
through a range of roundtables and seminars.
2. Lectures – aim to set up a domestic and international
exchange platform to facilitate research on genderand law using multi-disciplinary approaches, to train acontingent of research personnel to form the research

26

base, and to gear up to efforts on gender mainstreaming internationally.
3. Training – aims to actively advocate gender awarenessand to make persistent efforts to incorporate gender
perspective into legal research and education throughvarious training activities.
4. Study Course - different study courses on different
academic works, such as classical feminist works andcourse book of gender and law, for the purpose of
equipping participants on relevant theories.
5. Writing Teaching Materials - CGLS cooperates with experts in writing teaching materials concerning genderand law.
6. Survey - together with sociologists, CGLS administered the “Questionnaire on Status of Legal Workers”
in China among members of the police, prosecution
offices, courts, law firms, institutions of higher learning, and research institutes in cities of different administrative levels in four regions of China to explore andanalyze the gender awareness of legal personnel, thestatus of women in the legal profession and the statusof gender equality in contemporary China. Being thefirst gender survey among legal personnel, it provided
empirical data and an objective foundation for genderand law studies.
7. Analysis of Law - applying gender perspective, members of CGLS examine the main existing laws, departmental rules and regulations, local regulations, judicial
interpretations, background materials of legislation,
public policies and international treaties concerned, tosee whether or not there are gender-blind points andmistaken gender concepts.
Publications
Studies on Basic Framework of the Law on Gender
Equality.
Address
Center for Gender and Law Studies (CGLS)- Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
15 Shatan Beijie,Dongcheng District, 100720 China
ph (86 10) 64022109
fax (86 10) 84040572
e-mail: genderandlaw2005@126.com
www.genderandlaw.org.cn

The Cultural Development Center for Rural WomenYear Established:
Short Historical Background
The Cultural Development Center for Rural Women is a
non-governmental organization that seeks to promote
the social development of China’s rural women. Since its
foundation, it has grown from its core activity of publishing a magazine to become a major non-profit organization with an integrated program that “supports the poorby combining development projects, news media andinformation services, and dissemination of the results ofresearch.”
The Center grew out of the Rural Women Magazine(formally Rural Women Knowing All) project, which began publication in January 1993. The magazine, supervised by the All-China Women’s Federation and administered by China Women’s News, is the only monthly
magazine for rural women.
The Center is registered with the Changping Branchof Beijing Industrial and Commercial Administrative
Bureau.
Objectives
The Center aims to create opportunities for self-empowerment and development together with rural women—
those who live in the poorest parts of China— and also
dedicated to improving the quality of life for migrant
women in China’s cities.
Programs
The Center has programs focusing on the following:• Strengthening rural women’s community participation• Raising rural women’s ability and opportunity to participate in politics• Helping establish a system to prevent rural women’ssuicide• Reproductive health• Improving the quality of life of poor rural women• Providing for opportunities for girl dropouts aged between 16-18 to study• Upholding migrant women’s civil and labor rights• Enhancing the social space for migrant women’s development.
Activities
Rural women’s community development – this includes
microfinance, literacy classes, and projects aimed at enhancing reproductive health, preventing suicide of women, and increasing participation of women in politics.

Legal services for migrant women’s – through the “Migrant
Women’s Club” (established in 1996), the first to serve
migrant workers in China, the Center works to upholdmigrant women workers’ legal rights and interests, andis also concerned with their spiritual well-being, theiroverall quality of life and their capacity for self-improvement.
Publications and disseminating experiences - through service and practice, the Center is dedicated to exploring innovation in service provision in rural women’s development, and in learning and sharing the lessons of its many
years of experience.
Research and publicity – themed around the various
problems that rural women encounter, the Center hasorganized research groups, and sponsored seminars andworkshops on these issues. It undertakes survey and investigation on these issues and produced suggestions
for policy changes that are brought to the attention of
the government and the media. It has sponsored two
seminars on Rural Women Development and Countermeasures, two seminars on Migrant Women’s Legal
Rights and two seminars on Rural Women’s Participationin Politics as well as many other workshops, discussion
meetings and news releases.
Publications
Newsletter• Seeds
Teaching materials• Rural Teenage Girls’ Basic Reader• Manual for Preventing Rural Women’s Suicide
Books• Rural Women’s Development and Countermeasures• Report on Suicide Among Rural Women• The Census Registration System and Female Migrants
Address
The Cultural Development Center for Rural Women
301, Building 1, Jiali Mansion, 180,
Beiyuanlu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100101
ph (8610) 64984075
fax (8610) 64980110
e-mail: njnbst@263.net
www.nongjianv.org/web/english

Rural women’s training and re-education – through thePractical Skills Training Center for Rural Women (established in 1998), the first center in China aimed at raising
the overall capacity of rural women instead of merely
training them for a diploma – the Center offers training inpractical skills, and raising trainees’ awareness of gender,
citizenship, participatory and people-oriented concepts.

27

The China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS)
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS),
founded in January 1993, is a non-governmental national-level academic organization enjoying a special
consultative status in the United Nations Economic andSocial Council.
The CSHRS now has more than one hundred members from different colleges, universities, research institutes and specific work units in thirty-one provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under theCentral Government. They are all experts and scholars invarious disciplines such as philosophy, political scienceand law.
Since its founding, CSHRS has devoted its efforts tothe promotion of human rights activities by actively organizing studies on Chinese human rights theories, anddeveloping exchanges and cooperation with foreigncountries.
Objectives
CSHRS aims
1. To conduct studies on Chinese and foreign humanrights theories, and the historical and present situationof human rights both in and outside China
2. To establish academic ties with overseas human rights
organizations, experts and scholars
3. To work on promoting mutual understanding and support between the Chinese people and those throughout the world in safeguarding human rights, and exploring ways to ensure the development of humanrights theories and practice.
Programs and Activities
Preparation and publication of human rights materials
including such as the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and China’s Human Rights, the History of Human
Rights, An Introduction to Human Rights Issues, Women’s
Human Rights in China, International Laws on Human
Rights, and Human Rights Problems in the United States.
Also, nearly a hundred articles were published in various
newspapers and magazines, including “China Strives to
Realize People’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”
and “Promote the Healthy Development of the International Human Rights Cause.”
Publication of translated materials including the World
Documents of Human Rights, the Supplement to World
Documents of Human Rights, and the Human Rights Encyclopedia. These books collect and introduce, ancientand modern, Chinese and foreign human rights theories
and thoughts. They also include various declarations,conventions, agreements, resolutions and constitutional
documents of different countries and international communities.
Financial aid to promote human rights theoretical study.

28

In 1996, it jointly formed with the China Foundation for
Human Rights Development (CFHRD) the Assessment
Group of the China Foundation for Human Rights Studies. It has funded research on various topics including
New Progress of Human Rights in China in 1997, the
Human Rights Problems in the United States, and Major
Differences Between China and Western Countries in Human Rights Issues. The research work has all been completed to date.
Seminars to keep its members nationwide well-informed
about the latest domestic and foreign human rights theoretical research results through information exchanges.
During the seminars, experts from various fields wereinvited to discuss recent developments in human rights
theories and practices.
Data of Human Rights Research - this mainly publishes
theoretical articles written by experts and introduces
major activities organized by the CSHRS. It offers as a result a large amount of data on human rights theoreticalresearch.
Popularization and education of human rights knowledge- writing and compiling books such as 100 Questions
About Human Rights, and Human Rights in China--A Collection of White Papers on Human Rights. It has joined
hands with the CFHRD to produce a TV documentary,
Interviews on Human Rights in China, in which ten-odd
CSHRS executive members give special explanations onsome major issues.
International Exchange - includes establishing working relationship with human rights institutions in many
countries, and participating in international humanrights conferences.
Publication• China Human Rights Magazine
Address
China Society for Human Rights Studies
No. 22 Building, An Yuan Bei Li, Asian Games Village, Beijing 100029
ph (86-10) 6559-2354 / fax (86-10) 6522-9610
e-mail: infonew@public.bta.net.cn; yxh@cicc.org.cn
www.humanrights-china.org/en/eindex.html

Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
China University of Political Science and Law

Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
The Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law(IHRHL) is an independent full-time inter-disciplinary academic institute with the mandate to undertake research,teaching, training, consultancy, resource support and cooperation in the field of human rights and humanitarianlaw. IHRHL was established by, and directly affiliated to,
the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL).
IHRHL, established in June 2002, accepts visiting orpart-time fellows from other institutions within and outside CUPL.
Objectives
IHRHL aims
1. To carry out research, teaching, training, consultancy,
resource support and cooperation in the field of human rights and humanitarian law
2. To promote in China the prevalence of human rights
education, the dissemination of human rights knowledge, the enhancement of human rights consciousness, the nurturance of human rights culture, theimprovement of human rights system and the advancement of human rights capacities, and3. To accelerate the universal recognition, respect, protection and fulfillment of human rights of all without
any discrimination.
Programs and activities
Research and publication - compiled the two-volume
Textbook on International Human Rights Law in 2002
(in cooperation with Norwegian Center of Human Rights(NCHR), Oslo University, Norway) and the International
Human Rights Law textbook in 2004 (with the support of
the Cultural and Educational Section, British Council Beijing, and in cooperation with Foreign Affairs College andZhongnan University of Economics and Law). It is also
implementing many national and international research
programs including The National Human Rights Institution (in cooperation with RWI, Lund University, Sweden),Comparative Study in Human Rights Protection under
States of Emergency, China’s Practice in Ratification and
Implementation of International Human Rights Conventions, The Sources of Human Rights in Perspective ofSocial System, and Human Rights and Human Harmony,etc.
Teaching - CUPL is the only University in mainland China
which grants Master and Ph.D degrees in Human Rights
Law since May 2005 and the Major of Human Rights Law
since February 2006. The major courses under the Program and the Major include Theories of Human Rights,
International Human Rights, Substantive Rights, Domestic Human Rights Protection Mechanisms, Human Rights
Research Methodology, Constitutionalism and Human
Rights, Criminal Justice and Human Rights, International

Humanitarian Law, etc. The staff members have undertaken the majority of the teaching assignments. The
IHRHL also provides an optional course of International
Human Rights Law to the undergraduate students.
Training Programs - in cooperation with various institutions, IHRHL undertook the following training activities:
1. Second Sino-Nordic Advanced Workshop on International Human Rights Law for University Teachers inNovember 2002 in Beijing (with Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law [RWI],
Lund University, Sweden and Norwegian Center of Human Rights [NCHR])
2. Human Rights Law Training Program for University
Teachers from 1 September to 31 October 2003 in Beijing (with the European Union Commission)
3. The Fourth Advanced Workshop on International Human Rights Law for Chinese University Teachers on
16-27 August 2004 in Beijing (with Danish Institute for
Human Rights (DIHR), RWI and NCHR)
4. Human rights training course was held in December
2007 in Beijing (with support from Norway, the USA,
Sweden).
International Exchange and Cooperation - IHRHL has cooperated closely with the relevant institutions of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada,
the European Union and the United Nations Office of theHigh Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in thefield of human rights law teaching, training, research andcapacity building. It has also started cooperation withthe relevant institutes of the U.S.A, Germany as well assome other countries.
Publications• Textbook on International Human Rights Law, two volumes (2002)• Textbook on International Human Rights Law (2004)
Address
Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law,
China University of Political Science and Law,
No.25, Xitucheng Road Haidian District, Beijing, China
100088ph (86-10) 58908276
fax (86-10) 58908277
e-mail: ihrhl_cupl@yahoo.com.cn
http://gate.cupl.edu.cn/rqrdyjs

29

The Law and Globalization Research Center
Renmin University

Year Established: 1998
Short Historical Background
The Law and Globalization Research Center, affiliatedwith Renmin University, was founded in 1998 with fifteen researchers, among which are ten professors, andfive associate professors. The Center was the successor to
the Jurisprudence Department, and has been permitted
to grant masters and doctoral degrees by the Ministry of
Education since 1986.
Objectives
The Center aims to combine the general theory of law
and globalization with both practical and academic research.
Programs and Activities
The Center concentrates on law and globalization research and international exchange, whose main direction includes the general theory of law and globalization, globalization and human rights, globalization andChinese legal system development.
Since its establishment, it has been holding many
international academic meetings, consisting of an international academic colloquium on the law and globalization, an international academic colloquium on
post-modernism and the modernization of China’s legal
system, an international academic colloquium on law
and globalization - the theory behind the practice, andan international academic colloquium on Marxist law
and contemporary international relations, etc. It holds a“jurisprudence forum” where invited well-known domestic and international scholars give lectures. It engages
in international research and communication projects
supported by the Asian Development Bank, China andEurope’s higher education project, the Ford Foundation,etc.
It has undertaken a large number of social science
research projects. In a research project supported by the
Ministry of Education Key Research Base, the Center undertook a research on European Union’s policy on China’s
human rights situation and China’s counter-policy.
Address
The Law and Globalization Research Center- Renmin University
59 Zhongguancun Ave, Beijing 100872, CHINA
ph (86-10) 82500352
e-mail:putianren@163.com
www.law.ruc.edu.cn/english/research/globalization.htm

30

The Research Center for Human Rights
Peking University Law School (RCHR)

Year Established: 1997
Short historical background
The Research Center for Human Rights of Peking University Law School (RCHR) was founded on 25 April 1997. It
is an academic association of professors and scholars ininternational law, criminal procedure law, administrativelaw, comparative law and other areas of human rights.
Objectives
The RCHR is dedicated to facilitating academic exchanges between scholars both at home and abroad in thefield of human rights, advancing the consciousness ofhuman rights of Chinese citizens, and promoting humanrights in China.
To fulfill these objectives RCHR tries to develop human rights research and education in China.

• Reports on the Pre-trial Detention System in China (Peking University Press, 2004).
Address
The Research Center for Human Rights
Peking University
Beijing 100871 China
ph (8610) 6275-1698/6276 7955
fax (8610) 6275-1269/62756542
e-mail: Gongrr@pku.edu.cn; hrol_pku@hotmail.com
www.hrol.org/index.htm
www.hrol.org/aboutus/index.php
www.law.pku.edu.cn/article_view.asp?id=544&menuid=200393576525&menuname

Programs and Activities
Human rights courses - RCHR offers courses to both undergraduate and graduate students on many areas ofhuman rights. These courses, among others, include:
Human Rights and Rule of Law, Economic, Social andCultural Rights; International Human Rights Protection
Mechanisms, Regional Protection of Human Rights, Business and Human Rights, and International Humanitarian
Law. It has also sponsored a joint masters program on
human rights with Lund University in Sweden, which isthe first professional human rights education program in
China.
Symposiums and seminars - it holds academic symposiums and seminars on theoretical and practical problems of human rights both at domestic and international
levels.
Advisory service - it offers advisory opinions to the Chinese governmental institutions, including legislative, judicial and executive organs on matters such as the implementation of international human rights conventions.
Translation and publication - it edits and translates academic works and publishes documents and other materials on human rights.
Research and education - it implements projects on research and education on human rights in cooperation
with domestic or international institutions. It publishes
human rights books.
Publications• Judicial Justice and Human Rights Protection (Chinese
Legal System Press, 2001)• Selected Documents on International Human Rights
Law (Peking University Press, 2002)• Human Rights in the Perspective of Law (Peking University Press, 2003)

31

Fiji
The Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC)
Year Established:1980
Short Historical Background
The Pacific Concerns Resource Centre Inc. (PCRC) was firstestablished in Hawai’i in 1980. From 1986 it was based in
Auckland before moving to Suva in 1993.
PCRC serves as the secretariat for the Nuclear Free andIndependent Pacific (NFIP) Movement which was set up
in 1975 in opposition to continued nuclear tests in French
Polynesia. Since then, NFIP Movement has met every three
years, bringing together representatives from around theregion from over a hundred affiliated non-governmental
and community organizations from around the Pacific:
indigenous peoples’ organizations; church, trade unionand peace activists; environmentalists; and movements
for sovereignty and self-determination.
In 1999, PCRC gained General Consultative Status
with the United Nations Economic and Social Council the only non-governmental organization in the Pacific tohold this status.
Objectives
PCRC aims to coordinate, articulate and disseminate information about the concerns and struggles of peoplesof the Pacific in their desire to exist free from exploitation, from the threat of environmental degradation andfrom both foreign and internal forms of subjugation.
Programs
PCRC collects and disseminates information, advocatesand lobbies, promotes discussion and understanding
and mobilizes resources within and outside the region
on five campaign areas: demilitarization, decolonization,
environment, human rights and good governance andsustainable human development.
It has programs on the following issues:a. Human rights and good governance• Good governance• Indigenous rights• Refugees
b. Demilitarization• Internal militarization in the Pacific• Foreign military forces• Johnston Atoll chemical agents disposal system• Missile defence and Kwajalein atoll• The Rarotonga Treaty for a South Pacific nuclear freezone
• Nuclear test victims
c. Decolonization• West Papua, Te ao Maohi/French Polynesia, Kanaky/
New Caledonia, Tokelau,
d. Sustainable Human Development• World Trade Organisation• ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement• Pacific regional Trade Agreements

32

Activities
Library - PCRC maintains a library collection of books,
periodicals, reports and pamphlets collected by the NFIP
Movement since 1975. The library has a strong Pacificemphasis, with specialist collections covering PCRC’s fivemain campaign areas: decolonization, demilitarization,
environment, sustainable human development, andhuman rights and good governance. There are also substantial reference and periodical sections.
Networking and Partnership with other Civil Society Organizations - PCRC is the regional focal point for the PacificRegional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGO)
a collective of eleven Pacific-focused and regional civilsociety organizations predominantly based in Fiji thatcollectively lobby the Pacific Forum countries on agreed
issues and concerns.
PCRC is also a member of Fiji’s NGO Coalition on Human
Rights.
Publications• Pacific News Bulletin• Report of the Inaugural Pacific Consultation on the
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, March 15-17 2004, Nadave, Suva
• 2004 Pacific Civil Society Forum Meeting, Apia, Samoa• No Te Parau Tai, No Te Parau Mau, No Te Tiamaraa• For justice, truth and independence• Kirisimasi - Fijian troops at Britain’s Christmas Island
nuclear tests• The French nuclear tests in Polynesia: Demanding thetruth and proposals for the future• After Moruroa - France in the South Pacific• Moruroa and Us - Polynesians’ experiences during thirty years of nuclear testing in the French Pacific• The 3rd NGO Parallel Forum - Rarotonga, Cook Islands• Independence and Sovereignty for Te Ao Maohi(French Polynesia)• Report of the inaugural Indigenous Peoples of the
Pacific Workshop on the United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples• Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights Consultation• Never Again?
• Freedom 2000
• Collision Course at Kwajalein - Marshall Islanders in the
shadow of the Bomb
• Nuclear Free & Independent Pacific Conference 1983
Address
Pacific Concerns Resource Centre, Inc.
83 Amy Street, Toorak, Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fijiph (679) 304-649
fax (679) 304-755
e-mail: pcrc@is-com.fj
www.pcrc.org.fj

Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT)
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
Initially established as a legal literacy project with a focus on women and children, the Pacific Regional Rights
Resource Team (RRRT) has expanded over the years toprovide training, technical support, policy and advocacy
advice in human rights to promote social justice andgood governance throughout the Pacific region. Basedin Suva, Fiji, RRRT is managed by the Secretariat of the
Pacific Community (SPC).
Objectives
RRRT aims
1. To strengthen the capacity of policy makers to adopt
and apply human rights principles and good governance practices
2. To strengthen the capacity of implementation-levelagencies to develop, promote and apply human rights
principles and good governance practices
3. To strengthen the capacity of civil society and marginalized groups to advocate, assert, monitor and defend
human rights and good governance - with special focus on the poor, women and children
4. To strengthen the capacity of RRRT to enhance its delivery of innovative and cutting edge human rights
support and services to its partners in promoting
good governance.
Programs
Training & Advocacy - RRRT designs and delivers comprehensive, sustained, quality training programs tailor-madefor all levels of government and civil society, from Members of Parliament to rural community-based advocates,from social workers to judges. The training uses inclusive and interactive training approach. RRRT runs training workshops for Community Paralegals, the judiciary,
lawyers, medical practitioners, teachers and police onhuman rights and gender equality issues, communitybased women and men on their legal rights, government
departments and personnel on human rights issues andthe Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
RRRT also conducts regional workshops for humanrights and women’s advocates in partnership with otherregional or international organizations on such issues as
gender and economic literacy, the right to land and adequate housing, feminism and legal theory.
The Community Paralegal Training (CPT) programis the main component of RRRT’s micro-level activities.
The objective of the CPT program, introduced in 1997,
is to extend outreach, create a pool of human rights
advocates and build organizational capacity to support
RRRT-backed Legal Rights Training Officers (LRTOs) thatare employed in partner organizations.

for information. It offers expert advice to governments
and civil society in the development of national humanrights advocacy, lobbying and mobilization strategies. It
advises on the development of national human rights,
gender and youth policies and the drafting of national
human rights legislation. It also offers technical input togovernments and civil society organizations concerning
obligations in relation to international human rights conventions.
Activities
RRRT undertakes activities such as the following:• Developing model legislation to combat discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS• Developing appropriate legislation for the protection
and promotion of civil society organizations and assistance to civil society in advocating for the establishment of human rights machinery in each Pacific Island
country• Producing human rights publications and advocacy
materials tailored specifically for the Pacific, including
a human rights training manual, booklet on the rightto adequate housing and an annual Pacific Digest on
human rights case law• Assisting partners with research, social impact assessments and monitoring and evaluation exercises.
Publications• Pacific Human Rights Law Digest Volume 1 (2005)• The Big Seven: Human Rights Conventions & Judicial
Declarations (2005)• Ko e hâ ‘a e CEDAW?, Tonga Catholic Women’s League& Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (2005)• CEDAW Roadmap: Reporting before the Committee(2003)• All about CEDAW in 10 Questions and Answers: A Basic
Information Guide to CEDAW (2001)• Law for Pacific Women: a Legal Rights Handbook, P.
Imrana Jalal, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement FWRM
(1998)• Right Hia - RRRT’s e-newsletter
Address
Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT)
2nd Floor, Pacific House
Butt Street, Suva, Fijiph (679) 330 5582
fax (679) 330 6582
e-mail: registry@rrrt.org.fj
www.rrrt.org
Mailing address:
Private Mail Bag
Suva, Fiji

Technical Support & Policy Advice - RRRT provides professional and technical support, and acts as a resource base33

Hong kong
Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC)
Year Established: 1976
Short Historical BackgroundAs international companies increased their investment
in Asia, it became clear that the poor working conditions
they brought required an informed response from laborand its supporters. Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC)
was part of that response and was founded in Hong
Kong in 1976. It is an independent non-governmentalorganization (NGO) that focuses on Asian labor concerns.
The Centre supports a democratic and independent labor movement promoting the principles of labor rights,
gender consciousness, and active workers’ participation
in work related issues.
The AMRC seeks to become a strategic research, education, and information resource partner of the broad
Asian labor movement in the struggle for decent jobs,
equality, and dignity for Asian working men and women.

Services
AMRC provides services to the following:• grassroots NGOs concerned with women workers, labor issues, and development• activists within the labor movement• labor organizations specializing in areas such as education and training, health and safety, and labor rights• NGOs in developed countries and international organizations concerned with labor rights and labor standards in Asia
• organizations requesting information on specificcountries or industries for the purpose of raising public awareness of labor issues in Asia
• NGOs seeking North-South or South-South collaboration on research projects, monitoring, information exchange, and the analysis and sharing of experiencesof organizing.

Objective
AMRC aims to support and contribute towards the building of a strong, democratic, and independent labor
movement in Asia by understanding and responding to
the multiple challenges of asserting workers’ rights tojobs, decent working conditions, and gender consciousness, while following a participatory framework.

Internships
AMRC offers both long- and short-term internship programs, ranging from two months to one year for Asianlabor organizers and activists in the fields of documentation and information management, research, publication, project or issue-based programs, i.e., occupationalsafety and health, toys production, export promotion
zones, and Asian transnational corporations, etc.

Programs and Activities
Research
AMRC undertakes research with regional and local laborgroups into issues affecting workers in Asia. Current research projects include:• Comparative labor law in Asian countries• Lay-offs in China’s state owned enterprises• Informalization of labor• Occupational Safety and Health Education• Mobility of capital• Women workers in Asian Export Processing Zones• The impact of TNC subcontracting on workers and social development• Migrant workers in Southern China• Monitoring workers’ conditions and workers’ rights inthe sports shoe, garment, toy, electronics, and gem
and jewellery industries.
Information and Documentation
AMRC monitors and processes information on all aspectsof labor in Asia including:• global and regional trends• national social, political and labor situations• data on wages and employment• trade union profiles• occupational safety and health• transnational corporations• industry-specific data.

34

Web sitereflects the results of AMRC’s research of past and ongoing projects. Archive pages offer information about previous Asian Labour Update (ALU) magazines and otherpublications, reports, and activities, some of which areavailable as free downloads.
Publications• Asian Labour Update (ALU) - synonymous with AMRC
since 1992, it is a quarterly newsletter examining important labor issues and current events in the Asian
region from the workers’ perspective.
• AMRC regularly produces books and reports, mostly inEnglish, that reflect its work, studies, and projects.
Address
Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC)
Unit 4, 18 Floor, Hollywood Centre,
233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan,
Hong Kongph (852) 2332-1346
fax (852) 2385-5319
e-mail: admin@amrc.org.hk ; apo@amrc.org.hk
www.amrc.org.hk

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Year Established: 1986
Short Historical Background
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) was founded by a prominent group of jurists and human rights activists in Asia. The AHRC is an independent, non-governmental body, which seeks to promote greater awarenessand realization of human rights in the Asian region, andto mobilize Asian and international public opinion to obtain relief and redress for the victims of human rights violations. AHRC promotes civil and political rights, as wellas economic, social and cultural rights.
Objectives
1. To protect and promote human rights by monitoring,
investigation, advocacy, and taking solidarity actions
2. To work towards social equality, with particular emphasis on social groups who have suffered discrimination in the past, such as women and children andminorities, including Dalits
3. To develop a speedy communication system using modern communication techniques to encourage quicker actions to protect human rights, redress
wrongs and prevent violations in future
4. To develop appropriate modes of human rights education and especially promote the folk school approach
5. To promote appropriate legal and administrative reforms, particularly judicial and police reforms
6. To develop close links with the victims of humanrights violations to promote solidarity with victims, topreserve the memory of the victims and to organize
significant commemorations linking large sections ofpeople for the purpose of eliminating human rights
violations
7. To participate in peacemaking, reconciliation, conflict
resolution, truth commissions, international tribunals
8. To develop cultural and religious programs for the promotion of human rights
9. To encourage ratification of United Nations instruments and development of local legislation, law enforcement and judicial practices in keeping with such
instruments, and assist the formation and functioningof national human rights commissions
10. To promote the United Nations, particularly its humanrights agencies and assist organizations and persons
in Asia to utilize these agencies for better promotion
and protection of human rights in Asia
11. To work towards the development of regional humanrights mechanisms and encourage people’s participation in this process by promoting the Asian Human
Rights Charter.
Programs• Investigation – investigates specific allegations of human rights violations• Promotion - aimed at creating greater awareness ofhuman rights and preventing the occurrence of human rights violations in the future• Communication and Information

Activities
1. Human Rights School - introduces a different way of
studying human rights
2. Urgent Appeals Program – consists of a network ofcontacts of thousands of persons and organizations
that deal with human rights violations in Asia.
3. Religious Group on Human Rights - facilitates meetings of religiously-motivated individuals and groups
on various issues, such as torture, and runs an e-mailnewsletter for this network.
4. Human-Rights-Related Legal and Judicial Training– facilitates analysis and strategizing of ways to bringabout reforms in the legal and judicial systems that incorporate respect for human rights according to international standards.
5. Human Rights Training Programs
6. Internships
7. Country-specific Programs
8. Campaign on Eradication of Poverty
Special Concerns• Rule of law and human rights• Legal reforms• Policing• Criminal justice system• Torture
Publications
Some of AHRC’s recent publications are the following:• The State of Human Rights in Eleven Asian Nations(2007, 2006)• Sri Lanka’s Dysfunctional Criminal Justice System• Peoples’ power calling for reforms in Pakistan• Sri Lanka: The Delgoda Family Massacre and Confronting Lawlessness• Human Rights SOLIDARITY – periodic newsletter
Complete list of books at: www.ahrchk.net/pub/mainfile.
php/books/
Special online publications on specific issues:
1. Article 2 (www.article2.org) : published by the Asian
Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) in conjunction with Human Rights SOLIDARITY.
2. www.disappearances.org: also known as the Cyberspace Graveyard for Disappeared Persons
3. www.hrschool.org: internet-based Human Rights
SchoolAddress
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) & Asian Legal
Resource Center (ALRC)
19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building,
998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
ph: +(852) - 2698-6339
fax: +(852) - 2698-6367
e-mail: ahrchk@ahrchk.org
www.ahrchk.net

35

Asian Migrant Centre (AMC)
Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
Asian Migrant Centre (AMC) is a regional, non-governmental, non-profit organization established in Hong
Kong in 1989. It was formally registered with the Hong
Kong government on 23 December 1991. AMC operates
as a monitoring, research, information, publishing, training, support and action center dedicated to the promotion of the human rights and empowerment of migrant
workers and their families in Asia towards meaningful social participation as women, workers, agents of change
and partners in social development.
Objective
AMC’s primary goal is to promote the human rights, dignity and empowerment of migrant workers and theirfamilies in Asia, so that they are able to assert and defend their rights and interests, and become partners insustainable, just and gender-fair social development.
Programs and Activities
Migrants Human Rights (MHR) Program – in view of thetremendous “gap” between international standards on
migrants human rights (MHR) and the daily struggles
and realities of migrants’ working and living conditions,the program works to increase the “critical mass” of organizations advocating for MHR, strengthen region-widemechanisms to document rights violations, and improvethe capabilities, skills and conceptual and practical understandings of advocates on using MHR standards.
The MHR program strives to fulfill AMC’s strategic
objectives of working with the Asian migration advocacy network, the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), to promote the use of migrants human rights standards andthe practice of monitoring, documenting, reporting andredressing migrants’ rights violations among a broadbase of migrant workers’ organizations and their support
groups in Asia.
Asian Migrant Yearbook - The Asian Migrant Yearbook is
AMC’s annual publication, providing a yearly report on
migration for over twenty countries in Asia.
Mekong Migration (MM) Program – this program aims tocover two areas, namely the intra-Mekong cross-bordermigration under the Mekong Project; and outgoing migration of Chinese people into Asian countries/territories
such as Japan, Korea, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Mekong Project – in collaboration with more than twenty
regional and national research partners covering the six
countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), theproject involves a joint action-oriented research to map
migration issues, needs and strategies in the GMS.
Mekong + China Migration (MCM) Program – this program
monitors, analyzes and strategizes on migration issues

36

and needs in the GMS, and looks into the issues surrounding out-going cross-border migration of Chinese
people.
Information Monitoring (IMY) Program - collects, organizes and manages a wide range of information related tomigration in Asia. AMC maintains a library accessible tomigrant workers in Hong Kong, and plans to computerize the library and other sources of information in orderto provide access through the Internet. In addition, AMC
periodically publishes monographs and reports basedon its research, along with statements, conference reports, educational and training materials.
Publications• Asian Migrant Yearbook• Resource Book: Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion• MFA Newsletter• Framework Setting and Information Package on Migrants’ Right to Health - A Resource Reader• 2001 Baseline Research on FDHs in Hong Kong
• A Report on the 7th and 8th Regional Conference on
Migration• Building Alliances and Lobbying for Migrants’ Human
Rights• Harnessing “Migrant Savings for Alternative Investments” (MSAI)• Annotated Bibliography 2nd Edition: Migration in the
Greater Mekong Subregion• Migration, Health and Gender: Issues, Trends and Responses• Underpayment
Other Information
The GMS project resulted in a loose network of migrant
advocates, the Mekong Migration Network (MMN), whichis perhaps the first broad, organic civil society-based action network on comprehensive migration issues in the
GMS. The network strives to work together on four areas:
research, advocacy, capacity building and networking.
Address
Asian Migrant Centre (AMC)
13/F, Flat 6, Blk. A, Fuk Keung Industrial Building
66-68 Tong Mi Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
ph (852) 2312 0031
fax (852) 2992 0111
e-mail: amc@asian-migrants.org
www.asian-migrants.org

Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
Year Established: 1984
Short Historical Background
The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) is a causeoriented regional center committed to support the migrants’ movement through advocacy, organizing, andbuilding linkages for the advancement of migrants’rights.
The name APMM was realized in March 2002 andoriginally came from the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrant Filipinos or APMMF which was established in 1984.
APMM is working with different nationalities of migrants
in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.
Objectives
APMM aims to help build a movement of migrants ofdifferent nationalities in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle
East (APME) that actively defends the rights of migrants,
advances solidarity with people’s movements in the
countries where they are working and links up with thepeople’s movements in their home countries.
Programs
Advocacy and Organizing Program (AOP) - APMM undertakes activities to help develop a strong movement of
migrant workers, especially in the countries of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and of the Gulf regions. A comprehensive advocacy program in these areas is undertaken to
help in the establishment and strengthening of migrant
workers organizations, especially in APMM focus areas.
Incorporated in this program are the mission of networkbuilding and linkaging.
Education and Research Program (ERP) - APMM seeks toraise migrant workers’ consciousness, encourages thegrowth of their own organizing, leadership development, social services skills like counseling and para-legal
skills. Research serves as an important part in the overall
education work.
APMM conducts research on the various dimensionsof migration and the migrants’ movement. Research
serves an important part in the overall education for it
provides relevant information to better understand migration.

4. Mission and Network building - for the enhancementof migrant workers upliftment and well-being
5. Education and Research - for advocacy, information
sharing/networking and resource development.
Research projects• Psychosocial Profile and Perspectives of Foreign Brides(2007)• Attitude of the Local People to Foreign Brides• Historical Development and Policies on Overseas Employment in Indonesia• Deteriorating Conditions in the Japanese Economy
and Its Impact on Migrant Labor• SEGYEHWA (“Globalization”) and Korea: Worsening Crisis in Society, Worsening Conditions for Migrant Workers• The Role and Process of Remittances in the Labor Export Industry in the Philippines• “Case Study on the Development of Filipino Migrants
Movement in Some Selected Countries in the Asia Pacific & Middle East Regions”• The Truth About Illegal Salary Deductions to Indonesian Migrant Workers in Hongkong.
Special Concerns• Undocumented Migrants• Immigrant Brides (Foreign Brides)• Globalization and Migration• Wages, Job security and Benefits
Publications• APMM News and Digest• Migrant Monitor (analysis on issues related to migration and globalization)
Address
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
G/F, No.2 Jordan Road, Kowloon
Hong Kong SAR
ph (852) 2723-7536
fax (852) 2735-4559
e-mail: director@apmigrants.org; apmm@hknet.com
www.apmigrants.org

Women’s Program (WP) - APMM gives primary emphasisto this program because almost two-thirds of migrant
workers are women and organizing work will have to besensitized to women’s concerns in conjunction with migrant workers’ rights.
Activities
1. Advocacy and Campaigns - for the defense and protection of migrant workers’ rights
2. Migrant Organizing and Linkaging - to strengthen thesolidarity movement of migrants
3. Women’s program - to orient and organize women migrants

37

The China Labour Bulletin (CLB)
Year Established: 1994
Short Historical Background
The China Labour Bulletin (CLB), founded in 1994 by labor activist Han Dongfang, seeks to uphold and defend
the rights of workers across China. It supports the development of democratic trade unions, respect for andenforcement of the country’s labor laws, and the fullparticipation of workers in the creation of civil society.
It also seeks the official recognition in China of international standards and conventions providing for workers’
freedom of association and the right to free collective
bargaining.
It is based in Hong Kong and has close links withtrade unions and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world, as well as with numerous
partner groups in mainland China. Over the last thirteen
years, CLB has grown from a small monitoring and research group into a proactive outreach organization witha wide range of domestic and international programs
and initiatives.
Objective
CLB aims to uphold and defend the rights of workers
across China.
Programs
Research Program - production of in-depth reports on
the labor rights situation in China, ranging from thecountry’s appalling coal mine safety record, the silicosis
epidemic among Guangdong’s gemstone workers, andthe abusive labor conditions endured by female migrant
workers from the countryside.
Negotiations Program - promotion of factory-wide, collective labor contracts as an alternative to managementimposed corporate codes of conduct.
Labor Rights Litigation Program – includes the identification of cases of labor rights abuse, provision of legal
advice and support to the Chinese workers concerned,
and extending help to them and their families in seeking
justice through court litigation. The program covers civil,
criminal and administrative cases of laborers.
Campaign - calling for the release of detained workers andfor the end to the heavy death toll of Chinese workers
Publications
English Language Reports• Help or Hindrance to Workers: China’s Institutions of
Public Redress (2008)• Bone and Blood: The Price of Coal in China (2008)• Speaking Out: The Workers’ Movement in China, 20052006 (2007)• Breaking the Impasse: Promoting Worker Involvementin the Collective Bargaining and Contracts Process(2007)

38• Small Hands: A Survey Report on Child Labour in China(2007)• Public Interest Litigation in China: A New Force for Social Justice (2007)• Falling Through the Floor: Migrant Women Workers’
Quest for Decent Work in Dongguan, China (2006)• Deadly Dust: The Silicosis Epidemic among Guangdong Jewellery Workers (2005)
Chinese Language Reports• No Legal Recourse: Why collective labor protests leadto conflict with the law (2008)• Help or Hindrance: An analysis of public protection
procedures in three occupational injury cases (2007)• Breaking the Impasse: Promoting Worker Involvementin the Collective Bargaining and Contracts Process(2007)• Speaking Out: The Workers’ Movement in China, 20052006 (2007)• Putting People First? China’s Coal Mine Accident Compensation System (2006)• Bloody Coal: A Report on Coal Mine Safety in China(2006)• Deadly Dust: The Silicosis Epidemic among Guangdong Jewellery Workers (2005)
China Labour Bulletin Weekly Roundup
CLB’s online newsletters (also available in e-mails)• E-Bulletins• Action Updates• NewsFlash
Other Information
CLB’s Resource Centre provides an overview of important labor issues in China. It helps readers appreciate Chinese labor relations from a macroscopic perspective andgives them a better understanding of the historical andeconomic context of the key issues. The Resource Centre
covers eight topics: 1) State owned Enterprises (SOE) reforms; 2) unemployment; 3) wages; 4) labor dispute resolution mechanisms and labor rights supervision; 5) social
security; 6) work-related injuries; 7) migrant workers, and
8) laws and regulations.
Address
China Labour Bulletin
8A, Tung Lee Comm. Bldg
95 Jervois Street,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kongph (852) 2780 2187
fax (852) 2359 4324
e-mail: clb@clb.org.hk
www.china-labour.org.hk/

Documentation for Action Groups in Asia (DAGA)
Year Established: 1973
Short Historical Background
DAGA was formed by the Urban Rural Mission desk of theChristian Conference of Asia (CCA) to serve ecumenicalaction groups in the area of information solidarity - bycollecting, analyzing and sharing information for action.
Both the CCA and DAGA are gazetted as charitable institutions in Hong Kong. DAGA envisions a just world inwhich all peoples, especially the marginalized, participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives
and livelihood. DAGA also envisions a world where peace
is not the absence of war or violence but rather a productof a community living with justice. One major initiative
working towards this vision is the Center for JustPeacein Asia.
DAGA is :1. a venue to articulate the language of hope: sharing
people’s struggles, alternative paradigms, and where
people can take control of their lives by bringing aboutchanges even at the local level
2. a channel that links the stories of grassroots people
with other action groups and the ecumenical movement
3. an infrastructure for information sharing, research andanalysis on key issues, training and action, and
4. a network that mobilizes the resources, services andcontribution of the people and action groups for communication and relevant publications.
Objectives
DAGA aims
1. To establish an effective, stable and accessible resource
and information center for action groups in Asia
2. To promote electronically linked database as well as
strengthening the other systems and information networks among regional and national groups for more
efficient production and sharing of vital information
among action groups in Asia
3. To conduct research and information campaigns onimportant and key issues such as the rural economy,
Asian transnational corporations, indigenous peoples
and minority groups, peacebuilding and conflict transformation
4. To provide training and support to activists and action groups committed to peacebuilding and conflicttransformation in Asia
5. To facilitate the networking of action groups in Asia as
well as provide vital information for the mission workof the churches and ecumenical partners in Asia andabroad.

peacebuilding and conflict transformation in Asia. It also
aims to seek ways to make use of this accumulated wisdom and experience to develop more effective and appropriate models for conflict transformation and peacemaking at the local, national and global levels.
Publications• Burmese Migrant Workers in Thailand (2005)• U.S. Military Presence in Asia ( 2004)• Maori and Pacific Island Stories of Peace and Justice(2003)• Kashmir - Disputed Territory; Paradise Lost (2002)• The War on Terror: Reordering the World (2002)• Justice! Not Impunity. Stop US Military Crimes (2002)• Military and Ethnic Conflicts in Burma (2001)• China and the WTO (I & II) (2000 & 2002)• Taming Global Financial Flows (2000)• Hong Kong (series 1997 & 1999)• A Citizen Guide to the Globalisation of Finance (1999)• The 13th Lok Sabha: a test of diversity and dissent inIndia (1999)• Timor Lorosae (1999)• Challenging Globalisation: Solidarity and Search for
Alternatives (1999)
Address
Documentation for Action Groups in Asia (DAGA)
Unit 1-2, 18/F,
280 Portland Street,
Mongkok, Hong Kongph (852) 2385 2550
fax (852) 2782-3980
e-mail: dagainfo@daga.org.hk
www.daga.org.hk

Programs
The Center for JustPeace in Asia (CJPA) aims to connect
grassroots peace activists from around Asia to enable a
process of discussing, documenting and building indigenous experiences of local grassroots communities on

39

Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical BackgroundEstablished in April 1995, the Hong Kong Human Rights
Monitor is an independent, non-partisan organization
rooted in the local community.
Objectives
WHKHRM aims to promote better human rights protection in Hong Kong, both in terms of law and of practicallife, and to encourage greater human rights awarenessthrough education.
Programs and Activities
1. Advocacy - monitoring laws, policies and actions of theauthorities and campaigning on various issues on human rights and the rule of the law.
2. Briefing - briefing the press, the United Nations, Hong
Kong and foreign governments and legislature on
Hong Kong human rights issues verbally orally or inwriting.
3. Research - researching on various important topics
including the police, prisons, immigration law, constitutional issues, and freedoms of association, assemblyand expression, etc.
4. Education - publishing human rights materials in Chinese and English (sometimes all and some in Tagalog)
including a newsletter, teach-yourself human rights
booklets, human rights materials.
5. Case Work - handling cases referred by other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which have strong
implications for legal or institutional reforms in certain
areas and go beyond the interest of the individual client, especially on police and immigration issues.
Publications• Anti-Small Circle Election pamphlet (PDF, Chinese)• Anti-Functional Constituency pamphlet (PDF, Chinese)• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights• What are Human Rights• Take Your Rights Seriously• District Council Election Pamphlet• 2004 People’s Power calendar
Other Information
Structurea. Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor - a Hong Kong organization comprises of mainly Hong Kong Chinesewith mandate on human rights and the rule of thelaws issues in the territoryb. Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor Education Charitable Trust - a human rights charitable fund in Hong
Kong to promote awareness of human rights among
the people of Hong Kongc. Digital Library- holds human rights treaties and related
documents in electronic format

40

d. Resource and Information Centre - collects and disseminates basic human rights information.
Address
Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor (HKHRM)
4/F Kam Tak Building,
20-24 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan,
Hong Kong SAR
ph (852) 2811-4488
fax (852) 2802-6012
e-mail: contact@hkhrm.org.hk
www.hkhrm.org.hk

indiaAsian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR)
Year Established: 2003
Short Historical Background
The Asian Centre for Human Rights, established in March
2003, is dedicated to the promotion and protection ofhuman rights and fundamental freedoms in the Asian
region.
Objectives
ACHR aims
1. To provide accurate and timely information and complaints to the National Human Rights Institutions, theUnited Nations bodies and mechanisms as appropriate
2. To conduct investigation, research, campaigning andlobbying on country situations or individual cases
3. To increase the capacity of human rights defenders
and civil society groups through relevant trainings
on the use of national and international human rights
procedures
4. To provide input into international standard-setting
processes on human rights
5. To provide legal, political and practical advice according to the needs of human rights defenders and civilsociety groups
6. To secure the economic, social and cultural rights
through rights-based approaches to development.
Activities
ACHR publishes reports, briefing papers, and a weekly review on a variety of human rights issues affecting many
countries in Asia.
It also engages in campaigns (such as on refugee andcustodial death issues), and issues articles on many human rights issues for media outlets within Asia and beyond.
Publications
Reports:• Pakistan: The Land of Religious Apartheid and Jackboot Justice (2007)• Need for a National Law for Prevention of Torture(2007)• India Human Rights Report (annual)• Naxal Conflict in 2006
• SAARC Human Rights Report (2006)• The Adivasis of Chhattisgarh: Victims of the Naxalite
Movement and Salwa Judum Campaign (2006)• Nepal: One Year of Royal Anarchy (2006)• Torture & Lawless Law Enforcement in Sri Lanka: A
Shadow Report to the UNU Committee Against Torture (2005)• Torture in Nepal: A Case for Investigation by CAT(2006)• Lessons Not Learnt by Assam: Ethnic cleansing andinternal displacement in Karbi Anglong and North

Cachar Hills (2005)• The Chinese Chequer: Split Wide Open in Nepal(2005)• The Bindunuwewa Massacre: A Cry for Justice (2005)• The Banana Republic of Thailand: Rule of the Jungle in
the Name of Emergency (2005)• Beyond Gender: Illegal Laws, Ethnicity, Armed Conflicts and Trafficking (2005)• UN Human Rights Council: Illusions, Realities and Kofi
Annan’s Search for Legacy (2005)• Maldives: The Dark Side of Life (2005)
Briefing Papers:• Unfair trial and continued imprisonment of former
parliamentarian Sheikh Hasina (2007)• Maldives : Judiciary under the Presedent’s Thumb(2007)• Withdrawal of the Maoists’ unilateral cease-fire: Where
does Nepal go? (2006)• Nepal: End of the anachronistic monarchy? (2005)• Joint letter on new Code of Conduct for “Social Organizations” in Nepal (2005)• The Chinese Chequer: Split Wide Open in Nepal(2005)• 11th Briefing Papers on Nepal: The case for sanctions
and extension of restrictive measures (2005)• Who funds the acts of racism and racial discriminationin the Chittagong Hill Tracts? (2005)• ACHR WEEKLY REVIEW- an online report that provides
analysis of human rights issues.
All these publications are available in the ACHR website.
Address
Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR)
C-3/441-C, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058, Indiaph (9111) 25620583, 25503626
fax (9111) 25620583
e-mail: achr_review@achrweb.org
www.achrweb.org

41

Centre for Development and Human Rights (CDHR)
Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
The Centre for Development and Human Rights (CDHR)
is a research organization based at New Delhi, registeredunder the Societies Registration Act XXI, 1860 (Registration No. S.38721 of 2002). CDHR is dedicated to bringing
theoretical clarity to the concept of Right to Development(RTD) by integrating the academic disciplines of law, economics, international co-operation and philosophy.
Objectives
The Centre aims to promote discussion and debate
among academicians, scholars, policymakers and civilsociety and non-governmental organizations and bringabout theoretical clarity to the issues of rights-based
approaches to development and eradication of poverty
and realization of related socio-economic rights such as
the Right to Health, Right to Education and the Right toFood.
Activities
CDHR is involved in:• Raising national and international awareness that the
Right to Development is a human right• Publishing a bi-monthly ‘Rights and Development’ Bulletin addressing contemporary human rights issues inIndia and South Asia
• Networking with non-governmental organizations(NGOs) working on various aspects of development
and human rights• Examining implications of integrating a human rights
perspective into existing development programs• Undertaking research both independently and in collaboration with other institutions• Publishing monographs, reports and papers on development, public policy and human rights• Organizing seminars and workshops on aspects of development, public policy and human rights.
Research areas
1. Basic Rights and Right to Development(i) Right to Food(ii) Right to Health(iii) Right to Education
2. Poverty and Right to Development - stresses the underlying principle of RTD in designing the implementationof poverty alleviation schemes. This involves a substantial rethinking of the existing methodologies foranalysis of poverty by learning from the experiences ofother countries and regions, and working with policymakers and civil society organizations for a dialogue
on poverty alleviation from the RTD perspective.
3. Theoretical Formulation of Right to Development - although RTD has evolved substantially since the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Right toDevelopment, its nature, content and form remain acontroversial issue till date. This activity aims to devel-42

op a comprehensive notion of human rights that are
justiciable and enforceable, and their level of achievement measurable in terms of indicators.
4. International Legal Aspects of Right to Development– aims to address the numerous questions about theenforcement of RTD by examining these legal problems, and documenting the evolution of RTD and its
current status in international law.
5. Development Co-operation and Right to Development– examines within the RTD framework the concept
of development co-operation that introduces certain
distinct characteristics aimed at reducing the stigma
attached to development aid, moving from a traditional recipient-donor relationship to a mutually beneficial partnership. Moreover, in contrast to a singularfocus on aid flows, the RTD framework suggests acomprehensive package of development cooperation
comprising other measures such as trade and investments.
6. Trade and RTD – examines the important question on
the distribution of the benefits of the process of tradeliberalization among the various economic agents.
The policies and programs of national governments
and international organizations are critical factors inthis regard. The policies of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are the most crucial factor because theseprovisions are binding on all the members. The WTO
agreements, particularly the Agreement of Agriculture
and the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights,
have direct implications on the realization of the Right
to Development in the developing countries.
Publications• The Right to Development – A Prime• Rights and Development – bi-monthly Bulletin. Available online at www.cdhr.org.in• Reflections on the Right to Development
Address
Centre for Development and Human Rights
100, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi - 110003 Indiaph (91-11) 24643170, 24643171, 24643172, 24643174
fax (91-11) 24643170
e-mail: chairman@cdhr.org.inarjunsengupta@gmail.com
www.cdhr.org.in

Centre for Organisation, Research and Education (CORE)
Year Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Centre for Organisation Research & Education(CORE) was established on 24 March 1987 as an indigenous peoples’ human rights and policy center for India’s Eastern Himalayan Territories. It is a registered nonprofit society under the Manipur Societies Registration
Act of 1860, with FCRA certification and Income Tax exemption. Since 2004, it is in Special Consultative Status
with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of theUnited Nations.
Objectives
CORE aims:
1. To contribute to socially equitable, economically efficient and environmentally sound development
through the application of Science, Technology andManagement to the rational utilization of resources
and information for increased human well-being andthe conservation of the natural environment
2. To achieve satisfaction of basic human needs throughwidespread diffusion of appropriate technology andestablishment of equitable exchange systems
3. To enable the conservation and management of thenatural and “built” environment through ecologicallyand economically sustainable and energy conserving
extraction, production, distribution and service systems
4. To promote and establish effective education, training, skill upgrade, documentation and information
processing and dissemination program and facilities
for school and non-formal education and artisan andprofessional training drawing on local culture or subculture-specific tradition, information and database,
media and modalities and evolution of appropriate
interface with other cultural, traditional, or modern
media, technologies, policies or information systems
5. To establish and support community development andlegal aid programs for specific problems and issues asneeded or desired by specific sections or communities
such as indigenous peoples/tribal, women, children,
the economically deprived or other disadvantaged
groups
6. To establish facilities for dissemination of information,
including the development of materials (in the formof film, television and radio programs, theater plays
and art works), to the mass media and for the public
on culture, arts and crafts, development, science, technology, the environment or other materials or issues ofinterest and the need for various audiences
7. To provide support services for the planning, development and management of local production, distribution, co-operative, government or voluntary institutions
8. To initiate the establishment of appropriate services
for the specific health needs of youth, women and children who have survived torture in state detention andinterrogation centers, by supporting them to identify
their psychological and emotional trauma
9. To rapidly develop a manual for the training of trainers
for support to torture survivors, using local, regional
and international experiences as input
10. To improve the capacity of CORE to develop andmonitor a special program addressing the particularneeds of torture survivors
11. To sensitize, and initiate a training program for, healthworkers in the private and public health services, modern and traditional, on the contextual and technical aspects of supporting torture survivors
12. To initiate the systematic documentation of torture
as practiced in Manipur and the specifics of individual
cases to make the information useful in their legal support, as well as sensitization and advocacy work.
Programs
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms - CORE’s human rights program attempts to comprehensively address all aspects, including support to communities andsurvivors, documentation and monitoring, advocacy,training and networking.
Documentation Research and Resource Centre - the documentation work of CORE is a systematic process of collecting information from newspapers and magazines,
with follow-up research on selected issues or events using internet sources and field verification.
Indigenous Children and Youth - in addition to the rangeof activities on the ground, including peer counselingand support services for traumatized children. Children
and young people who are active in the program havealso taken up issues of rights violations of physically challenged children and youth as a special focus.
Women’s Leadership and Governance - in the context of
CORE ‘s on-going and multi faceted erosion of indigenous women’s rights in the region, CORE has taken astrong stand over the years in advocating the strengthening and revival of traditional indigenous community
structures and institutions which acknowledge and affirm indigenous women’s status and role in society.
Environment and sustainable development - CORE wasthe founder Secretariat till 2005 of the Citizens’ Concern
on Dams and Development (CCDD), formed in 1999 towork on the issue of Dams and Development in Manipur.
CCDD has more than forty community organizations andleaders as members.
Health - CORE co-chairs the Committee on Indigenous
Health, an international committee of indigenous peoples organizations working at United Nations forums
and platforms to advocate for Indigenous Peoples’ rights
to health. The Committee researches, compiles and pres-43

ents submissions at appropriate United Nations conferences, meetings and other platforms.
Activities
CORE’s Community Program for Young Survivors of Torture has the following activities:
1. Training - consisting of documentation and record
keeping, case record maintenance, referrals and support for accessing services, counseling and humanrights.
2. Research - including surveys, assessments and studiesof the impact of prevention Activities.
3. Documentation – consists of medical and legal documentation, library and information services, and monitoring of alleged and reported cases of torture.
4. Prevention – includes public sensitization and awareness training and campaigns, advocacy on the ratification by the Government of India of international

44

human rights instruments, media campaigns on theConvention against Torture, and advocacy with healthprofessionals and security personnel. CORE also publishes training manuals and handbooks.
5. Information and advocacy - CORE publishes reports, liaises with the media, conducts campaigns, carries out
fundraising activities and government lobbying andparticipates in international forums.
Address
Centre for Organisation, Research and Education (CORE)
Post Box No. 99
Gate No.2, Palace Compound
Imphal 795 001 Manipur, India
ph/fax: (91385) 222 81 69
e-mail: info@coremanipur.in
www.coremanipur.org

The Centre for Feminist Legal Research
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
The Centre for Feminist Legal Research (New Delhi)
works on issues of feminist legal theory, postcolonial
theory, human rights and law. Its work has focused onfour broad categories of rights:• Postcolonial Approaches to International and Human
Rights Law• The right to freedom of speech• The right to freedom of religion/secularism• The right to equality• The right to sexual autonomy/bodily integrity.
Objectives
CFLR aims
1. To develop a critical understanding of the role of law
in the lives of women and other disadvantaged groups
through research and promoting critical scholarship
2. To develop a multidisciplinary approach to legal studies by exploring the intersections between law andother disciplines
3. To develop feminist critiques and analysis of thelimitations and possibilities of law and culture in the
struggle for empowerment of disadvantaged groups
or communities
4. To publish and disseminate our research to a broadcross section of scholars and practitioners.
Programs
Research/Internship - the Centre invites persons interested in legal research, postcolonial theory, feminist theory
and subaltern studies, to submit research proposals to
the institution. The Centre has sponsored many researchers over the years both as interns and as visitors.

of law to improve the position of women rather thanunproblematically pursuing strategies of law reform• Developing a feminist analysis of law to formulate
more critical ways of using practicing, addressing andwriting about law as it relates to women’s lives.
Special Concerns
CFLR works on issues of Feminist Legal Theory, Postcolonial theory, human rights and Law.
Publications• Cross Border Movements and Human Rights• Trafficking Reform : An analysis of the protection of therights of positive people, children and sex workers• A handbook on human rights and legislative practices
to combat trafficking in persons• Consultation on Gender, Migration and the Law: Focuss on Bangladesh, India and Nepal
Other Information
CFLR encourages students, researchers and individuals
to use its library facilities during the Centre’s working
hours.
Address
Centre for Feminist Legal ResearchC-602, First floor,
New Friends Colony
New Delhi - 110 065, India.
ph (91 11) 41628118
ph/fax:41629569
e-mail :cflr_45@yahoo.com
www.cflr.org

Library and Documentation.
Gender, Law and Sexuality Exchange - the Centre has an
ongoing research exchange program on the area of gender, law and sexuality with the Keele Law School andLeeds University, U.K. The Indian researchers, selected by
the Centre, spend four to six weeks at these British institutions in order to carry out research and participate in
the intellectual life of the host institution.
Sexuality, Rights and Post-colonial Exchange - the Centre focuses on analyzing how the epidemic impacts thewomen’s rights agenda, especially sexual speech and expression, as well as trying to influence the developmentof successful human rights intervention policies and programs in this area.
Activities• Exploring the multiple ways in which law, legal discourse and legal institutions operate to reinforce
women’s oppression• Developing a sophisticated understanding of the role45

Centre for Promotion of Human Rights Teaching and Research (HURITER)
Year Established: 2004
Short Historical Background
The Documentation-Information Centre for Human Rights
Teaching & Research (HURITER) was set up on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Universal Declarationof Human Rights--10 December 1983-- as a part of the Program of Human Rights Teaching & Research of the Schoolof International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU). HURITER has the support of the University Grants
Commission and works within the framework of UNESCO
Program for Promotion of Human Rights Education.
Objectives
HURITER aims to promote interdisciplinary research andteaching in the field of human rights at all levels of education and to that end:
1. Serve as a means of liaison and coordination between
the teachers and institutions specializing in humanrights education and contribute to all forms of research and reflections essential to the teaching of human rights
2. Make available the text of international instruments-declarations, conventions, treaties, etc.--adopted by
the United Nations/UNESCO/ILO and other international organizations as also relevant documents, studies and reports prepared by these organizations
3. Collect and disseminate information on national andinternational human rights laws, as well as information,materials, syllabic and instructional guides for all levelsof education and availability of materials towards setting of priorities for effective human rights research
4. Facilitate interaction among teachers, scholars andhuman rights activists primarily by means of seminars,
meetings and conferences.
Programs and Activities
Teaching - HURITER introduced in 1984 an optionalcourse entitled “Human Rights: Problems & Perspectives,”
and in 1991 an optional course entitled “Human Rights
and World Order” for M.A, students.
Research - HURITER assists people in the formulation ofhuman rights course curriculum, research proposals, dissertations, theses, etc. to help introduce human rights
courses in several universities in India.
Documentation - HURITER has a collection of texts ofthe most important international laws on human rights,
selected documents of the United Nations Commission
on Human Rights, United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), International Labor Organization(ILO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), summary
records of international bodies such as the Human Rights
Committee (HRC) and the Committee on the Eliminationof Racial Discrimination (CERD).
Dissemination of Information - one of the main purposes

46

of HURITER is to assist scholars and teachers in obtaining
information and source material needed for their work.
Internships - HURITER offers internships to exceptionallybrilliant students, research scholars, human rights activists, etc., who are interested in working on human rights
issues. The facility is intended to increase human rights
awareness and competence, particularly from the legal
perspective to a broad spectrum of people.
Seminars/symposiums – HURITER organizes seminars/
symposiums such as the• National Summit on Disability, Human Rights Law and
Policy, 1-4 December 2004, organised in collaboration
with the Society for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, New Delhi.
• National Seminar on “Human Rights and Social Justicein India” on the occasion of the 56th Anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2004 and in memory of late Professor K.P. Saksena(Founder Director - HURITER).
• National Seminar on “The Rights of Tribals” on the occasion of International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2005.
Publications• Teaching about Human Rights at the Secondary Schoollevel (prepared for NCERT/UNESCO pilot project, 198283)• Human Rights in Asia: Problems and Perspectives(summary of proceedings and text of working paperof the seminar held in December 1982)• Human Rights Education (working papers and conclusions and recommendations of the seminar held in December 1984)• The Teaching of Human Rights (Proceedings of theFirst National Symposium on Human Rights Teachingin India at the University (under-graduate) level, May
1985).
Address
Centre For Promotion Of Human Rights Teaching & Research (HURITER)
Room No. 235, School of International Studies
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi 10067 Indiaph (91-11) 26704338
fax (91-11) 26717592
e-mail: huriter@mail.jnu.ac.inwww.jnu.ac.in/Huriter/index.htm

The Documentation, Research and Training Centre (DRTC)
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The Documentation, Research and Training Centre (DRTC)
was inaugurated on 13 November 1993 by Cardinal Simon Pimenta in Mumbai city, India to aid the Justice andPeace Commission of the Archdiocese of Mumbai. On 14
December 1997, at a symposium held to commemorate
the fiftieth year of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR, 1948), the Justice and Peace Commissionof the Archdiocese of Mumbai mandated the DRTC to set
up a watch cell. This Human Rights Watch Cell (HRWC)
was set up on 1 January 1998.
Objectives
DRTC aims
1. To promote a human rights culture
2. To provide accurate and timely information about human rights violations in India
3. To promote public awareness about the nature andimportance of human rights in India
4. To participate more actively in Indian and international
human rights movements.
Programs
To realize its vision and objectives, DRTC implements thefollowing programs:
Documentation and Publication - this program serves individuals, communities and organizations with timely relevant and useful information, thus providing the basis forpeople’s empowerment. Its resources, activities and services focus on the following areas - ecology, communication, development, education, judiciary and law, health,society, politics, religion, culture, human rights, etc. The
resources are in English and a few in Hindi, Marathi andTamil. A facility is maintained offering multi-media resource materials such as books, magazines, audio-video
cassettes, slides, posters, journals, documents, reports,
etc., to social action groups for training programs, meetings, seminars, symposia, exhibitions, etc.
Human Rights Watch Cell - this program mobilizes victimized groups on a human rights issues and works towards
appropriate changes in policymaking and the law. It also
prepares documentation, and conducts training and research on human rights issues.
Legal Aid Cell – this aims to provide legal assistance tothe poor, conduct paralegal courses to equip trainees
with basic knowledge of law to handle simple matters,
help promote and build legal cells in Mumbai, prepare
documents, bulletins and information on legal issues,
identify and conduct studies on important socio-legal issues affecting the marginalized communities, revitalize
the concept of Lok Adalats, strengthen the government’s
legal aid program, and develop the concept of mobile
courts and barefoot lawyers for speedy dispensation ofjustice.

Training – this aims to enhance the capacities of the
trainees through information, skills and attitude building, strengthen the capacities of people’s organizations,non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, institutions, professionals and social activists
to understand and analyze social realities, micro/macro
linkages, global trends, emerging market forces and help
the development of just, equitable and sustainable alternatives, conduct different training programs either on
the initiative of DRTC or upon request, and equip leaders/trainers to be resources for their local communities.
Activities
Human Rights Cell Watch• Mobilization of victimized groups on human rights issues for appropriate changes in policy making and thelaw• Monitoring and reporting appropriate responses whenhuman rights violations occur• Arbitration to reconcile differences between parties incases brought to it• Networking with like-minded groups• Documentation, training and research on humanrights issues• Awareness-raising and education, preparing training
modules on various human rights issues such as therights of children, rights of women, right to the environment etc.
Legal Aid Cell – includes a legal service to the needy, paralegal courses, establishment of legal aid cells, training oflaw students, reparation of legal bulletins.
Training - training programs, seminars, workshops, symposiums related to organizing work in communities, law,human rights, documentation, research and other related topics in keeping with the aims of DRTC.
Publications• Humanity Today (human rights magazine)• Understanding Human Rights• Preliminary Ideas in Human Rights• Indian Constitution and Fundamental Rights (in Hindi)• Hindu Laws (in Hindi)
Address
Documentation Research & Training Centre (DRTC)
Justice & Peace Commission
St. Pius College,
Aarey Road, Goregaon (E)Mumbai - 400 063
ph (91 22) 28756953
ph/fax (91 22) 28749023
e-mail: drtc@vsnl.com
http://jpc-drtcmumbai.org

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The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)
Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) is a collection oflawyers and social activists dedicated to the use of thelegal system to advance human rights, struggle against
violations, and ensure access to justice for all. A non-profit, non-governmental organization, HRLN defines rights
to include civil and political rights as well as economic,
social, cultural and environmental rights. It believes thathuman rights are universal and indivisible, and their realization is an immediate goal.
Starting in 1989 as an informal group of lawyers andsocial activists, HRLN has evolved into a human rights
organization with an active presence in many states ofIndia.
Objectives
HRLN aims
1. To protect fundamental human rights, increase accessto basic resources for marginalized communities, andeliminate discrimination
2. To create a justice delivery system that is accessible,
accountable, transparent, efficient and affordable, andworks for the underprivileged
3. To raise the level of pro bono legal expertise for thepoor to make the work uniformly competent as wellas compassionate
4. To equip through professional training a new generation of public interest lawyers and paralegals who are
comfortable both in the world of law as well as in social movements, and who learn from the social movements to refine legal concepts and strategies.
5. To work towards an increased awareness of rights asuniversal and indivisible, and their realization as an immediate goal.
Programs and Activities
Legal Aid and Public Interest Litigation - quick response
and pro bono expertise provided to those who have little
or no access to the justice system.
Legal Education - continuous campaigns to broad constituencies for better understanding about the law andthe judicial system through different channels in the variety of Indian languages, and through materials that arefocused on target audiences.
Advocacy - in courts, in the media, and in various public
and legislative forums, HRLN is a strong advocate for laws
and policies that promote and defend human rights. An
important part of HRLN’s work involves advocacy against
legislation and policies that undermine human rights.
This includes working to increase public awarenessthrough research and dissemination of accurate information on violations and anti-poor policies.
Communication and Publications - HRLN publishes ‘know

48

your rights’ material including books, reports and posters to simplify and make accessible important developments in human rights and law in India. Films on themesof importance are made to promote debate and discussion, and to mobilize opinion around the campaign forhuman rights. The posters compile legal information
around an issue and present it in a comprehensive yeteasy-to-understand style for a mass audience.
Publications
Magazine• Combat Law
Books• Can Society Escape the Noose…? The Death Penalty in
India• The Terror of POTA & Other Security Legislations• Prisoners Rights Handbook• Women & the Law - Vols. I & II
• Mahila Aivam Kanoon (Women and the Law)
• A Users Manual on Combating Sexual Harassment at
the Workplace• The Campaign against Sexual Harassment at the Workplace - A Training Manual• Supreme Court on Rape Laws
• A Resource Book on Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Rights
in India• Dalits and the Law• Refugee and the Law• Right to Food
• Eviction Watch India
Films• The Terror of POTA and Other Security Legislations• Manipur In the Shadow of the AFSPA• Ab Khamoshi Kyon? - sexual harassment at the workplace• The Assassination – starvation and the struggle for theright to food
Address
Human Rights Law Network
576, Masjid Road , Jungpura
New Delhi - 110 014 Indiaph (91-11) 24374501, 24376922
fax (91-11) 24374502
e-mail: contact@hrln.org
http://hrln.org

The Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS)
Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
The Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS) was establishedon the initiative of a network of Dalit non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) and some academic activists inJanuary 2002 with specific purpose: to fill the lacunae in
the knowledge pertaining to issues of social exclusionand discrimination associated with caste, untouchablity,
ethnicity, religious status and other group identities witha focus on marginalized groups in the Indian society.
Since its inception, IIDS has engaged in research,development of a database, development of a Documentation Centre, dissemination of its research findings,
providing support to civil society organizations and thegovernment, and has conducted other related activities
on its thrust areas.

Publications• Meri Katha - Dalit Yatna, Sangharsh and Bhavishya,Matin Macwan (New Delhi: Vani Prakashan)• Dalit Leadership in Panchayats: A Comparative Studyof Four States,• Narendra Kumar and Manoj Rai (New Delhi and Jaipur:
Indian Institute of Dalit Studies and Rawat Publications, 2006)• Reservation and Private Sector – Quest for Equal Opportunity and Growth, Sukhadeo Thorat, Aryama andPrashant Negi ) New Delhi and Jaipur: Indian Instituteof Dalit Studies and Rawat Publications, 2005)• Caste, Race and Discrimination – Discourses in International Context, Sukhadeo Thorat and Umakant (NewDelhi and Jaipur: Indian Institute of Dalit Studies andRawat Publications, 2004)

Objectives
IIDS aims to undertake interdisciplinary and applicationbased research
1. To provide knowledge support to civil society organizations working for the marginalized sections
2. To enable and support the government and other organizations in developing appropriate policies for social inclusion, and3. To serve as a Resource Centre for researchers, activists
and others alike.

Under publication• Ambedkar in Retrospect - Essays on Economics, Politics and Society, Sukhadeo Thorat and Aryama (NewDelhi and Jaipur : Indian Institute of Dalit Studies andRawat Publications)• Dalits in India, Sukhadeo Thorat (assisted by Prashant
Negi, Motilal Mahamallik and Chittaranjan Senapati)(New Delhi: Sage Publications)• My Story - Dalit Atrocities, Struggles and Future, Martin Macwan ( Translated and Edited by Prashant Negi)(New Delhi: Indian Institute of Dalit Studies and Rawat
Publications)• Bhartiya Dalit Sahitya ka Swar (in 12 Languages), Vimal
Thorat and Suraj Kumar Bartiya, Volume I (New Delhi
and Jaipur: Indian Institute of Dalit Studies and Rawat
Publications)• Reservation Policy for Private Sector – Why and How
Sukhadeo Thorat, Sugava Prakashan (Pune, 2004)• The Hindu Social System and Human Rights of Dalits,
Sukhadeo Thorat (New Delhi: Critical Quest, 2004)

Programs and Activities
The primary focus of IIDS is research and generation of
information on the issue of social exclusion and discrimination. The research priorities of the Institute, therefore,
are as follows:• Theoretical research on the concepts of social exclusion and discrimination in social, cultural, political andeconomic spheres, including theoretical research on
the consequences of social exclusion, and remedies
against various types of exclusions and developing
methods for measuring social exclusion in multiple
spheres• Empirical research on measuring the forms, magnitude and nature of discrimination in social, cultural,political, economic and other spheres. Research on theconsequences of social exclusion on inter-group inequality, poverty, human right violations, inter-groupconflicts and on economic development of the marginalized communities in general• Empirical research on the status of excluded and discriminated groups in the Indian society with respect totheir social, cultural, political, and economic rights.
• Empirical research for developing policies for social
inclusion and empowerment of the socially excluded
groups in various spheres.

Address
Indian Institute of Dalit Studies,
R-39, South Extension Part II,
New Delhi,
India-110 049,
Tel: +91-11- 46013955, 54
Fax: +91-11-51643982
e-mail: info@dalitstudies.org.in
www.dalitstudies.org.in

49

Indian Social Institute – BangaloreYear Established: 1963
Short Historical Background
The Indian Social Institute (ISI), Bangalore is a national
center with special focus on the four states in South
India, namely Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala andTamil Nadu. The Institute is committed to work for the
emergence of democratic, egalitarian, secular, culturalpluralist society. Consequently, the Institute focuses its
attention on socio-economic and politico-cultural issues related to the poor in general and the Dalits, tribals,
women, unorganized workers and children in particular.
It began as a sister organization of ISI-Delhi and, in 1993,
it became an independent institution.
Objectives
ISI Bangalore aims
1. To support the people’s movements and organizations
by providing various training to its cadres
2. To increase the capacity of dalits, adivasis / tribals andwomen leadership
3. To train non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
community-based organizations (CBOs), university
teachers and students and people’s organizations inrights-based intervention, gender mainstreaming, advocacy and lobbying
4. To promote and strengthen civil society activities in
Bangalore
5. To promote and support campaigns on issues related
to the discriminated and excluded
6. To publish resource materials for training
7. To engage in action research.
Programs
Training - one of the major activities of the Institute undertaken through various units, namely, Training andHuman Rights, Women’s and Outreach. Democratizationof knowledge is the underlying principle of all our training programs, which are therefore designed to equip theparticipants with knowledge of socio-cultural realities,
effective animation skills and proper value perspective.
Training & Human Rights – the Institute deals with a wide
spectrum of human rights issues, viz., Dalit rights, tribal
rights, minority rights, women’s rights, child rights, etc.,
and has always responded to the violations of rights ofthese communities. Its fieldwork involves human rights
trainings, seminars, education in schools and colleges,
fact-finding missions, lobbying, advocacy and public
protests.
Women’s Unit – this unit aims at empowering women
through training, capacity building, advocacy, etc.
Outreach - the Institute has four outreach units extending service to four southern states of India. Programs areorganized for grassroots social activists and leaders ofmarginalized groups like dalits and tribals in collabora-

50

tion with people’s organizations and movements and
NGO networks.
Research - the Institute carries out action research togenerate awareness among the general public and thedecisionmakers and to come up with alternatives. ISIBangalore in collaboration with likeminded groups has
so far conducted the following research studies in the
recent past:• Paradigm shift in development Co-operation• Land to Dalits• Rights to Tribal Girls Education• Development - Induced Displacement Case of Kerala• Impact of Globalization on the Tribals in Kerala
Activities
Though ISI-Bangalore pays special attention to the four
southern states in India it has positively responded to international collaborations and initiatives such as:• International conference on “Globalisation & the Political economy of Labour, Gender & Social Movements” incollaboration with ISS, The Hague in December 2002
• Participation in “World Conference Against Racism”
held at Durban, South Africa in September 2001
• Nodal role in promoting National Campaign for Dalit
Human Rights NCDHR in the wake of World Conference Against Racism• Lecture on “Affirmative action” in collaboration with
United States Consulate - Chennai in February 2001
• Training program on “Social, Economic and Cultural
Rights of the Marginalised: Access, Violations & Atrocities” in collaboration with Centre for Dignity and Rights
CEDAR, The Hague, Netherlands in June 2000.
Publications
ISI publishes on its own and also facilitates publicationof resource materials which can be used by grassroots
people and NGOs such as• Development-Induced Displacement, Case of Kerala• Land to the Dalits–Panchami Land Struggle in Tamil Nadu
• Paradigm Shifts in Development Cooperation – NGO
Dilemmas and Options• Globalisation and the Emerging Development Paradigm
Other Information
The Institute has a library with about 10,000 books on
specialized themes, sixty-five journals, fifteen newspapers and four hundred documentary collections that areused by activists and academicians.
Address
Indian Social Institute - Bangalore
24 Benson Road, Bangalore - 560 046
ph 91.80.23536189/23536960
fax 91.80.23537700
email: isiblr@yahoo.co.in
www.isiblr.org

Indian Social Institute - Delhi
Year Established: 1951
Short Historical Background
The Indian Social Institute, New Delhi was established in
1951 in response to the challenges of nation-building anda new emerging social order in an independent India. In
1980, the Institute committed itself to the strengtheningof people’s movements particularly those of the scheduled castes/dalits, tribals/indigenous peoples and othermarginalized communities, and joining them in theircauses. The Institute operates in the context of huge anddramatic changes taking place in the country influenced
by internal and external forces and factors, theories andpractices, acts of commission and omission by the government, markets and civil society.
Objective
The Institute aims to advocate the cause of the poor, themarginalized, the exploited and the excluded at all levels
through research, training and action for socio-economic development and human rights.
Programs
Action Research - this program brings activists and academics in a synergistic effort of researching on socioeconomic development and human rights.
Trainings, Workshops and Seminars - these are important
instruments of exchange and dissemination of knowledge and experience in the empowerment process ofvarious communities and civil society at large.
Documentation - the Institute gathers and disseminates
information and data through documentation pertaining especially to the priority communities.
Publication - information and knowledge are made available through publications in the form of journals andbooks at affordable cost especially for the non-profit sector and civil society organizations committed to humanrights, socio-economic development, gender equality
and environmental sustainability.
Networking - the Institute is a core member of many networks of civil society groups and organizations within
and outside the country.
Advocacy - all efforts and activities of the Institute areinfluenced and shaped by the primary objective of advocating the cause of the poor, the marginalized, the exploited and the excluded at all levels.
Activities
The Women’s unit works as a center for research, training
and action for the socio-economic and cultural development of women of Indian society.
• The Rural Development unit studies the socio-economic problems of people living in rural areas, theempowerment of the marginalized section including
dalits, tribals, women, minorities and other classes.
• The Dalit and Tribal unit works on issues confronting
the rights and well-being of dalits and tribal communities across the country. The research activities aims
to give identity and self dignity to these groups andenable them to assert themselves and be proud ofthemselves and of their contribution to the process ofnation-building.
• Human Rights and Law Department - Research
Projects
a. City Slum and the Marginalized: Muslims and Dalits
in Delhi Slums –b. Legal and Rehabilitation Measures for Scheduled
Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Chakwara
Rajasthanc. Monitoring Mechanism for Effective implementationof Supreme Court/High Courts’ Decisions on Mattersof Public Interestd. Situational Analysis of Women Inmates in Custodial
Establishments of Delhi and Haryanae. Study on Human Trafficking in India - explores thetheoretical underpinning and understanding of thisserious human rights violation, and the means ofaddressing it.
f. Institutional and non-institutional forms of humanrights violations in government schools in Delhi
g. Functioning of Human Rights Courts in India.
Publications
Annual Digest of Human Rights Judgments (series, 2000,
2002, 2003, 2005, 2006), M.J. Antony
Regular publications• SOCIAL ACTION - a quarterly review of social trends
published continuously from 1951
• Women’s Link - a quarterly Journal on the challenges
women face today, and the problems the exploited
women confront• Legal News and Views - a monthly regular journal withmore than 1,000 subscribers at present.
• Hindi monthly Hum Dalit (now Peediton Ki Awaz)• Subaltern, the News Bulletin of the Institute, a quarterly publication.
Information on other publications of the Institute is available at www.isidelhi.org.in.
Address
Indian Social Institute - Delhi
10- Institutional Area, Lodi RoadNew Delhi 110003 Indiaph (9111) 24622379, 24625015, 24694602 & 24611745
fax: (9111) 24690660
e-mail: isi@isidelhi.org.in
www.isidelhi.org.in51

Navsarjan
Year Established: 1988
Short Historical BackgroundEstablished in December 1988, Navsarjan started functioning as an organization in 1989. Its primary focus has
always been Dalits, which largely includes people previously known as ‘untouchables’—the most exploitedclass of Indian society. As time passes, however, and trust
on Navsarjan grows, other communities and castes havealso been approaching Navsarjan for legal assistance.
The organization has its roots in the 1970s when thefounding member of Navsarjan, Martin Macwan, was involved in a sustained effort to establish a consciousness
within the Dalit community to fight social and economic
exploitation. The educational process led the community
to assert their land rights and question their unequal andunjust social relationships.
Objective
Navsarjan aims to eliminate discrimination based on untouchability practices, ensure equality of status and opportunities for all regardless of caste, class or gender andensure the rule of law.
Programs and Activities
Human Rights Value Education - Navsarjan works to restore the right of many Dalit children to education. As anagent of social mobility, education can lead to the emancipation of the Dalit masses. Today in India, however,
the education system perpetuates caste discrimination,
reproducing discriminatory practices at school, and effectively denying many Dalit children their basic right toeducation—and with it, the chance to break out of thecycle of caste-based occupations and menial labor.
Eradication of Manual Scavenging Campaign - Navsarjan has been working since 1996 to end this inhumanpractice. The Valmikis (manual scavenger and sweeper
caste)—most often women—who perform this work suffer from a variety of serious diseases and disorders at amuch higher rate than the general population.
Community Video Unit – in July 2006, Navsarjan established a Community Video Unit (CVU) in collaboration
with Drishti Media and Video Volunteers. The CVU produces monthly news magazines called “Aapna Malak Ma”(In Our Community), screening them in village centers.
These videos focus on issues relevant to the residents oftwenty-five villages in three talukas of Surendranagar District. The CVU is a tool for grassroots change, awareness,
mobilization, information and advocacy. It promotes
participation, dialogue and community responsibility inorder to stimulate behavioral change and encourage acommunity call to action. The video producers are local
community members trained in partnership with DrishtiVideo volunteers. The video magazines focus on the entire village, not only on the Dalit locality.

52

Land Rights Campaign – since lack of land is a central
reason for Dalit impoverishment, a campaign to enforce
their land rights forms part of the backbone of Navsarjan’s work.
Minimum Wage Implementation Campaign - this campaign tries to ensure that the agricultural laborers receive at least the minimum wage per day (equivalent to
one US dollar and thirty cents).
Women’s Rights Campaign – this campaign strives to give
women a voice, and ensures that they are equally and effectively represented in the organization as well as in the
movement, at all levels.
Digitization of Research and Documentation - Navsarjan’s
has a unique ability to systematically collect data concerning ground realities in more than 3,000 villagesaround Gujarat that it covers, analyze and utilize that
data. The Digitization of Research and Documentation
Program widens the scope and size of its data collection,and helps identify trends and changes, helps in filingclass-action suits, organizes data based on taluka or district to effectively raise a particular issue, helps lobby at
the international level, and provides a replicable modelfor other organizations around India.
Address
Navsarjan
C/O Dalit Shakti Kendra
Village Nani Devti, Sanand–Bavla Road
Taluka Sanand, District Ahmedabad 380 007
Gujarat, Indiaph (91-2717) 325937/324323.
fax 91-2717) 287308
e-mail: info@navsarjan.org; navsarjan@satyam.net.in;navsarjan@iqara.net; Navsarjan@wilnetonline.net
www.navsarjan.org/home.asp

The Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution
Year Established: 2004
Short Historical Background
The Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution was launched in 2004, and was one of the firstcenters for peace and conflict studies to be establishedat an Indian university. It aims to fill a strange gap in Indian academic life - the lack of serious and purposeful
analysis of types and sources of conflict, and the methods of dealing with them that India has adopted, fromconstitutional to human rights and minority protections,at domestic, regional and international levels. There isa wealth of Indian literature on war-making and peace
settlements through the ages that we aim to collate andanalyze from a doctrinal point of view.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To research and document Indian approaches to thepromotion of peace, at home and abroad
2. To develop a curriculum of peace and conflict studies based on Indian domestic, regional and global requirements
3. To encourage capacity for conflict prevention and resolution in government and civil society agencies
4. To build a community of academic expertise in conflict
prevention, management, and post-conflict peacebuilding.
Programs
1. M.A. in Conflict Analysis and Peace Building - a comprehensive course on the policies, practices and tools
required to contain, manage or resolve contemporary
conflicts and prevent them from recurring.
2. Ph. D. in Peace and Conflict Studies
3. Visiting Fellows Program - brings experts (academics,
activists, journalists) to the Center who contribute to
the designing and teaching of courses, write occasional
papers, help organize conferences, and act as resource
persons in conferences organized by the Center.
Activities• Organizing Seminars, Conferences, Workshops and Panel
Discussions
1. Workshop Chhattisgarh: Development, the Naxalite
Movement and Salwa Judum, 19-20 January 2007
2. Workshop Manipur: Movements, Conflict and Possible Resolutions, 17-18 November 2006.
3. South Asia Regional Expert Meeting on Human
Rights, Freedom of Expression and Terrorism, 10-11
April 2006. Sponsored by the Centre for South AsianStudies (CSAS), Geneva.
4. International Conference Kashmir after the Quake Prospects for Peace and Reconstruction, 16-17 January 2006
5. South Asia Workshop on Human Rights Educationin Schools, 13-15 December 2005 (in collaboration
with HURIGHTS OSAKA)

6. National Seminar Media Perspectives on Human
Rights, 29-30 March 2005.
• Student Internships - the Center tries to arrange Internships for its students as part of the Post Graduate Diploma in Conflict Analysis and Peace Building.
• Simulations - series of student workshops on comparative peace processes jointly organized by the Centerand the Center and the Delhi Policy Group’s Peace Processes Program.
Special Concerns
Curriculum Development• Workshop for a Foundation Course in Peace Studies
and Conflict Resolution, which was held on February
22-24, 2005, in collaboration with United Nations
University for Peace and Jawaharlal Nehru University• Involvement with the Delhi Policy Group in curriculum development program (2005-2006) that produced a set of six simulations on negotiating peacein deeply divided societies.
• Special series of workshops (2006) that developed
an MA course in Conflict Analysis and Peace-Building, which the Center introduced in 2007
• Plan to develop course materials on peacemaking
in India and South Asia, which could be adapted
for use from the high school to the post-graduatelevel.
Publications• State Accountability for Crimes against Humanity and
Genocide, Judge Navanethem Pillai (2007)• Kashmir - Prospects for Peace (Conference Proceedings), Sanghamitra Misra (ed.) (with Poorvi Paliwal andArchita Jha) (2007)• “The Life and Times of Walter Sisulu”, Ahmad Kathrada(2007)• Negotiating Peace in Deeply Divided Societies: A Set
of Simulations, Radha Kumar (ed) ( Sage, 2008).
For NMCPCR Faculty publications please see the Center’s
webpage on the Jamia website, www.jmi.nic.in
Address
Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi - 110025, India
ph/fax: 91-11-26985473
ph 91-11-26981717 ext. 4360
e-mail: centreforpeace@rediffmail.com
http://jmi.nic.in/OtherInstitutes/CPCR.htm

53

PRASHANT (A Centre for Human Rights Justice and Peace)Year Established: 2001
Short Historical Background“”PRASHANT” (A Center for Human Rights, Justice andPeace) was founded as an initiative of the Gujarat Education Society (GES) on 2 October 2001 (the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi). GES is a Registered Trustand Society, which belongs to the Jesuits of Gujarat andcaters to the all-round development and growth of marginalized communities specially the adivasis (indigenous
people/tribals), the dalits (oppressed castes of India) andthe minorities (like the Muslims, Christians).
“PRASHANT” was begun as a need to respond to thegrowing human rights violations in the State of Gujarat
and in other parts of India, and the need to ensure thatjustice and peace are integral parts of civil society.
The realization of the vision of “PRASHANT” is sought
to be achieved through• promotion of Human Rights, Justice and Peace• taking sides with the poor and other marginalizedgroups with a focus on tribals, dalits, minorities,
women and children• emphasizing an integral approach to social development.
Objective“PRASHANT” aims to promote “HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL”
- with special reference to the poor and the vulnerable- and a society where truth, justice, equity and peaceflourish.
Programs and Activities
Training: Human Rights and Peace Education for children
and teachers, training on Local Capacities for Peace, andtrainings on various aspects of the Indian Constitution
and Government policies like the Right to Information,
Food security, National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme, etc.
Advocacy: Taking up social concerns with the Indian
government, international organizations, other governments, and the civil society at large.
Seminars, workshops, street-plays: regularly organizedon topical issues, highlighting human rights violations
which exist in society, in order to conscientize people.
Information dissemination: through posters, leaflets, theinternet, booklets, public meetings, demonstrations, audio/video cassettes.
Documentation: “PRASHANT” maintains an elaborate
Documentation Center with newspaper clippings fromtwenty-two major local and national dailies (in English
and in the vernacular languages), and about three hundred magazines/periodicals received on a regular basis,
photos, video-recordings, etc. that form part of the documentation.

54

Legal aid: A team of lawyers provide legal counsel tothose whose rights are violated. Legal matters in theHigh Court / Supreme Court are taken up/supported.
Media advocacy: There is a consistent interaction withthe media to highlight some of the major ills that plaguesociety. This is done through regular press releases/conferences and also by providing the media with appropriate documentation/data for their stories/features.
Research: some research activities are also undertaken- the main one on the Social Science Textbooks published by the Gujarat State School Textbook Board thathighlights the prejudicial nature in which education is
imparted in Gujarat.
Special Concerns
Human rights, justice and peace.
Publications• PRAJAL - newsletter (occasional/periodical)• Regular pamphlets
Other Information
PRASHANT works in tandem with several other humanrights activists/groups, locally, nationally and internationally.
Address
PRASHANT (A Centre for Human Rights Justice andPeace)
Hill Nagar, Near Kamdhenu Hall, Drive-in Road
Ahmedabad 380052
Gujarat, Indiaph (9179) 27455913, 66522333
fax (9179) 27489018
e-mail : sjprashant@gmail.com
www.humanrightsindia.in
Postal address :P B 4050, Navrangpura PO
Ahmedabad - 380 009
Gujarat, India

SAKSHI Human Rights Watch - AP
Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
Human Rights Watch - AP (SAKSHI) emerged from theprocess of interventions on the issues of the Dalits inAndhra Pradesh in India. A group of activists , academicians, and advocates involved in Dalits issues over the
past two decades, who felt the need to be involved inhuman rights from a Dalit perspective, came together toform SAKSHI - Human Rights Watch A.P in 1999. SAKSHI
is an attempt to profile and highlight Dalit issues as afundamental issue of human rights that should be addressed.
Objective
SAKSHI aims to facilitate the creation of a society where
Dalits Bahujan women, men, children and communities
enjoy dignity, liberty, security and equal opportunities.
Programs and Activities
SAKSHI employs the following strategies:
1. Collaborate with and support existing Dalit Bahujan
movements and initiatives, raising consciousness,monitoring Dalit Bahujan human rights violations, informing and sensitizing the civil society, and encouraging a supportive and pro-active environment for theaffirmation and defense of Dalit Bahujan civil, political,
social cultural and economic rights.
2. Pressure the state and other statutory bodies to takeadequate organizational and institutional measures tobring Dalit Rights under the purview of human rights
and to protect them.
3. Enhance the visibility of Dalit Bahujan human rights inall spheres.
4. Pro-active interventions within the Dalit Bahujan communities to promote gender equity, child rights andthe recognition of equal rights among all caste identities.
SAKSHI engages in the following programs and activities:
1. Documentation- Collection of materials on identified areas, especially with regard to Dalits, and data on violations ofDalit Bahujan human rights in the State of Andhra
Pradesh from various sources- Fact-finding reports to give feed back to the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), movements
and groups through monthly newsletter and reports and to make submissions to various national
and international- Publish periodic Fact Sheets for the purpose of advocacy and lobbying.
2. Monitoring- Visiting the places where violations have taken placeby forming and facilitating fact-finding teams andcollecting first-hand information and disseminating
the facts gathered to the general public through themedia- Providing material support on legal aspects and following-up on the case by involving all concerned
people and officials through lobbying- Representing all statutory bodies such as National
Human Rights Commission, Scheduled Caste/
Scheduled Tribes National Commission, Women’s
Commission, etc.
- Reports on Dalit Bahujan human rights violations- Judgments – analysis of court decisions that affectthe human rights of Dalit Bahujan- Analysis of the over-all human rights situation of the
Dalit Bahujan.
3. Study & Advocacy- Assessing new areas of Dalit Bahujan human rights
violations in order to bring them to the awareness ofNGOs, Dalit human rights activists and movements
and enable them to make necessary interventions at
policy level- Studying the socio-economic, political and culturaldynamics of the society in general and of Dalits inparticular in order to shape and influence grassroots
movements.
4. Advocacy- Interfacing with statutory and civil bodies at all levels for the defense and promotion of Dalit Bahujan
human rights- Facilitating and strengthening a collective of humanrights organizations to lobby at national and international levels.
5. Training- Conducting regional-level trainings on human rights
skills such as monitoring, advocacy and intervention
for human rights activists, advocates, NGOs, movements, etc.
- Preparing Training Modules and Training materials- Conducting seminars and workshops in collaboration with universities and institutes to sensitize theacademia, on Dalit Bahujan human rights issues.
Address
SAKSHI Human Rights Watch - AP
H. No 10-3-129,IInd floor
Dhana Laxmi General Store,
Teachers Colony
Street No – 4, Lane No-3
East Marredpally, Secundera - 500 026
Andhra Pradesh, Indiaph (91-40)-55440969
fax (91-40) 27737086
e-mail : sakshi_ap@satyam.net.inwww. sakshiap.org

55

Shubhodaya Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture and Violence - SOSRAC(Society for Social Research, Art and Culture) (SCRVTV)
Year Established: 2000
Short Historical BackgroundEstablished in February 2000, the Center was initiatedto help victims of torture and violence. This is the only
Center in Delhi with the specific aim of helping and rehabilitating victims of torture and violence.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To provide comprehensive rehabilitation to torture
victims and secondary victims of torture
2. To provide psychological services for proper psychological rehabilitation
3. To provide physiotherapy and occupational therapy
services for the proper physical rehabilitation of torture victims
4. To create awareness among people working for law
enforcement agencies on human rights and sensitize
them to the problems of detainees
5. To strengthen non-governmental organizations(NGOs) involved in the field of human rights by providing technical assistance against torture
6. To sensitize and create awareness among NGOs andthe general public of the problems of victims of torture and violence
7. To enlighten society about torture, so as to reduce theincidence of torture
8. To help torture victims towards gainful employment in
the community.
Programs and Activities
Treatment – provision to torture victims of multidisciplinary comprehensive medical assistance (medical, psychological, social and physiotherapeutic assistance).
Training - training for the staff and other professionals
at the Indian Medical Association involved in the treatment of torture victims to improve their clinical skills.
Doctors throughout India who had completed a correspondence course in counseling torture victims attend
the seminar.
Research - studies the impact of torture and its consequences on refugees and the local population. Thesestudies help the understanding of problems faced by thepoor and underprivileged section of the community, andhelp the center staff organize health and other services
for poor people. The studies include community survey
about torture and post-traumatic stress disorders, which
create awareness in the community, and identify torture
victims who urgently needed the Center’s help. Since theCenter is able to establish very good contacts with the
refugee population, it continues to focus on them, as thisprovide exposure for its team to the problems of torture
victims, and also helps build its image.

56

Documentation - recording of reports of cases of torture
published in newspapers.
Prevention - meetings, conferences and symposiums tocreate awareness among, and sensitization of, the general public and professionals. Human rights NGO workers
as well as lawyers with a special interest in human rights,
social activists, media persons and other professionals
such as doctors, teachers and psychologists attend theactivities.
Information and advocacy - activities include organizing
public meetings to create awareness in the community,
participating in the Annual Congress of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health, participating in
the World Congress of Psychiatry, and participating inseminars organized by the International Rehabilitation
Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) and other international
meetings.
Networking - collaboration with the IRCT and its Asian
members, UNFVTV, United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), British Council, National Human
Rights Commission of India, Indian National Commission
for Women, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative(CHRI), Indian Law Institute, Indian Medical Association,
Indian Psychiatric Society and Delhi Psychiatric Society.
Publications• A Study on Torture and Post Traumatic Stress Disorderamong Myanmar Refugees In India• A Study on Torture and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Among Refugees in New Delhi• A Study on Victims of Torture in Refugee Communityand Local Migrants In and Around Delhi (Noida)• Annual Reports (since 2000)
Address
Shubhodaya Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture and Violence - SOSRAC (Society for Social Research,
Art and Culture) (SCRVTV)
Basti Vikas Kendra, Private Colony,
Shri Niwas Puri , New Delhi 110065 Indiaph (9111) 2633 1526
fax (9111) 416 38374
e-mail: sosrac@bol.net.in; sosrac@hotmail.com
www.sosrac.org

South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC)
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre(SAHRDC) is a network of individuals across the region.
It seeks to investigate, document and disseminate information about human rights treaties and conventions,human rights education, refugees, media freedom, prison reforms, political imprisonment, torture, summary
executions, disappearances and other cruel, inhumanor degrading treatment. SAHRDC has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of theUnited Nations.
Objectives
SAHRDC aims to investigate, document and disseminate
information about human rights treaties and conventions, human rights education, refugees, media freedom,
prison reforms, political imprisonment, torture, summary
executions, disappearances and other cruel, inhuman ordegrading treatment.
Programs
Collection of information on human rights - collects information on human rights, specifically on violations ofcivil and political rights. The subject areas of its holdings
are: human rights education, arrest, detention and disappearances, refugees and asylum, torture, capital punishment and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,
freedom of the media, custodial deaths, and extrajudicial
killings. All our information is either in English or translated into English from other languages.
Publication - brings out an electronic feature service
called Human Rights Features Service in cooperation
with Human Rights Documentation Centre (HRDC). It
also does regular backgrounders on subjects of immediate interest to subscribers and the media.
Campaign - sends out Action Alerts requesting the national and international human rights community to appeal to governments in South Asia to stop the violationof human rights in their countries.
Networking

Publications• Human rights education series• Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: Developments
in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (Oxford University Press, 2008)• Handbook of Human Rights and Criminal Justice In
India: The System and Procedure (Oxford University
Press, 2006)• Introducing Human Rights: An Overview Including Issues of Gender Justice, Environmental, and Consumer
Law (Oxford University Press, 2006)• A Step in the Rights Direction (Tata McGraw-Hill,
2000)
General• Legitimising Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: The Ignominy of the Law Commission of India’s
Report on Modes of Execution (2005)• Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2004 (2005)• National Human Rights Commission of Korea: Miles To
Go (2004)• National Human Rights Institutions in the Asia PacificRegion (2002)• Knitting the Multi-Coloured Cloak of Asia: Recognizing
and Eradicating Racism and Discrimination (2001)• Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance 2001: Government
Decide to Play Judge and Jury (2001)• Judgment Reserved: The Case of the National Human
Rights Commission of India (2001)• Eliminating Sovereign and Official Immunity in Fundamental Human Rights Cases (2001)
Full list of publications at www.hrdc.net/sahrdc/Publications.htm
Address
South Asia Human Rights Documentation Center
B-6/6, Safdarjung Enclave Extension, New Delhi 110 029,
India
ph (91 11) 19 2717, 619 2706, 619 1120
fax (91 11) 619 1120
e-mail: rnairsahrdc@hotmail.com
www.hrdc.net/sahrdc

Training - series of human rights training programs in theSouth and East Asian countries.
Internship - accepts interns from all over the world, whohave a serious human rights commitment. Intending
interns should be prepared and capable of hard anddiligent research work. SAHRDC welcomes students,
mid-term career professionals and lawyers looking for asabbatical with good analytical and research aptitude.

57

Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD)
Year Established: 1996
Short Historical Background
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy(TCHRD) is the first Tibetan non-governmental humanrights organization to be established in exile in India.
Founded in 1996, TCHRD is registered as a non-governmental organization (NGO) under Section 2 of the
Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860 and is based in
Dharamsala, North India.
Objectives
TCHRD aims
1. To promote and protect human rights of the Tibetan
people in Tibet
2. To educate the exile Tibetan community on humanrights principles and democratic concepts.
Programs and Activities
Investigations, Research, Publications - TCHRD conducts
regular, systematic investigations of human rights situation in Tibet and monitors the human rights policiesof the People’s Republic of China (PRC). On issues of human rights concerns that confront Tibetans inside Tibet,
TCHRD every year brings out an annual report, thematic
reports, profiles of former political prisoners, monthly
newsletters, and press releases and news briefs.
Workshops, Talk Series, Campaigns - TCHRD organizes
workshops, talk series, public discussions and campaigns
to engender a culture of human rights and democracy
within the exile Tibetan community. Two workshops areheld a year for college students and different target audience while TCHRD staff visits schools, institutions andsettlements to give talks on human rights and democracy. TCHRD also launches various public campaign activities and also organizes in-depth awareness programs
to broaden their awareness and support.
Diplomacy, Advocacy, Partnership - TCHRD regularly attends the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human
Rights (replaced by the UN Human Rights Council) as
well as other regional, national and international conferences. Such participation is aimed at highlighting the human rights situation in Tibet and to lobby and networkon the promotion and protection of human rights in Tibet. TCHRD conducts campaigns of international scope
such as letter writing and signature appeals, and submits
memoranda to visiting delegations and media on actual
human rights condition in Tibet.
Knowledge, Skills, Vigilance - the struggle to improve thehuman rights situation in Tibet can only be won if TCHRD
develop those skills necessary to achieve its aims. Therefore, TCHRD staff are sent for international human rights
training courses, educational seminars and conferences
to educate and empower themselves.

58

Publications• The Human Rights Update (monthly publication)• Annual Report on the Human Rights Situation in Tibet• Topical Reports
2006• Prisoners of Tibet• Railway and China’s Development Strategy in Tibet: A
Tale of Two Economies
2005• KUXING:Torture in Tibet• Death Penalty in China
2004• Strike Hard Campaign: China’s crackdown on politicaldissidence• Education in Tibet: A human rights perspective• Unjust Sentence - A Special Report on Trulku Tenzin
Delek
2003
• Education in Tibet: A Briefing Paper for the Special
Rapporteur• Briefing Paper for Travellers to Tibet updated from
1999
2002
• Dispossessed: Land and Housing Rights in Tibet• Destruction of Serthar Institute: A special report
2001• Drapchi Prison: Tibet’s most Dreaded Prison
2000• Impoverishing Tibetans• Racial Discrimination in Tibet• TCHRD Review
1999• A Guide to Human Rights• A Guide to Democracy• Briefing Paper for Travellers to Tibet• Tales of Terror: Torture in Tibet
Information on other publications can be found at the
TCHRD website.
Other Information
TCHRD is unique in the fact that it enjoys direct and immediate access to information from Tibetan refugees
escaping via Nepal to Dharamsala. TCHRD has an all-Tibetan staff organization that recognizes the reality ofthe situation of living under occupation, of being born inexile and of having that access to provide accurate, upto-date insights into life in occupied Tibet.
Address
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
Narthang Building, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala
176215 H.P., Indiaph (911892) 23363; 25874
fax (911892) 25874
e-mail: dsala@tchrd.org
www.tchrd.org

indonesia
Association for Community and Ecologically Based Law Reform (HuMa)
Year Established: 2001
Short Historical Background
HuMa was founded in Gadog, West Java in February 2001
and formalized in Jakarta in October 2001. Since mostof the founding members were with ELSAM for several
years, they developed their ideas on HuMa’s role basedon that experience. HuMa has the vision of a community-based legal system governed by human rights values,
justice, cultural diversity and ecosystem conservation in
the Indonesian Archipelago.
Objectives
HuMa aims
1. To promote the realization of community- and ecology-based law reform on land and other natural resources
2. To develop alternative legal philosophy, theory, researchmethodology (critical-participatory methodology)
3. To develop information and media system of community legal resources concerning land and other natural
resource issues for law reform
4. To develop the organizational capacity for facilitating
the development of constituents’ capacity and encouraging synergy among different components byacquiring social as well as financial accountability.
Activities
HuMa gives priority to activities dealing with capacity development, new discourse development, intervention on
policies and laws at national level and its coordination.

Publications• Seri Kajian Hukum (Legal Reviews)• Seri Pengembangan Wacana (Alternative Concepts
Development)• Seri Cerita Bergambar Hukum dan Masyarakat (Seriesof Comics on Law and Society)• Manual Pelatihan (Training Manual)• Reference Books
Other Information
Since its establishment, HuMa has adopted “networking
development” work method in implementing its programs. Accordingly, its staff members actively participate
in various networks, ranging from non-governmentalorganizations networks to individual networks to multistakeholder forums.
Address
Association for Community and Ecologically Based Law
Reform(Perkumpulan Untuk Pembaharuan Hukum Berbasis Masyarakat dan Ekologis - HuMa)
Jln. Jati Agung No. 8,
Jati Padang, Pasar Minggu
Jakarta 12540 - Indonesia
ph (62-21) 788 458 71
fax (62-21) 780 6959
e-mail. huma@huma.or.id; huma@cbn.net.id
www.huma.or.id

Center for Human Rights Studies (PSA-HAM UGTLO)
Gorontalo University

Year Established: 2002
Short Historical BackgroundThe complexity of the human rights problems in Gorontalo Province made the Faculty of Law of Gorontalo University decide to establish the Center for Human Rights
Studies Gorontalo University on 30 March 2002, alongwith the establishment of Legal Aid and Consultation Institution Gorontalo University, to perform disseminationof and advocacy on human rights as well as research andstudies on human rights. The Center operates under theauthority of the Faculty of Law Gorontalo University.
Objectives
The Center aims to become a platform for human rights
promotion, protection and enforcement in Gorontalo
province with the capacity to develop and socialize human rights ideas through profound and continuous academic studies that help promote the idea of human beings who uphold human rights, democracy and justice.

Activities• Collaboration with the government as a member of
the Gorontalo Provincial Committee on Human Rights
Action Plan, Gorontalo Province Regional Office of the
Department of Justice.
• Human rights advocacy through the workers andstaffs of PT. Usaha Mina Gorontalo Province, and themembers of the community.
• Human rights education - distribution of human rights
materials in seminars and workshops.
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies Gorontalo University
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia
Universitas Gorontalo
Jl. Jend. Sudirman No. 247, Limboto,
Kab. Gorontalo, Indonesia
ph (62-435) 881 369
fax (62-435) 880 370
e-mail : ugtlo@telkom.net

59

Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM Univ Andalas)
Andalas University of Padang (West Sumatra)

Year Established: 2004
Short Historical Background
Andalas University, as the oldest state university outside
Java Island, acknowledges the importance of establishinga center for human rights studies, besides other centersof studies in the university. Human rights has become
one of the main issues in the country beside democracy
and environment issues. Traditional values collide with
universal human rights standards. Local policies or legal
programs lead to human rights violations. There is a collision between local and global perceptions. This situation
therefore requires profound studies on these matters togain harmony without reducing their meaning.
On the 56th International Human Rights Day celebration, 10 December 2004, several human rights and law
lecturers declared the establishment of the Center for
Human Rights Studies. On the same day, the Dean of
the Faculty of Law, Prof. Dr. H. Takdir Rahmadi, S.H., LL.M
signed the Dean’s Mandate Letter number 246/Sp.X/
Fhuk/2004.

5. Publication of Progresif bulletin (two editions), started
in January 2005
6. Discussion on Conflict Potentials in Local Government
Elections, May 2005
7. Seminar on Women’s Rights in Regulation number 23
year 2004, June 2005
8. Human rights socialization for Student Board of Andalas University, July 2005
9. Preparation of human rights dialogue columns in themass media
10. Discussion on Conflict Potentials in Local Government Election, May 2005.

Objectives
The Center aims
1. To undertake research and studies on human rights
and their relevance to actual or customary issues
2. To develop strategic programs in the form of tacticaland strategic action agenda
3. To promote human rights, national, and international
instruments relating to human rights
4. To hold human rights training for Andalas University
students
5. To establish a communication forum for human rights
centers throughout West Sumatra
6. To develop cooperation with human rights institutions(such as the National Commission on Human Rights,
and others).

Legislative advocacy
1. Member of Local Legislation Program Team, West Sumatra - Local Office of Law and Human Rights Department, 2005
2. Participation in the Committee of National Human
Rights Action Plan for West Sumatra 2004-2009.
3. Participation in the Human Rights Seminar arrangedby the Center for Human Rights Studies, Islamic University of Indonesia Yogyakarta (PUSHAM UII), Yogyakarta (30 May - 2 June 2005)

Activities
Human rights promotion
1. Participation in talk show/interactive dialogue on
women’s rights (in “Women and Law” Program SIPP
Female Radio station, on the subject of Regulation
number 23 year 2004 about Elimination of Domestic
Violence, in cooperation with Student Advocacy andPublic Knowledge Institution, 31 January 2005)
2. Submission of opinion articles on human rights todaily newspaper Padang Ekspress, entitled “Human
Rights, Human Resources and Corruption Portrayals,”
30 April 2005 and 2 May 2005)
3. Participation in public consultation and campaign on
National Action Plan for Corruption Eradication 20042009, arranged by the Ministry of National Development in cooperation with the Faculty of Law, Andalas
University in Padang (16 May 2005)
4. Publication of a human rights book entitled “Under
Law Shelter, Human Rights: Notes of Activists”

60

Human rights curriculum development- Development of Law and Human Rights Subject Curriculum in the university
Research- Research on development rights in the village government at Minangkabau/West Sumatra

Address
Center for Human Rights Studies
Andalas University of Padang (West Sumatra)
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia (Pusham Univ Andalas)
Universitas Andalas Padang
Dekanat Fakultas Hukum Unand
Kampus Limau Manis, Padang, West Sumatra 25163 Indonesia
ph (62-751) 729 85
fax (62-751) 778 109

Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM UNAIR)
Airlangga University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
The vision and mission of the Center for Human Rights
Studies was defined during a workshop held at Airlangga University in November 2000 attended by representatives of the National Human Rights Commission (KOMNASHAM), Department of Justice and Human Rights
Affairs, the Surabaya Legal Aid Institution and more thanforty participants from East Java (representing universities, non-governmental organizations [NGOs] and community leaders). At the end of the workshop, the university vice-rector formally inaugurated the Center.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To generate more sensitive public policies to the public sense of justice
2. To strengthen the consolidation and coordination processes for public and academic endeavors, which intensively concern human rights concepts and enforcement improvement
3. To cultivate and institutionalize legal and humanrights awareness among members of the community,
academe, state and private sectors.
Programs and Activities
The Center belongs to a network of NGOs, labor unions,media establishments (newspapers and television stations), media associations, universities, and businessorganizations. The Center utilizes the members of the
network in holding its activities.
Following are some of the activities undertaken so far:
1. Seminar on the Analysis of 2001 Surabaya City Annual
Budgets
2. Network Meetings on the Campaign for Transparency
in the Surabaya City Annual Budget Preparation (2001
onward)3. Join Statement for Parliament Resolution about Semanggi and Trisakti cases (2001)
4. Public Debate on Future Members of Indonesia National Commission of Human Rights from East Java
Area (2001)
5. Workshop on Institutionalization of Empowerment
Movement for Child Housemaid (2001) - this workshop
led to the call for prohibition of employment of childhousemaids (under fourteen years of age) as well as
the protection of those who are already hired as such
6. Public Debate and Testimony of “Military-Police Clashand Security Assurance for Community”, in cooperation with the Legal Aid Institution of Surabaya - andother NGOs ( 2001).
7. Workshop on Introduction of Child Rights and its Elements as Integral Part of Human Rights (2001)
8. Workshop on Research Methodology (2001)
9. Discussion on Problems in Surabaya (2001)

10. Movie Showing of “Burning Season” and Discussion(2001)
11. Human Rights Day Celebration (annual since 2001)- Photograph and Poster Exhibition, Movie Showing
and Discussion, Public Dialogue, Stage Performance
12. Human Rights Year-End Assessment (2001)
13. Campaign on the 2002 annual budget preparation of
Surabaya City and hearing (2001)
14. Interactive Dialogue at State Television Station (TVRI),
and Kosmonita and SCFM Radio Stations (2002)
15. Public debate and awareness-raising on 2002 Surabaya City Annual Budget Draft (2002)
16. Public Dialogue on Alternative Solution for Five-feet
Vendors Problem at Surabaya (2002) with membersof the local parliament, representatives of the City
Government, academicians, NGOs, Five-feet vendors
at Tunjungan, Semarang Street, and Malang, and entrepreneurs.
17. Public Dialogue (in cooperation with the Political Science Laboratory of Airlangga University Faculty of
Political and Social Sciences) (2002) on political party
independence and participation revolution
18. Public Dialogue in cooperation with Surabaya Legal
Aid Institution and Inspirasi (2002) on Draft Anti-Terrorism Regulation
19. Human Rights Seminar for High Schools Teachers(2002) on education on democracy and human rights
discourse with gender perspective
20. Movie Showing and Discussion (2002)
21. Public Dialogue on “Violence in the Community”(2002)
22. Awareness-raising and Investigation on the Polling
Results Performed by Public Voice Committee ofSurabaya (2002)
23. Seminar on Advocacy and Consumer Empowerment(2002)
24. Public Debate on Anti-Terrorist Regulations (2002)
25. Workshop on Children House Maid Local Regulation
Preparation (2003)
26. Community-oriented Policing, in cooperation with
The Asia Foundation.
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies(PUSHAM UNAIR)
Universitas Airlangga Surabaya
Ketintang Tengah Gg. IV No. 7 Surabaya, Jawa Timur (EastJava)
Indonesiaph (62-31) 5035913, 70582908
fax (62-31) 8270571
e-mail: pusham_unair@yahoo.com
		 pusham_ua@yahoo.co.id61

Center of Development for Human Rights and Democracy (PP-HAM & Dem. FH UNIBRAW)
Brawijaya University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
The Brawijaya University is one of the Indonesian universities that have been fully concerned with human rights
and national issues. Since 1994, human rights has been
the main subject matter of lectures in the curriculum of
the Faculty of Law of Brawijaya University. The lecturers
and researchers of the Faculty of Law were committed
to actively promoting and developing human rights understanding that develops in harmony with the politicalconditions and the public need for respect for the rightsof people. This was proven by researches, seminars andworkshops attended or arranged by enthusiastic lecturers on human rights issues.
With such enthusiastic lecturers and researchers,
increasing consultations with the public and the local
governments regarding human rights education and assistance to resolve human rights issues, media attention
to human rights and democracy, and the developmentof the national plan for the establishment of university
centers for human rights studies (Human Rights Action
Plan, Activity Program 1998-2003, Dissemination and Education Activities), Brawijaya University established theCenter for Human Rights and Democracy Development.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To develop the conceptual thought on human rights
and democracy in state and community life
2. To help socialize human rights understanding in thegovernment, private sector, public organizations, political parties and other organizations.
Programs and Activities
Education and Training
1. Education about the realization of human rights in autonomous local government mechanisms
2. Human rights education for political party activists
3. Law reform based on human rights principles
4. Minimize allegation toward Local Government for insensitive policies they produce.
5. Education curriculum improvement, from basic to tertiary levels.
Research
1. Research on the level of human rights understanding
among political party activists
2. Review of national/local regulations’ adherence to international human rights standards
3. Study on various international human rights instruments that need to be ratified
4. Drafting of regulations in line with ratified international human rights instruments
5. Drafting of new regulations in line with international
human rights instruments relevant to various sectors
based on perceived needs.

62

AdvocacyThis division operates whenever human rights cases
arise.
Address
Center of Development for Human Rights and Democracy
Brawijaya University
Pusat Pengembangan HAM dan Demokrasi (PP-HAM &Dem. FH UNIBRAW)
Fakultas Hukum Universitas Brawijaya
Jl. MT. Haryono 169 Malang 65145 Indonesia
ph (62-341) 553 898
fax (62-341) 566 505
e-mail : madrid@brawijaya.ac.id

Center for Human Rights Advocacy and Studies (PSA-HAM UNHALU)
Haluoleo University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
The Center was established in Kendari based on Haluoleo
University Rector Mandate Letter number 2363a/SK.J29/
LL/2000 dated 2 December 2000, containing the agreement between Ministry of Human Rights Affairs and the
Haluoleo University (MOU.014/MENEGHAM/08/2000 andnumber 1767/SKJ29/KS/2000 dated 19 August 2000).
The University Rector considered the necessity ofhuman resources in human rights promotion, protection and realization for all members of the university
community (students and lecturers) and for all members of Southeast Sulawesi community. Therefore, in thefirst period of its establishment, the Center expectedly
developed as a human rights training center, providing
human rights information, socialization, education andadvocacy (non-litigation) service in pursuit of the University’s public service mission.

10. Human rights training for IDPs of Ambon/Maluku
in Southeast Sulawesi (2005/2006)
b. Law reform
1. Prepared and presented the “Integration of Civil andPolitical Rights in Local Regulations” on the requestof the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Office of Department of Justice and Human Rights (2003)
Address
Center for Human Rights Advocacy and Studies
Pusat Studi dan Advokasi Hak Asasi Manusia Universitas
Haluleo (PSA-HAM UNHALU)
Jl. H.E.A. Mokodompit Gedung Pendidikan IPS Lantai 2
FKIP Universitas Haluoleo, Kendari, Sulawesi Tenggara(Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia
ph (62-401) 390006, 390607, 391038
fax (62-401) 390006

Objectives
The Center aims
1. To socialize human rights values through education,
enlightenment and training for lecturers/administration staffs, students and law enforcement officials,
who provide public services
2. To undertake human rights studies and improve public awareness of their rights and obligations responsibility in daily life
3. To perform non-litigation advocacy activities for human rights violation victims, especially vulnerable
groupsActivities
a. Education
1. Refugees and Human Rights Law Training for Police
Officers in Southeast Sulawesi Local Police (2001
and 2002)
2. Law and Human Rights Enlightenment for membersof the Air Force and their families (2001)
3. Law and Human Rights Enlightenment for Southeast Sulawesi Local Development Bank Employee’s
Wives (2001)
4. Awareness-raising on human rights protection andrealization for sub-districts and village administration officials of Kendari City (2003)
5. Human rights training for internally-displaced people (IDPs) of Ambon/Maluku in Southeast Sulawesi(2005/2006)
6. Human rights training in education for lecturers(2004/2005)
7. Human rights training for freshmen of Haluoleo University (2004)
8. Training for drop-out students in Kendari City
(2004/2005)
9. Human rights training for village leaders throughout
Southeast Sulawesi (2005/2006)

63

Center for Human Rights Research and Studies (PSP-HAM UNHAS)
Hasanuddin University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
Since the implementation of the Indonesian National
Action Plan on Human Rights requires the active participation of all institutions in the country, the Hasanuddin
University agreed to take part in the process througha cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Human
Rights Affairs. To pursue this agreement, the Rector of
Hasanuddin University issued Mandate Letter number
4297/JO4/KP.36/2000 on 17 April 2000 establishing theCenter for Human Rights Research and Studies. The Center has a management team with members from various
faculties in the university.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To encourage the community to be more sensitive onhuman rights based on local cultural values
2. To promote and socialize human rights to the community and its institutions to improve human rights
awareness
3. To assist the community and institutions to defend
and protect human rights.
Programs
Human rights advocacy - include campaign on the universality of human rights, promotion of the notion thathuman rights originated from Allah Almighty and are inherent in all human beings.
Promotion and dissemination - aimed at the students of
the university, it consists of development of programswith the cooperation of other institutions to build a
network for the promotion and protection of humanrights, particularly concerning human rights violations
resolution.
Activities
The activities of the Center fulfill the aspiration of themembers to consistently promote and protect humanrights in the community; and are undertaken by individuals as well as by teams under the direct coordinationof the Center. The activities, which members from various disciplines in the University undertake, are rooted ineach discipline yet still related to human rights issues.
1. Advocacies and Monitoring- Human rights socialization and enlightenment for
fisherfolk community in Pangkep District of South
Sulawesi (2002)- Community awareness-raising on customary rights
of Bulukumba District, South Sulawesi, with a presentation on human rights advocacy/protection to
victims of P.T. Longsum case at Bulukumba District- Human rights training for government officials, particularly those who are directly connected with the64

criminal justice system, for them to perform theirduties without violating human rights- Human rights seminar for the communities in South
Sulawesi areas, such as Sinjai, about the importanceof human rights and how to assert them.
2. Dissemination and Promotion - participation in local,
national and international human rights activities,
such as:- Women’s Conference in India (2004)- Database training for human rights violation victims
arranged by South Sulawesi Regional Office of Department of Justice- Seminar and meeting on Technical Coordination of
Human Rights Research and Development Body ofSouth Sulawesi in Makassar- Socialization of laws on human rights and elimination of violence toward women in Makassar- Human rights and conflict resolution training in
Sweden- Other activities, such as dialogue or discussion
through the mass media including the state and private television and radio stations in Makassar.
3. Education - aimed at making the students understandthe importance of human rights values in promoting,protecting and fulfilling human rights in community
life. And to improve the quality and resources of all
staffmembers of the Center, the University supports
those who want to do postgraduate and doctoral
study on human rights in national and international
universities.
4. Cooperation - the Center cooperates with the Directorate General of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
and the police in arranging human rights training forSouth Sulawesi police officers. It also cooperates withthe local government in preparing local policies (i.e.
Local Development Body and Local Parliament) withhuman rights perspectives.
Address
Center for Human Rights Research and Studies- Hasanuddin University
PUSHAM Universitas Hasanuddin Makassar
Kampus Baru Gedung Rektorat Lantai 7 UNHAS
Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km 10.Tamalanrea 90245
Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia
ph/fax (62-411) 587235
e-mail : arasal_rauf@yahoo.com

Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM UII)
Islamic University of Indonesia

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
The Indonesian Minister of Human Rights and the Rector of Islamic University of Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of theCenter for Human Rights Studies Islamic University of Indonesia (Letter of Agreement number MOU.01/meneg/
HAM/04/2000 underline 381/B.1/IV/2000) on 7 April 2000.
Subsequently, the Head of Endowment Board of Islamic
University of Indonesia issued Mandate Letter number 9of year 2000 (dated March 20, 2000) about the establishment of the Human Rights Studies Institution signed by
Muhammad Djazman Alkindi and complemented with
Rector Mandate Number 44/B.6/Rek/IV/2000 about Management Selection for Center for Human Rights Studies
Islamic University of Indonesia signed by Prof. Zaini Dahlan, M.A.
PUSHAM UII is an autonomous institution of the
Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII). Its activities are independently operated without any university intervention.
Founded in 20 April 2000, it is an initiative of several law
and human rights experts in UII, and with the support of
the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. The mission isto promote human rights values in the daily life of the Indonesian people. This mission is realized in each programof three fields, i.e. education, training and research.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To promote human rights principles through dissemination and training for the community
2. To strengthen and enable the state and the community in fulfilling and protecting fundamental rights andfreedom.

Year 2008
Education
1. Workshop on Corporate Social Responsibility
Research
1. Research on Housing and Education Rights in Yogyakarta, Padang & NTT
2. Research on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan and Lombok
3. Research on Unfair Judicial System
Others
1. Counter-terrorism Program
2. Community Policing Program
Special Concerns
Generally, but not limited to, economic, social and cultural rights.
Publications• Mengurai Komplesitas Hak Asasi Manusia (Kajian Multi
Perspektif )/Untangle Complexity of Human Rights(multi-perspective studies)
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies Islamic University ofIndonesia
Gg. Bakung No. 517 A, Jeruklegi Rt. 13 Rw. 35,
Banguntapan, Bantul, Yogyakarta
ph (62-274) 452032, fax. 0274-452158
e-mails: pushamuii@yahoo.com
pushamuii@pushamuii.org
www.pushamuii.org

Programs and Activities
Year 2007
Education and Training
1. National Seminar and Workshop on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights in Indonesia Phase I: Toward an Effective Monitoring and Enforcement of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Indonesia
2. National Workshop on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights Phase II: Enhancing Justiciability of Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights: Prospects and Challenges
3. Advanced Training on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
4. Human Rights Guidebook for Secondary School Teachers in Yogyakarta City
5. Seminar on Police Role in Social and Political Changes
in Indonesia
Research
1. Research on the Human Rights Dimension of Judges’
Verdicts in Five Locations (two series)
2. Guest Research at Norwegian Center for Human Rights,
University of Oslo, Norway

65Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM UIR)
Islamic University of Riau

Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
After the 1998 reformasi movement succeeded, which
aimed at the realization of human rights within the political, economic, social and cultural systems in Indonesia, several members of the faculty of the University of
Riau established the Center for Human Rights Studies toconcentrate on human rights studies and dissemination.
In 1999, the Rector of the Islamic University of Riau, Prof.
Dr. Ir. T. Dahril, M.Sc officially established the Center with
the name: Center of Human Rights Studies.
Objectives
The Center aims to promote human rights studies andeducation.
Activities
Research- Research on Public Customary Rights on Traditional
Land in Bengkalis District, in cooperation with Bengkalis District Local Development Body (2001)- Collection of newspaper clippings on human rights in
Riau (2000-2003)
Advocacy- Riau Province Tourism Local Regulation Draft Preparation, which provides protection of public rights in de-veloping tourism, in cooperation with the Tourism, Art
and Culture Department of Riau Province (2002)
Human rights education- Regular weekly discussion of human rights throughthe mass media (Suara Kita Daily Newspaper, Riau
Mandiri Daily Newspaper, 2000)- Weekly discussion of law and human rights in electronic media (RTV - television station recorded in digital format - 2003-2004)- Preparation of two scripts of Holy Friday Sermon for
Muballigh/Moslem Preachers containing human rights
values from Islamic point of view (2004)- Participation in twelve sessions of a human rights
training series within and outside Pekanbaru town
(1999-2004).
Address
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia Universitas Islam Riau
(PUSHAM UIR)
Gedung Rektorat UIR
Jl. Kaharuddin Nasution No. 113, Lantai 1Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia
ph (62-761) 674681, 674669
fax (62-761) 674834
e-mail : mhdhusnu@yahoo.com

Center for Human Rights Studies (PSHH & HAM FH USU Medan)
North Sumatra University

Year Established:
Short Historical BackgroundIn view of the situation in Aceh, several faculty members
teaching international human rights law in the Faculty of
Law of North Sumatra University established the Centerfor Human Rights Studies. The center was formally recognized as an institution of the university.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To provide human rights knowledge to lecturers andstudents
2. To promote human rights in the community
3. To respond/solve human rights problems
4. To assist the government in solving human rights cases in Indonesia.
Activities• Assistance to the local government in the establishment of a Human Rights Court in Medan• Lectures and seminars for the North Sumatra province
on humanitarian issues, and refugees

66• Development of human rights curriculum in the Faculty of Law (two subjects on human rights and humanitarian laws respectively), along with training for law
lecturers on the curriculum.
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies- North Sumatra University
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia Fakultas
Hukum (PUSHAM FH USU)
Universitas Sumatera Utara
Jl. Universitas No. 4 Kampus USU, Medan, Sumatera
Utara, Indonesia
ph/fax (82-61) 8213571
www.usu.ac.id

Center for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy (PSA-HAM UNDANA)
Nusa Cendana University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
Seeing the moral necessity of promoting and defending
human rights in Indonesia, the Nusa Cendana University
of Nusa Province established the Center for Human Rights
Studies and Advocacy (University’s Rector Mandate Letter number 49/2000 dated 5 April) under the ResearchInstitutes of the University (and under the responsibilityof the University Rector).

Address
Center for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy- Nusa Cendana University
Pusat Studi dan Advokasi Hak Asasi Manusia (PSA-HAM
UNDANA)
Universitas Cendana, Kupang
Jl. Adisucipto Penfui, Kotak Pos 1212,
Kupang 851560 Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia
ph/fax (62-380) 881560

Objectives
The Center aims
1. To promote and protect human rights, as well as develop their concept
2. To research on attitude and behavior of people towards human rights
3. To provide service to whoever needs protection for
their rights.
Activities
1. Training for lecturers in human rights advocacy
through human rights values dissemination for all
education staffs of the University
2. Education on human rights values for- first year university students- students participating in public service program
3. Education on human/child rights values for fourthyear secondary students in Kupang City
4. Human rights education for village administratorsand community leaders in four sub-districts in Kupang City
5. Training/seminar/discussion for the members of theCenter’s Taskforce
6. Discussion about Kupang City health service abuse
victims
7. Government policy study based on human rights
8. Study of public health service in the province
9. Assistance to human rights violation victims.
10. Assistance in developing human-rights-based policies in local village administration and provincial
government
11. Advocacy for the repeal of human-rights-violative
government policies
12. Establishment of system for cooperation with theCenter’s stakeholders
13. Human rights education in government institutions
and the general public through brochures and leaflets
14. Making of human rights profile of the Southeast region of Nusa Province
15. Participation in institutional meetings regarding cooperation with government institutions, universities
and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
16. Publication of a journal for dissemination in the province.

67

Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM UNP)
Padang State University

Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
First founded as the Center for Human Rights Research(Mandate Letter from Faculty of Social Sciences Dean in1999 Number: 2751/K12.1.6/PP/1999 dated 24 November 1999), the Center is a response to the encouragement that came from the human rights lecturers’ teamin the Civic Education Program. At that time, every subject matter was expected to have marketable values (according to Minister of Education and Culture Resolution
number 056/U/1994), where corporate concept in universities took place in 1994 known as “Corporate Culture
Development Program in Universities” with Corporate
Base Syllabus as the basic thought.
With the support from the National Commission on
Human Rights of Indonesian (KOMNASHAM), the Center helps students who take the human rights subject
to have practical training in human rights institutions tocomplete their graduation requirements.
The Center adopted the name “Center for Human
Rights Studies” in 2003 based on the members’ suggestion(arrived at in a plenary meeting on 15 August 2003).
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To identify potential human rights violations and suggest measures for their prevention in West Sumatra
region2. To research and study various local regulations from ahuman rights perspective
3. To publish research and studies results
4. To discuss various problems concerning human rights
protection, and realization
5. To cooperate with various studies, research institutions
6. To organize awareness-raising activities, dialogues,
and seminars about human rights for the community
and the government in order to improve their humanrights awareness.
7. To seek peaceful alternatives for parties in dispute
8. To settle cases through various alternatives such as
consultation, negotiation, and any other means.
Programs and Activities
I. Research ona. Synchronization of district/city regulations throughout the West Sumatra Provinceb. West Sumatra Provincial Regulations
c. Village-level regulations throughout the districts
and cities in West Sumatra.
d. Other research projects on
1. Socialization model of human rights laws (Lawnumber 39/1999) in order to empower the local
community of West Sumatra (2001/2003)
2. Inter-religious community social conflicts at South
Padang (2001)
3. Village Community Empowerment at West Suma-68

tra (2001)
4. Civil-political-social-culture rights violations at Pasaman, 50 Kota, Bukittinggi and Padang District (2003)
II. Joint research with students
a. Employment Discharge (series)b. Territorial Dispute at Districts/Cities (series)c. Violence on Children (series)
d. Environment Destruction (series)
e. Investigation Process for Criminal Cases by Law Enforcement Officials (series)
III. Socialization, Seminar and Discussion
a. Seminar on normative and practical aspects of human rights law with the law enforcement officials inWest Sumatra Province
b. Dialogue on normative and sociological analysis ofhuman rights law, with community leaders of West
Sumatrac. Training activities for the education team, Monitoring and Mediation Team for Human Rights Violations, Directive and Monitoring Team on Violenceagainst and Trafficking of Women and Children
for Provincial Government of West Sumatra (2001– present), Independent Investigation Commissionof West Sumatra on the case of Major/Parliament of
Payakumbuh City (2001-2002)
d. Support for1. Women empowerment and the establishment of
Women Empowerment Body within the West Sumatra Local Government (dialogue with Ministryof Women Affairs Staff ) (2000)
2. Human rights enforcement and promotion by
the government and the community, Workshop
at Development-Community Protection Body of
Padang City
3. Seminar on techniques in applying human rights
principles in village level regulations in Agam District, Sawahlunto Sijunjung District and Padang
Pariaman District (2001-2003)
4. Human Rights Enforcement and Promotion Efforts at West Sumatra, local government of various districts (2001)
5. Student responsibility in human rights and democracy enforcement, democracy and humanrights socialization for Padang State University
freshmen (2001)
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies
Padang State University
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia (PUSHAM UNP)
Universitas Negeri Padang Kampus FIS UNP
Jl. Prof. Dr. Hamka Air Tawar Padang 25131, Sumatra Baratph (62-751) 445 187/445 128, 50320
fax (62-751) 7055628, 445187

Center for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy (PSA HAM UNRI)
Riau University

Year Established:
Short Historical BackgroundResponding to the human rights violations situationin Riau province, the Riau University saw the need forparticipation in minimizing human rights violations
and finding the means to solve them. This became theplatform for the establishment of the Center for Human
Rights Studies and Advocacy.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To examine intensely the human rights situation in theprovince
2. To research on the symptoms of human rights violations in the community
3. To collect facts and other information that indicate human rights violations
4. To identify the types of human rights violations in Riau
Province
5. To determine what laws and regulations relate to thosehuman rights violations
6. To find appropriate solution to particular human rights
violations
7. To improve public knowledge on human rights
8. To assist or shape a culture of openness among community members
9. To improve public participation in human rights enforcement
10. To educate the public on developing a legal culture
according to their own culture.

cal organizations in Kuasing District (2001-2003)
d. Human rights awareness-raising for Riau Provincial
Officials in cooperation with Riau Department ofJustice and Human Rights Affairse. Provision of resource persons in interactive dialoguein State Radio of Pekanbaru as well as in various human rights meetings.
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies and Advocacy
PSA HAM Universitas Riau
(PSA-HAM UNRI)
Jl. Pattimura 9 Pekanbaru 2813 Indonesia
ph/fax (62-761) 40191

Programs
Human Rights Studies - comprising of research activities
such as an inventory of human rights information andtheir analysis/processing.
Human Rights Advocacy - provision of services to protect
the community from human rights problems.
Human Rights Promotion - disseminating information
and raisingawareness on human rights principles in the community.
Activities
1. Research on Rural Coastal Community of Batam Island,in cooperation with the local government of Batam
City (2000)
2. Assistance to refugees in cooperation with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2001)
3. Human rights educationa. Training of trainers (2002)
b. Human rights awareness-raising for the community,
local bureaucrats, political parties and social-politi-

69

Center for Human Rights and Terrorism Studies (PK-HAM & Terorisme FH UNSRI)
Sriwijaya University

Year Established: 2002
Short Historical BackgroundThe university, as an academic institution where an effective study on human rights is feasible, can become
an effective socialization agency for public awarenesson human rights. This was the justification for the establishment of the Center for Human Rights and Terrorism
Studies at the Faculty of Law Sriwijaya University in 2002.
The Center is expected to contribute to the realizationof human rights in Indonesia, particularly in the South
Sumatra Province.
Objectives
The Center aims to become a prime and active institution in human rights socialization and enforcement efforts and try to eradicate terrorism for a peaceful andhumane community order.

Activities• Human rights training- for high school teachers in Palembang City
- for human rights lecturers at universities• Monthly seminar about human rights (with invited local, national and international resource persons)Address
Center for Human Rights and Terrorism Studies
Pusat Kajian HAM dan Terorisme Fakultas Hukum
Universitas Sriwijaya(PK-HAM & Terorisme FH UNSRI)
Kampus Indralaya Jalan Raya
Palembang-Prabumulih Km. 32 Indralaya
Kabupaten Ogan Ilir, Propinsi Sumatera Selatan, Indonesia
ph (62-711) 580 063
fax (62-711) 581 179
e-mail : amzulian64@hotmail.com

Center for Human Rights Studies (PP-HAM UNTAN)
Tanjungpura University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
Pontianak city, along with West Kalimantan and other
districts, suffered from many problems ranging fromethnic conflicts, criminality (theft, assault, murder), andabuse of power by members of the police and the military. Many of these problems are human-rights-related.
It is necessary to address these problems in order to prevent negative consequences to community life in termsof security, economy, political, social and cultural aspects.
The Center was thus established in 2000 to help in theenforcement of law and the protection of human rights
in West Kalimantan, particularly for vulnerable civilians.
Objectives
As a human rights information center for academicians
and the public of West Kalimantan, the Center aims topromote the human rights concept through education,
research, enlightenment, library improvement, socialization and other activities related to human rights.
Activities
Education- Training of Trainers for the Police (on refugees andhuman rights law, and other issues)- Human rights socialization for West Kalimantan Regional Office of Department of Justice and Human
Rights70- Workshop on internally displaced people (IDPs)- Empowering the institution in human rights socialization
Research on- Human rights socialization- Madura IDPs and their interactions with local neighborhood at Pontianak, West Kalimantan- Fact-finding in Tanjungpura University concerning
violent confrontation between police officers andTanjungpura University students.
- Encouragement factors of violence toward women inWest Kalimantan
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies Tanjungpura University
Pusat Penelitian HAM Universitas Tanjungpura (PP-HAM
UNTAN)
Jl. Daya Nasional (Kompleks UNTAN)
Pontianak, 78124 West Kalimantan, Indonesia
ph (62-561) 767 945
fax (62-561) 5711325, 740187, 761252

Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM UBAYA)
University of Surabaya

Year Established: 1995
Short Historical BackgroundIndonesia experienced significant events in 1993 including the popular call for democracy, the occurrence ofhuman rights violations in several cities, and the strong
call on the government to establish the National Commission on Human Rights. Based on these events and thedevelopment of studies on human rights, the Center for
Human Rights Studies in the University of Surabaya wasestablished on 18 August 1995.
During the 1995-2002 period, the Center implemented a program acquiring and managing human rights
books as a collection with the support of the CanadianInternational Development Agency (CIDA) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) through a
cooperation program with Human Rights Research and
Education Centre of Ottawa University and Raoul Wallenberg Institute. The program was implemented throughthe Human Rights Documentation Center (Documentation Center).
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To study and disseminate information on humanrights situations especially regarding economic, socialand cultural rights
2. To enhance ideas and initiate efforts at developing asystem of governance and society that respects andprotects human rights in order to gradually increase
equal opportunity and participation in development
among women, men, as well as vulnerable and marginal groups
3. To establish and maintain a cooperation network withall stakeholders interested in protecting and promoting human rights.
Programs
1. Research in the human rights field
2. Human Rights Dissemination and Education throughseminars, focus group discussions, workshops, publicdialogues, trainings, and campaigns
3. Documentation on Human Rights issues through the
Human Rights Documentation Center (books, periodicals and films)
4. Publication on human rights issues.
Activities
1. Child-to-Child Training, in cooperation with UNICEF(2000)
2. Content Analysis on Women Reproduction and Sexual
Rights in East Java Newspapers (2002)
3. Research on Human Rights Education with Gender
Perspective to Empower Teachers and Students in Several Elementary Schools and Senior High Schools in
Surabaya, in cooperation with AusAID (2003-2005)
4. Human Rights Training on Gender for Teachers on El-

ementary and Senior High Schools in Surabaya, in cooperation with AusAID (2004)
5. Human Rights Training for Government Officials in cooperation with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (20042005)
6. Human Rights Training for Law Enforcement Officers
in cooperation with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute(2004-2005)
7. National Seminar on the Implementation of Corporate
Social Responsibility Based on Human Rights in cooperation with the Indonesian National Commission on
Human Rights (2006)
8. Performance Evaluation of the Indonesian National
Commission on Human Rights (2006-2007)
9. Human Rights Training with Gender Perspective to
Combat Trafficking in Women and Children in cooperation with AusAID (2007)
10. Human Rights Mapping Research for Poverty Reduction Strategies in East Java, Indonesia in cooperation
Raoul Wallenberg Institute (2007-2008)
11. Annual Activities:
a. Center’s Anniversary: Seminar, Book Publication,
and Film Showb. Human Rights Day: Campaign, Photography Contest, Poster Contest and Seminar.
Publications• “Satu Tahun Pusham” (First Anniversary of the Centre)(1996)• Journal “Dinamika HAM” (periodical)• “Toleransi dalam Keberagaman: Visi Abad ke-21: Kumpulan Esai Prof. Soetandyo Wignjosoebroto” (Tolerance in Diversity: 21st Century Vision: A Human Rights
Essays of Prof. Soetandyo Wignjosoebroto) (2003)• “Kompilasi Instrumen Hak Asasi Manusia dan Ratifikasinya dalam Perundang-undangan di Indonesia”(Compilation of International Human Rights Instruments and its Ratification into Indonesia Law and Regulations) (2003)• “Suara HAM” (Voices of Human Rights) (2005)• “Sekilas Fakta tentang Perdagangan Orang” (Highlighton Human Trafficking) (2007)
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies
University of Surabaya
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia Universitas Surabaya(PUSHAM UBAYA)
Gedung Perpustakaan Lantai V
Universitas Surabaya
Jl. Raya Kalirungkut Tenggilis Surabaya 60293
ph (62 - 31) 298 1345, 298 1347
fax (62 - 31) 298 1346
e-mail: pusham@ubaya.ac.id
http://pusham.ubaya.ac.id71Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM UNSYIAH)
Syiah Kuala University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical BackgroundIn response to the human rights situation in Aceh, theSyiah Kuala University established the Center for Human
Rights Studies in 2000. The Center has three divisions;i.e. 1) Research and Development Division, 2) Education,
Discussion and Seminar Division and 3) Investigation
and Advocacy Division.
Objectives
The Centers aims
1. To develop a network with national and international
human rights education institutions and other institutions concerned in human rights, both government institutions as well as non-governmental organizations(NGOs)
2. To establish a human rights documentation center bycompiling national and international information andliterature on human rights
3. To make human rights education a single subject matter with two credits for all Syiah Kuala University students
4. To research on violations, realization, comprehension
and awareness of human rights in Aceh Region
5. To arrange seminars, workshops, discussion activities
about human rights, and cooperate with government
and non-governmental institutions concerning human rights realizations
6. To arrange human rights training for government bureaucrats, teachers, NGO activists and public leaders inorder to socialize human rights values
7. To arrange human rights enlightenment for the public
in order to socialize human rights values
8. To do advocacy work and provide legal aid for human rights violations victims in cooperation with the
Department of Justice and Human Rights Affairs, National Commission of Human Rights and NGOs working in human rights advocacy and realization in Aceh
Region9. To do comparative studies of other Centers of Human
Rights Studies in Indonesia to obtain knowledge andexperience about human rights studies and education
as well as developments in the management of such
centers.
Activities
1. Routine studies/discussions on various issues concerning human rights (2000-present)
2. Human Rights and Refugees Law Training for 4,200
members of the police in Aceh Region in cooperation
with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
Jakarta (2000- 2001)
3. Seminar on “Gender in Islam Perspective” (2002)
4. Workshop on “Judicial Body Coordination and Empowerment in order to enforce law and human rights,” incooperation with Partnership for Governance Reform72

in Indonesia, Jakarta (2002)
5. Participation in the finalization of Aceh Police Qanun[Regulations], in cooperation with Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia
a. Preparing a draft Aceh Police Qanun (April-May
2003)
b. Expert Meeting to critique and improve the Draft
Aceh Police Qanun (June 2003)
c. Public Review on Aceh Police Qanun (July 2003)
d. Socialization and public hearing on Aceh Police Qanun in State Television and State Radio Station and
Newspapers (August 2003)
e. Finalization of the Aceh Police Qanun (SeptemberOctober 2003)
f. Lobbying and presentation of the Aceh Police Qanun
before Local Parliament and Government (November 2003)
Address
Center for Human Rights Studies
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia Universitas Syiah Kuala(PUSHAM UNSYIAH)
Jl. T. Nyak Arief No. 262 Darussalam
Banda Aceh, Nanggro Aceh Darussalam (NAD) Indonesia
ph/fax (62-651) 532 16
e-mail: yusrizabidin@yahoo.com; khairaniarifin@yahoo.
com; raiyabilly@yahoo.ca

Center for Law and Local Autonomy (PUSHOD UNTAD)
Faculty of Law, Tadulako University

Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
While law reform introduced the local autonomy system in Indonesia, the implementation of the decentralization program of the government had been meetingproblems from the very beginning. The central government of Indonesia seemed to have a distorted view ofdecentralization. At the same time, local governments
were not performing their functions well and failed toprovide a favorable opportunity for local communities
to politically and economically develop. Local government powers were mainly used to collect taxes, rather
than allow local communities to gain more access to local governance. This situation led to the establishment of
the Center for Law and Local Autonomy in the Faculty of
Law of Tadulako University. The Center envisions a sustained democratic state governance, particularly local
governance, on the basis of fair justice and benefit, thatprovides certainty by employing democratic principles,and attempts to achieve good governance.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To actively participate in democracy and local autonomy studies and development, evaluate national andlocal governments and their impact on the social, economic and cultural values of community life
2. To realize the requirements of diversity, democraticvalues and good governance3. To actively study and develop programs on community education and evaluation of responsive, accommodating and participative law and legal measures aswell as law enforcement results
4. To actively perform arbitration to achieve synergy between community requirements and the broad government policies based on the law and democratic
norms and values.

- Encourages and stimulates legislators to use theirlegislative authority properly- Undertakes studies on rulings issued by judicial bodies as well as executive and legislative institutions.
c. Local Regulation/Legal Socialization Division- Performs socialization and enlightenment on law andregulations- Disseminates studies and evaluation results on local
legal measures to local government personnel andlocal community- Monitors legal process and enforcement results.
d. Nautical Decentralization Studies Division- Researches on local authority management of nautical and fishery resources- Identifies and evaluates local legal measures related
to nautical and fishery resources management- Performs arbitration and facilitation on community
interests (beach areas, fisherfolk and entrepreneurs)in nautical and fishery sectors- Arranges seminars, symposiums, workshops, scientific discussion and other similar activities in nauticaland fishery sectors.
Address
Center for Law and Local Autonomy
Faculty of Law, Tadulako University
Pusat Studi Hukum dan Otonomi
DaerahFakultas Hukum Universitas Tadulako
Kampus Bumi Tadulako Tondo
Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia
ph/fax (62-451) 454 446

Programs and Activities
a. Local Autonomy Research and Development Division- Undertakes legal research in governance law, administration law, particularly local government law
as well as studies concerning the strengthening of
good governance principles- Studies and evaluates local autonomy implementation and public policy on local interests- Assists national and local governments in developing
democracy and local autonomy, including strengthening of democratic institutions in provincial, district and rural community levels.
b. Local Regulations Drafts and Legal Studies Division- Systematizes and evaluates laws, regulations, regulatory directories- Arranges and facilitates education and training ondraft regulations

73

Center for Public Policy and Human Rights (SKKP & HAM UNILA)
Lampung University

Year Established:
Short Historical Background
The Center was established based on the grass-roots experience of several lecturers of the University. Lampung
Province, at the same time, has been experiencing quitea high rate of human rights violations. And with the local government exercising autonomy, human rights violations under existing public policies become possible.
Control in public policy decision-making process as wellas advocacy for interest groups was required. Individual
experience in performing advocacy with NGO put in the
picture that the university has a strategic role to participate in defending public rights. Based on this consideration, the Center was founded, institutionalized under
the Research Institute, Lampung University.
Objectives
The Center upholds the principles of being independent from any interest groups or individuals, of being
objective in thinking and in undertaking activities on
problem-analysis and problem-solving regarding public
policy and human rights issues. This is for human rights
enforcement and appreciation. It aims
1. To establish a central database on human rights violations information
2. To identify human rights information issues and proposals
3. To study human rights violations cases
4. To undertake studies on government policies
5. To disseminate the results of the studies
6. To undertake policy advocacy
7. To develop a network with similar institutions inuniversities and non-governmental organizations(NGOs).
Programs and Activities
1. Facilitating dissemination activities by the local government, local office of the Department of Law and
Human Rights, local police of Lampung and other institutions
2. Facilitating seminars and discussions about humanrights.
3. Publishing a human rights education guidebook
4. Studying and advocating Local Budget of Lampung
Province (2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004).
5. Study and prepare System and Procedure of Local Budget Arrangement of Lamping Province (2003).
6. Study and prepare a Model on Jarring Asmara in Local
Budget Arrangement of Lampung Province (2003).
7. Become a partner for The Asia Foundation in Indonesia
Rapid Decentralization Appraisal Program Phase 2 - 5(IRDA) (2002-2004)
8. Several activities concerning local policy review:a. Local productivity
b. Existed Local Policy Effect (content of analysis)c. Synchronization toward Local Policy hierarchy74

d. Local Policy Making Procedure (public participation)e. Local Policy Categorization (concerning public service, civil service and security and order function)
f. Optimize local authority and capacity in making local policy.
Address
Center for Public Policy and Human Rights
Lampung University
Sentra Kajian Kebijakan Publik dan HAM
Universitas Lampung(SKKP & HAM UNILA)
Jl. Prof. Sumantri Brojonegoro
Bandar Lampung, Indonesia
ph (62-721) 705173
fax (62-721) 773798
e-mail: tisnanta@plasa.com

Center for the Study of Law and Human Rights (PKH-HAM FH UNMUL)
Mularwarman University

Year Established: 2005
Short Historical Background
The respect, fulfillment and protection of human rights
in accordance with the country’s legal principles must be
improved. And these tasks are part of the government’s
duties and responsibilities, but people’s participation isabsolutely needed. In the framework of participation, inorder to support the aim of respecting, fulfilling and protecting human rights within the scope of Mulawarman
University in particular and the society in East Kalimantan in general, the Center for Law and Human Rights wasestablished in 2005 (based on SK UnMul Rector No. 107/
HK/2005, 6th of April 2005).

Address
Center for the Study of Law and Human Rights(PKH-HAM FH UNMUL)
Mularwarman University
Pusat Kajian Hukum dan Hak Asasi
Manusia (PKH-HAM FH UNMUL)
Fakultas Hukum Universitas Mulawarman Samarinda
Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara,
Kampus Unmul Gunung Kelua,
Samarinda 75123 Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia
ph (62-541) 707 2549

Objectives
The Center aims to research/study and give scientific recommendations on human rights problems that appear
in the scope of Mulawarman University as well as in thesociety.
Activities
The Center undertakes the following activities:• Cooperation with other institutions on long-term, continuous and synergistic basis• Development of the human rights knowledge andcapacity for problem-solving regarding issues on law
and human rights, as well as leadership and organizational management skills of the members• Involvement/participation in the activities of RANHAM Provincial Organizing Committee and RAN-HAM
Regency or City Organizing Committee in East Kalimantan• Involvement/participation in the human rights course
curriculum evaluation activities in cooperation with
the Director General of Human Rights Protection in the
Department of Justice and Human Rights• Consultation service to the general public about human rights protection and information dissemination
through the mass media• Organization of regular discussion session once every
two weeks in order to talk about current issues in Mulawarman University and in the society at large• Training and awareness-raising activities on humanrights for senior high school students and the peopleof East Kalimantan• Holding of seminars, law discussions, training, workshops, refresher courses about respecting, fulfilling,
and protecting human rights• Provision of scientific recommendations about problems within the university and in the east Kalimantan
society and regarding people with authority based on
study and research results.
• Publication of study and research results in the mass
media, especially in the Scientific Journal of Law Essays,
Faculty of Law Mulawarman University, Samarinda.

75

Consultation Laboratory and Legal Service (LKPH FH UMM)
Faculty of Law Muhammadiyah University of Malang

Year Established: 2004
Short Historical Background
The Faculty of Law Muhammadiyah University of Malangestablished the unit for laboratory and legal service as
an advocacy instrument and litigation service for thecommunity. The Unit was meant to actualize the University’s vision, especially in education and public service.
It was established on 9 September 2004. From that time
onward, it began to take an increasing number of cases
relating to civil law, criminal law, administration and theConstitution.
Objectives
The Unit aims
1. To develop legal human resources through legal education and training based on competency (study subject)
2. To provide advocacy and litigation services to thecommunity based on legal supremacy and justiceprinciples.
Programs• Regular training in Tax Law, Contract, Legal Audit, Legal Research, Lawyer and Legal Writing.
• Law Profession Internship Program for Students• Routine twice a week discussion session• Bulletin publication on law discourse• Litigation service• Petition for Judicial Review in the Constitution Court
to have an Advocate Statute (April 2004)
Activities
To realize its vision and missions, the Unit performs thefollowing strategic measures:• legal education and training for law students• consultation and litigation service for students• regular legal and interdisciplinary studies and research• cooperation with various law and non-law institutions,
government agencies, private sectors at the local, national and international levels, which are committed tolegal and justice development.
Address
Consultation Laboratory and Legal Service- Faculty of Law Muhammadiyah University of Malang
Laboratorium Konsultasi dan Pelayanan Hukum (LKPH
FH UMM)
Fakultas Hukum Universitas Muhammadiya Malang
Jalan Raya Tlogomas No. 276,
Masjid AR. Facruddin Lt. 1 Kampus III UMM.
Malang, Jawa Timur (65152)
ph (62-341) 464 318, ext. 193, 466 412
fax (62-341) 460 782
e-mail : sumali@umm.ac.id
www.umm.ac.id76Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM)
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM)
was established in 1983 to encourage the developmentof a democratic political order by strengthening civil society through advocacy and promotion of human rights inIndonesia. With more than six years of work on promoting accountability mechanism for gross human rights
violations (civil and political rights in particular), ELSAM
initiated in 2002 the advocacy work for the developmentof accountability mechanism on economic, social andcultural rights violations. This decision was made pursuant to the principle of indivisibility and interdependenceof the two categories of rights.
Objectives
ELSAM aims
1. To encourage and promote effective mechanisms ofaccountability of gross human rights violations of civil
and political rights and economic, social and culturalrights
2. To promote responsibility for past human rights violations by revealing the truth, using sanctions, and seeking reparation
3. To establish acknowledgeable, democratic and sustainable association.
Programs and Activities
Research and study of alternative policy development - thisis designed to provide substantive analysis in the development of alternative policies. The activity covers threemain areas: (1) study of policy or legal impacts on humanrights, particularly the policy regarding the settlementof past human rights violations, and the policy that has
legal impact on the enjoyment of economic, social andcultural rights, (2) study of international human rights instruments and mechanisms, (3) study on accountability
mechanism for gross violations of economic, social andcultural rights, (4) drafting of alternative legal policies.
Advocacy and Campaign - this is designed to gain andfoster public opinion regarding current human rights issues through seminars, conferences, public debates, focused group discussion, and media activities.
Publication - this is designed to collect and process data
related to human rights violations and to disseminate information to networks and the society at large including
production of publications.

man rights mechanism in general (for students), humanrights defenders and lawyers.
Monitoring and investigation - this is designed to address
the ongoing rapid changes in the political structure of
the country and their implication on human rights violations. It also aims to gather the necessary data for the
study and research on the development of alternative
policy on preventing gross human rights violations.
Lobby - this is designed separately from advocacy andcampaign activities in order to intensify its work on
policy advocacy. This activity specifically addresses theimportance of adopting policies that employ the humanrights perspective and standards by lobbying the parliament and related government institutions.
Networking - ELSAM has been establishing or facilitating
networks with human rights defenders, human rights
lawyers associations, groups monitoring and promoting
economic, social and cultural rights, organizations thatwork for the victims of past human rights violations, andorganizations of human rights violations victims in different regions of the country. It networks with government
institutions, members of parliament, and the national
human rights institution (Komnas HAM). It also networks
with human rights organizations in other countries.
Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation - this is designed todevelop good planning, monitoring and evaluation system to support the implementation of overall programsof ELSAM. Internal evaluation of the implementation ofeach program is done once in a year, in addition to theoverall evaluation every three years.
Publications• 2003 Human Rights Report- The Decreasing Capacity in Upholding Human
Rights: Debt, Poverty and Violence
Address
Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM)
Lembaga Studi dan Advokasi Masyarakat
Jl. Siaga II No 31, Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12510
Indonesiaph (62-21) 7972662, 79192564
fax 62-21) 79192519
e-mail: elsam@nusa.or.id or advokasi@indosat.net.id
www.elsam.or.id

Workshop and training - this is designed to offer humanrights education and training in the priority regions of
the country and for sectoral networks of ELSAM. Besides
human rights training, ELSAM also provides workshops
on economic, social and cultural rights monitoring, hu-

77

The Habibie CenterYear Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie and family founded the Habibie Center on 10 November 1999 in Jakarta, Indonesia
as an independent, non-governmental and non-profit
organization. Its vision is to promote the modernizationand democratization of Indonesian society based on the
morality and integrity of sound cultural and religious values. It aims to serve as a platform for the strategic development of its agenda in democracy and human rights,
human resources in science and technology, media andinformation, maritime resources, socialization and dissemination of technology, networking and cooperation.
Objectives
The Habibie Center aims
1. To establish a structurally and culturally democraticsociety that acknowledges, honors and promotes human rights, as well as to study and advocate issues inthe development of democracy and human rights
2. To promote and advance effective human resourcesmanagement and the socialization of technology.
Programs and Activities
Below are some of the activities under each program.
Weekly television talk show “Bincang-Bincang THC” aired
on QTV and Swara TV stations and local television network stations
Research projects:• Democracy and Local Political Culture: Continuity andChange, a study in West Sumatra, East Java, South
Sulawesi and Bali (2007-2009)• Regional Budget: Viewed from Political Economy Perspectives (The Case of Jakarta, 2002-2007 Period)
Symposiums:• International Conference “Indonesia’s Decade of Democratization: The Rise of Constitutional Democracy” (2008)• Conference on “Indonesia’s Reformasi: Reflections on
the Habibie Era” (2007)
Young Leaders’ Dialogue:• Indonesia-Taiwan Young Leaders’ Dialogue, “Indonesia-Taiwan Relationship within the Context of AsianSocio-Economic Challenges” (2007)• Australia-Indonesia Young Leaders’ Dialogue, “Indonesia-Australia Relations Post Tsunami” (2005)
Roundtable Discussions:• Roundtable Expert Forum, “Questioning the Crucial
Issues on Law in Politics,” (2007)• Experts’ Discussion: “Civil Society and Transition Toward Democracy in Indonesia: the Role of Political
Parties and Civil Society,” (2007)

78

Workshops:• Workshop on Result of Disseminations, project AsiaLink Programmed of the European Commission,“Upgrading Institutional Capacity of Industry Relation Offices” (2006)• International Workshop “Comparing Access to Justicein Asian and European Transition Countries” (2005)
Reflection/Perspectives by THC senior fellows:• Reflection on 2007 and Perspective on 2008: “The Prospect on Improving the Quality of Democracy” (2008)• Reflection on 2006 and Perspective on 2007: “Level of
Poverty and Unemployment is Worrisome” (2007)
Bureaucratic Reform Activities:• Launching of website reformasibirokrasi.habibiecenter.
or.id (2006)• Discussion and Advocacy on Reform of Bureaucracy in
Sulawesi (2007)• “A21 Dialogue: Reinventing Accountability in Indonesian Public Service: Delivering Human Security” (2006)
International Executive Forums:• “Enhancing Indonesia-Brazil Relations
Series of Inter-history Figures Speak Out:• “Arousing National Spirit with Chairil Anwar Poetries”(2008)• Testimony of Rosihan Anwar: “Press Freedom in Indonesia before and after Independence” (2007)
Media Watch Discussions:• “The Law on Freedom of Public Information and the Realization of a Corruption-free Indonesia” (2008)• “Public Information Bill and Realization Prospect: Good
Governance in Indonesia” (2007)
Institute of Democracy and Socialization of Technology:• National Seminar, “Democracy 2.0: Enhancing Citizen
Participation” (2007)
Launching and Exhibitions:• B.J. Habibie’s Book Launching “Decisive Moments: Indonesia’s Long Road to Democracy” (2006)• Discussion, “Democratic Turbulence in South East Asia:
Political, Security and Diplomacy Aspects” & Dewi
Fortuna Anwar’s Book Launching “Indonesia at Large”(2006)
Publications• Jurnal Demokrasi dan Hak-hak Asasi Manusia (Indonesian, twice a year)• Journal of Democracy and Human Rights (English,
once a year)• Jurnal Media Watch (Indonesian, monthly)• Annual Reports (English and Indonesian)• Monthly Review PostScript (English)• Research and Discussion Proceedings• “An Indonesian Perspective on Security and Terrorism”
by Prof. Dr. Hasjim Djalal (Indonesian and English)• “Development, Migration and Security in East Asia” by
Prof. Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar, 2006
• “Indonesia at Large” by Prof. Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar,
2006• “Decisive Moments: Indonesia’s Long Road to Democracy” by Prof. Dr. B.J. Habibie, 2006

AddressThe Habibie Center
Jl. Kemang Selatan No. 98
Jakarta 12560 Indonesia
ph (62-21) 781-7211
fax (62-21) 781-7212
e-mail: thc@habibiecenter.or.id
www.habibiecenter.or.id

Human Rights Center (Sentra HAM UI)
Indonesia University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
While the Center was formally established in 2000
through the Mandate Letter of the Dean of the Faculty of
Law dated 19 February 2000, the will and the urgency toestablish an institution concentrated on studying humanrights issues existed long before. The political change inIndonesia which necessitated government attention tohuman rights and the performance of its duties in partnership with other institutions, the call for foreign institutions to support the effort to protect and promote
human rights, and the important role of intellectuals inthis regard moved several lecturers in the Faculty of Law(led by Professor Harkristuti Harkrisnowo) to initiate establishing the Center.
Objective
The Center aims to help enliven an Indonesia that protects and promotes human rights according to its capability through planned research, education, socialization
and advocacy programs as well as programs requested
by other national and/or international institutions in pursuit of this objective.
Programs and Activities
The education program includes trainings, workshops
and seminars. The Center had held the following training
activities:
a. Training for Timorese law graduates on the Indonesian
legal system and the appropriate legal system to be
implemented in the new country of Timor Leste, in
cooperation with Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA)
b. Training for Jakarta Local Government Bureaucrats andJakarta public officials. It included the research andpreparation of a guidebook on human rights, with full
funding support from the Jakarta Local Government.
c. Training for the police about labor rights (both in labor
relations and human rights contexts) in cooperation
the International Labor Organization (ILO). A handbook for trainers was prepared for the training
d. Awareness-raising on international human rights in-struments through their translation into Bahasa Indonesia and the holding of workshops and seminars
e. Other seminars and workshops on human-rights-related issues such as the Indonesian criminal legal incomparison with systems in other countries.
The research program includes study on rehabilitationof victims of gross human rights violations, the access ofpeople with disability, and access of defendants to legal
aid. This program is being undertaken in cooperation
with Center for Research and Human Rights Improvement, Department of Justice and Human Rights Affairs.
The Center also organized several workshops and seminars on the drafting of the law on the establishment of a
Human Rights Court, in cooperation with the Secretariat
General of Indonesia Parliament (DPR). The Center has
not yet undertaken activities regarding documentationof human rights violations at the regional/local and national levels.
Address
Human Rights CenterIndonesia University
Sentra Hak Asasi Manusia Universitas (Sentra HAM UI)FH Universitas Indonesia Depokph (62-21) 7270003/7270201
fax (6221) 7270017/7270021
e-mail : <harkristuti_harkrisnowo@yahoo.com>

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Human Rights Association Faculty of Law (PAHAM FH UNPAD)
Padjadjaran University

Objectives
The Association aims to provide education, illumination,
research and dissemination of human rights:
1. To develop human rights awareness and traditions to
be implemented in the community
2. To improve human rights promotion, protection andrealization.
Programs and Activities
Research
In cooperation with the Faculty of Law Padjadjaran University and Research and Development Body of Department of Justice and Human Rights, on- Human Rights Protection of Indonesian Illegal Workers Expelled from Malaysia (2003)- Public Participation in Legislation Process as the Exercise of Political Rights (2003).
Human rights education- Syllabus reinstatement meeting and teaching technique improvement of human rights law as mandatory learning subject- Stadium General on relations between Human Rights
Law and Humanitarian Law (in cooperation with the
Association and International Commission of Red
Cross)- Human rights training for political parties, public organizations, and non-governments organizations, phases I to III (2003), in cooperation with the Faculty of Law
Padjadjaran University and the Welfare Development
Community Protection Body of Local Government ofWest Java- Stadium General and Advanced Short Course on Human Rights (2004), in cooperation with the Association, Raoul Wallenberg Institute, SIDA.
Other activities• Qualitative Discussion on Discrimination in the Workplace, in cooperation with the Faculty of Law Padjadjaran University and Legal Reform Program (LRP)/AusAID and International Labor Organization (ILO)• Initiation of proposal for the establishment of Centers
for Human Rights Studies and Lecturers Association, in
cooperation with the Center for Human Rights Studies
Islamic University of Indonesia and Center for Human
Rights Studies Surabaya University.
Publications• Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Journal
Other Information
Special Library for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Address
Human Rights Association Faculty of Law
Paguyuban Hak Asasi Manusia Fakultas Hukum (PAHAM

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FH UNPAD)
Universitas Padjadjaran
Jl. Imam Bonjol No. 21 Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
ph (62-22) 2508514
fax (62-22) 2508514

Human Rights Law Studies

Faculty of Law, Airlangga University
Year Established: 2006
Short historical Background
The Constitutional Law Department, Faculty of Law, Airlangga University established the Human Rights Law
Studies Center in September 2006 to help strengthen
higher education institutions and communities in improving awareness for human rights advancement toward critical legal education.

Dharmawangsa Dalam Selatan 4-6 Surabaya 60286 INDONESIA
ph (62 31) 5023252 Ext. 132
fax. (62 31) 5020454
e-mail: hrls@unair.ac.id; hrls@yahoo.com

Objectives
The Center aims
1. To promote human rights laws toward critical legal
education
2. To empower human rights teaching methodologies
and researches through participatory methods forchanging political economy policy
3. To build strategic network for progressing humanrights policy at local, national and international level
Programs and Activities
Education- Human Rights: Critical Thought on Law for students
and community (training program) - February 2008
- Roundtable Discussion on Human Rights - monthly- Lecture on Human Rights: Gender Discriminationand Minorities in International & Comparative Human Rights Law (presented by Professor Robert
Wintemute, LL.M., PhD, University of London) - September 2007
- Workshop on Human Rights Teaching Methodologies - December 2007
Research- Truth and Reconciliation Commission - April-July2007- Fair Trial Perspective on Labor Courts in Indonesia July-December 2007
- Freedom of Expression: Law and Practice in Indonesia’s Post Constitutional Court Decisions - 20072008
Legal/policy reform advocacy- Legal Opinion for Human Rights Cases (LapindoCase, Land Rights in Mojokerto, and Alas Tlogo Case)- ongoing- Alternative Policy or Report (Shadow Report on
Elimination of Racial Discrimination) - July-August
2007
Publications
Human Rights Law Journal
Address
Human Rights Law Studies
Faculty of Law, Airlangga University
Constitutional Law Departement, Campus B

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Imparsial, The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor
Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
IMPARSIAL, The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, wasestablished in June 2002 by seventeen of Indonesia’s
most prominent human rights advocates who shared thesame concern: the increasing tendency of state power assertion to the detriment of civil society. The founders of
IMPARSIAL are: T. Mulya Lubis, Karlina Leksono, M. Billah,
Wardah Hafidz, Hendardi, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana,
Binny Buchory, Kamala Chandrakirana, HS Dillon, Munir,
Rachland Nashidik, Rusdi Marpaung, Otto Syamsuddin
Ishak, Nezar Patria, Amiruddin, and Poengky Indarti.
Ironically, although the new era after the fall of the
New Order regime of President Soeharto in 1998 has
opened the way for greater public advocacy activities,
the strength of human rights and other civil society
groups decreased in recent years.

Activities
1. Public Discussion:- “Intelijen dan Pasal pengecualian dalam Rancangan
Undang-undang Keterbukaan Informasi Publik”- Pluralis
2. Exhibition: “THE FACE OF 1000 WOMEN” Wajah Perempuan Perdamaian
3. National Human Rights Defenders Meeting
4. Human Rights Defenders Training
5. Crisis Center for Human Rights Defenders Formation
6. Security Sector Reform Training
7. Research and campaign about death penalty and civil
liberties.

Objectives
IMPARSIAL aims
1. To formulate a standardized approach to reportingand documenting human rights protection matters
2. To prepare and campaign for an alternative humanrights policy, and3. To work as a partner of the National Commission on
Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Publications• Pluralisme Dalam Implementasi Hak Asasi Manusia(Pluralism in Implementing Human Rights) - Gufron
Mabruri (2007)• Who’s afraid of independent candidates? - Bhatara
Ibnu Reza and Al Araf (2007)• Demokrasi yang Selektif terhadap Penegakan HAM- (Laporan Kondisi HAM Indonesia 2005)• Buletin Huridocs Imparsial• Book series: Alternative Policy• Evaluasi Kinerja BIN di masa Transisi- Imparsial Team

Programs
Human Rights Defender: Imparsial advocates for theprotection of human rights defenders, and support the
proposed legal mechanism for their protection. It also
monitors their situation and condition in Indonesia particularly in Papua, Poso and Aceh (areas that are in conflict and post-conflict situations respectively)
Security Sector Reform: Imparsial advocates for a change
in the governance of the defence-security sector in accordance with human rights and democracy values,
professionalism, and good governance principles. This
includes reform in the defence-security institutions (intelligence, police and military forces).
Human Rights in General: Imparsial highlights some cases, such as those relating to death penalty, freedom of
religion and belief, civil liberties (terrorism-related cases)
and human rights violations done by the intelligenceagency and police.
Alternative Human Rights Policy – Imparsial develops andcampaigns for an alternative human rights policy as ameasure to improve State policy (including change ingovernment regulations) based on human rights principles. This initiative started with a study of state policies
that resulted in a publication for policy lobby. The publication is also distributed to local, national and international network partners of Imparsial.

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Special Concerns• Human Rights Defenders• Security Sector Reform

Address
Imparsial, The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor
Jl. Diponegoro 9, Menteng, Jakarta 10310 Indonesia
ph (62 21) 391 3819
fax (62 21) 319 00627
e-mail: office@imparsial.org
www.imparsial.org

KALYANAMITRA - Women’s Information and Communication CenterYear Established: 1985
Short Historical BackgroundOn 28 March 1985, five women of different backgrounds
who shared mutual concern on women-related issues
founded Kalyanamitra in Jakarta. Kalyanamitra started
as an independent women organization that initiallybrought up issues on women workers, by processing information into discussion materials for them. Kalyanamitra also take sides with oppressed women among farmers, fisherfolk, and informal sector workers by promoting
awareness of women’s rights. Therefore, Kalyanamitracollects data on any aspect of women and discuss themin seminars, trainings and public dialogues participatedin by the common people.
The 1994 closure of Tempo Magazine by the government, the 1995 murder of Marsinah, and 1998 rapecases involving ethnic Chinese women led Kalyanamitra
to develop a movement on anti-violence against women
either as a result of gender inequality or state violence.
Objectives
Kalyanamitra envisions women to be free from any kindsof violence and adopts the following mission:
1. To increase knowledge and understanding about thedifferent conditions of women and their positions in
the community
2. To build its role in advocating pro-women policies onany kind of violence
3. To build a movement that raises women’s rights in thecommunity with other groups by disseminating relevant information
4. To improve the capacity of women’s groups by enabling them to organize themselves and eradicate
gender injustice in order to reach a more democratic
and just society.
Programs and Activities
Facilitating the Community - Kalyanamitra prioritizes theincrease in critical awareness and the use of local knowledge in the community or women groups. Community
facilitation primarily aims at forming a civilian and human community system that upholds democratic values,
transparency, economic welfare, and gender justice inpolitics and the economy. It holds activities to increase
people’s awareness such as seminars, public dialogue,
discussions at grassroots communities, discussion with
university students, training and education.
Policy Advocacy – while Kalyanamitra does not engage inlitigation or other legal measures, it promotes feminist
advocacy that stresses the important and determiningrole and position of women. This advocacy aims to facilitate the development of gender justice and the establishment of equality-based community system.
Kalyanamitra networks at the national level to advocate
for pro-women policies by lobbying the parliament andgovernment institutions, and by mass action. Kalyanamitra initiates and leads the CEDAW Working Group
Initiative (CWGI) that monitors the implementation of
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Indonesia, andmakes non-governmental organization (NGO) shadow
report for submission to the United Nations CEDAWCommittee.
Knowledge, Information, and Documentation - Kalyanamitra manages information and makes documentation
in a sustainable way to increase people’s awareness on
women’s rights. As a resource center, Kalyanamitra has
a women’s library that contains two hundred thirty-two
books, 168,226 working papers/newsletters, magazines,
clippings on women articles from newspapers, and audio-visual collections. It publishes information (printed
and digital) as books, fact sheets, comics on women’s
rights, bulletins, films, and website articles. It produces
interesting campaign tools on various women issues
such as stickers, posters, pins, t-shirts, bags, and mugs.
Special Concerns
Violence against women, the impact of pop culture on
women subordination and stereotyping, and monitoringof the implementation of CEDAW in Indonesia.
Publications
Books• Ibunda, Maxim Gorky• Hak Reproduktif Antara Kontrol dan Perlawanan, Sita
Aripurnami• Bila Perkosaan Terjadi, Adrina Taslim, Henny Supolo
Sitepu, Liza Hadiz, Sita Aripurnami• Kaum Perempuan dan Strategi Ekonomi Internasional,
Mariarosa & Giovanna F. Dalla Costa• Gerakan Perempuan di Amerika Latin, Jane S. Jaquett(ed.)• Reproduksi dan Perjuangan Feminis, Sylvia Frederici• Kuntilanak Wangi, Saskia Wieringa
Films• Ketika Mata Jiwa Bicara (Incest/Rape case)• Menguak Kekerasan dalam Rumah Tangga (Domestic
violence)
Address
KALYANAMITRA - Women’s Information and Communication Center
Jl. Kaca Jendela II No. 9
Rawajati, Kalibata
Jakarta, 12750 Indonesia
ph (62 - 21) 7902109
fax (62 - 21) 7902112
e-mail: ykm@indo.net.id
www.kalyanamitra.or.id

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Kartini Network for Women’s/Gender Studies in Asia
Year Established: 2003
Short Historical Background
The Kartini Network for Women’s/Gender Studies in Asia
was formally established in Manila in May 2003 after two
years of preparation, during which time the network wascalled GINA, Gender Institutes Network in Asia. Kartini,
named after the Indonesian pioneering feminist writerand activist, aims to create synergy between women’s/
gender studies and feminist activism in the region. Kartini members are women’s/gender studies centers or institutes and feminist organizations in Asia and elsewhere.
The approach of Kartini research and activism iscross-cultural and comparative within the Asian context, incorporating both empirical work and theoreticalreflection. Tailored advanced training courses will be organized both in research methodologies and in women’s
theories around particular themes identified by the network. Kartini has an open, dynamic and flexible structure.
The participating institutes all have their own dynamics,
interests, capacities and needs.
Objectives
The Kartini Network aims
1. To increase the knowledge base of participating
members
2. To strengthen inter-disciplinary research skills
3. To contribute to the development of comparative andcollaborative research programs that respond to theneeds of women in the region, and
4. To create an open, flexible platform of exchange in
the area of women’s/gender studies between Asianscholars/activists working within academic institutes
and in women’s organizations through regular Kartini
Network Asian Women’s Studies conferences.
The network also aims to incorporate women’s rights incultural and religious institutions and movements.
Programs and Activities
Research
India-Indonesia Comparative Research on Non Normative Sexuality of three constituencies: sex worker, widow
and young urban lesbian, supported by Ford Foundation,
New York. The research has several objectives including
the following:• To gain a deeper understanding of issues related tosexual practices of women inside and outside the institution of heterosexual marriage• To document sexual strategies that are empowering
for women, the conditions under which they occur
and the legal, political and religious context in which
they take place• To develop indicators of sexual empowerment• To evolve a culturally sensitive sexual rights framework
for advocacy and consciousness raising• To elaborate on principles of feminist research methodology related to the issue of sexualities and theright to sexual expression and empowerment

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AdvocacyThis project is a sequel and runs parallel to a proposal
funded by the Ford Foundation on Sexual Rights andWomen’s Empowerment. The Ford project entails comparative research in India and Indonesia. It coordinatedby the Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia.
The Ford-funded project is primarily research-oriented and is undertaken from a human/women’s rights
perspective. The present project is advocacy-oriented
and is likewise based on a women’s rights perspective.
It aims to disseminate the results of the research project
among the wider public in India and Indonesia, stimulating a process of women’s sexual empowerment in bothcountries.
The current project has several objectives including
the following:• To produce a manual guide book/hand book on women’s sexual rights, in both English, Hindi and Indonesian, for use both by trainers on issues of sexuality andin the wider women’s movement in India and Indonesia, as well as in the region• To implement one research project on media analysisof sexuality• To hold two dissemination workshops in which theresults of the research component will be discussedwith relevant policy makers such as officials in chargeof curriculum development• To hold two TOT workshops in which ten trainers eachwill be trained on women’s sexual rights. These workshops will also be attended by scholars and activists
Address
Women and Gender Studies Network in Asia
Menara Kartika Chandra, 8th FL, Suite 810F
Jl. Jend Gatot Subroto Kav 18 - 20
Jakarta Selatan 12930
ph (62-21) 93694912
fax (62-21) 5251351
e-mail: kartiniasia@gmail.com
www.kartini-asia.org

The Legal Aid Foundation (LBH)
Year Established: 1969
Short Historical Background
The Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) was established during
the Third Congress of the Indonesian Advocates Association (Peradin) in 1969. The initiative was approved by the
Peradin central management Board through Order No
001/Kep/10/1970 of 26 October 1970 which stipulated
the establishment of the Legal Aid Foundation/General
Advocate Institutions, and which was made effective on
28 October 1970. After ten years in operation, LBH’s legal
status was expanded to create the Indonesian Legal Aid
Foundation (YLBHI) on 13 March 1980 with 28 Octoberas its anniversary day. Initially, the Foundation was set
up to provide legal assistance and protection to disempowered Indonesians including those living in poverty,
victims of forced eviction, marginalized communities,
victims of partial dismissal and victims of human rights
violations.
Objectives
LBH aims
1. To establish, promote and disseminate the values of
democratic and just legal-based state, and uphold human rights in all social segments without condition
2. To establish and promote independence and empower the marginalized people in such a way that enables
them to formulate, articulate and struggle for and sustain their collective and individual interests
3. To develop systems, institutions and other supporting
instruments to increase effectiveness of the efforts tofulfill the rights of the marginalized people
4. To initiate, encourage, advocate and support law development programs, enforcement of legal justice andnational legal reform in line with the viable Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
5. To promote and develop programs that contain dimension of justice in politics, socio-economic, culture
and gender, particularly for the marginalized people.
Programs
1. Case advocacy (litigation and non litigation)
2. Education on and development of people’s legal resources
3. Policy research/study (legal reform)
4. Network development (national and international)
5. Campaign and publication
Publications• Jurnal Demokrasi dan Hak-hak Asasi Manusia HAM(Journal of Democracy and Human Rights)• Journal Media Watch• Annual Reports
Address
Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI)
Jl. Diponegoro No. 74 Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10310
ph (6221) 3104510
fax (6221) 31930140
e-mail : info@ylbhi.or.id
www.ylbhi.or.id

Research Institute Jakarta State University (PPP SDM & HAM LP UNJ)
Year Established:
Short Historical BackgroundStarting as the Education Research Bureau, it was changed
to the Research Institute of Jakarta State University in
1995. The Center for Human Resource and Human Rights
Research and Development, which engages in humanrights studies, is a part of the Research Institute.

Activities• Research on learning models for integrating humanrights concepts into competency-based curriculum• Development of human rights teaching materials forschools• National seminars on teaching human rights concepts
in schools

Objectives
The Research Institute aims
1. To become a qualified research center in science, technology, education and art
2. To become a qualified scientific information center inscience, technology, education and art
3. To produce fruitful researches and gain the capability
to solve problems at the local, national and international levels.
4. To use and implement research results in science, technology, education and art academically, professionallyand in a civilized manner
5. To cooperate with other university-based research institutions, other concerned institutions as well as national and international industries.

Publications• Membangun Masa Depan Anak Jalanan/Developing
Future of Street-Children” (about child’s rights) (2000)• Hak Asasi Manusia dalam Pembangunan Masyarakat
Indonesia di Era Global/ Human Rights in Indonesia
Community Development at Global Era (2000)
Address
Research Institute Jakarta State University
Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan SDM dan HAM
Lembaga Penelitian (PPP SDM & HAM LP UNJ)
Universitas Negeri Jakarta
Gedung Sarwahita Lt. II Kampus Universitas Negeri Jakarta,
Rawamangun, Jakarta Timur, 13220 Indonesia
ph/fax (62-21) 489 0856
e-mail : lemlit@unj.ac.id

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Iran
Center for Human Rights Studies (HRCUT)

University of Tehran Faculty of Law and Political Science
Year Established: 2000
Short Historical BackgroundIn the context of thousands of charitable organizations
across Iran providing humanitarian and other forms ofassistance and protection to suffering people in supportof the Islamic principle of upholding the inherent dignity of human beings, there is a lack of academic centerswhich foster and promote human rights-related debate,
research and training.
Following the workshop on regional human rights
arrangements for the Asia-Pacific, held in 1998 in Tehran,and in light of the need for technical assistance to countries in the region stressed in the final declaration of theworkshop, the UNDP proposed to the Faculty of Law &Political Science of the University of Tehran the projectcalled “Strengthening Capacities for Human Rights Training and Research”. The project started in May 1999 under
the auspices of Professor Nasrin Mosaffa, Associate Dean
for Financial and Administration Affairs of the Faculty of
Law& Political Science.
The Center for Human Rights studies was accordingly
established under this project in January 2000, as a measure to institutionalize human rights research and training activities.
It began operating on 24 Mehr, 1378 (15 October1999), on the fourth floor of Building No 2, Faculty of Law
and Political Science, University of Tehran. Following theinauguration of the Center, the Information Department
was moved to the new location on 26 October 2000.

2. Cooperation with domestic and international academic and research centers in the above mentioned fields.
3. Special training courses
4. Academic conferences
5. Publication of studies and conference papers.

Objective
The Center is a specialized institution for human rights
documents and information to support interest in human rights of the students and researchers.

Other Information
The library of the Center collects the latest books and references on human rights-related topics. With the introduction of a Human Rights Masters degree program anda Doctoral course on human rights by the Faculty of Law
and Political Science, the number of books for translation
into Farsi has increased.

Activities
The Center undertakes the following activities:
1. Research, authoring and translation of materials in thefollowing areas:- Theoretical foundations of human rights- Conceptual and historical evolution of human rights- Sources and principles of international humanitarianlaw- Human rights enforcement and monitoring mechanisms- Violations of human rights and compensatory mechanisms- International criminal tribunal mechanisms- Regional and international human rights agreements- International human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs)- Promoting international cooperation in the field of
human rights.

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Research Studies
The Center conducts research in cooperation with otherinstitutes in the university. It finished the following research projects:
a. Freedom of Expression - in cooperation with the Institute of Comparative Law
b. Justice, Equality and Equity in Human Rights - in cooperation with the Institute of Criminal Science andCriminology
c. Strengthening International Cooperation in the Fieldof Human Rights - in cooperation with the Center for
Graduate International Studies.
Publications
Several books, including the following, have been translated and printed by the Center:• Les Droits de L’homme by Jacques Mourgeon, translated by Dr. Ahmad Naghibzadeh, Professor of Facultyof Law and Political Science (2002)• Human Rights and Humanitarian Law by Daniel Warner(Martinus Nijoff, 1997), translated by Dr. Salaleh Habibi
Amin, Researcher and translator in International Relations.

Address
Center for Human Rights Studies (HRCUT)
No. 101 Corner of Kamalzadeh St., Ordibehesht St.,
Jomhouri eslami Ave., Tehran, Iran
PO Box 13185-1545
Ph/fax (9821) 6414423-4
E-mail hricent@ut.ac.ir
http://hrcut.ir

UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy
Shahid Beheshti University

Year Established: 2001
Short Historical Background
The Faculty of Law of Shahid Beheshti University has
worked since 1994 for the promotion of research andtraining in the field of human rights in Iran. It worked on
1. Incorporating human rights as a compulsory subject inthe doctoral level course of international law
2. Incorporating the international regime of human rights
as a compulsory subject in the masters level course ofinternational law
3. Establishing a nationwide masters-level program in
human rights and the start of such program in the university Faculty of Law
4. Communication with the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights to determine
areas for the promotion of human rights education in
the country
5. Establishment of the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights,
Peace and Democracy in Shahid Beheshti University.
The UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy of Shahid Beheshti University was establishedin the spring of 2001 in the campus of Shahid Beheshti
University following an agreement concluded in 2000
between the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO) and Shahid Beheshti
University.
Objectives
To undertake research and training in the field of human rights, peace and democracy and promotion themthrough the- Formal education on human rights (from the primary
to tertiary levels)- Informal education on human rights (through governmental and non-governmental organizations
and institutions).
Programs
The programs include the following:• Specialized library and human rights documents center• Masters-level courses on human rights• Short-term human rights courses at the national andregional levels• Training courses for human rights educators• Human rights education material development• Translation of human rights texts and instruments• Inter-disciplinary research center in the fields of human rights, peace and democracy• Linkage with inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of human rights research and training.

• Translation of materials from the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Human
Rights Fact Sheet numbers 2,4,10,17,22)• Establishment of a specialized library and United Nations Depository Library• Establishment of a computer site with unlimited daily
access to the Internet• Establishment of an audio-visual center• Initiation of a masters level course on human rights
law• Holding of- workshops for governors and executives of the province of Tehran- short-term workshop for undergraduate students oflaw at Shahid Beheshti University- short-term workshop for students of law in Tehran- workshops for the network of women’s human rights(non-governmental organizations) NGOs
• Participation of three of the Chair’s members in thethirty-third study session of the International Instituteof Human Rights in Strasbourg, France• Establishment of links with different universities, institutions and entities active in the fields of human rights,
peace and democracy• Holding of a research project entitled “ Control Mechanisms of the Rights of the Victims of Torture”• Translation of the book Identite Humaine by Edgar
Morin• Sending professors, students and lawyers abroad forcomplementary courses in human rights, peace anddemocracy.
• Organizing of conferences• Co-operation with civil institutions for the promotionof the culture to respect human rights• Awarding of two prizes every year to the best Masterslevel dissertations in the field of human rights.
Address
UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy
Shahid Beheshti University
Evin, Tehran, Iranph (9821) 2411505, 29902766
ph/fax: (9821) 2411505
e- mail: a-amirarjomand@uchrpd.org; info@uchrpd.org
www.uchrpd.org/english/home.html

Activities
The activities include the following:• Translation of international and regional human rights
instruments

87

Center for Human Rights Studies
Mofid University

Year Established: 2003
Short Historical Background
The Center for Human Rights Studies at Mofid University
was established in Spring 2003 to coordinate and organize the different academic activities of Mofid University
in the field of human rights.
Mofid University started its major activities in thefield of human rights studies by holding its first international conference on human rights. The secretariat of theconference was established in 1999 and the first conference entitled: “Human Rights and Dialogue among Civilizations” held in May 2001, the year which was named as
the “Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations” by the United
Nations (UN), in accordance with the proposal of IranianPresident, Mohammad Khatami. Considering the significant achievements of that conference, the university decided to hold the same conference every two years eachtime on specific human rights topics. The secretariat of
the conference became the permanent secretariat of theinternational conferences.
Objectives
The main mission of the Center is to conduct and commission research activities in human rights with an interdisciplinary approach, and also carry out comparative
studies on human rights according to different religions
and cultures.
Programs
Research programs
1. Participation in the preliminary discussions held by
UNDP Iran to provide a five-year UNDP project on
Good Governance (2004)
2. Designing a project on developing human rights bookfor training activities
3. Designing a proposal for the project on the Comprehensive System of Ethics and Biological Rights (2004).

88

cooperation with UNICEF Iran (2007)- Course on child rights at Mofid University for the staff
of governmental organizations engaged in children’s
affairs, in cooperation with UNICEF Iran (2006)
b. Women’s rights- Series of meetings entitled “Woman’s Identity in
Religions” in cooperation with Qom Provincial
Government (2005)- Series of meetings entitled “Review of the Charterof Women’s Rights and Responsibilities in the I.R.
of Iran, ratified by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution on 21 September 2004” at Mofid
University (2005)- Series of meetings held in cooperation with Qom
Provincial Government (2005).
c. On HIV/AIDS- Workshop in cooperation with UNICEF on reviewing a workbook for Muslim clergymen about HIV/AIDS (2006)
d. Other issues- Participation in the triple workshops on the relationship of UN with civil society held by UNDP (2004)- Workshop on Theoretical Approaches to Identity(2004)- Workshop on Islam and Human Rights with somestudents and representatives of NGOS from both
inside and outside Iran (2004)- Workshop on Identity, Cultural Identity and Human Rights (2004)
e. International conferences - series of conferences on
different themes- 4th conference (2007) - “Human Rights and Religion”
in the framework of the Cluster Project on National
Capacity Building for the Promotion and Protectionof Human Rights for Greater Access to Justice”- 3rd conference (2005) - “Identity, Difference andHuman Rights” in Qom- 2nd conference (2003) - “Theoretical Foundationsof Human Rights.”

Activities
1. Researcha. Research and education in the field of child rights incooperation with UNICEF Iran (2006)b. Agreement with the Center for the Study of Human
Rights at New York Columbia University on academic cooperation in the field of human rights.

Publications• Journal in the field of human rights (2006, 2007)• Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on Human Rights “Theoretical Foundations of Human Rights”(May 2007) - Farsi and English versions

2. Lectures and Workshops
a. Child rights- Workshop on Teenagers’ Trial for judges of Qom
and Markazi provinces in cooperation with UNICEF Iran and Judicial Power’s Deputy for Judicial
Development (2007)- Course on child rights in Tehran in cooperation
with UNICEF Iran (2007)- Course on child rights for the staff of governmental organizations engaged in children’s affairs, in

Address
Center for Human Rights Studies
Mofid Univesity
Sadoogi Boulevard, Mofid Square, Qom, IranP.O. Box 37185-3611
ph (98-251) 2925764; (Tehran) (98 21) 66710735
fax (98-251) 2903551
e-mail: chrs@mofidu.ac.ir; chrs2003@gmail.com
http://chrs.mofidu.ac.ir
www.mofidu.ac.ir

Iraq
The Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI)
Year Established: 1998
Short historical background
The Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI)
was founded in 1998 as the Defense of Iraqi Women’s
Rights (DIWR) in Toronto, Canada, by a group of Iraqi
women which included Yanar Mohammed, the current
director. The group changed its name in June 2003 to theOrganization of Women’s Freedom and relocated to Iraq.
The OWFI works to protect women from discriminatoryand dangerous laws and practices like honor killings. The
members do so both practically by funding a women’s
shelter and working to find safe haven for women who
need it, and politically by raising their voices in defenseof women, and by working to ensure that women retain
a role in the legislative process.
Objectives
Protection for Women - OFWI runs shelters for battered
women in four Iraqi cities and an “underground railroad”
to bring women at risk of violence, murder, and “honor
killings”, to safe havens.
Women’s Rights Advocacy – OWFI has a long history of
advocating for women’s rights in Iraq. It is the only Iraqi’s
women organization which has publicly spoken out
against the previous regime in Iraq and the US occupation for their unleashing of violent backlashes against
Iraqi women.

• Mounting Unrest and Violations in Bahrain (2008)• Security forces assault journalists covering repressionof protest (2007)• Crackdown on Activists in Bahrain Continues (2007)
Publications• Al Mousawat, periodical newsletter• Killing Women, Destroying Iraq (2007)• Islamic Sharia law: a constant threat against the rights
and freedom of women in the Middle East (2007)• It’s not a matter of choice (2007)• Stories from Baghdad, a weekly diary (2004)
Several of OWFI’s publications are accessible in theorganization’s website: www.equalityiniraq.com
AddressThe Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI)Al Za’eem Street (next to Al Saudoun Hospital)Iraq
ph (964) 7170953
e-mail: Al_mousawat@yahoo.com; yanar2002@hotmail.
com
www.equalityiniraq.com

Events Organizing – OWFI organizes press conferences,meetings, protests, and campaigns geared towards the
advocacy of women’s social, economic and politicalrights in Iraq.
Training – OFWI holds several women’s rights training
sessions for women in Iraq. It tries to reach out to various women in the Iraqi society. For example, in 2005,
it held a training session for Kurdish women in the region. The sessions included information on the historical backgrounds of international and regional women’s
rights movements, the ideas and approaches of different
women’s rights activist groups and organizations, andthe objectives and roles of OWFI in the Iraqi governmentand society.
Publications
BCHR mainly reports and publishes news articles. These
documents can be accessed online: www.bahrainrights.
org. Here are some documents published by BCHR:• Media coverage of elections marred by self-censorship, political pressure, exclusion of voices and blocking of Internet (2008)• The release of Arab detainees in Guantanamo: Successful model for the national, regional and international joint efforts (2008)89

israel
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
Year Established: 1996
Short Historical Background
Adalah is an independent human rights organization
registered in Israel. It is a non-profit, non-governmental,
and non-partisan legal center. Established in November
1996, it serves Arab citizens of Israel, numbering overone million people or close to 20% of the total population. Adalah (“Justice” in Arabic) works to protect humanrights in general, and the rights of the Arab minority inparticular.
Objectives
Adalah aims
1. To achieve equal individual and collective rights for
the Arab minority in Israel in different fields, including land rights, civil and political rights, cultural, social,and economic rights, religious rights, women’s rights,
and prisoners’ rights
2. To raise public awareness of the Arab minority rights inparticular, and human rights in general
3. To train stagiaires (legal apprentices), law students,
and new Arab lawyers in the field of human rights.
Programs and Activities
Legal Advocacy - advocating for legislations that will ensure equal individual and collective rights for the Arabminority. These rights include: land rights, civil and political rights, cultural, social, and economic rights, religious
rights, women’s rights, and prisoners’ rights. Adalah’s legal advocacy is done through: filing petitions to the Supreme Court of Israel, filing appeals and lawsuits to theDistrict, Magistrate and Labor Courts, submitting pre-petitions to the Attorney General’s Office, filing complaints
with Mahash (the Ministry of Justice Police Investigation
Unit) of police brutality, and sending letters to government ministries and agencies, detailing legal claims anddemanding compliance with the law.
International Advocacy – appealing (through press releases, publishing and contributing to reports and notes,
participating in international conferences, and other activities) to international institutions and forums in orderto promote the rights of the Arab minority in particular,
and human rights in general.
Legal Consultation - providing legal consultation to individuals, student committees, non-governmental organizations, and Arab institutions.
Special Reports - producing reports and petitions which
deal with specific issues facing the Arab Minority in Israel such as issues concerning home demolitions, theJewish National Fund Law, family unifications, Gaza fueland electricity, and much more. A significant publicationof Adalah is the “Democratic Constitution”. Published in90

2007, the tenth anniversary of Adalah’s founding, theDemocratic Constitution is a constitutional proposal forthe state of Israel, based on the concept of a democratic, bilingual, multicultural state in order to respect the
freedoms of the individual and the rights of all groups
in equal measure, gives proper weight to the historicalinjustices committed against Arab citizens of Israel, anddeals seriously with the social and economic rights ofall.
Public Awareness - organizing study days, seminars, andworkshops, and publishing reports and newsletters on
legal issues concerning the rights of the Arab minority inparticular, and human rights in general.
Legal Training - training stagiaires (legal apprentices), law
students, and new Arab lawyers in the field of humanrights. Internship programs are also offered.
Publications
Apart from regular Press Releases and contributions towards International Reports that advocate for the humanrights of the Arabs in Israel, Adalah publishes newsletters, reviews, and reports (in English, Arabic, and Hebrew)
such as the following:• The Democratic Constitution (2007)• Adalah’s Review- Volume 4 - In the Name of Security (Spring 2004)- Volume 3- Law and Violence (Summer 2002)• Adalah’s Report- “The Accused” regarding criminal and public responsibility for the killing of Arab citizens in October2000 (2006)- Institutionalized Discrimination (2001)• Human Rights Guide for Palestinian Citizens of Israel(in Arabic)
Address
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
Main Office
PO Box 8921
Haifa, 31090 Israelph (972)-4-950-1610
fax (972)-4-950-3140
e-mail: adalah@adalah.org
www.adalah.org
Naqab Office
28 Reger Ave # 35
Beer el Sebe
Israelph (972)-8-665-0740
fax (972)-8-665-0853

The Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA)
Year Established: 1988
Short Historical Background
The Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA), founded
in 1988 by lawyers and community activists, is an independent, grassroots, non-governmental organization(NGO) registered in Israel. HRA works to promote andprotect the political, civil, economic, and cultural rightsof the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel from an international human rights perspective.
HRA holds a unique position locally and worldwide
as an indigenous organization that works at the community, national and international levels for equality andnon-discrimination, and for the domestic implementation of international minority rights protection.

the human-rights syllabus, Women’s Rights Summer Sessions, Publications, Films, Theatre.

Objectives
HRA aims to promote and protect the political, civil, economic, and cultural rights of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel from an international human rights perspective. HRA also aims to extend its advocacy for Palestinian
Arab minority rights to the International Community.

Publications
Some publications of HRA:
• Discrimination Diary Series (2008)• On the Margins; Annual Review of Human Rights Violations of the Arab Palestinian Minority in Israel (2006)• Suspected Citizens; Racial Profiling against Arab Passengers by Israeli Airports and Airlines (2006)• Behind the Walls; Separation Walls between Arabs
and Jews in Mixed Cities and Neighborhoods in Israel(2005)
Other details of these and other publications areavailable at: www.arabhra.org/hra/Pages/Index.aspx

Programs and Activities
Research and Reporting - the idea of establishing a Research and Reporting program in HRA was first developed in the aftermath of the events of October 2000,
when thirteen Arab citizens of Israel were shot dead by
the Israeli Police. Thus, in 2003, HRA expanded its activities, launching a new project to monitor human rights
violations against the Palestinian minority in Israel. The
methodology relies on field research – interviews withvictims, collection of testimonies – and analysis of domestic and international law concerning human rights.
Human Rights Education and Community Outreach - HRA
has two community outreach and human rights awareness-raising projects. The Human Rights and Civic Education Project (HRCE) targets Palestinian Arab school children in Israel. This project aims to educate individuals oninternational standards of human rights in order to enable them to evaluate their position as minority citizens
and establish a civil society that deals with their situation
within the framework of internationally acknowledgedmeans. The second project discusses women’s rights as
an integral part of human rights. This project is not restricted to targeting girls and women only. Its awarenessraising and education efforts are also directed towards
both male and female members of the Arab minority
inside Israel. The specific activities of the two projects
are the following: Facilitator Training, Semester-long
Courses in High Schools, Teacher Training, Human/Women’s Rights Days in Schools and Unrecognized Villages,
Student Forum Haifa, High-School Student Forum, Onetime Lectures, Lecture Series, and Workshops, Summer
Camps for Children, Educational Tours to Unrecognizedor Destroyed Villages, Expanding the Human-Rights Library, Establishing the Rights Theatre, Publishing Dalil,International Advocacy – this aims to put the humanrights issues related to the Arab minority inside Israel on
the international agenda and to impact the international
discourse towards a more rights-based approach concerning Israel. It both informs the international community and protects the local Arab community. Moreover,
over the years, HRA has become a reliable resource for
diplomats to assess the situation inside Israel regarding
the Arab minority. HRA is in contact or tries to establish
correspondence with national and internationals institutions related to human rights.

Address
The Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA)
P.O. BOX 215, Nazareth 16101, Israelph (972-4) 6561923
fax (972-4) 6564934
e-mail: hra1@arabhra.org
www.arabhra.org

91

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
Year Established: 1972
Short Historical Background
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) is Israel’s
oldest and largest human rights organization and theonly one that deals with the entire spectrum of humanrights and civil liberties issues in Israel and the Occupied
Territories. ACRI’s work encompasses litigation and legal
advocacy, education, and public outreach as the most effective way in which to build toward its long-term visionof a just and democratic society that respects the equal
rights of all its members.
Objectives
ACRI aims
1. To bring precedent-setting litigation to the SupremeCourt
2. To issue and disseminate high-profile reports on key
human rights issues
3. To offer free legal information and advice through apublic hotline
4. To run human rights education programs for school
teachers
5. To provide expert opinions before the Knesset
6. To conduct human rights training workshops for security forces
7. To mount public outreach campaigns in order to place
human rights concerns high on the public agenda.
Programs and Activities
Legal Program - ACRI’s Legal Department takes on casesthat have the potential to set precedents, raise issues ofprinciple, and effect broad-based policy change. Every
year, ACRI argues dozens of precedent-setting cases before the Supreme Court, and also seeks redress before
district and labor courts, government ministries, andKnesset committees.
Public Outreach Program - publishes high-profile reports
and information leaflets, organizes lectures, conferences,film screenings and other public and community events
covering a wide range of human rights issues. Moreover,
it runs a Public Hotline to assist people whose rights havebeen infringed. In addition, ACRI’s Public Outreach staff
conducts extensive media outreach work in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and other languages. The department also
maintains Israel’s largest collection of civil and humanrights materials, much of which can be accessed through
ACRI’s website.
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Project - ACRI aims
to raise public awareness of the harsh implications ofharming a civilian population in the course of armed
combat, and of the military’s obligation to prevent suchinjuries. In the framework of its project, ACRI offers educational workshops to social activists, students, educators, youth movement counselors, and students at premilitary academies.

92

Educational Program - ACRI’s Education Department conducts human rights training programs for thousands ofindividuals across the country each year, produces highquality educational curriculums in Hebrew and Arabic,
and organizes conferences and lectures on human rights
education. The Department believes that working withkey agents of change - teachers in the Jewish and Arabschool systems, students, security forces personnel, andsocial and community workers - is an effective method
to influence attitudes and contribute toward building amore tolerant and just society. ACRI has an online forum
for teachers and educators, which contains ideas andresources on how to integrate human rights values into
the classroom through the discussion of current events.
This site has become the preeminent resource for humanrights education in Israel (Hebrew Website: http://www.
acri.org.il/portal.aspx?id=2).
Publications• State of Human Rights Reports (2006, 2007)• ACRI’s Annual Report (2005-2006, 2006-2007)• ACRI’s Position Paper - Democracy and Occupation(2007)• ACRI and B’Tselem Joint Report: Ghost Town - Israel’s
Separation Policy and Forced Eviction of Palestinians
from the Center of Hebron (2007)• Violation of the Right to Family of Migrant Workers(2007)• Workers’ Rights Report (English summary) (2006)
ARCI publishes and distributes bimonthly e-newsletters in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
Other Information
ACRI runs a wide database containing its research studies and documents (on various human rights issues) in
the form of Fact Sheets, Position Papers, Press Releases,
Publications and Articles. Its library contains a wide selection of books, reports, and other publications on human rights and law in Israel and abroad.
Address
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
National Headquarters
Street Address: Kanfei Nesharim 3
P.O. Box 34510
Jerusalem 91000 Israelph (972-2) 6521218
fax (972-2) 6521219
e-mail: mail@acri.org.il
www.acri.org.il

B’TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights
Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
B’TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for Human
Rights in the Occupied Territories was established in
1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys,
journalists, and Knesset members. B’Tselem combines
research, advocacy and public education strategies in order to promote human rights in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
B’Tselem in Hebrew literally means “in the imageof,” and is also used as a synonym for human dignity.
The word is taken from Genesis 1:27 “And God createdhumans in his image. In the image of God did He createhim.” It is in this spirit that the first sentence of Article 1of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity andrights.”Objectives
B’Tselem’s primary goals are to protect human rights in
the Occupied Territories and to generate commitment
among the Israeli public to human rights principles. The
strategies to achieve these goals are the following:• Providing information to the Israeli public and theinternational community about violations of humanrights in the Occupied Territories• Recommending and advocating for policy changes toensure greater protection of human rights• Fostering debate and discussion within the Israeli public in order to generate commitment to human rights
principles and their application in the Occupied Territories.
Programs and Activities
Research and Publications - B’Tselem has published overa hundred reports, some comprehensive in scope, covering the full spectrum of human rights issues. The reports
have dealt, for example, with torture, fatal shootings andaccountability for military violence, restriction on movement, expropriation of land, house demolitions, discriminatory planning policies, administrative detention, andsettler violence.

Public education and advocacy tools include advertising
campaigns, “reality tours” of the West Bank, briefings fortarget audience, distribution of video clips and multimedia presentations, and organizing public events.
Video Advocacy - B’Tselem is now pioneering the use ofvideo as a tool for human rights advocacy. Visual material gives a tangible, human face to human rights issues
and has the potential to reach larger audiences with thehuman rights message. B’Tselem produces short video
clips, maintains an extensive video archive and conductsa camera distribution project (entitled “Shooting Back”)
where Palestinians in high-conflict areas are given cameras to document their reality.
Publications
Below are some of the publications of B’TSELEM:• 2007 Annual Report: Human Rights in the Occupied
Territories• Ground to a Halt: Denial of Palestinians’ Freedom of
Movement in the West Bank (2007)• Ghost Town: Israel’s Separation Policy and Forced Eviction of Palestinians from the Center of Hebron (2007)• The Gaza Strip: One Big Prison (2007)• Absolute Prohibition: The Torture and Ill-Treatment ofPalestinian Detainees (2007)• Crossing the Line: Violation of the Rights of Palestinians in Israel without a Permit (2007)
Address
B’TSELEM
8 HaTa’asiya St. (4th Floor), Jerusalem Israel.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 53132, Jerusalem 91531, Israelph (972-2) 6735599
fax (972-2) 6749111
e-mail: mail@btselem.org
www.btselem.org

Resource and Information Center - B’Tselem compiles
statistics on casualties and other human rights issues,
issues a monthly electronic update and serves as a primary source of information for policymakers, researchersand various organizations. It works extensively with theIsraeli and international media. It maintains an extensive
website (in English, Hebrew, Arabic and Russian) thatprovides access to all of the organization’s publications,maps, statistics and video, as well as providing updates
on current events.
Advocacy and Public Education - B’Tselem conducts a
range of activities to educate the Israeli public about human rights, and to advocate for specific policy change.

93The Minerva Center for Human Rights
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The Hebrew University Law Faculty and the Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace established the Center for Human Rights in 1993, with the generous supportof the Ford Foundation, as the first academic center of its
type in Israel.
In January 1997, the Center became a Minerva Center, funded by the German Ministry for Education andResearch through the Minerva Foundation. The primary
goal of the Minerva Center is to promote awareness andto enhance research and academic interest in humanrights. The Center’s activities are geared to encourage
research in this field among scholars and students, andto serve as a resource center for the human rights community and other groups in the Israeli society. The Centeris currently housed at the Hebrew University Law Faculty
and has a sister Center at Tel Aviv University.
Objectives
The Minerva Center aims
1. To support research by both students and senior academics on human rights
2. To provide information to the local and international
human rights community by building a bibliographical database and documentation center, accessible
via the internet, on local and regional human rights
issues
3. To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on humanrights issues between students, scholars, human rights
activists and policy-makers from Israel and abroad
4. To promote interest in human rights issues in the academic community and at large.
Programs and Activities
Promotion of Human Rights Research - The Minerva Center promotes inter-disciplinary research in human rights
by awarding research grants and fellowships to scholars
and students in the field. The recipients of grants andfellowships come from diverse disciplines at universities across Israel and from different sectors within the
Israeli society. The Center also initiates research projects
on cutting-edge academic issues. The research projects
are often conducted as collaborative efforts between
Israeli researchers and scholars from abroad. Some ofthese projects seek to advance laws and assist decision
makers and public bodies in the realm of human rights.
Other studies result in publications or international conferences.
Conferences and discussions - International and local conferences constitute a large part of the work of the Minerva Center for Human Rights. The Center organizes atleast one international conference annually, along withseveral local conferences, colloquiums, panel discussions
and lectures.

94

Public Education - The Minerva Center runs a wide rangeof public education programs, with an emphasis on
courses. These activities are an effective tool for reachingout to diverse groups and sectors within Israeli society,offering professional enrichment and training in the areaof human rights. Among these groups are students andlecturers, Israeli and Palestinian teachers, Jewish and ArabNGOs’ staff and activists, as well as the legal community- judges, Civil Service attorneys and legal advisers.
Exchange of Scholars - As part of the efforts to place human rights on the public agenda and raise awarenesson current issues in this field, the Minerva Center invites
scholars from abroad to attend conferences, participate
in seminars and workshops and lecture in diverse forums
Publications
The Minerva Center publishes research studies, conference proceedings, Human Rights Readers and otherpublications in human rights related issues.
Other Information
Resource Center: the Minerva Center has an on-line human rights library which serves as a resource for students,
scholars, teachers, the legal community, NGOs activists
and others. The library includes: historical documents,
human rights instruments, select legislation, International and regional Courts as well as UN bodies, selectedjurisprudence, reports, human rights organizations anda “rights index” offering links to local and international
resources on specific human rights issues.
Address
The Minerva Center for Human Rights
The Faculty of Law
The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus
Jerusalem 91905 Israelph (9722) 25881156
fax (972) 25819371
e-mail: mchr@savion.huji.ac.il
http://law.mscc.huji.ac.il/law1/minerva/englishjapanAsia-Japan Women’s Resource Center (AJWRC)
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
The Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center was established in 1995 as an extension of the Asian Women’s Association (AWA). The late Yayori Matsui, an internationallyknown feminist journalist, became its first Director. The
Center has been making efforts to establish a linkage
to, and exchange information with, women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and feminist activists
worldwide.
Objectives
AJWRC aims
1. To abolish all the forms of violence against women byworking on issues of armed conflicts, military bases,
trafficking, prostitution, domestic violence, and gender-based suppression under nationalisms and religious fundamentalisms
2. To challenge the existing politico-economic institutions that lead to poverty and gender inequality,
tackling issues such as free trade, development aid,
environmental degradation, migration, restructuring
and increasing instability of women labor, and social
security systems
3. To achieve alternative political and judicial institutions
based on human rights and gender equality, and
4. To empower women to play more active roles in all
spheres of society by examining the issues of international politics, legal systems, Japan’s war responsibilities, women’s participation in politics, education, andinformation communication technologies.

• Women’s Asia 21 - quarterly (Japanese)• Gender and Human Rights: A Workbook
Address
Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center
14-10-211 Sakuragaoka
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031 Japanph (813) 3780-5245
fax 3463-9752
e-mail: ajwrc@ajwrc.org
www.ajwrc.org/

Programs and Activities
1. Information Sharing & Networking Program- Publishing feminist journals- Production of other materials- Disseminating information through the internet- Women’s information library
2. Gender Education & Training Program- Organizing seminars and workshops on various issues with feminist perspectives- Women’s study tours to visit women’s groups in other Asian countries to learn their issues and activities
and to share information and experiences- Lecture and training for groups, schools and governments on request.
3. Campaigns, Advocacy and Researches- Monitoring cases and policies- Running ad-hoc and long-term campaigns- Participating in policy dialogues- Doing research and surveys for advocacy purposes
Publications• Voices from Japan - bi-annual journal (English)

95

Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA)
Year Established: 1994
Short Historical Background
The late Yo Kubota, a human rights officer in the United
Nations who made great achievements in enhancing human rights in the world and died while on an election
mission in Namibia in 1989, made an appeal in 1983 to
set up a Human Rights Information Center in Asia. Thisappeal was made in the context of the Asia-Pacific nothaving a regional human rights mechanism, and Japansimultaneously experiencing rapid internationalization.
Yo Kubota proposed to set up the institution on the “...
strengths of the people and the local governing bodies.”
By mid-1994, the Foundation for the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center was established with thejoint support of the Osaka prefecture, Osaka city, several
non-governmental organizations, and various other organizations and individuals. HURIGHTS OSAKA officiallyopened in Osaka city in December 1994.
Objectives
HURIGHTS OSAKA aims
1. To promote human rights in the Asia-Pacific region
2. To convey Asia-Pacific perspectives on human rights tothe international community
3. To ensure the inclusion of human rights principles inJapanese international cooperation activities
4. To raise the human rights awareness among the people in Japan to meet the country’s growing internationalization.
Programs and Activities
Information Handling - collection of basic international
human rights documents, information on social, economic and cultural situations in the Asia-Pacific, and materials on human rights education.
Research - study in collaboration with experts in Japanand other countries in the region on a range of issues
such as marginalization of indigenous peoples, minorities, refugees, migrant workers and other vulnerable
groups, discrimination based on social status, and development and human rights.
Education and Training - set up a human rights education
program for those concerned with human rights issues
in the region. This includes education and training for
citizens and private and public corporations in Japan.
Publication - production of materials either in English or
Japanese, such as newsletters, booklets, journals, occasional papers, annual activity reports, audio-visuals, andother research materials.
Consultancy - provision of advisory services on humanrights programs and research.

96

Special Concerns
HURIGHTS OSAKA has been focusing on human rights

education in the school system in most of its regional
activities.
Publications
English publications• Human Rights Education in Asian Schools - annual
journal since 1998
• Educational Policies and Human Rights Awareness Japan, the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka (2008)• Human Rights Education in Indian Schools (2007)• Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools (2006)• Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian
Schools (2003) (English, Vietnamese, Khmer, Bahasa
Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia)• Schools, Human Rights and Society - Report of the1998 Workshops on Human Rights Education in
Schools (1999) (English and Japanese)• Human Rights in Asian Cultures - Continuity andChange (1997)• Development and Democracy: Philippines’ Quest for
the Next Century - occasional paper series (1998)• FOCUS Asia-Pacific - quarterly newsletter
Japanese publications• Asia-Pacific Human Rights Review - annual journal
since 1997
• Human Rights Pamphlets - annual• Human Rights in the Administration of Justice: A Manual on Human Rights for Judges, Lawyers and Prosecutors - United Nations publication translated into Japanese (2006)• Human Rights Education (2004)• National Human Rights Institutions (2001)• Jinken Hiroba - bimonthly newsletter
Other Information
HURIGHTS OSAKA maintains a library with books, journals, magazines, and reports on human rights concepts,
issues, practices, programs, institutions. Materials on related issues such as the history, political/social/economic/cultural systems of countries in the Asia-Pacific arealso included in the collection. The materials are sourced
from human rights organizations and centers, universities and commercial publishing companies. Informationon the materials can be accessed through the HURIGHTSOSAKA website.
Address
Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center(HURIGHTS OSAKA)
2-8-24 Chikko Minato-ku
Osaka 552-0021 Japanph (816) 6577-35-78
fax (816) 6577-35-83
e-mail: webmail@hurights.or.jp
www.hurights.or.jp

The Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute (BLHRRI)
Year Established: 1968
Short Historical Background
The Buraku Liberation Research Institute (BLRI) was established in 1968 in cooperation with the Buraku Liberation League (BLL) and with the administrative assistance of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City. In July 1998,
it changed its name to Buraku Liberation and Human
Rights Research Institute (BLHRRI).
Objective
BLHRRI aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination including Buraku discrimination, and establish humanrights in society.
Programs and Activities
Investigation and Research Division
1. Research Committees - twenty-seven Committees cover the following activities - awareness-raising, humanrights, research/administration, education and community, and history and theory.
2. Investigation and Research Projects - thirteen projects
covering discrimination based on work and descent,Reforms in Meiji Restoration and Buraku problem, urban lower class and Buraku problem, documents relating to Chori during Edo period, Osaka Buraku history,
history of the post-war Buraku liberation movement,
protection of personal information of employees andcorporate social responsibility, human rights community development, development of community education system, employment problem among the youth,
career education and human rights, human rights
awareness and the Buraku problem, and the JapaneseConstitution.
3. Buraku Liberation and human rights education/awareness project
4. Editing Committee on Buraku History of Osaka
Education and Training Division
The Division regularly organizes the following humanrights training programs to different sectors of society:
1. Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Leadership Course launched in 1974, a twenty-nine-day course involving
sixty-five trainees and offered three times a year. As of2006, about 4,200 people have already completed thecourse.
2. Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Summer Course
at Mt. Koya - since 1970, the summer course has beenorganized every August at Mt. Koya with about 2,000
participants for each course. As a beginner course, it
offers two plenary sessions and five different thematic
lecture courses for three days.
3. Buraku Liberation Summer Course for Western Japan- This is a course held every July in different parts ofwest Japan since 1976, and usually attended by fourthousand people.
4. Human Rights and Dowa Course for the Business Sector- this is a course for human rights trainers mainly in thebusiness sector, and offered since 1980 in cooperation
between state agencies, local governments and industrial organizations.
5. Human Rights Training and Research Assembly - this is agathering of activists, educators and researchers fromdifferent parts of Japan to exchange human rights
training experiences and develop research works. Organized every February in different parts of the country, it is attended by an average of three thousandpeople each year.
6. Human Rights Training Tokyo Course - since 1987, theTokyo Course has been organized to train humanrights training leaders in the business sector, local governments, religious organizations and mass-media.
Some of these programs are organized jointly withthe business sector, local governments, religious sector
and NGOs.
Publications• Bulletin of Buraku Liberation - publishes the output of
the research committee.
• Human Rights - monthly magazine• Buraku Liberation Research - bimonthly bulletin• Year Book on Human Rights - annual report on humanrights developments in Japan• Discriminatory Incidents that Occurred throughout
the Country - annual, since 1981
• “Living together - We develop our own future” - a film
describing unspoken thoughts and feeling of minority
people including Buraku people, Korean people, migrant workers, sexual minorities, etc.
• Photo Document of the Post-war 60 Years• Development of the Buraku Liberation Movement• The Declaration and General Principles of the Suiheisha (Levelers Association)• Reality of Buraku Discrimination in Japan - History,
Situation and Challenges• Discrimination in Japan from the Perspective of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights• DOWA Education
Address
The Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute1-6-12, Kuboyoshi, Naniwa-Ku, Osaka City, Japanph (816) 6568 0905
fax (816) 6568 0714
e-mail: udhr@blhrri.org
www.blhrri.org

97Centre for Human Rights Affairs
Year Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Center for Human Rights Affairs was founded in October 1987 as a Foundation under the auspices of theManagement and Coordination Agency of the Japanese
government. Since then it has undertaken activities asa central body for public information activities on the
Dowa problem.
In response to a recommendation by the Consultative Council on Regional Improvement Measures in May
1996, the Cabinet of Japan made a decision on future
measures for an early solution to the Dowa problem inJuly 1996. It also defined characteristics of CHRA, as afoundation that supports and promotes education andpublic information on human rights. At this point, thecharacter of the Center was constructively revised, andthe relevant ministries and agencies resolved to promote
the reform.
As a result, in April 1997 the CHRA started life anew
as a foundation under the joint auspices of the Ministryof Justice, the Ministry of Education, and the Management and Coordination Agency.
Objectives
CHRA aims to provide comprehensive education, public
information, and public relations on human rights including the Dowa problem, while at the same time planning surveys and research, data collection and supply,and international collaboration with respect to education and public information on human rights, and finallygiving advice on human rights, thus contributing to theprotection of basic human rights.
Programs and Activities
Education and public information - among others, theCenter prepares pamphlets, posters, etc. and produces
public information films and videos as materials to support more effective education and public information activities on human rights. The Center also introduces new
methods of public information, including workshops
and festivals.
Surveys & research - along with expert surveys and research on human rights (e.g. investigating the state of
implementation of human rights awareness surveys, thepresent situation and trends in human rights awareness,and so on), the Center also carries out research on workshops and other new methods of public information.
Data collection & supply - the Center gathers and organizes various information and materials such as laws and ordinances on human rights, trends and opinion reports bynational councils, the state of implementation of various
public information activities by the national government
and local authorities, and public information materials
such as pamphlets, posters, films and videos. It disseminates these information and materials via information

98

bulletins and various other media such as the Internet
and computer networks.
Advice on human rights - the Center provides various advices to local authorities, private sector companies, andothers seeking to implement education and public information on human rights.
International collaboration - as well as actively promoting
efforts for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights
Education (1995-2004), the Center also collaborates withcountries throughout the world to provide information
on human rights in other countries.
Address
Centre for Human Rights Affairs (Jinken Kyoiku Keihatu
Suisin Sentaa)
2-10-12, Shiba-daimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
105-0012 JAPANph (813) 5777-1802
fax (813) 5777-1803
e-mail postman@jinken.or.jp
www.jinken.or.jp

Center for Human Rights
Kinki University

Year Established: 1986
Short Historical BackgroundIn 1979, the Kinki University established the Institute of
Buraku Issues Studies based on a review of discriminatory
practices at the university. The Institute was establishedin order to enforce a system of education and research on
Buraku issues in the university. One of the most serious
and extensive discriminatory practices at that time was
the “Buraku Lists Scandal.” The “Buraku Lists” were meant
to identify the location of Buraku communities and to investigate personal backgrounds of individuals. The university was found to have bought a copy of the “Buraku
List.” On 1 April 1986, the Center for Human Rights wasestablished to replace the Institute and started activities
as an institution of education and research on humanrights at Kinki University.

Address
Center for Human Rights
Kinki University
3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka 577-8502 Japanph (816) 6721-2332 (ext.2009)
fax (816) 6730-2632
http://ccpc01.cc.kindai.ac.jp/human/index.html#01(Japanese language)

Objectives
The Center aims to contribute to the realization of human rights by carrying out research on discrimination
at home and abroad, including Buraku discrimination,
race/ethnicity, gender discrimination and disability discrimination.
Programs and Activities
The Center has been undertaking the following programs:• Education and support for research on human rights
issues• Research and investigation on human rights issues• Publication• Study meetings and public lectures• Collection of documents and information on humanrights.
It holds the following annual activities:• Courses- April to July: Classes on “Human rights and Society1”, “Human rights and Law” and “NPO/NGO theory”
for students- September to January (in the following year): Classes
on “Human rights and Society 2”, “Human rights andLaw”, and “Community development theory” for students• Special Lectures on human rights for one week for students, staff and teachers (June, October and December)• Field trip to human rights museum (called “Liberty
Osaka”) with students and teachers (July)• Meetings on human rights issues with representativesof all faculties and board members of university.
Publications• “Research papers on Human rights” (Japanese)99

Human Rights Now (HRN)
Year Established: 2006
Short Historical Background
Human Rights Now (HRN) was established in 2006
through which Japanese lawyers, academics, journalists,
and activists have the opportunity to raise awareness,and pursue the implementation of international humanrights standards inside and outside Japan with a special
focus on Asian countries. HRN is also meant to engage
in human rights advocacy in global forums such as theUnited Nations (UN).
HRN intends to contribute to the quest for “Human
Security,” specifically in the human rights field in Asiawith the cooperation of other development, peacebuilding and human rights NGOs.
Objectives
HRN aims
1. To make an international contribution to address human rights violations by undertaking field investigations of massive human rights violations and publicizing the findings, and empowering and supporting thedevelopment of the legal system in the countries offocus
2. To take action through international institutions in order to contribute to the enforcement of human rights
standards and norms through monitoring, lobbying,and providing recommendations to United Nations
human rights bodies such as the Human Rights Council; and by providing input to ASEAN and similar institutions in Asia
3. To take domestic action to promote human rights byintroducing relevant international standards in publicdebates over domestic human rights issues, advocating for the implementation of recommendations madeby UN treaty bodies to the Japanese government, andcalling for action by the Japanese government andcorporations to redress massive human rights violations in other countries.
Activities
Taking Action on Ongoing Human Rights Violation - HRN
conducts fact finding missions in places where people
suffer from gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law. Specifically, HRN conducts field investigations, publicizes the reports and calls for international
attention. It also conducts advocacy to end ongoing human rights violations.
Transitional Justice Project - although efforts toward transitional justice should not be enforced from the outside,
HRN believes that international human rights organizations can play a meaningful role in enhancing a society’s
effort to overcome impunity and injustice. In this regard,
HRN researches and monitors the process of transitional
justice and makes recommendations after full consultation with the civil society of the country concerned.

100

Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Human Rights
Diplomacy Project – in view of the criticism of Japan’s
Official Development Assistance (ODA) policy for notproviding for adequate safeguards against resulting human rights violations or environmental deterioration inits projects, HRN lobbies the Japanese government toproperly use its position and influence as representativeof one of the largest donor countries for the promotion
and protection of human rights in the countries getting
assistance.
Stop Violence against Women (VAW) - HRN monitors theserious crimes regularly being committed against women and children in the Asian region. Many serious abuses
against women have their roots in conflict situations. It
partners with local NGOs and women’s groups, forming
an international lobby, to work to improve the situation.
Human Rights Education - HRN conducts human rights
education at both domestic and international levels.
Publications• Human Rights Now - a report on extrajudicial killingsand enforced disappearances in the Philippines, basedon its fact finding mission in the country (2008)• Claiming for Justice for the Victims of Extra-judicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances in the Philippines(Statement, 2007)• Japanese lawyers and activists call for immediate release of Pakistan human rights defenders and return
to rule of law (Statement, 2007)• Burma : Open Letter to the President of Human Rights
Council (Statement, 2007)• Philippines : Press Statement (2007)• Statement of support for Cambodian human rights defenders, Human Rights Now calls for an End to Impunity for Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines (2006)• FAFO survey questions and responses ( Statement,
2006)• Cambodia : Justice for Victims ( Statement, 2006)
Address
Human Rights Now
3F Marukou Building, 1-20-6 Higashi Ueno
Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0015 Japanph (813) 3835-2110
fax (813) 3834-2406
e-mail info@ngo-hrn.org
www.ngo-hrn.org

Hyogo Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research InstituteYear Established: 1988
Short Historical Background
Objectives
The Hyogo Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute (Institute) particularly aims to abolish
discrimination against the Buraku community. It also
aims to conduct research on issues facing this community, and at the same time, engage in research related
to human rights and discrimination issues in Japan andabroad. Moreover, the Institute also conducts humanrights education activities, which, along with its research
projects, aim to achieve equality and liberation for themembers of the Buraku community and other victims of
discrimination.

Other Information
Publications, research studies, events, and other information can be accessed at the Institute’s website (www3.
osk.3web.ne.jp/~blrhyg/)
AddressThe Hyogo Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute
6-7-10 Motomachi Kansai Building 4th Floor, Motomachi
StreetChuo-ku, Kobe City 650-0022 Japanph (81-78) 367-8925
fax (81-78) 367-8924
email: blrhyg@osk3.3web.ne.jp
www3.osk.3web.ne.jp/~blrhyg

Programs and Activities
Data, Material, and Information Collection – the Institutecollects data, material, and information mainly on thehistory of the Buraku communities in Hyogo Prefecture,
but also on the implementation of the Dowa Social Integration Education project in Hyogo Prefecture. Data,material, and information collection are eventually documented in a way that is accessible to the public.
Research and Study – one of the main outcomes of theInstitute’s research is the Seminar on Human Rights. Research and Study also contributes to the Institute’s annual
bulletin. In 2007, the Institute produced a report entitled“The Employment Conditions in the Buraku Community”
which details and analyses the results of the surveys it
held. The Institute is in the process of producing a reporton the results of a human rights opinion survey carriedout at Inagawachou town in Hyogo Prefecture in 2008.
Training – the Institute holds human rights training activities, such as the following: The Hyogo Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute annual open
meeting, biannual lectures on human rights issues, andquadrennial seminars on human rights and civil liberties.
Moreover, the Institute sends out lecturers on topics related to human rights issues on regular basis.
International Exchange Development
Special Concerns
Employment conditions in Buraku communities
Publications• The Hyogo Buraku Liberation Movement Newsletter(quadrennial)• Bulletin of the Hyogo Buraku Liberation Movement(annual)• Documentation of Human Rights History in Hyogo
Prefecture• Employment Conditions in the Buraku Community(2007)

101

Institute for Human Rights Research and Education
Kwansei Gakuin University
Year Established: 1995
Objectives
The Institute aims
1. To undertake research on human rights issues
2. To establish and administer regular courses on humanrights
3. To implement awareness-raising programs and produce human rights materials.
Programs and Activities
Research projects – The Institute undertakes a number of
research projects such as the following:• Discrimination and human rights in a borderlessworld – citizens’ rights and the rights of ethnic
groups• Human rights education in Kwansei Gakuin – issues
raised by the “U.N. Decade for Human Rights Education”• Japan’s modernization and the buraku problem– the diversification of types of discrimination anddiscrimination against burakumin, with particularreference to communication issues• Globalization and human rights education – humanrights and coexistence in the age of globalization.
Human rights course - The Institute runs a general courseon human rights offered to all students in the University,
as well as the course “Discrimination and Human Rights”
in the Schools of Policy Studies and Science and Technology. Since the 2005 academic year, the Institute has beenoffering the course “Introduction to Human Rights” thathelps students to understand the variety of human rights
issues, and the course “Human rights and the problems
of foreign residents in Japan” to raise awareness on the
problems of foreign ‘newcomers’ to Japan, and the human rights issues they encounter.
The following are the main courses offered in all Schools
in the University:• The reality of the Burakumin communities and thetask of liberation• Human rights and coexistence, The diversity andtrue nature of human rights issues, Discriminationand human rights• Toward a society respecting human rights – respectfor diversity• The history of Japan-Korea relations, Korean residents in Japan – legal status and education at thepresent time
• Japan and Asia, Work, Marriage and daily life in a
male-dominated society• Human rights in an increasingly multi-cultural Japan.

102

Lectures on Human Rights - The Institute offers lectureson human rights to students and members of the faculty
and staff. With the availability of sign language interpre-

tation and computer note taking, the lectures guarantee
full access to information to every participant.
Seminars - The Institute holds five to seven seminars eachyear, including Film Sessions that are open to the public.
Human Rights Training Program for Faculty and Staff – The
Institute holds an annual training program for all newlyappointed members of the faculty and staff that includes
lectures on human rights and academic harassment, andvisits to relevant institutions such the Osaka Human
Rights Museum (LIBERTY OSAKA).
Publications• International Encyclopedia of Human Rights - a Japanese translation of a major reference book on humanrights by Robert L. Maddex• Kwansei Gakuin University Journal of Human Rights
Studies• KG Human Rights Booklet (annual) - an awarenessraising publication containing reports of the Human
Rights Lectures.
• Materials on Human Rights Issues (annual) - distributed to all new students.
Address
Institute for Human Rights Research and Education
Kwansei Gakuin University
1-1-155 Uegahara Nishinomiya, Hyogo 662-8501 Japanph (81-798) 54-6720
fax (81-798) 54-6720
e-mail: masahi@kwansei.ac.jp
www.kwansei.ac.jp/r_human/index.jsp

The Institute of Human Rights Studies
Kansai University

Year Established: 1974
Short Historical Background
The Institute of Buraku Studies, established in March
1974, was subsequently reorganized and renamed theInstitute of Human Rights Studies in June 1985. The current Institute conducts research on a variety of areas
dealing with discrimination and human rights: Buraku,
people with disabilities, and women.
Objectives
The Institute aims
1. To facilitate the fulfillment of human rights both within
and outside the university
2. To contribute towards the human rights awareness ofpeople at large
3. To help advance research in the realm of humanrights.
Programs and Activities
Buraku Studies Research Group - a wide range of historical and theoretical research is undertaken in collaboration with people from various disciplines. The research
consists of investigation of the origins of discriminationand suffering experienced by the poor and by the Buraku
during the Middle Ages, the liberation movement, discrimination policies and the system for the poor during
the Modern Ages, harmony in the workplace and the history of the liberation movement in present times, the actual conditions of Buraku from the city and countryside,
the current state of Buraku industry and its problems,
perceptions towards Buraku issues, the reexamination of
educational freedom and enlightenment, and the mass
media and race. The Institute puts multi-angled research
into practice in order to firmly grasp the current situationof Buraku discrimination and suffering, as well as to takethe necessary measures towards helping to overcome
such discrimination.
Ethnicity and Race Research Group - this group focuseson the human rights issues regarding Korean residents,
Ainu, Okinawans and foreign workers. It investigates
the working and living environments of the increasing
number of foreign workers in Japan in the face of anaging society and economic recession. It undertakes acomprehensive research on the problems encounteredby the Indigenous Ainu race. This research is based on
several field surveys conducted in designated regions in
Hokkaido. It also draws on the problems of “New Ainu
Law” and the action plan for Indigenous races created by
the United Nations.
The group examines the problems faced by Northand South Korean immigrants in Japan in light of theoverall problems encountered by foreign workers andminority groups. Multi-angled research investigates thehistory of their groupings and current living conditions.
It also examines the legal implications of gaining theright to vote and the implicit cultural problems.
People with Disabilities Research Group - this group researches on the protection of the rights of people withmental and physical disabilities and their welfare. It examines the integration of people with disabilities into
mainstream society in accordance with the law on protecting their welfare. Research is undertaken on a number of areas: housing design for disabled people (including the elderly), medical treatment of disabled children,
education of children with disabilities and the education
system itself, integration of the physically handicapped
into society, perceptions towards students with mental
disability by fellow students and the general public, andways of developing physical education program thatsuits each type of disability.
Women Studies Research Group - this group researches
on women and the work force, and the problems facing female students seeking employment. The research
focuses on the discrimination faced by female workers:
large gaps in salary and promotion between men andwomen, denial of maternity and menstrual leave, general restriction on female workers to exhibit their abilities,
sexual harassment, the practice of forcing them to resignor change the type of work, and restricted opportunity
to exhibit their abilities. The research aims to fully grasp
the conditions of women in the Japanese business sector
and, through the use of surveys, ascertain the extent ofproblems experienced by female students seeking employment.
Address
The Kansai University Institute of Human Rights Studies
3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Suita-shi, Osaka 564-8680 Japanph (816) 6368-1182
fax (816) 6368-0081
e-mail: jinkenken@jm.kansai-u.ac.jp
www.kansai-u.ac.jp/hrs

103Institute for the Study of Social Justice (ISSJ)
Sophia University

Year Established: 1981
Short Historical Background
The Institute for the Study of Social Justice (ISSJ, Sophia
University) was founded in April 1981. The Sophia Relief
Service was founded in the same year to pursue practicalrelief activities.
Objectives
ISSJ aims to raise the consciousness of students and thewider society regarding the promotion of social justice.
The ISSJ has sought to apply interdisciplinary inquiries
into issues of justice in today’s changing world to boththe education of Sophia students and its practical activities (primarily refugee assistance).
Programs and Activities
Annual international symposium - ever since its establishment, one of the ISSJ’s primary research activities has
been the organization of an annual international symposium. Every year, a pressing social problem of particular
topical relevance to the day is selected as the theme, andsymposium participants representing both Japanese andoverseas universities, international organizations dealing with issues of human rights, refugees, or the environment (among others), and activists working in the field
on a variety of issues gather to further interdisciplinary
research exchange and, based in the Christian humanist
approach, analyze issues from the viewpoint of humanity and human rights, and discuss how symposium findings can be directed to the promotion of social justice.
Course on “Refugees and Human Rights” - offered to all
Sophia University students by ISSJ staff every other year(with an enrollment of approximately one hundred students), is among the educational activities organized by
the ISSJ.
Open lectures - organized on a monthly basis, researchersor people working directly on a variety of social problems are invited as speakers.
Sophia Relief Service - is a nationwide fundraising campaign to provide emergency relief and promote the economic self-sufficiency of both refugees in African countries and within Japan. This was started ever since theinception of ISSJ.
Special Concerns
Refugee issues were a topic of particular concern for theentire university at the time of ISSJ’s establishment, andit has consolidated a significant amount of information
on refugee issues, both through its many years of on-site
research activities concerning African refugees and its
research into the problems surrounding Japan’s policies
concerning the acceptance of refugees.
In recent years, the ISSJ has explored more far-reach-104

ing issues concerning the protection of human dignity inthe contemporary world, such as globalization, poverty
and social exclusion, and freedom. The December 2007
27th annual International Symposium, for instance, wasorganized around the theme of “Globalization, Poverty
and Social Exclusion in Developed Countries: First-hand
Perspectives on the Homeless, ‘Freeters,’ and MigrantWorkers,” in order to study the negative effects of neoliberal globalization on even such developed countries
as Japan, South Korea, and France.
Publications
Periodic publications• Social Justice, a bulletin• Sophia Relief Service newsletter - published twice
yearly (in Japanese).
In addition, the Institute produces a number of books
in Japanese.
Address
Institute for the Study of Social JusticeL-713, Main Library
Sophia University
7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo, 102-8554 JAPANph (81-3) 3238-3023
fax (81-3) 3238-4237
e-mail: m-shimok@sophia.ac.jp

Kyoto Human Rights Research InstituteYear Established: 1994
Short Historical BackgroundKyoto, since the establishment of Heian Kyo in 794, has
assimilated various foreign cultures and developed its
own culture that has a markedly international character.
It also has a long history of concern for human rights.
Given the background of Kyoto and looking toward the
21st century, it is indeed timely to establish the Human
Rights Research Institute, as part of the commemorative
projects of the 1200th anniversary of the establishment
of Heian Kyo.
The Kyoto Human Rights Research Institute is intended to become a center for research activities on human rights in Japan, and is expected to produce notableachievement in the study of this field.
Objectives
The Institute aims
1. To conduct research on human rights issues at the
global as well as national levels,
2. To promote academic exchange with domestic andforeign research institutes in the field of human rights,
and3. To promote understanding of these issues at home
and abroad.
Programs
1. Research Program on International Human Rights Protection System - this program focuses on the systematic study of the development of the international
standards on human rights promoted by the United
Nations as well as by the various treaty bodies. It also
analyzes the latest status of international human rights
law.
2. Research Program on DOWA System - this program aims
to study the serious violation of fundamental humanrights and various discrimination in occupation, marriage, education and housing targeted at descendantsof people who were economically, socially and culturally accorded low rank in Japanese society throughout
history. This social problem is defined as DOWA problem or BURAKU discrimination. The program studies
this issue employing historical and social perspectives.
3. Research Program on Human Rights of Foreign Residents
in Japan – while often described as a racially homogenous nation, the island-country has developed its culture by accepting different races and different cultures
since time immemorial. Today there are many foreign
residents in Japan, such as Korean residents with thehistorical background of colonial domination by Japan, as well as increasing number of foreign workers
from various Asian and Latin American countries. This
research program studies the historical developmentof acceptance by Japan of these races and cultures so
as to find a way to multi-racial coexistence.
4. Program on Human Rights of Women - this program

studies how the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women is implemented. It also examines the history of the differentiation ofroles based on gender and the actual condition of theequality of sexes in the field of employment and public
activities. In addition, it inquires into the human rights,
development and education of women in Japan andAsia.
5. Research Program on Human Rights Education - thisprogram aims to examine the achievements of theUnited Nations Decade for Human Rights Education(1995 – 2004) as well as the subsequent implementation of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (first phase plan of action [2005 – 2009] which
focuses on human rights education in the primary andsecondary school systems). It also studies the history
and development of human rights education in Japanand other Asian countries.
Activities
The Institute undertakes the following activities:
1. Research and study concerning human rights problems as well as the promotion of international academic exchange
2. Collection and presentation of documents and publications concerning human rights
3. Publication of books and organizing of lectures to disseminate the results of human rights research
4. Other projects which are necessary to achieve the objectives of this Institute.
Publications• Periodic publications• Bulletin• Annual Report• GLOBE
Address
Kyoto Human Rights Research Institute(Sekai Jinken Mondai Kenkyu Sentaa)
Kyoei-Karasuma Bldg.
Karasuma-Nijo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku,
Kyoto 604-0857 Japanph (81-75) 231-2600
fax (81-75) 231-2750
e-mail: jinken@kyoto.email.ne.jp,
www.mmjp.or.jp/jinken/

105

Mekong Watch
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
Mekong Watch was established in 1993 as a networkof seven Japanese organizations that were concerned
about the role of Japan in the development of the Mekong Region. Plans for several hydropower projects in
Lao PDR, a controversial export of agricultural chemicals to Cambodia from Japan, and various initiatives in
the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) framework of the
Asian Development Bank were causes for concern. In
1998, Mekong Watch became an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) with its own membershipand institutional structure. Its activities include research,
information production and distribution, and advocacy.
Objective
Mekong Watch aims to create a framework that ensuresthat the views and opinions of affected communities arerespected and lessons learned from past projects arereflected at every stage of development in the Mekong
Region.
Programs and Activities
Mekong Watch’s activities are largely divided into three
categories:
1. Research - this includes investigative research regarding specific development projects being monitored,
field research, and research on various government
policies. Project-specific research usually involves interviews and networking with local communities affected by the development projects to document precisely what kinds of impacts they will (or are already)facing. For example, Mekong Watch did a survey of refugees from Burma who were familiar with the humanrights situation around a hydropower plant to be repaired with Japanese development aid. It also worked
with Thai NGOs and local community leaders to collectinformation about the impacts of the Samut Wastewater Treatment plant, which is being built with Japaneseand Asian Development Bank (ADB) financing.
		
Field research has included a study of ichthyic
biodiversity in the Mekong River, a study of inland fisheries and livelihoods on the Ing River in Thailand, andcommunity forestry and participatory forest management in Laos. Policy-related research has focused on
the inspection functions of multilateral developmentbanks, environmental guidelines (particularly relating
to the Japan Bank for International Cooperation), andthe new information-disclosure policy that went into
effect in Japan in April 2001.
2. Resource Development and Outreach - this aims to disseminate the outcomes of the research and monitoring activities, and to promote information exchange
among key stakeholders. It also aims at drawing themedia’s attention to problematic development projects and the need for policy reform in the Japanese
government, particularly in relation to development

106

initiatives in the Mekong Region. Mekong Watch publishes a quarterly journal, hold public seminars, international symposiums, and coordinate study tours toThailand.
		
Mekong Watch has Mekong Library, with books,
papers, magazines, and other printed materials on issues related to development in the Mekong Region.
Its expanding network with academics and students
in Japan is also a resource to be drawn upon when academic expertise is required.
3. Advocacy - this has two main purposes. One is to bringthe voices of people affected by Japanese-financed
development projects in the Mekong Region to relevant decision-makers in Japan. The other is to facilitate
policy and institutional reform. Information from theresearch and networking of Mekong Watch back up its
policy proposals. Mekong Watch believes that it is necessary to create a decision-making system for development planning that includes the local people from theearliest stages. Its advocacy work strives to reform thecurrent decision-making patterns so that the needs ofcommunities are accurately reflected and respected in
final decisions.
Mekong Watch has country projects including Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and China (Yunnan).
Publications
In English:• MeREM Project Report (III): Transboundary Environmental Issues in the Mekong River Basin: Perspectives
from Civil Society & Recommendations for MeREM(2005)• Protect Yourself from Destructive Development: Handbook on JBIC’s New Environmental and Social Guidelines (2004)• Lancang-Mekong: A River of Controversy (2003)• Development, Environment and Human Rights in
Burma/Myanmar: Examining the Impacts of ODA and
Investment (2001)
Address
Mekong Watch(Tokyo Office)
2F Maruko Bldg. 1-20-6 Higashi Ueno
Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0015, Japanph (813) 3832 5034
fax (813) 3832 5039
e-mail: info@mekongwatch.org
www.mekongwatch.org

Research-Action Institute for the Koreans in Japan (RAIK)
Year Established: 1974
Short Historical Background and Objectives
The Research-Action Institute for the Koreans in Japan(RAIK) was established in February 1974 as an affiliate of
the Korean Christian Church in Japan (KCCJ). The Instituteundertook research and action mainly in relation to theprotection of human rights and civil liberties of resident
Koreans in Japan. But it has expanded its work to include
the rights of foreign migrant workers and other foreign
residents in Japan. The Institute is supported by donations from the Korean Christian churches and schools.
Program and Activities• Collection of documents and other materials on thehuman rights and civil liberties of resident Koreansand other foreigners in Japan and provision of suchinformation to Christian organizations, researchers,
lawyers and civil society groups• Research on human rights situation of ethnic minorities in Japan• Organization of annual seminars and lectures to promote human rights education in schools, based on
Christian principles.
RAIK manages the secretariat for several citizens’ groups
working for the revision of the Immigration Control andRefugee Recognition Act, the provision of support for
the residential areas of foreigners, the petition to theJapanese government for a policy supporting foreignschools, and implementation of the international humanrights standards in Japanese society.
Publications
RAIK Bulletin (bi-monthly)
Address
The Research-Action Institute for the Koreans in Japan(RAIK)
Nishi-Waseda 2-3-18-52
Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo 169-0051
Japanph (813) 3203-7575

107

Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR)
Osaka City University

Year Established: 1972
Short Historical Background
The Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR) is the former Dowa Mondai Research Institute of the Osaka City
University, the first academic research facility for minority issues in Japan. The Institute was established in 1972
to focus on the rights of discriminated Japanese, the socalled Burakumin. It was renamed the Research Centerfor Human Rights to research on broader human rights
issues. RCHR now covers, in addition to the issue of Burakumin discrimination, gender, ethnic, disability and other minority/human rights issues.
Dowa Mondai (or Buraku Mondai) signifies the issues concerning a minority group unique to Japanesesociety. Burakumin are the people whose ancestors
were relegated to an outcast status in the pre-modern
era. Having no distinguishing physical or cultural traits,
today Burakumin are distinguished by their residence incommunities called Buraku (or Dowa districts) that weresegregated in the pre-modern era, or by their ancestral
background that is recorded in family registers. Burakumin continue to face discrimination and suffer from low
socio-economic status.
Objective
RCHR aims to undertake research on a broad range ofissues affecting Japanese society at present, namely,
Burakumin discrimination, gender, ethnic, disability andother minority/human rights issues.
Programs and Activities
Following the research approach of the Institute since1972, RCHR has been employing quantitative and qualitative research methods in its numerous surveys concerning minority populations, such as social changes inminority communities and social consciousness of minority/human rights issues.
It also collects survey reports, books, materials, andother kinds of information on gender/minority/humanrights issues - in both Japanese and English.
Researchers and students seeking information ongender/minority/human rights issues in Japan are welcome to visit RCHR.
Special Concerns• Gender/Minority/Human Rights Issues in Japan• Gender, Minorities and Group Relations in Japan• Discrimination/Prejudice against Minorities• Socio-economic Status of Minorities• Educational Attainment of Minorities• Social changes in Minority communities• Government Policies on Human Rights and Minority
IssuesPublications
The Journal of Human Rights (annual) - Japanese language

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Address
Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR)- Osaka City University
3-3-138 Sugimoto Sumiyoshi-ku Osaka City, Osaka 5588585 Japanph (816) 6605-2035
fax (816) 6605-2035
e-mail: furukubo@rchr.osaka-cu.ac.jp
www.rchr.osaka-cu.ac.jp

Shimin Gaikou Centre (Citizens’ Centre for Diplomacy)
Year Established:1982
Short Historical Background
The Shimin Gaikou Centre (Citizens’ Diplomatic Centre for
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) is a grassroots humanrights non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in
March 1982 by a group of citizens and students who participated in a big wave of support for the 2nd United Nations (UN) Special Session for Disarmament held in New
York. Since 1987, the Centre has been sending delegations to the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva along with the Ainu delegations. In 1996,
it began supporting the participation of the Okinawa/
Ryukyu people in the Working Group. As a result of these
activities, in 1999, the Centre became the first Japanese
grassroots NGO to be given special consultative status by
the UN Economic and Social Council.
Objectives
The Centre focuses on peace, human rights, environmentand development issues internationally. From the beginning, it supported indigenous peoples and their humanrights that had long been ignored in Japanese society, incooperation with indigenous peoples’ organizations andother support NGOs.
Programs and Activities
a. Peace Scholarship for Indigenous South Pacific Islanders– to support the people in the small-island countries of
the South Pacific in their quest for a nuclear-free zone,
their demand for the conservation of the environment,
and their policy on sustainable development throughthe traditional way, the Centre established the Peace
Scholarship for their secondary school students.
b. Support for Indigenous Peoples’ Participation in United
Nations (UN) Human Rights Programs – aims to financially and technically support the participation ofindigenous peoples in the meetings of the United
Nations human rights organs, including the Working
Groups on Indigenous Populations, Human Rights
Committee, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and newly-established Human Rights Council,
and to monitor the promotion of human rights of indigenous peoples.
c. Assistance for the Dissemination of Human Rights Ideas
and Indigenous Cultures - in support of the UN Decade of Human Rights Education (1995 - 2004) andthe World Programme for Human Rights Education,
the Centre provides financial assistance in the translation of international human rights documents into thelanguages of the indigenous peoples in Latin Americaand Asia.
d. Networking among related NGOs - in addition to close
cooperation with NGOs which deal with the issues
related to indigenous peoples and human rights, theCentre has actively been involved in establishing andkeeping NGO networks or coalitions in Japan. It is thecore founding member of the International Human

Rights NGO Network, the Japan Citizens’ Coalition for
the UN International Decade of the World Indigenous
Peoples, and the Japan NGO Network on UN Reform. It
also worked as a core NGO in the Japanese NGO Coalition Durban 2001 at the UN World Conference against
Racism held in South Africa in 2001.
e. Workshops and Public Meetings to Report the Results of
UN Meetings - the Centre holds workshops and public
meetings in Hokkaido, Tokyo and Okinawa to report
the results of UN meetings and international conventions on indigenous peoples’ rights.
Special Concern
In 2007, the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples was successfully adopted
at the UN General Assembly. The Centre has been making maximum effort to disseminate the existence andthe meaning of the Declaration in Japan and Asia andto promote the implementation of stipulated rights inthe Declaration for the Ainu people and the Okinawa/
Ryukyu people. Furthermore, the Centre has been active as a member of Peace & Human Rights Unit of the2008 G8 Summit NGO Forum since 2007 to pressure theG8 countries and the 2008 Toyako summit on a numberof human rights issues from the viewpoint of indigenous
peoples.
Publications• Annual Report (once a year, Japanese)• Japanese translations of UN materials about the rights
of indigenous peoples (booklets and CDs)
Address
Shimin Gaikou Centre (SGC)
3-35-13-204 Higashi-Komatsugawa
Edogawa-ku Tokyo 132-0033 Japanph/fax (813) 5662-0906
e-mail: peacetax@js2.so-net.ne.jp
www005.upp.so-net.ne.jp/peacetax/#English

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Tokyo Metropolitan Human Rights Promotion Center (TMHRPC)
Year Established: 1998
Short Historical Background
The Tokyo Metropolitan Human Rights Promotion Center(TMHRPC) was established on 16 July 1998 as a foundation to enhance Tokyo citizens’ awareness of human rights
through the implementation of various activities suchas education, promotion, and the protection of humanrights, with the overall objective of solving human rights
problems as represented by the Dowa problem (discrimination against a section of Japanese population).
The Tokyo Metropolitan Dowa Work Promotion Society (TMDWPS), the forerunner to the Center, was established in April 1971 as an affiliated organization of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) to solve the Dowa
problem, a national problem concerning fundamental
human rights, in accordance with the promulgation of
the Special Law on Dowa Work (effective 10 July 1969).
TMDWPS played an important role in education and promotional activities, and took a complementary role tothat of TMG in promoting Dowa work (anti-discrimination work).
At the same time, at present, various kinds of humanrights problems such as discrimination based on sex,ethnicity or race, violations of children’s rights, and discrimination against the disabled, set an important task
to the whole society.
With this change in the social environment, TMG
formally decided in December 1997 to merge the Tokyo Metropolitan Industry and Labor Hall (TMILH), thatwas directly managed by TMG to promote Dowa work,and the Tokyo Metropolitan Dowa Work Promotion Society (TMDWPS) to form the Tokyo Metropolitan Human
Rights Promotion Center. This was in response to the direction being taken by the central government as shownin the Recommendation by the Consultative Council on
Regional Improvement Measures (May 1996) and Domestic Action Plan Concerning the UN Decade of Human
Rights Education (July 1997).
Objectives
Commencing with the Dowa problem, TMHRPC aims toactively develop educational, promotional and consultation activities related to the realization of human rights.
Programs and Activities
TMHRPC is actively promoting education, understanding, and holding consultations with the aim of solving
problems concerning human rights including the Dowa
problem.
Promotional Activities
1. Provides year-round radio programs and special radio
spot broadcasts during Human Rights Week
2. Creates and posts Human Rights Awareness posters,
distributes book covers to bookstores, makes and distributes postcards and other promotional goods. All
goods are printed with human rights slogans on them110

3. Participates in national human rights festivals, andsupports lecture meetings, movie-screenings andpanel displays during Human Rights Week.
Education and Consultation
1. Introduces human rights education lecturers to private organizations that hold human rights education
classes
2. Gives general consultation and judicial consultation,
the latter being executed by experts
3. Holds lecture courses for Tokyo citizens and office
workers, given by experts.
Information Gathering, Sharing and Publishing
1. Lends books, videos and 16mm films on human rights
2. Publishes video, pamphlets, magazine
3. Lends out rooms for courses and lecture meetings fora fee.
Publications• TOKYO JINKEN (human rights) magazine –quarterly• Animation video and pamphlet on the Dowa Problem
Address
Tokyo Metropolitan Human Rights Promotion Center
1-1-6 Hashiba, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan. 111-0023
ph (813) 3876-5371
fax (813) 3874-8346
e-mail: info@tokyo-jinken.or.jp
www.tokyo-jinken.or.jp

Tottori Prefectural Center for Universal Culture of Human Rights
Year Established: 1997
Short Historical Background
The Tottori Prefectural Ordinance to Create a Pro-Human
Rights Society enacted in 1996 was the driving force inpromoting human rights and civil liberties in Tottori Prefecture. Since then, the prefecture launched several human rights initiatives regarding the Buraku issue, women’s rights, rights of people with disabilities, child rights,
rights of the elderly, migrant rights, and other issues. Oneof the outcomes of these efforts, thanks to the inter-prefectural and NGO collaborations, was the establishmentof the Tottori Prefectural Center for Universal Culture of
Human Rights in 1997. The Ministry of Justice registered
the Center in 1999.

ratto) - the Center manages a facility (called Hiroba 21)
which accommodates a human rights library and areasthat are often rented as space for meetings, discussion
panels, exhibitions, lectures, and study sessions.

Objectives
The Center aims to implement the objectives of the Tottori Prefectural Ordinance for Creating a Pro-Human
Rights Society and the subsequent Tottori Prefectural
Policies on Human Rights in creating a society where human rights and civil liberties are respected. The Center’s
objectives are reflected in its activities under the Human
Rights Development, Consultation Services, Leadership
Training and Development, Research and Study, Dissemination of Information, and Networking programs.

Address
Tottori Prefectural Human Rights Space Hiroba 21 Furatto
Tottori Prefecture, Tottori City, Ougimachi 2, 680-0846
Japan
ph (81-857) 1712, 21-1713
fax (81-857) 21-1714
email: t-jinken@infosakyu.ne.jp

Publications• Tottori Prefectural Center for Universal Culture of Human Rights’ Bulletin (three times a year)• Human Rights Development Booklet (12 issues as ofJune 2008)• A collection of documented personal accounts on experiences related to human rights and civil liberties• Privacy and Our Lives (Puraibashi to watashitachi nokurashi) (2007)

Programs and Activities
Research and Study – consists of data collection andanalysis on particular themes. Information is then disseminated through the Center’s reports, proposals, andpublications.
Training - aims to promote awareness of human rights,
develop human rights and civil liberties programs andactivaties, and provides training for lecturers and teachers on human rights education.
Promoting Human Rights Awareness - aims to promote
human rights awareness through the Center’s bulletins,
webpage, human rights space (Hiroba 21 Furatto), teaching materials and booklets, lectures, panel exhibitions,and other events featuring lecturers and specialists onhuman rights.
Networking - the Center co-organizes and participates
in meetings and events throughout the prefecture thatemphasize communication and exchange of ideas andinformation between different groups and individuals
concerned with human rights and civil liberties.
Consultation Services - the Center carries out consultation
services and meetings with the help of human right specialists. Consultation Service by telephone is also provided. Moreover, there is a monthly, free legal consultation
with lawyers who are affiliated with the Center.
Tottori Prefectural Human Rights Space (Hiroba 21 Fu-

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jordanAl-Urdun Al-Jadid Research Center (UJRC)
Year Established: 1990
Short Historical Background
The Center was established in 1990 as an extension to
the quarterly Al-Urdun Al-Jadid magazine (1984-1990).
UJRC began working in 1993 with a license from the Department of Press and Publication (Ministry of Information) in conformity with Law Number 10 issued in 1993.
The Center is a founding member of, and a participant in, a number of regional networks and umbrellagroups, such as the Arab Social Sciences Research (ASSR)
and the Arab Institute for Studies and Communication(AISC). It heads the Arab Network for Democratic Development (ANDD) and is also a member in the EuropeanMediterranean Network for Human Rights (EMHRN), and
the World Movement for Democracy. The Center contributes to government and municipal projects and is amember of many governmental and non-governmental
committees, such as the Jordan Scenarios 2020 project.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To help achieve sustainable democracy
2. To operate as a national think-tank
3. To prepare and publish scientific research papers
4. To provide a forum for dialogue
5. To build databases
6. To provide opportunities for training, rehabilitation,and the exchange of expertise and experience.
Programs
The Human Rights Program aims at fulfilling the as-yetunrealized requirements of the human rights movement
in Jordan, and spreading the principles of mental andphysical freedom, democracy and human rights, both in
Jordan and in the Arab world.
The Women’s Studies Program focuses special attention
on women’s movements and organizations, considering
them as one of the essential elements of Jordanian civilsociety.
The Youth Program aims to develop a democratic and civil
culture among the youth, to provide them with the necessary skills to identify with their problems, to encourageinteraction between the youth to successfully solve theirproblems, and to emphasize the skills needed by today’s
youth to contribute towards the region’s development.
The Electoral and Parliamentary Studies Program (EPS) focuses on comparative study of parliamentary elections in
Jordan, Arab countries and other countries.

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Activities
The Center engages in the following activities:• Research• Roundtable discussions, forums• Training workshops.
Publications• Human Rights Report in Jordan - annual
It includes three main sections: the status of economic,
social and cultural rights, the status of civil and politicalrights, and finally, a brief section on the human rights
status in Jordan.
• Human Rights Dialogue Newsletters
The newsletter aims to introduce a subject for discussion and then convey its results and recommendations to the largest possible number of people anddecision makers. The series also contain translations
and researches that fall under the aims and interests of
the human rights program. The published newsletters
covered the following areas:- The role of the Department of Family Protection
against family violence- Needs of the elderly in Jordan- The right to health services in national laws and international treaties- Temporary law on Public Meetings.
• Jordanian Women’s Conditions in 1997, Waleed Hammad (1999) (Arabic and English)• Jordanian Women Organizations and their Role in Sustainable Development, Waleed Hammad (1999) (Arabic and English)• Jordanian Women and the Electoral Law - Seminar Proceedings (1997)• Jordanian Women and Political Action - Seminar Proceedings (1996)• Jordanian Democratic Process (English Version) (1996)• The City of Amman: Realities and Prospects (1996)• Contemporary Electoral Systems (1995)• Electoral Legislations as the Cornerstone of the Democratic System (1995)• Who’s Who in the Jordanian Parliament• Studies in Jordan’s Parliamentary Elections of 1997,
Collective Work (2002)• Reading through Jordan’s Parliamentary Elections of
1997, Hani Hourani (2000)• The Jordanian Legislative Elections 1997, Hani Hourani(2000)• Parliamentary Performance... Reality and Prospective- Seminar Proceedings (1996)• Contemporary Electoral Systems - Seminar Proceedings, Hussein Abu Rumman (editor) (1995)
Address
Al-Urdun Al-Jadid Research Center (UJRC)
39 Mecca Street, opp. Dahiet al Hussein
Hourani Complex, 3rd floor, Amman.
ph (962 6) 553 3112 /4
fax (962 6) 553 3118
e-mail: ujrc@ujrc-jordan.org
www.ujrc-jordan.org

Amman Center for Human Rights Studies
Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
The Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) isan independent, regional, and scientific advocacy center for studies, research and training on issues of humanrights and democracy.
To contribute to the dissemination of a culture ofhuman rights, the work and activities of ACHRS aim atstrengthening civil society in Jordan and in the Arab
World, and at inducing a change to the general level ofawareness and sensibility towards human rights and democracy.
The projects carried out by ACHRS mainly concentrate on training for democracy and human rights asthey are closely related and highly complementary. Conducting studies and research to serve as an informational
basis is a further means to achieve our aims.
Objectives
ACHRS aims
1. To disseminate a culture of human rights, and to
spread knowledge on International Humanitarian Law
in Jordan and the Arab world
2. To contribute to the process of changing society towards a more democratic and social upbringing, andto be conducive to the enhancement of rule of Law
and respect for human rights
3. To provide a free democratic platform for dialogue
and for the coordination of the efforts undertaken by
governmental and non-governmental organizations(NGOs) active in the field of human rights
4. To aid governmental organizations and NGOs in monitoring, documenting, and following up on the situation of human rights, as a step towards enforcing theserights at all legislative and executive levels
5. To participate in revising local laws and regulations to
support effective justice reform based on the rule of law
6. To support the enforcement and protection of women’s rights to strengthen their position in society
7. To dedicate special attention to those segments of society in need of special protection such as children andpeople with disability
8. To protect and to encourage human rights activists,
and to support them in developing their skills
9. To provide a scientifically-founded statistical and informational data base on relevant local, regional and international human rights declarations, covenants, andconventions.

Activities
Training courses – focusing on human rights and civic
participation, women’s rights, children’s rights, rights ofminorities, cultural rights, democracy, constitution, election monitoring, International Humanitarian Law, transitional justice, international standards of fair trials, andworkers’ education. The courses cover participants fromseventeen Arab countries (sixty-five percent of which are
women).
Publications• Juvenile Justice: The Arab Experience• The Right to a Fair Trial• Electoral Systems in the World• Jordan Studies on Human Rights Issues• Guide on the Right of Citizens• The International Humanitarian Law• Question of Tolerance - A study session and dialogue• Human Rights between Theory and Implementation,
Dr. Abd Al-Hussain Sha’ban• Lectures on Human Rights Policies• Dialogues on Globalization, Islam , Terrorism, andIdentity• Studies on Human Rights Issues• Human Rights and the US Foreign Policy towards the
Arab World• Handbook for Domestic Election Observers in Iraq
Address
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies
Al Abdali, Al Sharaf Building 4th Floor
P.O.Box 212524
Amman 11121, Jordan
ph (962 6) 46 55 043
fax (962 6) 46 55 043
Mobile: 00962-795151590
e-mail: maysoon@achrs.org
ir@achrs.org
www.achrs.org

Programs• Capacity-building through training courses and workshops.
• Dissemination of information and facilitating exchange of experiences between different sectors ofsociety and between NGOs and organizations of civilsociety. This includes convening conferences, roundtables, seminars and discussion rounds.

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kazakhstan
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights andRule of Law (KIBHR) was registered on 8 February 1995
by the Ministry of Justices of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
re-registered on 4 March 1997 by the Ministry of Justiceas a legal entity in the organizational-legal form of a public institution and re-registered once again in 2002 in theform of a public association.
It has eight branches in the main regions of thecountry (Aktau, Astana, Karaganda, Pavlodar, Uralsk, Shymkent, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Kostanai) and four representatives (Taldykorgan (Almaty Oblast), Taraz (Zhambyl
Oblast), Aktobe (Aktobe Oblast) and in Kokshetau (Akmola Oblast)).
Objectives
KIBHR aims
1. To study reforms of mechanisms for the exercise andprotection of inalienable human rights and freedoms
2. To develop an information network of non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) human rights defenders,press monitoring and reporting in the region to alert
the international, local and foreign NGOs , and State
officials about the political, social, economic and interethnic situation in the country and the implementation of international obligations by Kazakhstan in thefield of human rights
3. To promote the development of large-scale international support for the democratic reforms in Kazakhstan
4. To render assistance in the preparation of draft laws,
associated with human rights, analyze existing legislations, and promote reforms of the judicial and penitentiary systems
5. To promote the stabilization of the political, economic
and social situation in the country and the success of
democratic forces
6. To interact with the executive authorities and provide
public support to their decisions, if these decisions
implement and protect the inalienable human rights
and freedoms
7. To prepare and disseminate information and materials,
including those from abroad, to propagate and support human rights
8. To monitor the human rights situation and promote
their full protection
9. To assist in protecting the rights of individuals andgroups10.. To enlighten, educate and develop human rights
training programs
11.. To promote the development of a democratic legal
state and open civil society in Kazakhstan and otherStates.

114

Programs
1. Human Rights Network – monitoring and raising public awareness on the human rights situation in the
country
2. Education and Dissemination of Information on International Standards, Mechanisms and Procedures on
Human Rights - raising public awareness on humanrights protection
3. Influencing Law-Making Process and Law Enforcement
Practices – promoting effective dialogue between human rights NGOs and state bodies, assisting in legal
training of the law enforcement personnel
4. Free Access To Justice and Human Rights Advocacy.
Activities
1. Monitoring the human rights situation in Kazakhstan
and disseminating information
2. Enlightenment, education and dissemination of information on international human rights standards,
mechanisms and procedures to ensure and increasesociety’s awareness3. Dialogue with the authorities to influence the processof lawmaking, assist in making Kazakhstani legislations
adhere to the international human rights standards
4. Defense of the rights of individuals and groups.
Publications
Manuals (2003-2006) on• Migrants• Rights of imprisoned juveniles• How to appeal the court decision on juveniles cases• Women-prisoners• Problems of torture in Kazakhstan• Rights of migrants and asylum-seekers• Rights of the child (for use by children and their parents)• Rights and duties of persons sentenced to long periods
and life imprisonment.
Address
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights andRule of Law (KIBHR)
Rooms 404-405, 57 Masanchi
Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480012
ph (3272) 92-08-41
ph/fax: (3272) 62-68-11
e-mail: omaz@omaz.almaty.kz
www.bureau.kz

koreaCitizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ)
Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
The Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) was
founded in 1989 by some five hundred people representing various walks of life: economics professors andother specialists, lawyers, housewives, students, young
adults and business people. Their slogan, “Let’s achieve
economic justice through citizens’ power,” reflected theirbelief that deep-rooted economic injustices could not be
cured by the government alone, but ultimately must be
solved by the organized power of citizens. They believedthat the fruits of economic development should beshared by all common people, not just the small groupof “haves”. They proposed a new methodology tof gradually but thoroughly reform the economic system. They
founded CCEJ as a movement that would 1) be led byordinary citizens, 2) use legal and nonviolent methods,3) seek workable alternatives, 4) speak for the interests ofall people, regardless of economic standing, and 5) workto overcome greed and egoism in order to build a sharing society.
Objective
Within the framework of the general objectives of CCEJ,
its Policy Research Committee aims to develop alternative policies through a process of research and public
education in the form of open hearings, discussions andmonthly policy seminars.

to make cities healthy and good places to live. Its main
activities are to present alternatives and initiate actions
for the reform of policies and systems related to housing,safety, transportation, culture and revitalization of theurban areas. In support of this work, the Center organizes
discussion meetings and campaigns, promotes solidarity
among NGOs in Korean cities, and encourages citizens’
interest and participation.
Anti-Corruption Center - carries out research for the reform of laws and systems, monitors government andbusiness activities through a corruption-reporting desk,and engages in movement for citizens’ participation andawareness-building.
Publications• Civil Society Magazine
Address
Citizen’s Coalition for Economic Justice50-2 Dongsoong-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul 100-809 Korea
ph (822) 765-6400, 766-5623
fax (822) 741-8564
e-mail: iccej@ccej.or.kr
www.ccej.or.kr

Programs and Activities
Policy Research Committee - develops alternative policies
through a process of research and public education in theform of open hearings, discussions and monthly policy
seminars. Its 17 divisions are: Local Autonomy, Banking,
Finance & Taxation, Land, Trade, Science & Technology,
Education, Chaebol (giant business groups), Small/Medium Industry, Social Welfare, Housing, Transportation,
Labor, Agriculture, Health and Medical Care, National Development, Politics & Administration.
Korea Economic Justice Institute - seeks new visions for thedevelopment of Korea and engages in research on economic problems. It promotes economic justice throughprojects such as the Korea Economic Justice Award (given to companies that contribute greatly to social development) and critical evaluation of the 30 biggest Koreanbusiness groups.
Korea Reunification Society - promotes citizens’ movement, policy research, civilian exchange projects andother activities, with the goal of constructing a reunified
Korean nation where economic justice will prevail.
Urban Reform Center - based on a philosophy of sustainable development and quality life for the citizens,
the Center for Urban Reform was established in order115

Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB Center)Year Established: 2002
Short Historical Background
The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights(NKDB) was established in January 2002 in South Korea
to present unbiased information on human rights violations in North Korea, and ultimately improve the humanrights conditions there. NKDB was formally registeredin March 2004. It established a counseling service in2005 for people from North Korea who, after being interviewed, were found to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD). In 2007, NKDB developed
the NKDB Central Database program to document casesof human rights violations in North Korea. Based on theinformation available in the NKDB Database, NKDB publishes annual and special reports on human rights violations in North Korea. In addition, the NKDB also operates the NKHRA (North Korean Human rights Archives)to systematically maintain and manage the records andevidence on human rights violations in North Korea, inspired by the Central Registry of State Judicial Administrations in Germany.
Objectives
NKDB aims to improve the general human rights situation in North Korea by examining, analyzing and compiling cases of human rights abuses, collecting the evidence needed to verify cases of human rights violations,publishing reports, and supporting the North Korean
victims of human rights violations to facilitate their adaptation to their new environment in South Korea.
Programs and Activities
a. Collection of cases and evidence of human rights violations in North Korea
b. Research, analysis and documentation of cases of human rights violations in North Korea
c. Making compiled data on human rights violations inNorth Korea available to organizations or individuals
who meet the criteria for accessing the datae. Publication of annual white paper and other reports
f. Research and publication on government policy andactual conditions in North Korea
g. Operation of North Korean Human Rights Archives(regularly updated database on cases of human rights
violations and the evidence supporting the cases)
h. Development of a team of experts in NKDB on the human rights situation in North Korea
i. Supporting and counseling human rights violations
victims from North Korea on their adaptation to a newenvironment in South Korea.
Publications
NKDB releases white papers and intermittent reports
such as the following:• Are they telling us the truth? (2004)• The Economic Activity Status of North Korean Defectors 2006

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• White Paper on North Korean Human rights Statistics
2007 (English/Korean)• The Economic Activity Status of North Korean Defectors 2007
• Escape to outside world from total control prison camp
No. 14 (2007)• White Paper on Religious Freedom in North Korea
2008• The Central Registry of State Judicial Administration in
Salzgitter (2008)• Analysis on trend of publication on North Korean Human Rights (2008)• Report on South Korean POWs (2008)
Other Information• Restricted data are available at the NKHRA for viewing
only with permission• Information open to the public are available at the
NKDB website (http://www.nkdb.org)• A membership system is in place to safeguard the release of data, to protect the privacy of the people involved and to facilitate requests for information.
Address
Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB
Center)247 Sajik-dong Jongno-gu, Seoul 100-054 Korea
ph (822) 723-6045
fax (822) 723-6046
e-mail: nkdbi@hanmail.net
http://nkdb.org

Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations
Year Established: 1956
Short Historical Background
The Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations is a nongovernmental, non-profit legal service provider established in Seoul in 1956. It is the first and only such family
relations legal aid organization in Korean. In 1988, it became the first non-governmental organization (NGO) tobe registered under the country’s new legal aid law.
It was established by Dr. Tai-Young Lee to provide
protection of the human rights of the poor and the uneducated through fee legal aid and counseling, based ona belief in the dignity of all human beings and the equality of all before the law. It has been primarily focused onfamily law cases in the belief that peace in the familymeans peace in the world. As for short-term objectives,it has provided legal, education services, and as for longterm objectives, has contributed to abolishing gender
discrimination and spousal discrimination in family law
through relentless legislative efforts. For the past fifty
years, it has served about 2,354,000 clients.
Objectives
The Center’s mission is to promote and protect democratization and human rights in family life through legislation, legal services, counseling, publication and education.
Programs and Activities
Counseling - daily, free legal counseling services provided in person, by mail, phone, email and through theCenter’s website, and also circuit and onsite counselingservices for people who have difficulty in accessing oneof its offices.
Legal representation – the One Hundred Lawyer Community consists of around five hundred pro bono attorneys
who provide legal counseling and help low-income clients in court.
Education - The Center provides a variety of educational
programs to promote a safe, healthy and happy family
life, such as Law Lecture Series for Everyday Life, Single
Parents’ School, Fathers’ School, etc.
Prevention and Rehabilitation of Domestic Violence - upon
the request of courts and the prosecution, the Center
provides counseling and education to domestic violence
perpetrators. It operates a 24-hour Women’s Hotline
1366 for victims of domestic violence, on behalf of theCity of Seoul.

in the family law of Korea to promote and ensure genderequality in familial and marital relationships (such as therevisions of the family laws).
Research and Publication - the Center serves governmental entities, educational institutions, other organizations
and individuals in family law issues through a variety of
research and publication activities.
The Center often organizes conferences and seminars
on family-related issues and publishes, on a regular basis, monthly newsletters, articles, research reports, books
and pamphlets. Its library has 16,000 books and periodicals relating to family, children and human rights issues.
Publications
Some of the Center’s publications are the following:• What Can I do?: Legal Counseling for Family Relationships (6th ed. 2008)• The Registration of Family Relations Act (2008)• True and False on Drinking (2008)• Legal Protection of Common Law Marriages (2007)• Introduction of Conservatorship (2007)• A Manual for Counselors for Victims and Perpetratorsof Domestic Violence (2007)• A Research Paper on Views on Martial Property (2005)• Never Strike Even Either With a Petal or With a Leaf
(2003)• Research on Divorce Rates in Korea III (1987)
Films• We Can Restart: A World Without Domestic Violence(2006)• Reconsidering a Divorce, the Present and the Future(2005)• Running Away (2003)• Fruits of a 50-year Movement to Revise Family Law: A
Documentary on the Abolishment of the Head of theHousehold System (2002)• Dr. Tai-Young Lee, A Great Teacher of Our Time (1999)
Address
Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations#11-13 Yeiudo-dong, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
ph (822) 780-5688/5689
fax (822) 780-0485
e-mail: webmaster@lawhome.or.kr
www.lawhome.or.kr/english

Clinical Programs - as an effort to raise future legal leaders, the Center provides clinical programs in cooperation
with Ewha Woman’s University and other colleges.
Movement Toward Amendments to the Family Law – theCenter lobbies for the abolition of discriminatory clauses

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MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
Year Established: 1988
Short Historical Background
Thirty Korean lawyers who actively defended prisonersof conscience and offered support for the democratization movement and who were involved in the “Guro solidarity strikes” established ‘Jeongbeophoe (Lawyers for
Legal Justice)’ in 1986.
In response to the socio-political changes and thegrowing participation of younger lawyers in the democratization movement, ‘Jeongbeophoe’ was dismantled
and a more cohesive group, ‘MINBYUN-Lawyers for a
Democratic Society’ (MINBYUN) was established on 28
May 1988. In May 2001, MINBYUN obtained the Special
Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Objective
MINBYUN aims to develop a systematic organizational
structure that responds to human rights violations withthe goal of becoming a valuable participant in the entire
democratization movement in South Korea. In addition,
MINBYUN provides legal advice and cooperation to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working for social
progress.
Programs and Activities
Research and On-site Investigations - to further advancedemocracy in South Korea and gain the required expertise, MINBYUN takes on research and analysis of various
laws and legal structures, which impede the advancement of human rights. MINBYUN also offers legal proposals regarding human rights that subsequently became
the bases of the National Assembly in amending various
laws.
In cases involving serious human rights violations,MINBYUN lawyers conduct on-site investigations andsubmit reports to relevant authorities. Whenever necessary, its sends letters of protest and files lawsuits to remedy the wrong.
Legal Representation – since the National Security Law
and other related laws are misused to suppress humanrights and persecute individuals who exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed rights, MINBYUN lawyers not
only represent defendants in criminal proceedings, butalso monitor the authorities for any unlawful conduct
such as obtaining confession using torture. MINBYUN
also offers legal support on labor rights issues along withother issues of public interest such as compensation forflood victims, damage compensation of abusive police
interrogation, unconstitutionality of the Hoju-Je (Family
Head System), compensation for noise pollution aroundKimpo Airport, and support for asylum seekers.
Opinion Making - MINBYUN influences public opinion onhuman rights issues through the circulation of publications (pamphlets, books, printed materials and findings

118

of petition drives), and the holding of public forums, debates, and symposiums to present human rights issues
and demand the development of alternative policies andreform of the legal system.
Inter-Organization Cooperation - MINBYUN works closelywith other Korean NGOs and participates in international
activities, seeking to raise the domestic level of protection of human rights on par with international standards.
It submits reports to the United Nations human rights
bodies, and assists other overseas human rights organizations to prevent human rights violations and sends
abroad their relevant appeals.
Publications
Some of the publications of MINBYUN are the following:
Periodicals (in Korean)• Legal Defense for Democratic Society (bimonthly,
since 1993)• Critiques of Labor Judicial Cases (annual, since 1996)• Report on the National Security Law (annual, since
199)
Publications (in Korean)• Lawyers’ Interpretation of Labor Law (2nd ed., 2002)• Lawyers’ Interpretation of Labor Law II. Law on Trade
Unions and Labor Relations Adjustments (2nd ed.,2003)
• Expounder for Abolition of National Security Law(2004)• Guidebook on Laws Related to Sex Trafficking (2004)
Reports/Materials (in English)• Supplementary Report to the Periodic Report submitted by the Republic of Korea in regards to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) (1997)• Human Rights in South Korea – Counter-report to the
2nd Periodic Report submitted by the Republic of Korea in regards to the ICCPR (1999)• Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in South Korea Alternative Report to the 2nd Periodic Report submitted by the Republic of Korea in regards to the ICESCR(2001)
Address
MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
5F, Sinjeong B/D, 1555-3, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu,
Seoul, Republic of Korea, PO 137-070
ph (82 2) 522 7284
fax (82 2) 522 7285
e-mail: m321@chollian.net
http://minbyun.jinbo.net/english/index.htm

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)
Year Established: 1994
Short Historical Background
Founded in 1994 by more than two hundred members,
the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy(PSPD) is a civil organization dedicated to promoting
justice and human rights in Korean society through theparticipation of the people.
Following the demise of the succession of authoritarian regimes that had ruled Korea for over thirty years, thefirst civil government was elected to power in 1993. The
citizens who wanted reform and democracy felt a strong
need for a way or means by which they could participate
to keep an eye on government authorities and to bringabout legal and policy reforms. PSPD obtained a special
consultative status with the ECOSOC of the United Nations in 2004.
Objectives
PSPD aims
1. To prevent the abuse of power by the government, thejudiciary, and businesses by advocating social justice,and presenting alternative policies
2. To encourage social participation of the people.
Programs and Activities
PSPD implements a number of programs, some of which
are the following:
Center for Judiciary Watch - monitors abuse of power inthe judiciary and proposes reform plans. The center publishes a monitoring magazine and operates an archive on
court rulings.
Center for National Assembly Watch - contributes to participatory democracy through continuous watch of, andcivil participation, in national politics. It watches the activities of the National Assembly and its members, andoperates an on-line archive. The center monitors the flowof political funds and government subsidies for politicalparties.

welfare system and to protect and improve the social
rights of the underprivileged. It tackles such issues as
the national pension and contingent workers’ rights, andcampaigns for the guarantee of budget for social security.
International Solidarity Committee - monitors government activities in the international arena and promotesinternational networking for human rights and democracy, especially among Asia-Pacific countries.
Participatory Social Academy – a citizens educational institution that provides dynamic education programs onlearning role models that improve democratic thinking
and enjoyment of the rights for citizens.
The Institute for Participatory Society - provides a direction
and a role model for practical politics and participatory
society.
The Public Interest Law Center - encourages active public interest law movements in Korea by developing andproviding assorted educational and practical training
programs.
Special Concern
Corruption and human rights
Publications• Asian Solidarity (quarterly)• Yondae (bi-annual news magazine)
Address
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)
132 Tongin-Dong, Jongno-Gu, Seoul 110-043 Korea
ph (82-2) 723-5051
fax (82-2) 6919-2004
e-mail: pspdint@pspd.org
website: eng.peoplepower21.org

Center for Peace and Disarmament - seeks ways to overcome the remnants of the Cold War ideology and tobring peace in the Korean Peninsula. Its activities include
evaluating policies concerning peace in Korea and East
Asia, monitoring military defense policies, proposing alternatives, and education.
Transparent Society Campaign - deals with corruption by
lobbying for anti-corruption laws, supporting those who
provide information on corrupt activities, researchinganti-corruption policy, using the Freedom of Information
Act to access state documents, and submitting its own
evaluation on the qualification of candidates for cabinet
posts.
Social Welfare Committee - strives to reform the social

119Sarangbang Center for Human Rights
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical BackgroundStarting through study sessions of a group of humanrights activists in 1992, the members decided in 1993
to form an organization called ‘Sarangbang’ (meetingroom). It started publishing Human Rights Daily, the firstnewspaper specialized in human rights in Korea. The following year it established the Human Rights Information
and Resources Library and, in 1997, created the Human
Rights Resources Database .
Objectives
Sarangbang aims
1. To expand the base of human rights advocacy
2. To spread human rights viewpoints to every corner ofsociety
3. To popularize and internationalize human rights advocacy
4. To build a progressive human rights movement.
Programs and Activities
Human Rights Daily - a two-to-three-page newsletter
published five days a week and delivered by fax, post,e-mail and internet service. It focuses on human rights
issues that the mainstream media ignore. Human Rights
Daily fulfills the role of grassroots media.
Human Rights Education - includes summer human rights
camps for the youth and children, summer and winterhuman rights workshops for college students, workshops for school teachers and NGOs activists, internships
for Social Welfare majors, campaigns for the Rights of
the Child, monitors the implementation of the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, develops
and creates human rights education program and materials.
Human Rights Information and Resources Library - contains
thousands of books, documents, reports and video tapeson human rights, and is open to the general public.
Civil and Political Rights Watch - consists of campaigns
against police brutality, electric identity cards, compulsory fingerprinting, censorship, and the National Security
Law; fact-finding and reporting on human rights abuses;
monitoring prison conditions.
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Watch - consists offact-finding and reporting on the situation of irregular
workers, study groups on the ICESCR, monitoring of theimplementation of the ICESCR.
Seoul Human Rights Film Festival(SHURIFF) - held annually
since 1996 as a form of human rights education and advocacy for the freedom of expression. All films are shown
free of charge to the public. SHURIFF rejects any censorship, and shows excellent films in all genres related to120

human rights, both domestic and foreign. It also gives
awards to the most outstanding human rights film of
the year by judging films from the perspective of humanrights.
The Institute for Human Rights Movement - an attachedorganization that holds daily seminar (6 days a week) on
different subjects, such as history, law, human rights instruments, human rights news, etc.
Publications• Combined volumes of Korea Human Rights Daily (vols.
1-15, 1993 to present)• Children’s rights, the Promise of the World (1997)• The Condition of Prisons in Korea (1998)• The National Security Law Report 1997 (1998)• Pathfinder for Human Rights Education (1999)• The National Security Law Report under Kim Dae-jungregime (1999)• The Rights to live in dignity (1999)• Get Up, Stand Up for Your Rights (2000)• The National Security Law Report 2000 (2001)• Human Rights Daily
Other Information
Awards:• special award of the 6th Democratic Media Awards by
the Korean Federation of Press Unions, 1996
• People’s Artist Award by the Korean People’s Artists
Federation, 1997
• Human Rights Award by the Korean National Councilof Churches(KNCC), 1997
• Grand Prize by Cine 21, a weekly film magazine, 1998
• 7th Good Education Award by the National Teachers
Union, 1998
• 4E19 People’s Revolution Award by the 4E19 Memorial
Foundation, 1998
• Hellman-Hammett Award by Human Rights Watch,1998• a prize on Human Rights Essay Contest sponsored by
Lawyers for Democracy, 1998
• 2nd Democratic Media Award by the Civil Coalition for
Democratic Media, 2000.
Address
Sarangbang Center for Human Rights
4F, 8-29, Myunglyun-2Ga dong
Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-522 Korea
ph (822) 741-53-63
fax (822) 741-53-64
e-mail: humanrights@sarangbang.or.kr
www.sarangbang.or.krlebanonThe Institute for Human Rights (Beirut Bar Association)
Year Established:
Short Historical Background
The Institute for Human Rights is a specialized bodywithin the Beirut Bar Association. Headed by the President of the Bar Association, the Institute is run by a member of the Bar Association known for his competence andexperience in the field of human rights. The director isappointed for a period of three years by the executive
board of the Bar Association.
Objectives
The Institute aims at promoting universal values statedin the Lebanese Constitution and in the United Nations
human rights treaties. The Institute strives to distributethe texts of these conventions, monitor their implementation in Lebanon by publishing special reports, as wellas prepare draft laws designed to harmonize the domestic legislations with the international human rights
standards. It also seeks to establish a series of precedents
and special legal opinions which, in due time, will leadto the integration of the principles of the treaties in local
legislations.

• Making Standards Work: an International Handbook
on Good Prison Practice (1997)
Other Information
The Bar Association has a library located at the Courthouse in Beirut that offers various books and other publications on human rights in Arabic, English, and Frenchlanguages.
Address
Institute for Human Rights- Beirut Bar Association
Court House Beirut - Lebanon
ph (961) 01- 422204 /01-422205 ext. 220 or 222 /01423943
fax (961) 01-423943
e-mail: idh@inco.com.lb
www.humanrightslebanon.org/index.html

Programs and Activities
Training - the Institute offers, in cooperation with international organizations and institutes specialized in humanrights, training sessions on human rights to all membersof the legal, administrative and judicial professions. Thesesessions include practical training on the implementation of the principles of human rights treaties in the internal judicial system, training to study, in a comparative
perspective, the judicial practices in other countries, andtraining sessions to understand the monitoring mechanisms and regulations adopted by human rights treaties
in order to promote their implementation.
Seminar and Conference Organizing – since its establishment, the Institute has held periodic seminars and conferences on various human rights issues particular to
Lebanon, and human rights in general. These events areheld in Arabic, English, and French, and are attended byparticipants from Lebanon and abroad.
Research and Publication - the Institute distributes a series of publications including conference proceedings
and various human rights materials. These materials
range from books to newsletters and are available in Arabic, English, and French. Some of the institute’s works areaccessible on its website (http://www.humanrightslebanon.org/index.html).
Publications• Qadaya – periodic newsletter (Arabic)• Combating Torture: A Compilation of International Instruments on the Elimination of Torture (2002)• Introduction to the Lebanese Criminal Code (2001)

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The Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW)
Year Established: 1973
Short Historical Background
The Lebanese American University founded the Institutefor Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) in 1973.
The history of the Institute is closely linked to that of thefirst women’s college in the Middle East, the America Junior College for Women, which was established in 1924
by the Presbyterian Mission. The College, which educated Middle Eastern women for half a century, became
co-educational in 1973. In order to honor the college’s
unique heritage as the first educational institution for
women in the region, the Institute for Women’s Studies
in the Arab World was established that same year.
Objectives
IWSAW aims
1. To serve as a catalyst for policy changes regarding therights of women in the Arab world
2. To engage in academic research on women in the Arabworld
3. To empower women in the Arab world through development programs and education
4. To facilitate networking and communication amongindividuals, groups and institutions concerned withwomen in the Arab world.
Programs
IWSAW mainly designs and implements development
programs aimed at promoting literacy and enhancing
social and political awareness. Here are some examples
of IWSAW’s development programs:
Basic Living Skills Program - a non-formal integrated
educational kit in Arabic geared towards illiterate andsemi-literate women in the Arab world, available in both
hard and digitized form. Its users are social workers andeducators affiliated to non-governmental organizations,
governmental institutions and international organizations involved in community development programs.
Empowering Arab Women Through Literacy, 2005 - a series of twelve second-level literacy booklets based on
IWSAW’s Basic Living Skills Program. Through short stories, it addresses issues such as civic education and conflict control, women’s empowerment, violence against
women, health, and the environment.
Rehabilitation and Vocational Training Program for Women in Lebanese Prisons - in view of the precarious living
conditions of incarcerated women in Lebanon and theoverwhelming needs observed and expressed by these
women, IWSAW initiated rehabilitation and intensive
vocational training programs in the Lebanese women’sprisons. Lebanese and non-Lebanese incarcerated women benefited from the program, namely in Tripoli.

122

Activities
Training - the IWSAW conducts training sessions on theuse and implementation of the Basic Living Skills Program. Moreover, IWSAW offers training on the new literacy program throughout Lebanon.
Academic Activities - a variety of women’s studies courses
are offered at the Lebanese American University throughIWSAW. It also sponsors research in women related issues.
Event Organizing - IWSAW hosts national, regional, andinternational conferences, in addition to seminars andworkshops related to women’s issues. Moreover, it hosts
special events such as an annual Film Festival (since 2000)
and the International Women’s Day (since 1998).
Research - IWSAW undertakes research on various issues
such as the following:• Women and the Environment• Women and Education• Women in Literature• Women and Economic Development• Women in Management• Women in the Media• Women in History• Women and Politics.
Publications• Al-Jinsaniya Mouhemma (Arabic version of IDS Bulletin titled Sexuality Matters) (2008)• Al-Raida - quarterly journal (Arabic and English)• Women, media, and sustainable development (1996)• Women and work in Lebanon (1985)• Women in Islam (Arabic) (1990)• Contemporary women’s movement (Arabic) (1988)• Women in time: Profiles of activists in the Lebanesewomen’s movement up to 1975 (Documentary)
These documents are accessible online at http://www.
lau.edu.lb/centers-institutes/iwsaw/books.html
Address
Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World
Lebanese American University
P.O.Box: 13-5053,
Chouran Beirut: 1102 2801, Lebanon
ph (961)-1-791645
e-mail: dima.sensenig@lau.edu.lb
http://iwsaw.lau.edu.lb

The Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization Forum (LNF)
Year Established: 1991
Short Historical Background
The Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization Forum(LNF) was established in July 1991 to coordinate theactivities of Lebanese non-governmental organizations(NGOs) concerned primarily with relief and development(social, health, and educational) issues. The decision toestablish the LNF was taken in 1988, in the midst of the
Lebanese war, when several NGOs from different communities, religious and secular, agreed that a framework
was required to bridge the gap between communities
and citizens separated by war.

Nations Committee on the Rights of the Childb. Provision of guidelines to help NGOs write their report to these UN bodies
c. Developing baseline data regarding women’s rights
and child rights in Lebanon in accordance with theguidelines of the CEDAW and the CRC respectively
d. Preparation of reports on women’s and children’ssituation in Lebanon respectively
e. Creating a bibliography on women’s rights and childrights and facilitate the exchange of informationand documentation
f. Creating a mailing list of participating NGOs.

Objectives
The LNF primarily aims to promote specific programs
that help consolidate social cohesion and integration in
Lebanon.

3. Migration Network
This project aims to come out with studies and reports,
training, legal assistance and monitoring system on thesituation of the foreign migrant workers.

Programs and Activities
The LNF has the following program and projects:
1. The Rights ProgramThis provides services to, and information on, vulnerablesocial groups, including the displaced, refugees, migrant
workers, stateless and undocumented persons and, especially, women and children. It includes
a. Free legal aid services in close cooperation with theLegal Aid Commission of the Beirut Bar Associationb. Popular Legal Education project for the displaced
persons (1997-1998)
c. Gathering of human rights information & documentations
d. Monitoring of legal instruments pertaining to human rights and prepare updated reports on the web
for each of these instrumentse. Training of NGO workers on monitoring and reporting
f. Regional networking for the advancement of human rights in the Middle East
g. Organizing seminars on international human rights
treaties affecting vulnerable social groups, and examining their implementation in Lebanon
h. Participating, on an annual basis, in United Nations
working committees, to present relevant information as well as recommendations
i. Working to improve the condition of prisoners in
the context of the Committee for Coordination andAction for Prisoners (CAP).

Publications
The Rights Program• Ebb ~ Flow - a quarterly Bulletin on refugees, displaced
persons, stateless and “undocumented” persons in
Lebanon• A manual entitled: “The Rights of People in their Own
Language”

2. Women’s Rights Monitor and Child Rights Monitor
Both projects aim to help NGOs monitor women’s rights
and child rights respectively and implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC) in Lebanon. They both include:a. Provision of information about the CEDAW and theUnited Nations CEDAW Committee, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the United

Women’s Rights Monitor• Reports on the Convention on The Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)(2000)• Brief reports on the situation of women in Lebanon
Child Rights Monitor• Reports on the Convention on the Rights of the Child(2000)• Report on the implementation of the CRC in Lebanon(online - www.lnf.org.lb/child/report.html)
Migrant Workers Network• Migrant Workers in Lebanon, Michael Young (2000)• Foreign Female Domestic Maids in Lebanon, Ray Jureidini & Nayla Moukarbel (2000)
Other Information
The LNF has recently added the Prisoner’s Rights Monitor. Information (in French language) on this new projectis available at the LNF website: www.lnf.org.lb
Address
Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization Forum (LNF)
Second Floor, Clémenceau 333 Bldg., Clémenceau Street
Beirut, Lebanon
P.O.Box : 11- 5520 Beirut - Lebanon
ph (961 1) 37 40 40 / 37 40 50
fax (961 1) 37 40 50
e-mail: lnf@lnf.org.lb
www.lnf.org.lb

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malaysia
Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Aliran)Year Established: 1977
Short Historical Background
Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Malay for National Consciousness Movement) or Aliran was launched in Penang on 12
August 1977 by seven concerned Malaysians from different ethnic backgrounds. Today, it is a national reformmovement with members, friends and supporters fromdifferent parts of the country. It is Malaysia’s first multiethnic reform movement dedicated to justice, freedom
and solidarity. Listed on the Roster of the Economic andSocial Council of the United Nations since 1987, Aliran
has a consistent record of championing democratic reforms.
Guided by universal spiritual values, its struggle focuses on building genuine unity by upholding humandignity and promoting social justice for all Malaysians.
Since 1977, it has been planting the seeds of publicawareness of critical political, economic and social issues. Over the years, it has lobbied hard for wide-ranging reforms in all aspects of public life. Today, the stirringcries of “Reformasi!” ring out for all to hear.
Objectives
Aliran is a social movement. Its aim is to raise social consciousness and encourage social action that will lead tosocial justice.
Social justice is only possible if the social order enables every human being to live like a human being. Living like a human being means bringing forth the humanity in each person.
Humanity is the total expression of all the eternal,
universal values such as truth, justice, freedom equality,
love, compassion, moderation, tolerance and restraint
which lie at the heart of the great spiritual traditions. This
is why realizing everyone’s humanity is discovering thedivine essence in them. Only by manifesting this humanity that people will be able to establish their loyalty toGod.
Activities
Aliran’s main activity is publishing Aliran Monthly to raise
public awareness on important issues affecting Malaysians. Aliran also issues media releases, which analyze
various issues related to its quest for an alternative order, and responds to both local and international humanrights appeals.
Occasionally, Aliran organizes talks for the public or
sends its officials as speakers or participants to forums
organized by other groups. It also serves as a co-ordinating body or secretariat for appeals and campaigns on
specific social and human rights issues.
Aliran is an important source of independent information on Malaysia for political analysts, academics
and others interested in what is really happening in the
country.

124

Publications• Aliran Monthly – in print and website
Address
ALIRAN
103 Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, Penang, Malaysia
ph (60 4) 6585251
fax (60 4) 6585197
e-mail (general): alirankn@hotmail.com
www.aliran.com

Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW)
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women(ARROW) was formally established in 1993 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as a regional non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO) concerned with ensuring thatdevelopment policies and plans influencing women’s
health status included women’s and gender perspectives. Co-founded by Rita Raj and Rashidah Abdullah,
ARROW’s vision is for women in Asia and the Pacific to bebetter able to define and control their lives, particularlyin the area of women’s health and rights. Since 1993, ARROW has been able to make significant progress towards
this vision.

national capacity building for strategic policy advocacythat strengthens feminist, rights-based, gender-sensitive, and women-centered approaches of national andregional NGOs, as well as other related agencies. All thiswill be done in order for marginalized women to to able
to increasingly obtain accessible, affordable, comprehensive, gender-sensitive, and rights-based sexual andreproductive health care services.

Objectives
ARROW aims
1. To make health, reproductive health and population
policies and programs re-oriented to become moreaccessible, affordable, comprehensive, and include agender and rights approach
2. To make the women’s movement and civil society
become stronger and more effective in holding governments accountable to international commitments,
influencing policy agendas on women’s health andrights, and gaining sustained representation on decision-making structures
3. To make women’s health outcomes and women’s lives
improve, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including violence against
women, especially for poor and marginalized womenand girls.

Objective 5 – To strengthen the documentation of goodorganizational practices of both ARROW and partner organizations with the aim of enhancing feminist leadership within the women’s health and rights movement, as
well as the women’s movement in general.

Programs and Activities(October 2006 – September 2011)
Objective 1 – To create and implement a comprehensive
information and communications strategy for ARROW,
providing a strategic framework for the sharing of conceptual, practical and innovative information materials
and tools, a system for the participatory monitoring andevaluation of the impact of this strategy, the increased
utilization of new technologies towards enhancing outreach, and the collection, production, dissemination,translation, and promotion of such information materials and tools such that key NGOs, governments, the United Nations (UN), and other stakeholders are influenced
towards improving health and population policies andprograms, specifically on critical women’s health andrights issues.
Objective 2 –To create a systematic evidence-based research and monitoring system which charts national andregional progress towards Cairo, Beijing and other international commitments pertaining to women’s healthand rights

Objective 4 – To expand the Women’s Health and Rights
Advocacy Partnership (WHRAP) to all thirteen priority
countries of ARROW and convene WHRAP Asia-Pacific asa regional forum of capacity-building for evidence-based
policy advocacy at local, national and regional levels.

Publications• Rights and Realities: Monitoring Reports on the Status of Indonesian Women’s Sexual and Reproductive
Health and Rights• Monitoring Ten Years Of ICPD Implementation, The
Way Forward To 2015, Asian Country Reports• Women’s Health Needs and Rights in Southeast Asia
- A Beijing Monitoring Report (2001)• Taking Up the Cairo Challenge: Country Studies in Asia
Pacific• Access to Quality Gender-Sensitive Health Services:
Women-Centred Action Research (2003)• ARROWs for Change - bulletin• Women-Centred and Gender-Sensitive Experiences:
Changing our Perspectives, Policies & Programmes on
Women’s Health in Asia and the Pacific—A Resource
Kit• A Framework of Indicators for Action on Women’s
Health Needs & Rights After Beijing (2000)• In Dialogue for Women’s Health Rights: Report of theSouth East Asian Regional GO-NGO Policy Dialogue on
Monitoring & Implementation of the Beijing Platform
for Action (2000)
Address
Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women
No. 80 & 82, 3rd Floor, Jalan Tun Sambanthan
Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
ph (603) 2273 9913 / 2273 9914 / 2273 9915
fax (603) 2273 9916
e-mail: arrow@arrow.po.mywww.arrow.org.my

Objective 3 – To carry out national, regional and inter-

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Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC)
Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
The Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) was established in 1989 to advance the cause of the Orang Asli—whether via the greater dissemination of Orang Aslinews and views, assisting in court cases involving Orang
Asli rights, or in developing arguments for lobbying andadvocacy work.
The focus is on Orang Asli communities who stillwant to exercise autonomy and control over their social
institutions, their traditional territories and their future,
but are unable to do so fully because of factors outside
their control.
Objective
COAC aims to facilitate Orang Asli initiatives at self-development and in defense of their rights, and to support
those who want to promote such initiatives.
Publications• Indigenous Peoples and Local Government: Experiences from Malaysia and the Philippines, CPA / PACOS
TRUST / COAC / ANTHROWATCH (IWGIA 2005)• Orang Asli Women of Malaysia: Perceptions, Situations& Aspirations, Adela Baer, Karen Endicott, Rosemary
Gianno, Signe Howell, Barbara S. Nowak, Cornelia vander Sluys (2006)• Chita’ Hae: Culture, Crafts and Customs of the Hma’Meri in Kampung Sungai Bumbon, Pulau Carey, Reita
Rahim (editor) (2007)• International Indigenous Rights: Evolution, Progress &Regress, Yogeswaran Subramaniam (2007)• Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in
Malaysia, Colin Nicholas & Jannie Lasimbang (eds)(2004)• Flowed Over: The Babagon Dam and the Resettlementof the Kadazandusun in Sabah, Carol Yong Ooi Lin(2003)• Orang Asli Women and the Forest: The Impact of Resource Depletion on Gender Relations among the
Semai, Colin Nicholas, Tijah Yok Chopil, Tiah Sabak(2003)• Semelai Communities at Tasek Bera: A Study of theStructure of an Orang Asli Community, Hoe Ban Seng
(2001)• The Orang Hulu: A Report on Malaysian Orang Asli inthe 1960s, Narifumi Maeda Tachimoto (2001)• The Orang Asli and the Contest for Resources: Indigenous Politics, Development and Identity in Peninsular
Malaysia, Colin Nicholas (2000)• Health, Disease, And Survival: A Biomedical and Genetic Analysis of the Orang Asli of Malaysia, A. Baer
(1999)
Address
Center for Orang Asli Concerns
23 Jalan SS 25/29, 47301 Petaling Jaya,

126

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
P.O. Box 3052
47590 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
ph/fax (603) 734-09-88
e-mail: coac@tm.net.my; coac@streamyx.com
www.coac.org.my

Education and Research Association for Consumers (ERA Consumer)Year Established: 1985
Short Historical Background
The Education and Research Association for Consumers,
Malaysia (ERA Consumer Malaysia) is a voluntary, nonprofit and non-political civil society organization. It was
founded in the state of Perak in 1985 and subsequently
expanded into a national organization, now based in
Kuala Lumpur. ERA Consumer Malaysia is a registeredmembership organization under The Malaysian Societies
Act of 1966.
Objective
As a research, education and advocacy group, ERA Consumer Malaysia aims to strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations and grassroots communities and empower them to participate through initiatives
in socio-economic, accountable governance, sustainableagriculture and ecological endeavors.
Programs• Research – ERA Consumer is a community-based thinktank that generates knowledge, information and innovation to support consumer information, education,
protection and sustainable people-centered development process.
• Advocacy – it campaigns through policy inputs, seminars and media dissemination for consumer protection legislation, strengthening the position of womenand children and sustaining the environment.
• Empowerment – it develops projects in partnershipwith vulnerable communities such as workers, farmers, indigenous peoples, children and women. Its current empowerment agenda focuses on The Self Reliant
Community Project for rural poor farmers, consumers,
and indigenous communities on sustainable livelihoodand consumption with equitable access to basic needs
through health, consumer education programs.
• Networking - it networks with a wide range of organizations at the local, national, regional and international levels to build and enhance solidarity in the social
development arena.
• Documentation – it publishes books, reports and articles relating to Consumer Laws, Trade, Food Security,
Accountable Governance and Human Rights to be
used as reference and lobbying tools.
• Sustainable Practices – it promotes sustainable lifestyles through sustainable livelihood and consumption of rural and vulnerable communities to strengthen access to credit, adequate, safe and nutritious foodand able to manage natural resources in a sustainable
manner.
Activities
Human Rights• Human Rights Training Program for political party members, teachers, union members, women, youth, marginalized and vulnerable communities - aims to raise aware-ness, inform and educate them about their humanrights and basic legal rights.
• Monitoring the National Human Rights Commission - review of the Commission’s activities annually and publishing the finding as an alternative report to its annual
report.
• Legal literacy program - training for community leaders
to raise their awareness and educate them about thecountry’s legal framework and mechanism through its
paralegal training program.
• Human Rights Seminars - one-day seminars on various
issues of human rights particularly Human Rights andIslam and on promoting moderation.
Community Empowerment ProjectCurrently, ERA Consumer has seven community centersaround the country providing free and voluntary services for the poor and vulnerable communities.
Publications
Some publications in English• Understanding Economic, Social and Cultural Rights• Proceedings of the public consultation on violenceagainst women• Seminar on understanding Human Rights & Islam: Motivation, Ideology and Relevance in a contemporarysociety• Proceedings of forum on understanding the Human
Rights Commission Act 1999
• Proceedings of Human Rights & Islam: An Islamic on
the impacts and challenges to women in the 21st century• The Vital Role of Malaysia Parliamentarians in Strengthening Human Rights and Democracy in Malaysia• Initiative for the Establishment of an ASEAN Human
Rights Mechanism• Community Centres for Empowerment of Indian Women in Malaysia• Proceedings of Forum on Understanding the Human
Rights Commission Act 1999
• National Consultation on Food Security in Malaysia• Proceedings of National Consultation on the Malaysian
Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) - Years 1 to 6
Address
Education and Research Association for Consumers
Malaysia(ERA CONSUMER MALAYSIA)
No. 24, Jalan SS 1/22A ,47300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia
ph : (603) 7876 4648; 7877 4741
fax (603) 7873 0636
e-mail: general@eraconsumer.org
www.eraconsumer.org

127mongolia
Centre for Human Rights and Development
Year Established: 1998
Short Historical Background
CHRD was established in 1998 by a group of humanrights activists and lawyers. It is an independent nongovernmental, non-partisan and non-profit organization
registered under the Mongolian law on non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Objectives
CHRD aims to contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights and social justice in Mongolia. CHRD
envisions a society where all individuals and groups havethe capacity to claim and enjoy their human rights andfundamental freedoms contributing to the creation of ajust and humane society through active, free and meaningful participation in development.
Programs
CHRD has programs on combating human trafficking,conducting and supporting effective human rights advocacy with a focus on environmental rights using public interest strategic litigation and international humanrights advocacy, and promoting economic, social andcultural rights with a focus on the right to food and adequate housing standards through the community development approach.
Activities
CHRD contributes to the promotion and protection ofhuman rights throughout Mongolia by:
1. Conducting legislative and policy advocacy to build
an improved and enabling environment for humanrights protection
2. Conducting research on, and monitoring of, humanrights issues, and providing accurate and timely information about the human rights situation in Mongolia
3. Supporting human rights advocacy of local civil society organizations
4. Facilitating the participation of local citizens in community development
5. Increasing public awareness on human rights issues
6. Participating in regional and international humanrights movements.

128

Publications• Annual Report 2001, Mongolia• National Human Rights Record 2001, Mongolia• Proceedings of “National Workshop on Human Rights
and International Criminal Court” (2002)• Introduction to International Criminal Court (2002)• Primer on International Criminal Court (2002)• Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court(2002)• Methods of Qualitative Research (2002)• Police and Human Rights Handbook (2002)• Developing Gender Study: Needs, Interests and Re-

sources (2001)• Violence Against Women and the Legal Environment,
Mongolia (2001)• Current Situation of Trafficking and Related Issues in
Mongolia (2001)• National Human Rights Record of Mongolia (2000)• The Crime of Trafficking of Women and Children in
Mongolia: The Current Situation• AIDS/STD Privacy Issues and Human rights• Research report on human rights issues of vulnerable
groups (2002)• Research report on housing rights implementation in
Mongolia (2003)• Research report on participatory poverty assessment
in Ulaanbaatar (2005)• Human trafficking in Mongolia (2004)• Your Rights, Manual for Citizens (2005)• Combating Human Trafficking: Issues and Solutions(2005)• Human Rights and Mining, Discussion paper (2006)• Do You Know Your Rights, Manual for Citizens (2006)• Manual on Savings Groups (2007)
Address
Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD)
Liberty Square 2/1, Chingeltei district
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
ph/fax (976) 11325721
e-mail: chrd@mongolnet.mn
www.chrd.org.mn/english
Central Post Office, P.O.Box - 551
Ulaanbaatar 13, Mongolia

nepalCenter for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES)
Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
The Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Studies(CEHURDES) is a non-profit, non-partisan non-governmental organization (NGO) working for the protection
and promotion of press freedom and freedom of expression in Nepal since its establishment in 1999.
Besides publishing annual reports on the status ofFreedom of Expression and Press Freedom in the country, CEHURDES organizes training and workshops forjournalists and opinion leaders on various issues of freedom of expression, undertakes research and publishes
relevant materials to promote the cause.
As the first member of IFEX (International Freedom ofExpression Exchange, www.ifex.org) -- the Toronto-based
network of organizations working in the area of freedomof expression around the world— in Nepal, CEHURDES
has been actively monitoring the situation of press freedom and freedom of expression in the country and isengaged in lobbying and advocacy works. CEHURDES
has worked with the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ)—another IFEX member in Nepal—and otherlike-minded organizations for upholding press freedom
during the royal rule and continues to liaise and work actively to highlight new threats facing the Nepalese media community and to ensure a safe work environment
for media personnel and the free expression of activists.
Objectives
CEHURDES aims:
1. To work for the protection and promotion of humanrights under the policies and guidelines adopted by
the United Nations
2. To carry out human rights awareness activities in order
to raise the level of consciousness of people towardmaterializing the theme “all human rights for all”
3. To conduct human rights education programs at thegrassroots level in both formal and informal education
sectors
4. To ensure press freedom and freedom of expression,
including the rights of media workers and journalists
as guaranteed by the country’s Constitution and international human rights instruments
5. To conduct research, study, interaction programs, etc.
in the areas of human rights, press freedom and freedom of expression, democracy and peace in Nepal in
the context of regional experience
6. To advocate for the protection of the rights of women,children, disabled people, disadvantaged communities, refugees and victims of torture
7. To coordinate and monitor the implementation of theinternational human rights instruments adopted by
the United Nations and ratified by Nepal.
Programs
1. Enhancing people’s participation in the constitution-

making process to guarantee fundamental humanrights and freedom of expression in particular
2. Mobilizing the media for the education of the people
on press freedom and freedom of expression
3. Training program for journalists on human rights reporting and mainstreaming the issues of marginalized
communities
4. Interaction program with civil society activists.
Activities• Regular monitoring of the status of press freedom andfreedom of expression, issuing statements on acuteconcerns towards protection and safeguarding fundamental human rights• Campaigns at local and international levels• Provision of legal support to victim-journalists and activists• Production of radio programs and airing those in a
number of FM radio stations• Publication and distribution of education materials
like posters in various local dialects and others to educate and sensitize people of different communities on
various rights issues• Training journalists and interacting with civil society.
Special Concerns
The protection and promotion of human rights, support
for the institutionalization of democratic exercise, enhancement of press freedom and freedom of expression
Publications• Annual Reports “Status of Press Freedom and Freedomof Expression in Nepal”• Training Manual for journalists on Human Rights Reporting• Practical Handbook for Journalists• Right to Information• “Free Expression” Periodical (Nepali and English)
Address
Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies(CEHURDES)
GPO Box 23809, New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal
ph/fax (977-1) 4780809, 977 9841 242391
e-mail: cehurdes@mos.com.np
www.cehurdes.org.np
www.ifex.org/members/cehurdes

129Center for Legal Research and Resource Development (CeLRRd)
Year Established: 1998
Short Historical Background
The Center for Legal Research and Resource Development (CeLRRd) is a non-governmental organization,founded in its present form in 1998. Its fundamental goal
is to accelerate the process of systemic change in society
by fostering widespread understanding of the Rule of
Law and unrestricted access to free and fair Justice.
Objectives
CeLRRd aims
1. To promote access to justice for all irrespective of thesocial, ethnic, religious, and gender-based cleavages
2. To safeguard the rights and interests of disadvantaged
segments of Nepalese society
3. To conduct research activities on socio-legal issues thathave a direct impact on the lives of Nepalese people
4. To foster legal professionalism with an emphasis on“alternative lawyering”
5. To conduct extensive paralegal and general legal
awareness programs for the benefit of the grassrootscommunity
6. To provide extended and institutionalized legal aid
services to the victims of injustice and human rights
violations
7. To lobby for essential and appropriate legislation, providing professional assistance in the drafting process
8. To foster a culture of peace and reconciliation in communities
9. To lobby for the reform of existing legislation with thenorms of human rights and fair trial.
Programs and Activities• Support to Justice Sector Initiatives (Human Rights
Orientation for the staffs of Judicial and Quasi-judicial
bodies on the basis of the Human Rights Manual developed by CeLRRd)• Free Legal Aid to Prisoners• Strengthening the Fair Trial Situation• Combating trafficking of women and children throughCommunity Surveillance System Against Trafficking(CSSAT)• Community Mediation Program in six districts• Community Peace Building Program• Developing Rights-based approach for Anti-trafficking
actions in South Asia
• Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System• Coalition for Constituent Assembly Support (CoCAS)• Victims Legal Aid• Development and conduct of Orientation on Criminal
Procedural Guidelines to Judges, Government Attorney, Police and Bar-members
Special Concerns
Promotion of Rule of Law, Good Governance, and Human
Rights in the nation, in particular in the Judiciary.

130

Publications• Human Rights Manual (2004)• Gender Equality Report (2006)• Crime (of trafficking of women and children for sexual
exploitation) Investigation Manual (2002)• Manual on Prosecution and Legal procedures/Action(2002)• Nepalese Laws Incompatible with Fair Trial Standard(2005)• Prisoners Legal Aid Manual (2006)• Criminal Procedure Guidelines• Report on Nepalese Trail Court Research (2002)• District Court Manual (2003)• Analysis and Reform of Nepalese Criminal Justice
System• Community Mediation Manual & Work Book (2005)• A Compilation of Discourse Materials for Conflict Transformation and Peace Building• Manual on Fair Trial Standards (2005)• Baseline Survey on Criminal Justice System of Nepal• Analysis of Laws and Policies on Labour Migration &Trafficking (2002)• Study on Counter Corruption Legal Framework (2000)• National Conference on Community Mediation (2005)• Report of Support to Justice Initiative Programs(2005)• Social Responsive Human Rights Legal Education• Impact of Corruption in Criminal Justice System on
Women (Condemned to Exploitation) (2000)
It also produces a bi-monthly e-bulletin along with the
Kathmandu School of Law.
Address
Center for Legal Research and Resource Development(CeLRRd)
P.O.Box No. 6618, Tinkune, Kathmandu, Nepal
ph 977-1-2042268, 4112293 , 6634455, 6634663
fax : 977-1-4112293
e-mail : celrrd@wlink.com.np
www.ksl.edu.np

Child Rights Research and Resource Center at KSL
Year Established: 2007
Short Historical Background
In December 2007, the Kathmandu School of Law (KSL)
established the Child Rights Research and Resource Center (KSL Child Rights Center) in order to strengthen research and the sharing of information on the issues ofchild rights at the national as well as regional levels. The
primary objective of the Center is to build a competentrights regime in Nepal (and in the South Asian region) by
establishing a capable institution that generates humanand intellectual resources pertaining to child rights, development and psychology.
The Center is the outcome of the commitment of different like-minded institutions to work as a joint venture
to protect and promote child rights and access to justice. Save the Children Norway, Save the Children Sweden, UNICEF, Tdh Nepal, Center for Legal Research andResource Development (CeLRRd) deserve credit in initiating this important mission. Their moral, financial andlogistic support boosts KSL’s strength in initiating thischallenging yet benign mission.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To conduct continuous research and impact analysis/study of programs being implemented by various
agencies in relation to child rights, development andpsychology
2. To review the child rights enforcement situation in Nepal and other countries
3. To serve as an information clearing house by disseminating periodical and annual information on childrights issues
4. To initiate activities to promote and protect child’s
rights and access to justice
5. To coordinate with agencies engaged in the protection and promotion of child rights, child development
and various types of welfare services
6. To conduct interactive seminars, symposiums andconferences, and academic diploma courses on childrights, development and psychology.
Programs and Activities
1. Documentation and information section – the Centerhas a documentation and information section at KSL.
Reading resources and publications are being collected and documented (including Supreme Court decisions related to child rights).
2. Youth Sensitization Program - the Center is organizing
a youth sensitization program on the different issuesof child rights such as an interaction program among
youths, documentary presentation on the issues ofchild rights, to name a few of the major issues.
		 The Center shows documentaries on the child rights
issue (and also child psychology and child development issues) every Monday at 2:00 pm at the documentation and information section to the students

and faculty of the school and researchers of relatedareas. In February 2008, Children’s Voices Against Violence Against Girls and Boys and Anuttarit Prasna (Unanswered Question) were shown. The first documentary focused on discrimination between girls and boysin school, family and in the law itself. The documentaryshows the psychological and physical effects on thechildren of such discrimination and violence. The second documentary deals with the situation and statusof juvenile delinquency in Nepal.
		 The Center has an interaction program on childrights issues for the secondary and senior secondary
school students once a week.
3. Law school course on child rights - the Center has started reviewing the curriculum of law schools and otherorganizations on child rights. Students of LL.B. havebeen working as interns in the Center.
4. The Center established the “CRC-information board”
which displays national and international news onchild rights every month.
Future Work Plan:
The KSL Child Rights Center plans to undertake the following:• Establishment of Institutional Framework of Child
Rights Research and Resource Center• Launching Research and Academic Activities• Holding Seminars, Interactions and Research at national and regional levels• Establishment of Legal Aid Support to Children• Launching Short Term Diploma and Post Graduate Degree Course on Child Rights• Launching Advocacy and Awareness Programs.
Address
Child Rights Research and Resource Center at KSL
Kathmandu School of Law (KSL)
Dadhikot-9, Bhaktapur, Nepal
PO Box: 6618
ph (977-1) 6634455/6634663
Fax (977-1) 6634801
e-mail: childrights@ksl.edu.np
www.ksl.edu.np

131

Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC)Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
INSEC has been ardently involved in the protection andpromotion of human rights for more than one and a half
decades. Founded by inexorable human rights defender,
the late Prakash Kaphley, and prominent human rights
activist, Sushil Pyakurel, INSEC significantly contributed
in institutionalizing the democratic polity in the nation
using the rights-based approach, both at the policy andgrassroots levels, especially after the restoration of democracy in 1990/1991 period.
Objectives
INSEC aims
1. To make the people, government, law enforcing and other concerned agencies become aware of the issues andincidences of human right violations and act accordingly
2. To make the government promulgate and refine its
policies and laws to protect and promote the humanrights of its people as per international treaties andconventions
3. To make the people, their representatives, the law enforcing agencies and other key stakeholders educatedand trained in human rights and take action to protect
and promote human rights in the country
4. To create a vibrant network for peace building in place
for advocacy and conflict mitigation
5. To make national laws and relative rules and regulations reinforced against social discriminations
6. To protect people and communities against humanrights violations and give support for rescue and relief
7. To enhance the institutional competence of community-based organizations (CBOs) and other like-minded organizations to work together on human rights,
peace building and policy advocacy
8. To be recognized as an effective organization in human rights for its effective and transparent management practices.
Programs• Human Rights Education – primarily aims to make thelocal people become aware of the need for humanrights education, strengthen and mobilize districtbased human rights non-governmental organizations(NGOs), community-based organizations/civil society
organizations (CBOs/CSOs), and to sensitize concerned
government authorities like bureaucrats, policymakers and mmebers of political parties on human rights
issues specially focused at the district level.
• Human Rights Advocacy – aims to pressure the government to fulfill its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian laws and address major
human rights issues through human-rights-based
policy formulation, and to ensure that the humanrights of disadvantaged people are protected and theprevailing discrimination based on caste, gender andethnicity effectively addressed.

132• Policy Advocacy - aims to pressure the government to
ratify major international human rights and humanitarian treaties as well as make sure that there are mechanisms at the national and international levels that areeasily accessible to people seeking justice. The campaign also puts pressure upon the government for theimmediate implementation of declarations issued by
the legislature and the recommendations made by theinternational community including the United Nations.
• Victim Assistance - aims to assist victims of humanrights violations who need immediate support.
• Institutional Development of INSEC Partner Organizations - aims to help the partners become competent inmeaningfully contributing to the human rights movement in the country and to be able to work towards
this end independently.
Activities
INSEC undertakes the following activities:• Literacy/awareness class, human rights education
through radio, training, Human Rights Day celebration• Collection/documentation/dissemination of information on human rights violation cases, fact-finding missions, assessment and monitoring of the status of implementation of international treaties and conventions• Lobbying and advocacy on human rights issues at local, national and international levels, campaigns onhuman rights issues, urgent action, press statement
against human rights violation, and public hearings• Trauma counselling for human rights victims, emergency rescue and relief to human rights victims, litigation for human rights protection• INSEConline - a web-based news portal that provides
quality information, and ultimately contributes to thebroader human rights movement of the country.
Publications
Periodicals• Prachi (Nepali, bi-monthly)• Informal (English,quarterly)• Insec Abhiyan (Nepali, monthly)• Nepal Human Rights Yearbook (English/Nepali, annual)• Sthiti Suchak (online) (Nepali, quarterly)
Some other publications• A Decade of Human Rights Movement in Nepal• Bal Adhikar Sambandhi Sachitra Pustak (pictorial bookon the rights of the child)• Bonded Labour in Nepal: Under Kamaiya System
Address
Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC)
Syuchatar, Kalanki, Kathmandu, Nepal
P.O. Box 2726, Kathmandu, Nepalph (977 1) 4278770
fax (977 1) 4270551
e-mail: insec@insec.org.np
www.inseconline.org

South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR)
Year Established: 1990
Short Historical BackgroundEstablished in 1990, SAFHR is a regional public forum forthe promotion of respect for universal values of humanrights, the interdependence of rights, and the indivisibility of rights.
In the strife torn region of South Asia, SAFHR is committed to the promotion of the interlinkages between
human rights, peace and substantive democracy. SAFHR
is a human rights organization with ‘peace as value’ as its
cornerstone. Peace is understood as a space for the enjoyment of the rights of all peoples. It is not simply theabsence of war or the management of crisis but a fundamental value to be integrated in all programs for realizing
peoples’ security - that is, security of food, shelter, healthand livelihood in a non-hegemonic democratic regional
order. It is this perspective which animates SAFHR’s flagship program - Human Rights and Peace Studies Orientation Course.
Objectives
SAFHR aims
1. To promote respect for universal standards of humanrights with emphasis on universality and interdependence of rights
2. To provide a public regional forum for the exchange ofideas and concerns on human rights, peace and substantive democracy
3. To expose human rights abuses in the region
4. To build a communication network of regional humanrights and peace activists and NGOs and develop apublications program on peace and human rights issues
5. To undertake programs and campaigns to generateawareness for the rights of minorities, displaced persons and refugees and work for the reduction of statelessness
6. Through such mechanisms as people-to-people dialogue, to strive to create inter-state and regional-level
peoples’ forums for intervention in situations of intraand inter-state conflicts, lobby with governments andthe South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) for the creation of regional conventions andmechanisms to improve the quality and standards ofhuman rights all over the region of South Asia
7. To develop an experimental model of peace education for the region founded on the bedrock of ‘peace
as value’ and the interlinkages between human rights,
peace and democracy through its Peace Studies andHuman Rights Courses
8. To focus on strengthening the peace-building capacities of two particular constituencies - women and the
media.
Programs and Activities
South Asian Orientation Course in Human Rights and Peace
Studies – this annual, three-month course combines dis-

tance education and a direct orientation course.
Peace Audit Exercise - deals with what is conventionallyknown as “internal conflicts” involving the State and therebels, though external factors are also discussed in adequate measure wherever they are relevant. In a way,these conflicts can be again designated conventionallyas “ethnic conflicts.”
Women, Conflict & Peace - seeks to make women’s gendera differentiated experience of conflict visible and to demonstrate that women’s experience is a valuable resource
in managing community survival, conflict mitigation andbuilding peace.
Refugees & Internally Displaced People - campaigns, publications, workshops and training programs.
Media and Conflict - seeks to develop a critical dialogue
from within the media about the media as a political actor in shaping and regulating social and political conflicts
and affirms its responsibility to expose abuse of authority and violations of human rights and democracy.
Minority Rights - a special area of focus, including a series
of workshops and training programs for activists belonging to different religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities
and indigenous peoples of South Asian countries.
Publications
Some of the SAFHR publications are the following:• No Nonsense Guide to Minority Rights. Edited by Rita
Manchanda. New Delhi: Impulsive Creations (2006)• Critical Readings in Human Rights and Peace - Ram
Narayan Kumar and Sonia Muller Rappard. New Delhi- Shipra Publications (2006)• A Pilot Survey on Internally Displaced Persons in Kathmandu and Birendranagar - Deep Ranjani Rai (2005)• Women in the Naga Peace Process; A Case Study, incollaboration with Women Waging Peace - Hunt Alternatives Policy Commission• We Do More Because We Can: Naga Women in thePeace Process, Rita Manchanda (2004)• Media Crossing Border, Rita Manchanda (ed.) (2004)
Address
South Asia Forum for Human Rights
Regional Secretariat
3/23 Shree darbar Tole
Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur, Nepalph (977-1) 5541026/5526680
fax: (977-1) 5527852
e-mail: south@safhr.org, som@safhr.org, tbose@safhr.org
www.safhr.org

133new zealand
Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa/New ZealandYear Established: 2001
Short Historical Background
In August 1999, a small group met for the first time at
Vaughan Park in Auckland, to discuss the formation of
an independent institution to progress human rights
issues in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The meeting crystallized on-going discussions over a number of years. Twomore meetings were later held in Auckland and one in
Wellington which identified a high level of interest andenthusiasm from academics and practitioners across awide range of disciplines concerned with human rights
and social justice. The Foundation was formally established in December 2001.
The Human Rights Foundation is an independent
Foundation for research-based promotion and advocacy of human rights from an Aotearoa/New Zealand- South Pacific perspective. It is a hub for independent
human rights practitioners to exchange ideas, process
research and train contacts to provide a needed focus forsupporting less popular initiatives (such as advocacy forrefugees) and for broader education and debate on human rights issues.
Objectives
The Foundation aims
1. To initiate and conduct research in the field of humanrights
2. To publish the results of such research
3. To provide educational opportunities in the field of
human rights
4. To advocate for policies which conform to humanrights principles
5. To establish and maintain close links with other groups
working to promote respect for and observance of human rights
6. To incorporate a Treaty perspective in all the objectives and work of the Foundation.
Programs and Activities
1. Research• Survey the current state of human rights research in
New Zealand• Identify gaps in the knowledge revealed by that survey• Raise awareness of the need for research• Tender to carry out research work for the public andprivate sectors• Assemble a list of associates capable of undertaking
research work
• Arrange for senior students to undertake research
2. Publication• Publish occasional papers on-line and possibly injournal form
• Arrange public lectures, seminars and workshops

134• Arrange publication of feature articles in the media• Establish web pages
3. Education and training• Establish a comprehensive website• Tender for human rights modules in secondary andtertiary institutions• Undertake human rights training and other development activities in the human rights field• Provide training courses for human rights advocates• Provide knowledgeable speakers• Involve young people in the Foundation’s work
• Initiate public discussion• Involve community television• Initiate videos and documentaries with human interest appeal
4. Advocacy• Organize briefings for Members of Parliament, local
government representatives, business leaders andother special interest groups• Initiate and contribute to legislative and policy development• Conduct human rights campaigns
5. Linkages• Conduct joint forums• Tender jointly for research projects where appropriate• Establish user-friendly website linkages• Establish and maintain links with national and international bodies (both governmental and non-governmental) and with similar institutions in otherjurisdictions
Publications• Immigration Bill 2007
• Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill - May 2007
• Social Security Amendment Bill - March 2007
• Submission on the Composition of the Annual Refugee Quota (1/06/07 - 30/06/08) - Nov 2006
• Corrections (Mothers with babies) amendment bill September 2006
• Human Rights (Women in Armed Forces) Amendment
Bill - October 2006
• Maori Purposes Bill - September 2006
• Submission on the Government’s housing strategy paper Building the Future• Freedom’s Ramparts on the Sea• Newsletters
Address
Human Rights Foundation Aotearoa/New Zealand
PO Box 106343 Auckland City
www.humanrights.co.nz

pakistan
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Year Established: 1986
Short Historical Background
Since 1986, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan(HRCP) has developed to become a broad-spectrum,
countrywide human rights body. Nationally, the HRCP
has established a leading role in providing a highly informed and independent voice in the struggle for human rights and democratic development in Pakistan - arole increasingly recognized internationally. It is an independent, voluntary, non-political, non-profit making,non-governmental organization, registered under theSocieties Registration Act (XXI of 1860).
Objectives
HRCP aims
1. To work for the ratification and/or implementation by
Pakistan of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and other related human rights charters, covenants,
protocols, resolutions, recommendations and internationally adopted norms
2. To promote studies in the field of human rights andmobilize public opinion in favor of accepted norms
through all available media and forums, and to carryout every category of activity to further the cause
3. To cooperate with and aid national and internationalgroups, organizations and individuals engaged in the
promotion of human rights and to participate in meetings and congresses on human rights at home andabroad
4. To take appropriate action to prevent violations ofhuman rights and to provide legal aid and other assistance to victims of those violations and to individuals
and groups striving to protect human rights
5. To take note of and investigate by appropriate means,allegations of human rights violations, hold inquiries,
recommend appropriate authority actions for redress,
and to publish reports and recommendations.
Programs and Activities• Fact-finding - an independent, objective inquiry into
an event or development of concern and to build appropriate pressure for action• Seminars on human right issues or human rights aspect of issues to create awareness or/and to influenceand mobilize public opinion• Workshops for motivators, activists and others to develop insight/skill/know-how in respect to chosen activity• Surveys and studies in areas of concern where new formulations or findings are needed• Publications to disseminate new information, to focus
public attention or advance a point of view on issuesof current concern, or as tools to coordinate activity• Public demonstrations as a way to both mobilize people and seek to influence decision-makers• Lobbying public representatives in the direction of the

public action being canvassed• Legal assistance in individual cases of particular need,and court intervention on issues of general concern to
HRCP• Networking with like-minded organizations within the
country and abroad (mostly with human rights bodies
and in relation to human rights concerns) to exchange
views and information and develop a solidarity of concern and action.
Special Concerns
Democracy, constitution, judiciary, legal profession,rights of women, children, and labor, minorities, ethnic
groups, tribal people
Publications
Some of the publications of HRCP:
State of Human Rights (annual, since 1990)
Women• Profiles of Vulnerability Female Under-trial Prisoners in
Punjab (1999)• Blood, tears and lives to live - Women in the cross fire)• Women in the Labour Force (1990)
Children• Rights of Pakistan Children (The task ahead) (2004)• Law on Bail for Juveniles: The need for reform (2000)
Education• Education Budget in Pakistan (2005)• The Primary Education and Funding in Pakistan (2004)• Status of Primary Education after Devolution (2004)
Prison• Law on Bail for Juveniles: The need for reform (Pakistan) (2003)• Resource Handbook for Pakistan Prison-Based Training(2001)
Other reports• State of Human Rights in Azad Jammu & Kashmir(2004)• Human Rights in Balochistan & Balochistan’s Rights(2004)• Sectarian Violence in Karachi 1994-2002 (2003)• Abolition of bonded labour in Pakistan (2003)
Address
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
107 Tipu Block, New Garden Town, Lahore, Pakistan
ph (92-42) 583-8131, 586-4994
fax (92-42) 588-3582
e-mail: iar@hrcp.cjb.net; hrcp@hrcp-web.org
www.hrcp-web.org

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Pakistan Institute of Human Rights (PIHR)
Year Established: 1998
Short Historical Background
The Pakistan Institute of Human Rights (PIHR) was
founded on 10 December 1998, the 50th anniversary of
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by human rights
advocates. It is primarily a research-based academic
institution which serves as a think tank for the promotion of the universal human rights concept including allparallel human rights concepts present anywhere in theworld. PIHR is a non-profit and non-political institute andis duly registered under the law of Pakistan. PIHR is committed to promoting human rights values in Pakistan,and to strengthening democratic values, justice, equality, peace, security and tolerance in Pakistani society.
Objectives
PIHR aims
1. To introduce human rights as a discipline in the universities and colleges and other academic institutions
including religious madrassas with the comparative
study of local values system
2. To develop a comprehensive database/library of articles, newspapers, reports, books and other accounts
written or published electronically or otherwise on
the topic of human rights and other related topics likepolitics, and policies and governance, and make themeasily accessible to the members of PIHR and other researchers
3. To develop an interactive web site of “PIHR”/web portal, to publicize its philosophy and goals, to provide an
online space for dialogue and sharing of views among
like-minded scholars
4. To establish an e-journal, bi-lingually if possible, to provide a place for the exchange of ideas and to put forward the case of human rights in its true sense alongwith comparative studies of all the parallel value systems
5. To develop a comprehensive annotated bibliographythat lists articles, journals, books on human rights andrelated topics published in any language especially in
Urdu, Arabic, Persian and English with special emphasis on the topic of comparative human rights
6. To monitor the media, including newspapers, for relevant developments on human rights concept in theWest
7. To develop relation/liaison and coordination with the
like-minded scholars/jurists all over the country to encourage them and their work
8. To objectively analyze politically-motivated humanrights reports to ascertain the exact and true humanrights situation of the country or territory
9. To convene conferences, symposiums, seminars at national and international levels to highlight PIHR’s pointof view
12. To create liaison with the Bar Associations of thecountry
13. To collaborate with all the national and international

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organizations involved in the promotion of humanrights directly or indirectly.
Programs
1. Human Rights Education Program - this program aims
to promote education in remote areas of Pakistan withthe primary focus on the religious seminaries (Madrassas) and also to introduce human rights as a subject
in academic institutions, including primary, secondaryand higher education institutions.
2. Human Rights Research and Development Program this program aims to promote human rights researchamong the research fellows in Pakistan and coordinate
on-going research projects. Apart from the promotionof academic research PIHR convenes and facilitates
conferences, symposiums, seminars and workshops,
etc. in the field of human rights. Under this program
PIHR is running a project called “Transparency Pakistan” which compiles documents and information relating to Pakistan in the areas of politics, policies, governance, law, history and international relations, etc.
in order to provide the best research tool for humanrights activists, politicians, policy makers and academicians alike.
3. ESC Rights Promotion Program - this program aims topromote all kinds of economic, social and cultural (ESC)
rights with preference over civil and political rights.
4. Civil and Political Rights Promotion – this program promotes civil and political rights using the comparative
perspectives of developing and developed nations.
Activities
PHIR biannually conducts courses on human rights education for professionals and university students at its
main office or at the university auditorium.
Address
Pakistan Institute of Human Rights (PIHR)
H-No. 1/A, St. 38 (Main Double Road)
F-8/1, Islamabad, Pakistan
ph (92-51) 2855565
fax (92-51) 9263368
e-mail: director@pihr.org.pk, programcoordinator@pihr.
org.pkwww.pihr.org.pk

Shirkat Gah - Women’s Resource CenterYear Established: 1975
Short Historical BackgroundShirkat Gah - Women’s Resource Center was formed in
1975, as a Collective to integrate consciousness-raisingwith a development perspective, and to initiate projects
translating advocacy into action.
Shirkat Gah, meaning ‘place of participation,’ has forover the last thirty years empowered women by increasing their access to information, resources, skills and decisionmaking. In this process Shirkat Gah has brought positive change to policies, laws, and practices. Shirkat Gah
has a consultative status at the ECOSOC of the United
Nations.
Objectives
Shirkat Gah aims
1. To hold the state accountable and to develop a cultureof peace that ensures the sustainable and equitable
use of resources and the full inclusion of the rights ofall people
2. To advocate and mobilize for positive changes in policies and practices from the community to the national
and international levels
3. To build capacity, provide support and solidarity thatenable women and their communities to make informed decisions and create new choices.
Programs
Women Law and Status (WLS) - addresses the obstacles towomen’s rights in Pakistan and internationally. Domestically, WLS addresses women’s strategic needs by engaging with decision-makers at the provincial and national
levels to bring about better laws and policies and to
improve the implementation of existing rights and programs. It addresses women’s practical needs by: informing women (and men) about existing rights, building
local capacity and resource institutions to access rights,
linking individuals and groups with support institutions
and with each other, and providing legal assistance andsolidarity interventions in a limited number of cases.
Women and Sustainable Development (WSD) - initiated in
1992, the program was the logical extension of Shirkat
Gah’s close involvement in the National Conservation
Strategy (NCS) development process. Over the years the
program has developed with strong advocacy, networking and publication components and Shirkat Gah is perceived as a resource center on women and environment
issues.

governmental organizations (NGOs) and community
groups, especially women in rural and peri-urban areas.
Publications• Talibanisation & Poor Governance: Undermining
CEDAW in Pakistan - Second Shadow Report• Rising from the rubble: Special bulletin on the 2005
earthquake in Pakistan• Great Ancestors: Women Asserting Rights in Muslim
Context - Information & Training Kit• Why The Hudood Ordinances must be Repealed• Reading the Constitution: In search of Rights• Women, Law and Society: An Action Manual for
NGO’s• Women’s Rights in Muslim Family Law in Pakistan: 45
Years of Recommendations vs. the FSC Judgment January 2000
• Shaping Women’s Lives: Laws, Practices & Strategies inPakistan• From a Grain to a Pearl: True Stories from the Field• Information Kit: Women in the Quran• Masavi Haqooq Ki Jadujehad: Khawateen Tehreekon
Ka Kirdar• Time to Speak Out: Illegal Abortion and Women’s
Health in Pakistan• Women Laws Initiatives in the Muslim World• The Woman not the Womb: Population Control vs.
Women’s Reproductive Rights
Other Information
Shirkat Gah has specialized documentation centers at
Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. The Lahore Centre represents one of the most comprehensive collections ofpublished and unpublished reading materials related to
women issues. Through its precious collection the centre
aims to provide a comprehensive perspective regarding
women struggles for empowerment and development
programs and plans. It caters the information needs of
its internal and external users.
Address
Shirkat Gah - Women’s Resource Centre
Flat # A-2, 2nd Floor
Parin Lodge Apartment
Bath Island Road,
Karachi, Pakistan
ph (92-21) 5831140; 5830563
e-mail: shirkat@cyber.net.pk, sgrh@cyber.net.pk
www.shirkatgah.org

Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights (RH/RR)- aims to empower women to decide and act for themselves, make choices, and create options in Reproductive
Health at all levels (household, community and national)by strengthening Shirkat Gah’s capacity for providing
relevant information, building capacity and expanding
support to community-based organizations (CBOs), non-137

Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre
Year Established: 1985
Short Historical Background
Simorgh is a non-government, non-profit, secular, feminist/activist organization. Its main focus is action research and the production and dissemination of information that will enable women and men to challenge thedominance of ideas that support social and economic
divisions on the basis of gender, class, religion, race andnationality.
Simorgh was formed in February 1985 in response to
the then military government’s use of religion as a power
strategy and the subsequent rise of religious extremism,
the imposition of retrogressive and discriminatory legislation leading specifically to the erasure of the rights ofwomen and religious minorities and more generally ofthe democratic right to the freedoms of thought, speechand expression at multiple levels.
Objectives
Believing that a more humane and equitable society that
ensures women and marginalized groups a meaningfulaccess to resources and decision making will not only
help to improve their status and position in society but
is also fundamental to the growth and development of
democratic norms and institutions.
Programs
Simorgh places special emphasis on activities and programs that will both enable women and marginalizedgroups to challenge and reshape ideas and also facilitate
their entry into the cultural and political mainstream.
Keeping this in mind, Simorgh’s work ambit includes,
but is not limited to: (i) women’s rights as human rights,(ii) violence against women, children and marginalizedgroups, (iii) education and knowledge systems, (iv) representation of women in the media, law, religion andliterature etc., (v) globalization, religious extremism andwomen’s oppression, (vi) family ideologies, (vii) women’s
oral histories, (viii) women’s literature and women in literature, (ix) women and law.
Activities
In addition to doing a variety of publishing, Simorgh conducts seminars, conferences, income generation projects
and gender awareness workshops. They have also madesome important documentary films based on women’s
lives and struggles in Pakistan.
Simorgh’s work in the past and its program for 20072012 includes:• Violence Against Women• Representation of Women in the Media• Fundamentalism and Women’s Oppression• Women’s History and Women in History• Women’s Literature• Community mobilization: awareness raising activities
with women’s groups, students etc. through discussions, lectures, skill development activities

138• Advocacy on women’s rights with senior judges• Human rights education and alternative history texts
for young readers.
Publications• Colonial Roots and Post-Colonial Realities, Samina
Choonara and Neelam Hussain (eds) (2007)• The Politics of Language, Samina Choonara, Samiya
Mumtaz and Neelam Hussain (eds). (2005)• Hadood Shikni ke Khwab - the Urdu translation of Fatima Mernissi’s well known book, “Dreams of Tresspass”
translated by Yasmin Hosain (2001)• Inner Courtyard, Khadija Mastur, translated from Urdu
by Neelam Hussain (2000)• Violence Against Women and Their Quest for Justice,
Shahla Zia (1999)• Engendering the Nation State, vols. 1 and 2, Rubina
Saigol, Neelam Hussain and Samiya Mumtaz (editors)(1997 and 2008, revised English edition)
Education• Planting the Seeds of Change - the Human Rights
School Texts (1995)
		 “Kaleidoscope” Primers 1-5 introduce the idea offundamental rights, tolerance and cultural diversity
to readers through stories, writing exercises and activities.
		 The Kaleidoscope Primers were awarded the 2005
HURIGHTS OSAKA Award for human rights educational material for children. These primers are in use in overtwenty-five schools in the major cities of Pakistan.
		 “Phuljhari” Urdu primers 1 and 2 are in print and beginning to find a market. Primers 3-5.
		 Primers 6-10 are planned but project completionhas been deferred due to lack of financial support.
Law• Bayan - a bi-annual socio-legal regional journal
Address
Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre
2/7 Fountain Corner, Canal Park, Gulberg II
Lahore Pakistan
PO Box 3328, Gulberg II, Lahore 54660 Pakistan
ph/fax (9242) 5757195
e-mail: simorgh@brain.net.pk, simorgh@simorghpk.org
website: www.simorghpk.org

palestine
ADDAMEER - Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association

Year Established: 1992
Short Historical Background
ADDAMEER (Arabic for conscience) Prisoners Supportand Human Rights Association is a Palestinian non-governmental, civil institution, which focuses on humanrights issues. Established in 1992 by a group of activists
interested in human rights, the center’s activities focus
on offering support for Palestinian prisoners, advocating
the rights of political prisoners, and working to end torture through monitoring, legal procedures and solidarity
campaigns.
Objectives
Addameer aims
1. To oppose torture as well as other instances of brutality, inhumanity, and degrading inflicted upon Palestinian prisoners
2. To abolish the death penalty
3. To oppose arbitrary arrest and guarantee fair and justtrials
4. To support and endorse prisoners of consciencethrough supporting the efforts of political prisoners
and providing them with psychological, legal and media support
5. To support families of Palestinian detainees and thecommunity at large in addressing issues of humanrights violations
6. To contribute in lobbying towards the issuing of laws
which guarantee human rights principles and basic
freedom, as well as ensuring their implementation on
the ground7. To participate in raising awareness locally and internationally regarding the issues of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in order to promote greatercommunity participation in securing human rights.
Programs and Activities
Legal Aid Program - since its founding, the backbone ofthe organization’s work has been legal aid for Palestinian detainees. The Legal Aid Program of Addameer has
provided legal advice and representation to hundredsof Palestinian detainees by providing free legal services to prisoners, legal consultations for them and theirfamilies, and working on cases on the issue of tortureand fair trials.
Regular Prison Visits and Social Counseling - Addameer
conducts regular visits to Palestinian and Arab prisoners
in order to ensure that basic living conditions and situations are adequate. It also offers legal counseling to detainees and their families in order to ensure that they understand their rights and are able to address violations.

Documentation of Palestinian Detainee Rights - Addameer
documents statistics concerning the numbers of detainees, the date and place of arrest, and any violations suffered by detainees.
Media Coverage and Outreach - Addameer regularly issues press releases and action alerts detailing the status
of detainee rights and makes the wealth of information in its website on the issue of detainees’ rights andthe conditions in which they live accessible to the local
and international communities. In particular, at the beginning of October 2000, Addameer launched a threemonth project called the September 2000 Clashes Information Center that was considered the primary sourceof information regarding the situation in the West Bankand Gaza Strip.
Advocacy - through campaigning and advocacy work,
Addameer works towards building local, Arab and international solidarity campaigns to oppose torture and arbitrary detention and to support and defend Palestinian
prisoners.
Publications• Status of Palestinian Political Prisoners In Israeli Prisons, Detention and Interrogation Centers• Torture of Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israeli Prisons• ADDAMEER Primer 2003 - Background Information on
Political Detention• ADDAMEER Fact Sheet: Palestinians detained by Israel• Family Visits to Prisons• Summary of Israeli Public Defenders Office Report
Address
ADDAMEER - Prisoners Support and Human Rights
Association
Al-Isra` Bldg., 7th floor, Al-Irsal St.
Jerusalem, Palestinian Territory – Occupied
ph (972-2) 2960446
fax (972-2) 2960447
e-mail: addameer@p-ol.com
www.addameer.org
P.O. Box 713, Jerusalem 91006,
Occupied Palestinian Territories

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Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Year Established:
Short Historical Background
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights is a Palestinian nongovernmental, non-partisan organization based in the
refugee camp of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip. Al Mezan’s
mandate is “to promote, protect and prevent violationsof human rights in general and economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights in particular, to provide effective aid tovictims of such violations, and to enhance the quality oflife of the community in marginalized sectors of the Gaza
Strip.”
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To provide a secure and long-lasting foundation for
the enjoyment of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)2. To encourage the realization and development of economic, social, and cultural rights through monitoringand documentating violations of basic rights
3. To provide legal aid and advocacy and build capacity
and raise awareness of the local community on suchfundamental issues such as basic human rights, democracy, and international humanitarianism.
Programs and Activities
Monitoring and documentation of human rights violations- monitors and documents the human rights situationand gathers necessary information about human rights
violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)
perpetrated by the Israeli occupation on one side andby the responsible Palestinian entities on the other. The
work focuses particularly on economic, social and cultural rights.
Awareness and capacity building - includes various activities such as:• Training courses for a variety of groups• “Face the Public” program - consists of meetings involving representatives of Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), local government,
United Nations bodies or non-governmental organizations• “Pass the Word” program - human rights consciousness-raising among university students in the GazaStrip
• Workshops and lectures• Annual Conference on the PNA Budget to pave theway and create a process for a more transparent andaccessible budgetary process.
Legal Aid and Representation - includes the representationof prisoners of Israeli and Palestinian authorities, victimsof land confiscation, home demolition, people prevented
from traveling, labor and other cases and complaints inrelation to violations of economic and social rights.

140

Legal Review - reviews draft or enacted laws in the OPT incoordination with the different actors of the civil society
to meet international human rights standards.
Research and Analysis - produces analytical research reports on the situation relating to economic, social andcultural rights in the Gaza Strip and of the PNA’s annual
budget to make recommendations to the appropriate
decision-making bodies at the local level.
Reporting and Publications - includes joint statements;
monitoring reports; special incident reports; press releases; legal publications within the “Legal Guide Series”(a series of simplified studies of national laws aiming at
providing ordinary people with simple, palatable and direct information on the rights included in these laws).
Resource Library - Al Mezan has developed a human rights
library in the refugee camp of Jabalia that will be used as
an information center for Al Mezan staff, researchers, students, and the public.
Publications• Field Report: Violations Against Civil Society Organizations and Trade and Popular Unions Between 11 and
20 June 2007 in the Gaza Strip and West Bank- jointly
submitted by Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights and
Al-Haq• Joint statement: Letter by Palestinian Human Rights
Organizations submitted to Member States and Observers of the UN Human Rights Council• Report on Infringements upon the Law and the Stateof Insecurity in the Gaza Strip. Gaza (2007)• Cut-Flowers in Gaza: A Special Report on the Impactsof Israeli Rights Violations on Gaza’s Cut-Flower Business• A Manual on Priorities for Action on Issues of Child
RightsAddress
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
5/102-1 Al Mena, Omar El-Mukhtar Street,
Western Rimal, Gaza City,
The Gaza Strip, Palestineph (972 8) 2820442/ 2820447
e-mail: mezan@palnet.com; info@mezan.org
www.mezan.org
P.O. Box. 5270
Gaza Strip
Palestine

Mandela Institute for Human Rights
Year Established: 1990
Short Historical Background
Mandela Institute, formed January 1990, is a Palestinian
human rights organization focusing its efforts on theplight of political prisoners. It is a non-profit, non-partisan organization seeking to minister to the prisoners andtheir families in a holistic manner, looking at the rangeof medical, physical, psychological, social, spiritual andeducational needs.
Objectives
Mandela Institute aims to respond in a comprehensive
manner to the needs of the Palestinian detainees, whichis in effect the need of the whole community.
Programs• Legal and Medical Aid to Arab & Palestinian Prisoners
held in Israeli Detention Facilities• Female Detainees in Israeli Detention facilities• Internship Program• Human Rights Training for Palestinian Law Enforcement Official• “Coalition Against Torture - Preventing Torture in Israel
and the Occupied Palestinian Territories”
Activities• Research on conditions in the Israeli prison system• Assistance in providing doctors and medical supplies
to prisoners• Bringing books and other educational material into
prisons• Presenting to the Israeli High Court cases involving
prisoners, e.g. distribution of gas masks and executionof protective measures towards prisoners in time ofwar• Providing canteen supplies for indigent prisoners• Human rights advocacy for prisoners’ rights• Monitoring conditions in solitary confinement• Negotiating for better prison conditions
Address
Mandela Institute for Human Rights
Ramallah - Palestinian Areas. P.O. Box 721
ph (972) 2 295 57 56
fax (972) 2 295 64 68
e-mail : Mandela@mandela-palestine.org
www.mandela-palestine.org

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The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
The Centre was established in 1995 by a group of Palestinian lawyers and human rights activists. It is an independent Palestinian human rights organization basedin Gaza City. The Centre enjoys Consultative Status with
the ECOSOC of the United Nations. It is an affiliate of theInternational Commission of Jurists-Geneva, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) - Paris, EuroMediterranean Human Rights Network - Copenhagen,Arab Organization for Human Rights - Cairo, and International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) Stockholm. It isa recipient of the 1996 French Republic Award on Human
Rights and the 2002 Bruno Kreisky Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Area of Human Rights.
Objectives
The Center aims
1. To protect human rights and promote the rule of law
in accordance with international standards.
2. To create and develop democratic institutions and an
active civil society, while promoting democratic culture within Palestinian society.
3. To support all efforts aimed at enabling the Palestinian
people to exercise their inalienable rights in regard toself-determination and independence in accordancewith international Law and UN resolutions.
Programs and Activities
Documentation - gathering of accurate and documented
information on human rights violations in the Gaza Stripfrom victims and witnesses of human rights violations
through close cooperation with communities.
Legal assistance - provision of free legal aid and counseling to individuals and groups, especially Palestinian prisoners in Israeli or PNA custody, and legal intervention
with concerned bodies and courts in cases that involve
broad principles of human rights that affect not justthe individual before the court but the community as awhole.
Democratic Development - promotion of democracy, civilsociety and the rule of law through research, organization of workshops and seminars to discuss issues relating
to human rights and democracy.
Economic and Social Rights - promotion of the importance of economic and social rights through research,studies, workshops, and seminars focusing on economic
and social rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Women’s program - provides legal aid for women andwomen’s organizations and acts on behalf of women in

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Sharia’ and civil courts, educates women on their rights
enshrined in international human rights treaties andunder local law, and carries out studies on Palestinian
women and the law, while supporting the amendmentof local laws inconsistent with women’s rights. There isalso an increasing focus on the rights of children and theeffects of human rights violations on children.
Training - educates the general public about democracy
and human rights issues and provides specialized training in these areas to enable them to put greater pressure
on government officials to guarantee that their rights are
not violated, and to strengthen democracy and the ruleof law in Palestinian society.
Publications
a. Reports• Weekly Reports on Israeli Human Rights Violationsin the Occupied Palestinian Territories• Annual Reports• Issue-based reports (Closure Reports, Election Reports, Demolition & Land Sweeping Reports, Silencing the Press, Assassinations, Palestinian Medical
Personnel: Between Fire and Their Work)• Special Reports (Black Days in the Absence of Justice:
Report on Bloody Fighting in the Gaza Strip from 7
to 14 June 2007, Poverty in the Gaza Strip, Deprived
of Freedom, Reprisals against Civilians, Front Line
Palestine: Killings, Arbitrary Detention, Restrictions
on Movement, Threats)• Al-Mentar - monthly magazine (Arabic)b. Studies• Confirm the kill: IOF Killings of Children during the al
Aqsa Intifada (2006)• Suffering in Isolation: A report on life under occupation in the Mawasi areas in the Gaza Strip (2003)• Palestinian Legislative Council: Performance Evaluation (1999-2000, 2000-2001)• The Right to Free Expression and the Right to Peaceful Assembly: The Case of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip (1999, 2000)
Address
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
29 Omar El Mukhtar Street, Near Amal Hotel
PO Box 1328 Gaza City, Palestineph/fax (972) 82824-776, 82825-893
e-mail pchr@pchrgaza.org
www.pchrgaza.org

Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG)
Year Established: 1996
Short Historical Background
The Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG)
was founded in December 1996 in response to the deteriorating state of democracy and human rights under
the newly-established Palestinian Authority. The group
was founded by a diverse group of well-established Palestinians, including Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)
members, newspaper editors, journalists, a union leader,
veteran human rights activists and religious leaders. The
political composition of its founders is diverse - including
members of many Palestinian organizations and institutions - thereby ensuring the non-partisan character ofthe organization.

Address
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG)
Beit Hanina
Ahmad Jaber House
Behind Abu-Eisheh car sale
East Jerusalemph (972-2) 5838189
fax (972-2) 5837197
e-mail: admin@phrmg.org
www.phrmg.org

Objective
The PHRMG aims to document human rights violationscommitted against Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza
Strip and East Jerusalem, regardless of who is responsible. In effect, the PHRMG has dedicated much of its work
to the monitoring of human rights violations committed
by the Palestinian Authority.
Programs and Activities
Monitoring program - provides updates on local developments, pursues long-term monitoring tasks, andresponds to urgent human rights situations in order torecord the eyewitness testimonies of victims, witnesses
and other actors.
Outreach program - publishes a bi-monthly report (thePalestinian Human Rights Monitor) that focuses on particular issues (torture and illegal detention, freedom of
expression and the censorship of the Palestinian press,or the right to education of Palestinian children in East
Jerusalem) to educate the Palestinian public on humanrights and to strengthen democracy and the role of civilsociety.
Other Outreach activities include facilitating local andinternational media access to human rights issues in Palestine, initiating dialogue activities with institutions responsible for human rights violations, and implementing
special projects.
The PHRMG also maintains an extensive website - bothin Arabic and in English - to grant wide access to all the
publications of the Monitor, unpublished reports, andadditional data and statistics collected by the organization.
Publications• The Palestinian Human Rights Monitor (bi-monthly
magazine)

143

Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy(MIFTAH)
Year Established: 1998
Short Historical Background
MIFTAH is a non-governmental, non-partisan Jerusalembased institution dedicated to fostering democracy andgood governance within Palestinian society by promoting public accountability, transparency, the free flow of
information and ideas, and challenging stereotyping at
home and abroad.
Objectives
MIFTAH aims
1. To reinforce the Palestinian state-building process by
ensuring democratic practices, the rule of law, and respect for human rights
2. To promote free access and flow of information
3. To empower Palestinian women and youth leaders in
different fields and promote the rights and responsibilities of citizenship4. To provide a forum for innovative public discourse andfree debate on issues of Palestinian concern, bringing
together decision-makers and members of civil society
5. To increase global awareness and knowledge of Palestinian realities by providing reliable, accurate andcomprehensive information, policy analysis, strategic
briefings and position papers.
6. To complement and solidify international efforts pertaining to cooperation and conflict-resolution basedon genuine understanding of the facts, the issues atstake, and the implications of foreign policy decisions
on national, regional and global realities.
Programs
a. Democracy and Good Governance Program - aims atstrengthening governance and the rule of law, establishing efficient and transparent systems of accountability, promoting political pluralism and participatory
governance, and supporting leadership among women and youth.
b. Media and Information - aims at an accurate presentation of Palestinian social, economic and political realities for the region and internationally.
c. External Relations - focuses on Palestinian-US and Palestinian-European relations with a view to promoting
MIFTAH’s guiding principles of democracy, humanrights, gender equity and participatory governance inPalestine.
Publications• Fact Sheets- Youth & Politics in Palestine- The National Budget Cycle: Palestine• Engendering the National Budget• Reports- Palestine in Crisis: Policy Papers (series)• The Relation Between the Financial Dependency of144

the Judiciary & Legislative Systems on the Executive
and its Ramification on the Performance of the Three
Bodies• Glossary of Concepts & Definitions on Reproductive
Rights• Glossary of Concepts & Definitions on Gender
Address
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue & Democracy
P.O.Box 69647
Jerusalem, 95908 Israelph (972-2) 585 1842
fax (972-2) 583 5184
e-mail: MIFTAH <miftah@miftah.org>; secretarygeneral@miftah.org
www.miftah.org

Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS)
Year Established: 1998
Short Historical Background
The Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS)
was established in Ramallah in 1998 by a group of academics, human rights activists and university professors
who felt the need for promoting awareness and advocating the values of human rights, democracy and tolerance
among the Palestinian people. Over the past decade,RCHRS articulated its mission and vision to include thevalorization of tolerance and human rights, particularly
educational rights and freedom of expression. RCHRS expanded its events and activities to the most remote areasof the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and included in its
projects and publications an ever-increasing number ofuniversity students, intellectuals, and other members ofPalestinian society. It has also been releasing a growing
number of periodical publications and books, and is now
taking its values and successes beyond Palestine, andonto the regional and international scenes.
Objectives
RCHRS aims
1. To raise the awareness on human rights violations in
Palestine, and on the need to safeguard the fundamental freedoms of all Palestinians and to ensure justice in all aspects of their life
2. To promote tolerance and to create a discriminationfree society in which pluralism is encouraged and diversity appreciated
3. To advocate freedom of opinion and expression, including intellectual freedom, and to call for democratization and not politicization of education and the
independence of security forces and the national army
from political parties.
Programs and Activities
Tolerance “Tasamuh” Program - Tolerance has become
one of the major components of the RCHRS’s identity
and RCHRS has become a name synonymous with tolerance. In Palestine, RCHRS arranges a number of activities
and actions in order to enhance the culture of tolerance
in targeted communities.
Educational Rights Advocacy Program - this programis based on the RCHRS’s conviction that education is afundamental factor to the development of the Palestinian economy. The program includes a series of activities,
which focus on ensuring legal prosecution of violations
perpetuated in the educational sector.

Democratization and Good Governance - this program isa response to the need for change in a variety of sociopolitical components of Palestinian life, including elections, leadership, and governance. The program aims at
promoting the values of democracy, tolerance, and therights of minorities and marginalized communities.
Publications• Tolerance in Edward Said’s Thought (2007)• Religion and State in Palestine (2007)• Arabs and Secularism (2006)• Islamic Issues – Topics in Reform and Renovation(2006)• On Religious Higher Education and Human Rights(2003)• Freedom of Opinion and Expression: the Palestinian
Experience (2003)
Tasamuh (Tolerance) and Free Education - periodical
publications - collection of scholarly articles on selected
themes of topical interest and a newsletter entirely run
by university students, focusing on their own interpretation and criticisms of educational rights.
Other information
RCHRS is an active member of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). It also holds the following
positions in national and international networks: theFederation of Human Rights Centers in Arab Countries(NAS, Vice President), The Arab Network for Tolerance(Coordinating Organization), Takamul Network (Memberof the Executive Board and Palestine Coordinator). Finally, RCHRS is also member of the Arab Covenant for Democracy, and Middle East North Africa Action Network
on Small Arms (MENAANSA).
Address
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
Al-Qadisiya Street
Ramallah - West Bank
Palestineph (9722) 241 3001
fax (9722) 241 3002
e-mail: rchrs@rchrs.org
www.rchrs.org
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 2424
Ramallah -West Bank
Palestine

Freedom of Thought and Expression Program - promoting
and safeguarding the freedom of expression and media
pluralism is one of RCHRS core activities since its inception. It is worth mentioning that RCHRS bases all its actions related to freedom of thought and expression on
article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

145philippines
Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC)
Ateneo de Manila University

Year Established: 1986
Short Historical BackgroundFebruary 25, 1986 was the historic climax of the EDSA
Revolution, otherwise known as People Power I, whichtoppled a government infamous for human rights violations. It became obvious immediately thereafter thatmuch work still had to be done in the field of humanrights. It was in this context that the Ateneo Human
Rights Center (AHRC) was established in July of thatsame year by Dean Eduardo de los Angeles of the Schoolof Law of the Ateneo de Manila University and Atty. Abelardo Aportadera.
AHRC’s initial program was the Summer Internship
Program, which was designed to provide law students
with exposure to human rights work and advocacy andproduced its first crop of interns in the summer of 1987.
Since then, the Internship Program was expanded to include many other activities.
Objectives
AHRC aims
1. To form and sustain human rights lawyers and advocates in the Philippines
2. To make justice accessible to victims of human rights
violations
3. To monitor and advocate for government compliancewith human rights laws and instruments
4. To empower civil society towards peace, democracy,
and in the pursuit of good governance and the rule oflaw.
Programs
The Internship Program - aims to introduce students ofboth Ateneo Law School and other partner law schools
nationwide to grassroots life and to human rights advocacy in the Philippines.
Child Rights Desk - aims to promote and advance therights of all children and to protect them from all forms ofabuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination throughits programs and activities.
Katutubo (Indigenous Peoples Desk) - serves as the implementing arm of Free the Indigenous Peoples Legal Assistance Program of the Assisi Development Foundation,
which is one component of the Human Security Framework for indigenous peoples (IPs) empowerment. It aims
to address the problem of hundreds of IPs suffering indetention nationwide, possibly on false charges, by making quality legal assistance available to persons belonging to indigenous tribes.
Urduja (Women) and Migrant Workers Desks - primarily
focuses in organizing and participating in regional and146

national conferences on women and migrant workers.
Both desks monitor the situation of the Filipino womenand migrant workers and research on their issues andthe possible law and policy reforms affecting them.
The Litigation Unit involves the lawyers and law students
in handling human rights cases. Student volunteers, withthe supervision of AHRC lawyers, interview clients, gather information, and document assigned cases.
Training and Education - AHRC conducts education andtraining seminars for the enhancement of human rights
advocacy in the country. The topics and focus of the seminars range from lectures on national and internationallaws on human rights to skills development.
Law & Policy-Reform Advocacy - AHRC participates invarious law and policy reform initiatives in the country
to ensure that human rights instruments and standards
are implemented and complied with through the various
programs of government.
Publications• Conference Proceedings on Structural Adjustment
Program: Its Impact on Human Rights and Democracy(1994)• In the Custody of the Law (1994)• OCWs in Crisis: Protecting Filipino Migrant Workers(1995)• Human Rights Treatise on Ancestral Domains (1996)• Human Rights Treatise on Constitutional Law (1997)• The Convention on the Rights of the Child and thePhilippine Legal System (1997)• Maid from the Philippines (1998)• Legal Protection for Asian Migrant Workers (1998)• Human Rights Treatise on Children (1999)• Filipino Migrant Workers in Singapore, Malaysia andBrunei: What they need to know... (and What they haveto tell) (1999)• Philippine-Belgian Pilot Project Against Trafficking in
Women (1999)
Address
Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC)
Ateneo Professional Schools Building Rockwell Drive,
Rockwell Center 1200 Makati City, Philippines
Trunkline: (632) 899-7691 locals 2109/2115
Fax: (632)8994342
email: ahrc@aps.ateneo.ed
www.admu.edu.ph/index.php?p=1126

Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
Year Established: 1992
Short Historical Background
The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
is a non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental regional organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting equal
participation of women in politics and decision-making.
CAPWIP was established in 1992 by a group of womenfrom the Asia-Pacific region who shared a vision of governance that affirms gender equality, integrity and accountability, excellence, sustainable development andpeace.
CAPWIP envisions its role as a regional training center for trainers as well as a think-tank that supports the
documentation, analysis and dissemination of the experiences of its national and sub-regional affiliates. By
providing teams of technical experts who have the appropriate language skills and institutional experience,
CAPWIP also assists its affiliates in developing total strategies to promote Women in Politics (WIP). From its inception, CAPWIP focused on the development of networking strategies that would be sustainable in the long run.
Objectives
CAPWIP aims
1. To create a critical mass of competent, committed andeffective women politicians in elective and appointed
positions in the government
2. To develop a responsible female citizenry
3. To influence female politicians and electorate to work
together to transform politics and governance for thecommon good.
Programs
Organizing and Networking- Promotes the establishment of a broad network of
sub-regional and national affiliates of women inpolitics in the Asia-Pacific region, including support
structures such as a regional network of training andresearch institutes- Collaborates with women leaders, women’s organizations and existing political institutes in promoting
transformative politics and women’s political empowerment- Utilizes various forms of mass media as a means toenhance public awareness of the need for women’sequal representation in decision-making and politics- Organizes congresses that serve as a venue for women all over the Asia-Pacific region to share their experiences, discuss issues and articulate priority areas
for action.
Training- Develops modules and training programs for women’s leadership and responsible citizenship based on
the framework of transformative politics- Conducts trainers’ training for women’s political em-

powerment and transformative politics.
Research and Information Sharing- Undertakes policy analysis and various types of research on women in politics including needs assessment impact studies, documentation and analysis
of best practices in politics- Establishes data banks on women’s political participation and resources on women’s political empowerment and transformative politics- Manages an interactive web network that encompasses the central office, five sub-regional focal
points and national focal points- Produces publications on women’s political empowerment and transformative politics.
Activities
Advocacy and Networking• Asia-Pacific Congress and Training of Women and
Men in Media, and Women in Politics, Governance,
and Decision-making on Transformative Leadership,with the theme Media and Transformative Leadership. (Makati City, the Philippines, 8-10 November
2001)• Asia-Pacific Congresses of Women in Politics (1994
to 1998- annually, 2006)
Training• Empowering Women for Transformative Leadershipand Citizenship• Asian-Pacific Leadership Training InstituteResearch and Information Sharing• Issues in Women’s Political Empowerment in the
Asia-Pacific Region• South East Asian Country Situationers on Women in
Politics• Learning in Politics: Case Study of Women in Pursuitof Political Office in the May 1998 Philippine Elections• Platform for Action to Promote Women’s Equal Access to Power in the Asia-Pacific Region
Sub-Regional Activities• Advocacy and Networking• Training• Research and Information Sharing
Publications• Women’s Political Empowerment: A Resource Book on
Practices (2000)• Transforming Politics, Women’s Experiences from theAsia-Pacific Region (1998)
Other Information
CAPWIP maintains the onlinewomeninpolitics.org thatprovides data, information and other resources about147

women in the region involved in politics, governanceand decision-making. It is a digital working space for
Asian and Pacific women leaders to share and exchange
knowledge and information.
Address
Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
4227-4229 Tomas Claudio Street
Baclaran, Paranaque City 1700 Philippines
ph (632) 851-6934
ph/fax (632) 852-2112
email: capwip@capwip.org; capwip@gmail.com
www.capwip.org

148

Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR)
Year Established: 1984
Short Historical BackgroundIn the spirit of solidarity to fight state repression and torestore workers’ inherent right to life and dignity, theCenter for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) wasconceived by a group of religious people, labor rights advocates and trade unionists in 1984.
Its purpose is to confront state and capitalist’s human rights violations not with an equally evil force butwith an awareness that strength and emancipation liesin the hands of the workers themselves and in solidarity
with the poor and the oppressed.
It is committed to the cause of advancing genuine,
democratic, nationalist and militant trade unionism. It isagainst all forms of deception and coercion that seeks toderail this cause. CTUHR believes that repression can andhas taken on different and subtle forms like labor legislations, and flexible employment schemes, among others,
and therefore devotes herself to exposing these devious
moves.
Objectives
CTUHR aims
1. To oppose and expose the repression of workers inparticular and the trade union movement in general
2. To advocate against a system that violates humanrights and perpetuates repression and oppression ofworkers
3. To establish programs to promote and to strengthen
the basic workers’ organizations and genuine tradeunionism
4. To offer social and educational services, and paralegal
assistance to workers and the victims of trade union
repression and provide moral support to the dependents and relatives of disadvantaged workers
5. To build up a network with labor organizations at the
local, regional and national levels in aid of forming
Human Rights Committees, train and develop Human
Rights Correspondents and Paralegal volunteers, andhelp strengthen the National Coalition for the Protection of Workers Rights (NCPWR) which it helped established in 2000
6. To establish network at the international level in pursuit of broader promotion and protection of workers’
trade union and human rights.
Programs and Activities
1. Research - conducts in-depth investigation and research on specific issues, and economic policies andpractices that directly affect workers and the exerciseof their basic rights.
2. Women empowerment - conducts education, campaigns and advocacy on rights of women workers inindustrial belts and Free Trade Zones (FTZ) towardraising their awareness, increasing their communityand social participation and assisting them to organize themselves into mutual help associations or tradeunions.
3. Public information – informs the public on the plight of
the workers, and exposes the injustices that they suffer. It conducts media work to air the side and grievances of workers to the public.
4. Education and training - focuses on equipping workers, semi-workers and others in the labor sector withbasic knowledge on their legal and trade union rights
in order to protect themselves from exploitative andrepressive social and economic institutions.
5. Network and advocacy – builds a network with labororganizations at the local, regional, national and international levels in aid of forming Human Rights Committees and helps strengthen the National Coalition
for the Protection of Workers Rights, an alliance of artists, religious, academics and other people concernedwith upholding the rights of workers.
Publications
Available as downloads at the CTUHR website:• Victims of Trade Union Killings and Massacre (January
2001-March 2008)• Nakaliligalig na Kapayapaang Industriyal (Ulat sa Lagay ng Karapatang Pang-Manggagawa at Pantao)• Treacherous and Disquieting Industrial Peace (Trade
Union and Human Rights Report 2007)• Trade Unions Under Siege: Workers’ Rights Report
2006• Labor Flexibilization: Dagger in the Hearts of Filipino
Workers• The Year of Living Dangerously: Workers’ Rights Review
2005• Battered Bodies and Crushed Rights: State of Filipino
Workers Trade Union and Human Rights under Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo’s five-year administration• Tighter Belts and Bloodied Year: Workers’ Rights Review in 2004
Address
Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR)
Rm. 702 Culmat Building
127 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue
Brgy. Mariana, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
ph/fax: (632) 411-0256
e-mail: ctuhr.manila@gmail.com
www.ctuhr.org

149

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia PacificYear Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia Pacific(CATW-AP) is part of CATW International, an international
network of feminist groups, organizations and individuals fighting the sexual exploitation of women globally.
In April 1993, the “Conference on Women Empowering Women: A Human Rights Conference on Trafficking
in Asian Women” held in Manila, Philippines gave birth to
the CATW - Asia Pacific.
CATW-AP, in partnership with its networks, initiatedprograms to promote women’s human rights and assist
victims of trafficking, prostitution, and other forms of sexual violence against women in the Asia-Pacific region.
Recently, CATW-AP successfully lobbied for a definition of trafficking that ensures the protection of victims
and encourages states to address the demand side oftrafficking in the Optional Protocol to Prevent, Suppress
and Punish Trafficking in Persons, supplementing theUnited Nations (UN) Convention Against Trans-national
Organized Crime.
Objectives
CATW-AP aims
1. To promote awareness on women’s human rights andinitiate action against global sexual exploitation andviolence against women, particularly prostitution andtrafficking
2. To lobby against sexual exploitation in all its forms inappropriate UN bodies and other international forums,
as well as in regional levels
3. To promote research on the causes, patterns and impact of prostitution and trafficking women
4. To help promote international solidarity and cooperation to combat sexual exploitation
5. To support survivors of trafficking, prostitution andother forms of sexual exploitation.
Programs
Policy Advocacy:
1. At the UN level, advocacy for the development of
national, regional and international instruments addressing the issues of prostitution, trafficking and allforms of sexual exploitation
2. Campaign for the ratification of the UN Optional
Protocol on Trafficking of Persons Especially Womenand Children, the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the UN Convention for the Protection of Migrant Workers and their
Families
3. Active participation in critical UN International Conferences such as the 1993 World Conference on
Human Rights, 1994 International Conference on
Population and Development, 1995 World Conference on Women, and the 2001 World Conference
Against Racism

150

4. Campaign in support of victim and survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation
5. Support for the Women’s International War Crimes
Tribunal towards a just resolution for the victims ofJapanese Military Sexual Slavery.
Education, Training and Organizational Development:
1. Preventive Education Program on Women, Migration and Trafficking in high-risk communities, as wellas among NGOs and concerned government agencies
2. Initiation of Community-Based Trafficker-Watch(Bantay-Bugaw) projects where local police, prosecutors and judges, village official and local leaders
are oriented to prevent trafficking using local laws.
Research, documentation & publications:
1. Development, promotion and application of gender-sensitive documentation system on violenceagainst women based on the Human Rights Documentation System (HURIDOCS)
2. Country-specific studies and analysis of patterns andtrends of trafficking and prostitution, their healthimpacts on women, and studies on the demand sideof prostitution, pornography and mail order brideindustries.
Empowerment of Survivors:
1. Crisis intervention in trafficking, prostitution andother sexual exploitation cases
2. Development of counseling module for survivors
3. Referral of cases of member- and partner-organizations
for legal, psycho-social and other support services
4. Support to healing, livelihood, organizing and mass
movement work of survivor groups.
Video and Publications• Shifting the Blame: A Primer on the Philippine AntiProstitution Bill (2007)• Let’s Get to Know R.A. 9208: The Anti-Trafficking Law(2007)• Women in the International Migration Process (2002)• “First Time: a digital PSA” (1998)• Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific (1996)• Proceedings of the Human Rights Documentation
Training for Asian Women’s NGO’s Concerned with Violence Against Women (1996)
Address
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia Pacific(CATW-AP)
Room 308 Sterten Place, 116 Maginhawa St.
Teacher’s Village, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
ph (63 2) 4269873 or 4342149
e-mail: catwap@skyinet.net, catw-ap@catw-ap.org
www.catw-ap.org

DINTEG - Cordillera Indigenous Peoples’ Legal CenterYear Established: 1994
Short Historical Background
DINTEG is a legal center advocating and working for the
defense of Indigenous Peoples’ (IPs) rights, human rights
and fundamental freedoms. It was established on 10
December 1994 at the ebb of the Oplan Lambat Bitag 2
under Corazon Aquino’s Administration that resulted incountless human rights violations.
On 10 December 1999, DINTEG facilitated thelaunching of the Cordillera Human Rights Organization(CHRO). Since then, CHRO spearheads capacity building
and campaigns while DINTEG focuses on developmental
legal aid.
DINTEG locates its niche in its advocacy work on indigenous socio-political systems as an integral part ofthe movement for the respect for the right to self-determination. DINTEG envisions a society where Indigenous
Peoples enjoy the right to self-determination, and where
human rights and fundamental freedoms are enjoyedfully and equally by every member of society.
DINTEG is an indigenous term for law and justice. It
refers to what is just and righteous for each member ofthe community, and for the society in general.
It is duly registered as a non-stock and non-profit institution with the Securities and Exchange Commissionof the Philippines.
Objectives
DINTEG aims
1. To contribute to the Indigenous Peoples’ movement
for the promotion, assertion and defense of their rights
and fundamental freedoms
2. To contribute in strengthening the capacity of people’sorganizations and members of the community in exercising their rights
3. To promote and facilitate developmental legal aid
among paralegals, lawyers and the various sectors ofsociety.

rights. It spearheads activities of international and national significance for the defense, recognition andpromotion of basic human rights. It continues to pushfor genuine peace negotiations between the Philippine
Government and the National Democratic Front of thePhilippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Networking and Advocacy – focuses on organizing andtraining lawyers, law students and paralegals in supportof its legal and other services. In order to provide better
service to attain its vision, DINTEG works closely with religious people and church institutions, health professionals; coordinates with local government units, militaryand police forces; and cooperates with international andnational bodies involved with human rights concerns.
Research and Lobbying - undertakes research on the indigenous justice system and conflict management. It
monitors the implementation of national laws and policies related to human rights and Indigenous Peoples
including lobbying and influencing law and policy formulations.
Address
DINTEG - Cordillera Indigenous Peoples’ Legal Center#10 Rimando Rd.,
Baguio City 2600 Philippines
ph/fax: (63 74) 445-2586, 300-3489
e-mail: dinteg1@yahoo.com, char@cpaphils.org

Programs and Activities
Capacity Building - focuses on holding education andtrainings for the• Promotion of human and Indigenous Peoples’
rights• Monitoring of human rights abuses• Formation of quick reaction teams• Establishment of human rights networks and advocates from all sectors of society, and• Enhancement of the role of elders in the promotion
and assertion of the indigenous justice system.
Legal Services - works for the maintenance of a legal defense fund to sustain its counseling and litigation services extended to victims of violations of human andIndigenous Peoples’ rights.
Campaigns - conducts various campaigns on human151

Human Rights Seedbed
Year Established: 2007
Short Historical Background
Human Rights Seedbed was formally organized in 2007.
It is a very young organization serving as the main extension program of Colegio de San Lorenzo, because theCollege believes that to truly achieve its mission as an
educational institution it must teach the importance andways to justice and peace through the achievement of
human rights.
Objectives
Human Rights Seedbed promotes and protects humanrights through archiving and documentation, teaching
and learning, dialogue with other human rights organizations, and research and study.
Programs
Archive - HRS collects human rights documents (books,
journals, newspaper clippings, convention papers, pictures, movies, linked websites) for use by human rights
researchers and the general public.
Dialogue – recognizing the many similarly oriented organizations in the world, HRS offers a venue for dialogue
with these organizations for a more effective achievement of common goals.
Teach & Research – it is based in an educational institution and uses this advantage to promote and protect
human rights through teaching and learning programs.
The educational setting also allows it to more effectively
conduct human rights studies and research.
Activities• Annual convention of human rights organizations of
the Philippines• Referral of human rights cases to organizations thatare able to respond• Quarterly teachers training seminars• Quarterly publication and distribution of Human
Rights Seedbed (The Official Journal of HRS)
• Quarterly distribution of human rights posters tovarious schools, universities and colleges in the Philippines• Research initiative meetings with interested faculty
members of Schools, Universities and Colleges in thePhilippines• Open invitation to interested human rights scholars to
use the services of the HRS LibrarySpecial Concerns
Education
Women and GenderPublications• Human Rights Seedbed - the official journal of HRS

152

Address
Human Rights Seedbed
Colegio de San Lorenzo Campus
Congressional Avenue corner Jupiter Street
Quezon City, Metro Manila 1106 Philippines
ph (632) 928-0116; 920.2656
fax (632) 928-0116 local 120
e-mail: info@humanrightsseedbed.org
www.humanrightsseedbed.org

Institute of Human Rights (IHR)
University of the Philippines

Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
The Institute of Human Rights (IHR) focuses on the protection and promotion of human rights, including thepolitical, civil, economic, social and cultural rights of thepeople, especially those of the indigenous peoples, theurban poor, the working class and the peasantry.
The Institute is part of the University of the Philippines Law Complex, an integrated system of national
legal institutions within the University whose concerns
extend not only to the teaching of law but also to the provision of services responsive to current social challenges
and relevant to the changing legal and law-related needsof Filipinos. Fulfilling the mandate of the Law Complex
along with the IHR are the Institute of Government and
Law Reform, Institute of Judicial Administration, and theInstitute of International Legal Studies.
Objectives
IHR aims
1. To stimulate research and publication in specialized
fields of human rights;
2. To play a key role in the development of a comprehensive
human rights policy in the Philippines that will address theexigencies of human rights protection and promotion;
3. To expand the U.P. Law Complex’s database on humanrights through its computerization and acquisition ofvarious materials on human rights;
4. To play a significant role in the development, promotion and protection of human rights in the Southeast
Asian region
5. To take an active part in international networking forthe promotion of human rights; and6. To institutionalize student participation in the programs of the Institute, as a means of enhancing theirskills and instilling in them the value of promoting the
public interest.
Programs and Activities• Research – the Institute focuses on selected humanrights issues. The Institute has five research modules
established for this purpose, working simultaneously
but separately under the supervision of the Institute
Director. The outputs of each module, in the form ofscholarly papers or studies, are presented to the publicthrough symposiums and the Institute’s publications.
• Training - the Institute in cooperation with other human rights organizations sponsors specialized training
courses on human rights.
• Extension Services - the Institute renders opinions
to government agencies regarding policy and legal
questions on human rights. In addition, the Instituteorganizes seminars, symposia, workshops, and otherforums on human rights issues.

Publications• Human Rights Agenda, Vols. 1-12, Issues # 1-6 (19962007)• Manual on International Human Rights Treaties andMechanisms• Philippine Law and Jurisprudence on Human Rights• Beyond Qualified Reclusion Perpetua: Restorative Justice and Alternative to the Death Penalty• Towards a Gender Responsive Legislation: Focus on the
Reproductive Health Care Act• Rights of Persons with Disabilities• Farmers’ Rights as Human Rights, Human Rights as
Farmers’ Rights• The rights of Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Focus on
the Philippines (Proceedings of a Forum on Refugee Issues and Concerns)
Other information
The research interests of the Institute encompass theentire spectrum of civil and political rights, economic,
social, and cultural rights, as well as emerging humanrights discourses in non-traditional areas like indigenous
cultural communities, political litigation, climate change,
and transitional justice. The Institute has also forgedinstitutional partnerships with grassroots- and community-based non-governmental organizations for the
purpose of conducting continuing training and capacity-building measures for advocates of urban poor andhousing rights. As a pioneer human rights research institution in the country, the Institute has been successful inproviding a neutral and productive venue for dialogues
between the government and civil society on such issues as The Human Security Act, The Writ of Amparo, andThe Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain
between the Government and Moro Islamic Liberation
Front peace panels. Finally, the Institute remains true to
its mission of helping shape Human Rights Policy in the
country by providing key policy-makers and stakeholders with scholarly studies and research outputs aimed atenabling them to craft legislations and other issuancesthat promote and protect human rights.
Address
Institute of Human Rights
UP Law Center
Room 105, Bocobo Hall
University of the Philippines Campus,
Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila 1101 Philippines
ph (632) 925-5854, 920-5514 local 204, 205
fax (632) 925-5854
e-mail: ihr.claw@up.edu.ph153

Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights)
Year Established: 1995
Short Historical Background
KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s
Rights) was born out of the struggles in the various human rights organizations and basic mass organizations
since 1992. KARAPATAN has distinguished itself as thegenuine alliance for the advocacy of the full range of human rights (civil, political, economic, social and culturalrights) along the national democratic line.
It firmly rejects the idea of ‘neutrality” in the humanrights movement, and wholeheartedly declares its bias
for the interests of the broad masses of the people.
It was formally established during its First National
Congress on 17-19 August 1995. At present, Karapatan
relies on the strength of its forty component organizations, which are spearheaded by the five national humanrights organizations: Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, KAPATID-Karapatan, SELDA, DESAPARECIDOS andEcumenical Movement for Justice and Peace.
It acts as the center of the militant human rights
movement and provides the proper direction to the various organizations within it. It works with broad alliancessuch as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Kilusang Mayo
Uno, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, League of Filipino Students, and GABRIELA.

cerns. It involves campaign and information dissemination activities. It also includes lobbying efforts for the
defense and promotion of human rights.

Objectives
KARAPATAN aims
1. To support the peasant struggle for land and genuine
agrarian reform
2. To uphold the workers’ aspiration for nationalist industrialization and genuine trade unionism
3. To support the women’s struggle for gender equality
and total liberation
4. To uphold the right to self-determination of the peoples of the Bangsa Moro, the Cordilleras and other indigenous peoples
5. To support the urban poor’s demands for land and basic social services
6. To uphold the rights of children and the youth for social and cultural well-being and for a free, scientific andmass- based education
7. To demand observation and protection of the rights ofFilipino migrant workers abroad
8. To uphold the right of the people to a clean, safe andecologically-sound environment
9. To uphold the right of the people to fight against a tyrannical, unjust and repressive system.

Publications• For Human Rights• KARAPATAN Monitor - quarterly update of facts andfigures covering human rights violations• Report ng Special Rapporteur sa mga pagpaslang na
extrahudisyal, biglaan o walang dahilan, Philip Alston- Misyon sa Pilipinas• The 2007 Year-End Report on the Human Rights Situation in the Philippines• Karapatan 2005 Human Rights Report

Programs
Education and Training - aims to raise the people’s awareness on their rights; help develop their capacity to fightfor and defend their rights; and enjoin them to participate in human rights campaign and advocacy activities.
Campaign and Advocacy - aims to develop a strong public opinion and support for human rights issues and con-154

Services - aims to mobilize resources for the welfare needs
and legal requirements of political prisoners, torture victims, relatives of the disappeared and victims of killings,
displaced families, and communities, and others. The
formation of Quick Reaction Teams, which respond immediately to cases of human rights violations such as arrests, abductions, displacements, demolitions, picketline
violence and others, is an integral part of the program.
Documentation and Research - aims to gather information on particular cases of human rights violations andon the general state of the human rights situation in thewhole country. It sends urgent action alerts and comesout with regular analysis of the human rights situation
prevailing in the country.
Network Building and Alliance Work - aims to motivateorganizations, groups, and individuals to get involved incases of human rights violations and in the activities andprograms of KARAPATAN. It also establishes partnerships
with genuine multisectoral alliances in the country.

Address
KARAPATAN(Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights)- National Office
2F, Erynthrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin St. corner Matatag St.,
Central District, Quezon City 1100 Philippines
ph/fax (632) 435-4146, 434-2837
e-mail: docu_krptn@yahoo.com, karapatan@edsamail.
com.phwww.karapatan.org

The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the
Earth Philippines
Year Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasamasa Kalikasan (LRC-KsK) was founded on 7 December 1987
by activist lawyers who wanted to use the law to rectify
injustices and empower marginalized sectors, specificallyindigenous peoples and upland rural poor communities.
The prevailing injustice and repression during President
Ferdinand Marcos’ Martial Law regime and even undersuccessive governments in its aftermath reflect the lamentable fact that the legal system has not been serving
its proper purpose as an instrument by the people toseek redress.
LRC-KsK envisions a society where the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities are respected,
recognized and upheld. It aspires to have a society for
all women and men where the ownership, use, management, conservation of natural resources are carriedout in a democratic, ecologically sustainable, culturally
appropriate, economically viable, gender just and equitable manner.
It is a policy and legal research and advocacy institution. It is organized as a non-stock, non-profit, non-partisan, cultural, and scientific and research foundation duly
registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange
Commission. The organization is also the official Philippine affiliate of Friends of the Earth International.
Objective
LRC-KsK’s overall mission is to work for the empowerment of marginalized peoples directly dependent on
natural resources through a dynamic, cohesive and independent organization of dedicated, committed andfulfilled women and men working with communities of
direct users of natural resources.
Programs and Activities
Policy Research - LRC-KsK develops policy recommendations, legal researches and critiques that are relevant to
the needs of communities. In developing policy options,
LRC-KsK suggests culturally appropriate, ecologicallysound, gender-just and sustainable legal policy options
derived from the experiences of the affected sectors together with relevant scientific researches. It engages legislative and executive forums and other venues to assert
and advocate the communities’ issues and concerns.
Legal Service - LRC-KsK provides relevant and quality legal assistance to marginalized indigenous peoples andrural communities. It assists partner communities, people’s organizations, non-governmental organizations,federations and alliances in analyzing laws and providing
information and legal options on specific areas within its
mandate. Policy briefings and paralegal trainings areheld to strengthen the communities’ understanding oflaws and policies affecting indigenous peoples and natu-

ral resources. Cases are filed in courts whenever deemed
fit by the communities in the context of their own campaigns and struggles.
Campaign and Networking - LRC-KsK links up with various organizations in the local, national and international
communities and support groups on issues crucial to its
advocacies. It offers support to community initiatives
and local actions by carrying out campaigns and projecting their issues at the local, national and international
levels. Its active engagement of the media aims to bringcommunities’ issues and concerns to the general public.
Special Concerns
LRC-KSK has developed expertise on the issues of indigenous peoples’ rights, resource tenure, natural resource
management, forestry, mining, energy, and local community actions.
Publications• Philippine Natural Resources Law (Philnajur) - a regular publication of LRC-KsK which aims to deepen the
consciousness of community organizations and public and private institutions on the equitable allocation
and use of natural resources.
• The Tan-Awan - a regular LRC-KsK magazine that tackles various up-to-date issues concerning its main advocacies. Each issue uses a multi-lingual approach inpresenting fast facts of featured communities, community updates, media statements, and analysis of socio-political contexts in which indigenous peoples andrural upland communities live.
• Issue Papers: present analysis of policies and recommendations for policy change.
LRC-KsK has also published books and materials on
trade, indigenous peoples, natural resources, speciallaws, etc.
Address
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Friends of the
Earth (Philippines)
Unit 329, Eagle Court Condominium
No. 26 Matalino Street,
Central East District, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila,
Philippines 1101
ph (632) 9281372, 4361101
fax (632) 920 7172
e-mail: lrcksk@lrcksk.org
www.lrcksk.org

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Moro Human Rights CenterYear Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Moro Human Rights Center (MHRC) is a non-governmental organization that pioneers human rights workfor the Moro people. It was established on 20 November
1987. Through its programs, the MHRC plays its role in
the protection and promotion of the Moro people’s human rights.
Objectives
MHRC aims
1. To facilitate in the development of a progressive human rights movement that will promote the Moropeople’s human rights
2. To lobby for policy proposal on the ancestral land claimof the Moro people
3. To work for the realization of a Moro people’s declaration of human rights
4. To respond to the needs of all Moro victims of humanrights violation and continuously monitor the Morohuman rights situation
5. To establish and strengthen a distinct center that istruly sensitive and responsive to the human rights
concerns of the Moro people
6. To establish and strengthen concrete project on Morowomen and children internal refugees as direct andimmediate beneficiary-partners and eventually workfor the establishment of a separate program for them.
Programs• Research and Documentation• Advocacy and Campaigns• Relief and Rehabilitation• Trainings, Education and Organizing
AddressMoro Human Rights Center (MHRC)
27-D Matapat Street,
Barangay Pinyahan
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
ph (632) 433-6816
e-mail: morohumanrights@yahoo.com; mhrc@edsamail.
com.phhttp://kalilintad.tripod.com

156

National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS)
Year Established: 1989
Short Historical Background
Since its inception in 1989, the National Institute for Policy
Studies (NIPS) remains to be the principal political institute that undertakes programs for the promotion of liberalism and democracy in the Philippines. As an Institutecommitted to liberal politics, it necessarily works closelywith the Liberal Party and other liberal groups and organizations. However, it is registered under Philippine laws as
an independent, non-profit organization with a separate
legal personality from other organizations and parties. It
is governed by a Board of Trustees composed of personsof known independence, integrity and respectability andis administered by an Executive Director. A majority of themembers of the board are either active members or officers of the Liberal Party in the Philippines or are otherwise
its supporters in some other way.
Objectives
NIPS aims
1. To heighten the people’s level of awareness of theircivil, political and human rights, of political, economic
and socio-cultural institutions and processes, and of
structures of power
2. To equip the people with the necessary orientationand skills to enable them to participate actively andsubstantially in political, economic and socio-culturalaffairs
3. To support the formation of independent viable andstrong self-help, community and sectoral organizations as vehicles for the people’s effective intervention
in local and national policy-making
4. To facilitate exchange of views and consensus-building on key policies and programs that address critical
local, national and regional issues
5. To promote solidarity and partnership with similarly
inclined individuals and institutions on both regional
and international basis.
Programs
Public Dialogues and Education - a continuing activity ofseminars, conferences, workshops, dialogues and consultations among leaders of the civil society, youth organizations, professional groups, basic sectors and various
democratic interest groups nationwide.
Research and Publication – a continuing activity whichaims to:• Gather data and undertake surveys and studies tobe used as bases for analyzing political and civic development and trend• Draw up policy papers proposing policy recommendations and action programs on key political andsocial issue• Publish an official newsletter to update members aswell as individuals and institutional friends on the
program and activities of the Institute and serve asa regular forum for exchange and dissemination ofideas• Develop education materials for use in the different
levels of political and civic education and training• Publish proceedings of conferences, seminars andworkshops.
Activities• Continuing political and civic dialogues and education. This has three basic publics– Liberal Party leaders through caucuses on issuesof national significance and strategic importance(policy), series of lectures on basic liberalism and its
relevance and application in the Philippines (ideological), local development governance (post-victory governance), political campaign management(electoral)– Liberals Party members through basic orientation
on liberalism and democracy, institutional- and capability-building and organizational development,
seminars on urgent issues of politics, economics andsociety– Allied and likeminded civil society groups, sectoral
organizations and individual friends and colleagues
through forums on burning issues of the day• Policy caucus series - intended to generate policy
statements and papers for the executive and legislative agenda and program of the Liberal Party, e.g., extension of agrarian reform’s full implementation• Continuing support to allied organizations throughinstitution- and capability-building workshops, seminars and meetings in the areas of strategic planning,organizational and programs development.
Special Concerns
Liberalism and democracy in the Philippines
Publications• The Steadfast Keepers: Keeping Alive the Vision of Liberal Democracy in the Philippines, Raul A. Daza, Florencio B. Abad, J.I. Angeles (2006)• Electoral Campaign Management: A Manual on VoteGetting and Vote-Protection Strategies (2004)• Liberal Views on Constitutional Reform. Series on Freedom and Democracy, Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura,
Jonathan E. Malaya (eds.) (2003)
Address
National Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS)
2nd Floor, MATRINCO Building
Chino Roces Avenue (formerly Pasong Tamo)
1231 Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
ph (632) 8936304; 8937483
ph/fax (632) 8930218
e-mail: nips@i-manila.com.ph; info@nips.org.ph
www.nips.org.ph157

Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)
Year Established: 1991
Short Historical Background
PhilRights is the research and information center of thePhilippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA),
one of the biggest human rights coalitions in the country.
Established in 1991, PhilRights seeks to meet and service
the research and information needs of PAHRA memberorganizations and the general public.
Objectives
PhilRights aims
1. To deepen awareness, knowledge and understandingof PAHRA member organizations and the general public
about human rights conditions, issues and mechanisms
2. To work for a dynamic human rights movement thatis able to mobilize sectors and groups for timely andeffective intervention in the promotion and defenseof human rights by making available human rights
information and tools in information handling and dissemination
3. To help ensure state compliance with its human rights
obligations through active monitoring and engagement
4. To strengthen cooperation and partnership with local
and international networks in the conduct of humanrights activities through lively exchange and sharing
of information
5. To enhance the capability of human rights organizations in the promotion and defense of human rights
through education and training on research, advocacy
and information handling and dissemination.
Programs
1. Human Rights Research Program – aims to develop an
institutional research agenda responsive to the needs/
concerns of the human rights community/movement
and those of its member organizations
2. Human Rights Education and Training Program – directed at raising understanding on human rights concepts,
principles and approaches; expanding people’s understanding and appreciation of various human rights issues/concerns; sharpening the analysis on human rights
issues/problems, of PAHRA member-organizations,
grassroots’ communities, schools and basic sectors.
3. Human Rights Information Program – focuses on the
popularization and dissemination of human rights andtheir approaches, and includes• Online resource center – human rights data/statistics, materials, situationers, analyses• Library – human rights materials, documents, books,
publications, photos, video documentaries, modules on various human rights issues/concerns• Regular Publications• IEC Materials – posters, primers, stickers, comics,
video documentaries etc.
• Information dissemination – forums, workshops,
dialogues, conferences, etc.

158

4. Human Rights Monitoring and Documentation Program– aims at scrutinizing and documenting compliance ofthe major branches of government (i.e. executive, legislative, judiciary) with their human rights obligations,
including the State’s submission of timely reports totreaty monitoring bodies.
Activities
1. Human rights research - covers several issues such as
the mining situation in the Philippines, death penalty
and women, Moro and Indigenous Peoples, child soldiers, economic, social and cultural rights indicators,
legislature and human rights
2. Human rights education and training - includes the following activities: Basic Human Rights Orientation, Human Rights and Mining, Rights-Based Approach (RBA)& Mining, Human Rights Monitoring and Documentation, CRC and Child Rights’ Programming
3. Human rights publication.
Publications• Human Rights Forum (HRF) - a quarterly magazine• In Focus: A Semestral Human Rights Situationer – biannual• The Situation of Women on Death Row in the Philippines (2006)• Elements of Restorative Justice Among the Moro andIndigenous Peoples’ Justice System (2006)• The Phenomenon of Child Soldiers in the Philippines(2005)• Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Indicators from a
Grassroots View (2004)• Monitoring Economic, Social & Cultural Rights: The
Philippine Experience (1997)• Inside the Chambers: The Performance of the Ninth
Congress on Human Rights (1996)
Video documentaries produced:• The Killing of Juan dela Cruz (The Death Penalty in thePhilippines) (2005)• Moving Mountains (Mining in the Philippines) (2004)• Bangsamoro: Isang Sulyap sa Kanilang Pakikibaka - avideo documentary on the continuing struggle of theBangsamoro people in the Southern Philippines towards self-determination• The Headhunters’ Shadow - a video about the Casecnan Dam project in Nueva Vizcaya and its effects on
the Bugkalot people.
Address
Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)
53 - B Maliksi Street, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City
Metro Manila, Philippines 1100
ph (632) 4365686
ph/fax: (632) 4331714
e-mail: philrights@philrights.org; prights@tri-isys.com
www.philrights.org

Psychosocial Support and Children’s Rights Resource Center (PST CRRC)
Year Established: 1993
Short Historical Background
The Psychosocial Support and Children’s Rights Resource
Center (PST CRRC) began in 1993 as a special program
under the Peace, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights
Program of the Center for Integrative and Development
Studies of the University of the Philippines (UP CIDS PST).
Its creation allowed for the mainstreaming and institutionalization of psychosocial trauma and human rights
concerns in the academe. In 2006, the UP CIDS PST took
the bold step of becoming a non-stock, non-governmental organization.
Now known as the Psychosocial Support and Children’s Rights Resource Center (PST CRRC), it continues
to engage in research, training, advocacy, networking,and providing up-to-date and relevant materials andresources on psychosocial support and childhood andchildren’s rights.
Objectives
PST CRRC aims to:
1. Undertake research on psychosocial support and children’s and childhood issues that are relevant to policy
and program development and implementation
2. Apply research-derived theories and methodologies
in training, program development, advocacy, evaluation, and further research
3. Explore, identify, assess, utilize, and disseminate alternative forms of intervention to caregivers, communities, children, and survivors of natural disasters, violence, armed conflict, and other similar events
4. Publish and disseminate its research and findings to
the public
5. Organize conferences, workshops, trainings, or seminars to discuss issues on and formulate policies in providing psychosocial support and children’s rights
6. Provide information, materials, and resources on psychosocial support and children’s rights to direct service
providers, academics, students, and the general public.
Programs and Activities
Research - covers a wide range of children’s issues such as
sexual abuse, violence against children, child domestic
workers, trafficking, children in conflict with the law, childpornography and other issues that impact on the lives ofchildren. It is meant to contribute to the formulation ofpolicies and programs that have made positive impacts
on the lives of children and the protection of their rights
as mandated by the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC).

Disaster response - the activities develop the capacitiesof people who respond to emergencies, enable them toface disasters through a psychosocial approach that recognizes and strengthens the resilience and capacities ofadults and children in communities.
Monitoring and evaluation - aims to assess the soundness
and appropriateness of the practices of various childrenoriented organizations in caring for the welfare of children and upholding their rights.
Advocacy - aims to create political processes and social
relations that ensure the protection of the rights of children as children and as human beings. Another goal is toenable children to participate in all arenas of society.
Resource Center - it has over 15,000 books, articles, audiovisual materials, and various resource materials anddocuments on childhood, children’s rights and issues,
psychosocial support, and human rights. It has online database accessible through the following websites: www.
psychosocialnetwork.org/resources.htm and www.childprotection.org.ph/databases/db3index.ad
Publications
Below are some of the publications produced in the past
several years:• Behind the Mask: Experiences of Children in Conflictwith the Law from Rural and Non-Major Urban Areas,
Arnie C. Trinidad, Anne Adelaine Manzano, and Marco
Paa Puzon (Manila: Plan Philippines, 2006)• Field Action Guide for Psychosocial Assessment ofChildren and Communities in Emergencies (REPSN,
UNICEF-EAPRO, 2006)• Child Pornography in the Philippines, Arnie C. Trinidad(Manila: UNICEF-Manila and PST UP CIDS, 2005)• Raising One Voice: A Training Manual for Advocates on
the Rights of Child Domestic Workers, Agnes Zenaida
V. Camacho, Faye G. Balanon, and Arnie C. Trinidad(Bangkok: Child Workers in Asia, 2005)
Address
Psychosocial Support and Children’s Rights Resource
Center (PST CRRC)
Unit 1501 Future Point Plaza I 112 Panay Avenue,
Quezon City, Metro Manila 1100 Philippines
ph (632) 3766388, 3822979
e-mail: pstcrrc@gmail.com
www.pstcrrc.org

Capacity-building – with the involvement of parents, social workers, teachers, non-governmental organization(NGO) practitioners, members of the police, researchers, and other similar key stakeholders, the activities aremeant to make the children become more aware of theirrights and capacitated to demand them.

159

Salonga Center for Law and Development (Salonga Center)Year Established: 2006
Short Historical Background
The Salonga Center for Law and Development (Salonga
Center) was formally launched by Jovito R. Salonga, PhD
on 26 August 2006 at the College of Law, Silliman University (Dumaguete city, Negros Oriental, Philippines).
The Salonga Center deals with a range of issues affecting today’s society such as environmental degradation,
crime, poverty, the violation of human rights, labor andagrarian issues, and the effect of globalization on local
development. The Salonga Center believes that pursuing and promoting equitable solutions to the challenges
posed by these issues is the key to directing the social,political, and economic forces that influence Philippine
development in the new millennium.
Salonga Center pioneers what it calls Transformative
Law – the study and application of law to transform society, shape policies through advocacy, legal education, research, training, and service learning. Transformative law
brings the law beyond the courts and the classrooms andto the barrios, barangays, the local government units, thepolicy makers, and national and local legislators.
Objective
The Silliman University College of Law aims to teach law
with a conscience - that kind of law which, to paraphrase
our Lord and Savior, brings good news to the poor, liberates the captives, gives hope to the blind, and sets at liberty those who are oppressed. This is the kind of law thatwill eventually transform our society into a just, compassionate, and prosperous society.
Programs and Activities
In pursuit of this goal, the College of Law has embarked
on strengthening and expanding its current programs,
namely the Free Legal Counseling Program, the Legal
Environmental Advocacy Program (LEAP), and its field
exposure programs, through the Salonga Center. Threecore elements guide the Salonga Center in its programs
and operations: Legal Education & Training, Legal Advocacy, and Research.
Salonga Center’s research program aims to provide
independent statistics on various issues such as population, health, economic growth, and political participation, and to critically analyze Philippine and internationallaws. Opinions and analyses will then be incorporated ina publication which will be made available to government offices, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Activities
PAHINUNGOD – community-based activities that provide
information and assistance on legal matters to various
barangays (communities) within and outside the province of Negros Oriental.
Salonga Center on Air – a one-hour radio program (at160

DYEM 96.7 Energy FM) discussing local legal issues
Workshop – aimed at increasing the awareness of various
sectors of society (students, teachers, barangay leaders,
government officials) on laws and legal mechanisms relating to significant issues such as elections, and government system.
University Convocation – lecture on issues of national significance by well-known personalities in the fields of law
and politics.
Thursday Forum - an avenue for the different sectors of
the community to discuss and analyze different societal
issues, to educate and inform the public about them, andto come up with possible solutions.
Other Information
Some of the specific research interests of the Salonga
Center:
1. Creation of special courts to handle violations of traffic
rules, ordinances and other small claims
2. Revisiting the developmental programs of the government, such as agrarian reform, Filipinization program,
etc. to determine if they have promoted economic andsocial development. The research will utilize comparative research to study similar issues and programs inother countries, and use the research results to enhance Philippine development
3. “Shepardize” Philippine law and jurisprudence. Considering the magnitude of the undertaking, this remains
just a dream project.
AddressDr. Jovito R. Salonga Center For Law And Development
Silliman University College of Law
Villareal Hall, Silliman University
6200 Dumaguete City, Philippinesph: (6335) 422-6002
e-mail: su_salongacenter@yahoo.com.phwww.salongacenter.org

Scalabrini Migration CenterYear Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC) is a non-profit research institute established in 1987 and based in Manila,
Philippines.
SMC is dedicated to encouraging and facilitating thestudy of socio-demographic, economic, political, psychological, historical, legislative and religious aspectsof human migration and refugee movements from andwithin Asia.
SMC is a member of the Federation of Centers for Migration Studies (FCMS) “G.B. Scalabrini,” which is responsible for the publication of some of the major journals on
migration studies. SMC is also an associate member of
the UNESCO-MOST, Asia-Pacific Migration Research Network (APMRN) and of the Philippine Migration Research
Network (PMRN), and the Philippine Migrants Rights
Watch.
Objectives
SMC aims
1. To encourage the interdisciplinary study of migrationin Asia-Pacific2. To contribute to the development of informed policies
that will ensure respect for the rights and dignity of
migrants
3. To promote greater solidarity with migrants and withinstitutions and individuals working for migrants welfare.
Programs and Activities
Research - aims to shed light on the many facets anddimensions of migration in the Philippines and in theregion.
Among the researches SMC has conducted are: theimpacts of migration on the children and families left
behind, solo-parenting, female migration, international
marriages between Filipino women and foreign men,migration and entrepreneurship, evaluation of the PreDeparture Orientation Seminars (PDOS), assessment of
pre-departure information programs, Filipino migration
to Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, assessment of HIV
vulnerability in migration in the BIMP-EAGA region, thereturn and reintegration of Filipino women migrants,
unauthorized migration in Southeast Asia and migration
information system in Asia.

velopment, 2005
• Faith on the Move. Towards a Theology of Migration in
Asia, 2006
• Turning Transnational? International Migration andDevelopment Prospects in the Philippines, 2007
Publications• Orgoglio e Pregiudizio (2005)• Preparing to Work Abroad - Filipino Migrants’ Experiences Prior to Deployment (2004)• Hearts Apart - Migration in the Eyes of Filipino Children(2003)• Exodus Series, A Resource Guide for the Migrant Ministry in Asia
• Unauthorized Migration (2003)• Asia-Pacific Migration Journal (APMJ)• Asian Women in Migration, Graziano Battistella andAnthony Paganoni (eds.) (1996)• Migration from the Philippines , 1975-1995. An Annotated Bibliography, Joyce Yukawa (1996)• Directory of NGOs for Migrants in Asia (second edition)(1997)• Human Rights of Migrant Workers: Agenda for NGOs,
Graziano Battistella (ed.) (1993)• Intermarriages in International Contexts: A Study ofFilipino women married to Australian, Japanese andSwiss men, Desmond Cahill (1990)• Philippine Labor Migration: Impact and Policy, Graziano Battistella and Anthony Paganoni (eds.) (1992)
Address
Scalabrini Migration Center
4, 13th Street , New Manila 1112 Quezon City
Metro Manila , Philippines
ph (63-2) 724-3512
fax: (63-2) 721-4296
e-mail: smc@smc.org.ph
www.smc.org.ph

SMC periodically organizes international conferences on
migration, such as the following:• Human Rights of Migrant Workers: Agenda for NGOs,
1992• Migration and Trade: Implications for the Philippines,
1995• Asian Women in Migration, 1995
• The Impact of the Crisis on Migration in Asia, 1998
• Migrations in Asia and Europe in Contemporary Times:
Exploring Transnationalism, Multiple Linkages and De-

161

Women and Gender Institute (WAGI)
Miriam College

Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
Maryknoll College (now Miriam College) was one of thepioneers in introducing women’s studies in the Philippines during the 1970s. In 1987, the Women’s Resource
and Research Center (WRRC) was established on campus
to address the “integrative needs of women’s research,
action and scholarship towards social transformation
based on truth, justice, and peace.”
Currently, the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI)
continues the pioneering efforts of the WRRC with its renewed efforts in charting new directions for the school’s
women and gender programs through initiatives in gender-fair education, feminist research and advocacy on
women’s rights. It offers a cross-discipline perspective on
women’s empowerment that is interlinked with democracy, human rights, social justice and value formation.
WAGI became operational in the Second Semester of
School Year 1999-2000, under the presidency of Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan.
Objectives
WAGI aims to provide services in gender-fair education,
young women’s leadership formation, feminist scholarship, and gender mainstreaming in public policy, to academic and non-academic organizations and institutionsin the Philippines and in the Asia Pacific region.
Programs
Gender Fair Education Program - mainstreams the perspectives, values and strategies related to the integrationof women’s rights and gender equality and equity in the
curriculums, teaching, student development and administration at Miriam College.
International Human Rights & Governance Program - undertakes consultancy work, research and trainings on
women’s human rights and empowerment. It aims topopularize the United Nations instruments and other international agreements on women’s rights through education, training, and advocacy.
Young Women Leadership Program - supports leadershipformation of Miriam College students through collaborations with various academic units, service offices andstudent organizations on campus. WAGI also reaches out
to student and youth formations on other campuses,
particularly the member-schools of the Consortium of
Women’s Colleges (CWC).
Gender, Development & Economic Globalization Program- generates information and analyses based on criticalfeminist perspectives on aid, development, trade andeconomic globalization in support of people’s advocacy
and social movement building. It is the base for regional
coordination of two international knowledge, research162

and advocacy networks, namely Development Alternatives with Women for A New Era (DAWN) – Southeast Asia
and International Gender and Trade Network-Asia.
Gender Peace and Security Progam - through research, education, exchanges and advocacy, the program seeks tohighlight the gender dimensions of war and militarism,
respond to the needs and issues of women in conflictand post-conflict situations, and facilitate the articulation of an alternative security paradigm that placed gender justice at the center.
Migration Studies and Research Program - this is an interdisciplinary program committed to the critical study
and analysis of contemporary migration in the context ofglobalization and transnational processes. The programaims to generate knowledge and competencies in order
to contribute to an informed and critical discourse on migration issues.
Publications• “Third Report on the Advancement of Women in
ASEAN: Gender Dimensions of Globalisation and Regional Integration.” Francisco Josefa (Project Director).
Indonesia: The ASEAN Secretariat (2007)• How to do Things with Fear: Language and the Production of Christian Pride and Muslim Prejudice, Israel,
Lorna (2005)• “Negotiation Kit for Beijing + 10: Little Purple Book”.
The proceedings of the Asia Pacific NGO Forum on Beijing + 10 held on 30 June to 3 July 2004 at Mahidol
University . Quezon City: WAGI (2005)• From De Jure to De Facto Rights: Towards a Frameworkof Strengthening Implementation of CEDAW in thePhilippines, Eleanor Conda, et al. with funding support
from UNIFEM (2005)• “Voices 2005 and Beyond”. Proceedings of the Asia Pacific NGO Forum on Beijing + 10 “Celebrating Gains…
Confronting Emerging Issues” (30 June – 3 July 2004)
Address
Women and Gender Institute (WAGI)
Miriam College
Katipunan Avenue , Loyola Heights , Quezon City
Metro Manila , Philippines
ph (632) 4359229 / 5805400 local 3590
ph/fax (632) 435-9229
e-mail: wagi@mc.edu.phwww.mc.edu.ph/centers/womengenderinstitute.html

Womenlead
Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy and Defense (WOMENLEAD) Foundation, Inc., established in June 2000, envisions itself as a nationally recognized non-governmentalorganization (NGO) of feminist legal advocates and activists that contributes to the development of communities
where women’s human rights are recognized, respected,
protected and realized. It provides strategic feminist legal interventions for the promotion of human rights andsexual and reproductive empowerment of women andgirls.
Objectives
Womenlead aims
1. To create a policy environment conducive to advocacy
for changes in the legal system towards addressing
the needs of women and girl-children
2. To raise the consciousness of the general public on
women’s and girl-children human rights and sexual
reproductive (SR) rights
3. To build the capacity of stakeholders for the empowerment of women and girl-children
4. To provide feminist strategic legal intervention that isaffordable, appropriate, empowering and responsive
to the needs of women and girl-children
5. To develop strong partnerships with various stakeholders towards a more effective advocacy and service
delivery.
Programs and Activities
1. Legal Services Program (LSP) - provides legal services tofemale survivors of rape, sexual harassment, trafficking
in persons, intimate partner abuse and other forms ofviolence against women (VAW) and discrimination.
2. Legal Education and Training Program (LET) – includes
implementation of training programs, designs andmodules for a wide range of audience on various issues of women’s human rights. The Comprehensive
Paralegal Training Program (CPTP) was among thefirst implemented by Womenlead for its partner-NGOs
working on VAW.
3. Public Policy Advocacy (PPA) Program - Womenlead links
with other NGOs and people’s organizations (POs) inpolicy and legal advocacy and campaigns.
		 Womenlead has been actively involved in the legislative advocacy for the passage of the Anti-Trafficking
Law of 2003 (RA 9208) and the Anti-Violence
		 Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 (RA9262), currently advocating for the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill as well as opposing bills filed
by conservative members of the House of Representatives calling for the ban on contraceptives, granting
health workers the right to refuse to give reproductive
health services on religious grounds, and widening
the scope of abortion which is a criminal act under thepresent law.

		 The PPA program also covers media and public advocacy. Womenlead releases public statements, position papers and press releases on various issues on
women’s human rights through print, radio and television media.
4. Research and Documentation (RD) Program - Womenlead produces a number of materials including journal, monograph, primer, book, magazine, and otherunpublished materials.
Publications• Women’s Journal on Law and Culture, two volumes(2001, 2005)• Womenlead Monograph Series 2005 (several issues)• Primers- RH is HR: A Primer on Reproductive Rights, Venus B.
Cruz (2007)- Girls in Law: Laws Affecting Young Women, Carolina
S. Ruiz-Austria and Venus Cruz (2005)- When Breaking Up is Hard Not to Do: A Primer on
the Laws Affecting Marriage, Minerva Quintela andCarolina S. Ruiz-Austria (2005)- Justice Beyond Bars: A Guide to Civil Cases for Women, Mae Nina Reyes-Gallos (2005)- A Guide to the Violence Against Women and Their
Children Act of 2000, Claire Angeline P. Luczon(2005)- How To Handle Searches and Seizures: Primer for
Reproductive Health Service Providers, Mae Nina
Reyes-Gallos (2004)• Book- Heresy, Carolina S. Ruiz-Austria (ed.) (2005)• Magazine- Ripples - supplementary magazine for Women’s
Journal on Law and Culture, Reshaping the World(2003).
Address
Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy & Defense Foundation, Inc. (WOMENLEAD)#59 Mahabagin Street, Teachers’ Village
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
ph (632) 4356823 / 4251369
e-mail: wlead@pldtdsl.net; women_lead@yahoo.com
www.geocities.com/women_lead163

singapore
Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)
Year Established: 1985
Short Historical Background
Inspired by the 1984 seminar “Women’s Choices, Women’s Lives” where a panel of women spoke to an audienceof about fifty people, a few good women got together
and started AWARE. Thanks to the solid, consistent pursuit of AWARE’s vision for gender equality and to theunswerving dedication of its members and volunteers,
the organization has grown to become a significant contributor to Singaporean society and is recognized fromgrassroots up to government levels.
Objective
AWARE seeks to identify areas for improvement in gender equality, encourage positive change, and support
women in realizing their highest potential. It believes
that gains made by women are not gains made at the expense of men. Rather, they are gains that benefit families
and society as a whole.
Programs
Over the years AWARE has focused on Research & Advocacy aimed at identifying and researching areas for improvement in gender equality. The AWARE office also features a comprehensive library of resources dealing withwomen’s issues that is open to members and researchers
by appointment.
Through Public Education, AWARE aims to support
women to reach their highest potential. AWARE’s public
education addresses issues such as body image, genderstereotypes, and violence against women. Current programs include Comprehensive Sexuality Education and
Financial Intelligence Training, as well as ongoing lectures at educational institutions.
AWARE offers Direct Services to Singaporean womenin need, which include the Helpline, Befrienders Program, Legal Clinic, and Counseling Services. AWARE has
helped an average of two hundred women per monthwith these
services.

164

Activities
1. Research & Advocacy• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace – studies
awareness, opinions and attitudes of sexual harassment in the Singapore workplace• Body Image - looks at health issues arising fromobsessions of the body and the struggles young
women have with self -esteem, self-confidence
and well-being• Consumer Watch - looks into enabling women to
make informed purchasing decisions• Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) – continues researchon women in Singapore for the United Nations andeducates Singaporeans on its research• GEMS (Gender Equality Men of Singapore) – discusses the experience of being a man, by men
2. Public Education• Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) - workshops aimed at providing young women with comprehensive information about their sexual health• Self-Defense Workshops – short classes to educate
women on how to protect themselves from an attack• Lecture Series – one-hour talks to educate students
on current issues affecting women• Body Image Campaign – programs coordinatedwith local students to promote healthy lifestyles
and positive image• The Think Box, by AWARE - public forum to discuss
topics in society, work and life
• AWARE on Facebook – a group on the popular networking website where members can write issues
that interest them
3. Direct Services• Helpline – attends to callers in need of counselingand provides referral services• Legal Clinic – provides women with free legal information and advice at a monthly clinic• Befrienders – provides on-site support to womenin need by accompanying them to police stations,family courts, hospitals, and other help centers• Counsellors – assists women by providing individualized and group counseling, self-development
workshops, and group therapy
Publications• Books- Small Steps, Giant Leaps: A History of AWARE andthe Women’s Movement in Singapore (2007)- Rape: Weapon of Terror (2000)• Reports- CEDAW Shadow Report (2007)- Foreign Bride Report: Beyond Happily Ever After(2006)- Beyond Borders: Sex with Children - Implementing
Extra-territorial Legislation for Singaporeans (2006)• Awareness Annual Journal (Collection of Essays, Poetry
and Interviews) (1995-2007)
Address
AWARE Centre
Block 5 Dover Crescent 01-22
Singapore 130005
ph (65) 6779-7137
fax (65) 6777-0318
Helpline 1800-774-5935 (Mon-Fri, 3-9:30pm)
e-mail: aware@aware.org.sg
www.aware.org.sg

Think Centre - Singapore
Year Established: 1999
Short Historical Background
Think Centre is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) in Singapore. First registered as a business (RCB) on 16 July 1999 and today as a society (underROS) on 20 October 2001.
Objectives
The Centre aims to critically examine issues related topolitical development, democracy, rule of law, humanrights and civil society in Singapore. It aims more specifically
1. To facilitate communication within the civil society
platform that will include individuals, non-governmental organizations and others with similar objectives
2. To cultivate awareness, appreciation and understanding of civil, socio-economic and political perspectives,
realities and alternatives
3. To foster a sense of duty to participate in the nation’s
political process and civil society.

Other Information
ThinkCentre.org - internet portal of Think Centre
Address
Think Centre
P.O.Box 327, Jurong Point Post office
Singapore 916411
ph (65) 9479 1906
fax (65)6425 0709
e-mail: thinkcentre@hotmail.com
www.thinkcentre.org

Programs• Human Rights Watch• Labour Watch• Policy Watch• Media Watch• Election Watch• Community Relations• Publications• Networking
Activities
Think Centre’s activities include research, publication,organizing of events and networking. It has undertaken
the following activities:
1. Politics 21- From Student Politics to Real Politics: Youth, Politics& Civil Society- Active Citizenship & Politics in Singapore: Exploring
Political Expression & Action- Non-Partisanship: Politics without Punishment- Human Rights: Every Singaporean Matters
2. Forums- Political Society in Singapore (Gomez vs JBJ Debate)- Human Rights vs Human Security- Citizenship Education: You Have the Right!
3. Speakers’ Corner opening launch - Speakers’ Fest- International Human Rights Day (IHRD) 2000
- First Anniversary
Publications• Self-censorship: Singapore’s Shame• SHAME - Singapore’s first internet political magazine• Young Vietnam: Doi Moi’s Children• Internet Politics: Surveillance & Intimidation in Singapore

165sri lanka
Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)
Year Established: 1996
Short Historical Background
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) was formed in
1996 in the firm belief that the vital contribution of civilsociety to the public policy debate is in need of strengthening. Focusing primarily on issues of governance andconflict resolution, CPA is committed to programs of research and advocacy through which public policy is critiqued, alternatives identified and disseminated. CPA is
an independent, non-partisan organization that receives
funds from international and bilateral funding agencies
and foundations.
Objectives
CPA aims
1. To contribute to public accountability in governancethrough the strengthening of the awareness in societyof all aspects of public policy and policy implementation
2. To make inputs into the public policy-making and implementation process in the constitutional, legislative
and administrative spheres to ensure responsible andgood governance3. To propose to the government and parliament and allother policy-making bodies and institutions, constructive policy alternatives aimed at strengthening andsafeguarding democracy, pluralism, the Rule of Law,human rights and social justice
4. To focus attention on the social and political consequences of development
5. To contribute towards the conflict resolution process in Sri Lanka and the South Asian region, so as
to strengthen institution and capacity-building for
democratic governance in multi-ethnic and pluralist
societies.
Programs and Activities
Legal and Constitutional Unit - undertakes research andadvocacy on issues of Constitutional Reform and Conflict
Transformation, Law Reform, Electoral Reform and Human Rights through the following activities:• Public Interest Litigation• Seminars, Workshops and Public Lectures• Projects (Freedom of Information, Child Labor &Child Trafficking, Labor, HIV/AIDS, Internally Displaced Persons, etc).
• Publications• Sri Lanka Broadcast Media Report- “An Investigation
into the Closure of CBNSat and Implications for Sri
Lankan Broadcast Media” by Ms. Ruha Devanesan(June-August 2006).
Conflict & Peace Analysis Unit – focuses on the protracted
ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka: its genesis, manifestations,present trends and tendencies and future trajectory. The
unit also seeks to intervene in processes relating to na-

166tional reconciliation, national reconstruction and the restitution of peace with justice in Sri Lanka. The activities of
the unit are the following:• Conducting seminars and symposiums related tomulti-level and multi-track peace processes, andcurrent and comparative situations on conflict andpeace• Peace advocacy and outreach activities with media,
local civic organizations and institutions• Liaising with national and international organizations engaged in facilitating/mediating a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict.
• Conducting research on peace-related issues witha view to informing policymakers and the generalpublic in order to increase public debate.
Media Unit - supports the CPA’s goal of formulating policy options to inform and shape the practice and cultureof governance in Sri Lanka by engendering a socially responsible media through the examination of the content
and form of media coverage, and by publishing ‘Media
Monitor’, a journal highlighting problems with media
reportage in Sri Lanka. It engages in the following activities:• Formulation of Proposed National Media Policy of
Sri Lanka• Promoting Voices of Reconciliation Program (Media
Charter)• Access to a Voice: Communications Planning fornon-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations.
Publications
Some of the CPA publications are the following:• Media Monitor (series, Sinhala)- Fiscal And Financial Arrangements In A Federal Sri
Lanka - Some Issues For Discussion (English and Sinhala)- Land and Property Rights of Internally Displaced
Persons (English and Sinhala)- Moot Point Legal Review (annual since 1997)• The Right to Vote and the Law Relating To Election Petitions• Role of the Ombudsman (English, Sinhala And Tamil)• Law, Human Rights And HIV/AIDS, A Guide (English,
Sinhala and Tamil)• Peace Analysis (Sinhala)
Address
Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)
24/2, 28th Lane, Off Flower Road
Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
ph 94-11-2301634 /2565304-6, 94-11-5552746 /8, Ext. 102
fax 94-11-4714460
e-mail:cpa_sara@sri.lanka.net, sara@cpalanka.org
www.cpalanka.org

Centre for the Study of Human Rights (CSHR)
Year Established: 1991
Short Historical Background
The Centre for the Study of Human Rights (CSHR) is a university-based organization located in the Faculty of Law,
University of Colombo. Its mandate is education and research in human rights. The CSHR enjoys its status within
the University system, while maintaining considerable
autonomy.
For the past sixteen years, the CSHR has been a key
player in building up a human rights culture in Sri Lanka.
It has been responsible for the successful introductionof Human Rights Education to various social and professional groups in the country at different levels, expanding its reach geographically. While continuing its work in
the conflict-free areas of Sri Lanka, it gradually strengthened its network in the conflict-affected areas as well.
Objectives
CSHR aims
1. To provide its target groups with not only an understanding of their rights, but also the rights of all peoples, their duties, obligations and violations of rights
2. To educate and sensitize persons to their rights andobligations
3. To research and add to the sum total of knowledge inhuman rights
4. To gather and disseminate information for the use of
students or activists in the field of human rights.
Programs and Activities
a. Outreach education program• Human Rights Education Program for Schools• Human Rights Education Program for the Community• Human Rights Broadcasting Program• Good Governance Program• Human Rights Education for the Armed Forces• Human Rights Education for the Police• Incorporating Human Rights into Secondary School
Curricula• Human Rights Education for Pre-Service Teachers• Human Rights Education for Prison Officers and Inmates• Project on the Rights of Differently Abled Persons• Human Rights Programs for the Plantation Sectorb. University courses/training• Human Rights Practical Training Program for Young
Lawyers• Human Rights Internship Program• Human Rights Awareness for University Students• Human Rights Awareness for Academic and Nonacademic Staff• Distance Learning Diploma in Human Rights andPeace Studies
c. Seminars and workshops• Workshop for Media Personnel• Human Rights Day Program
d. Research
e. Information Dissemination• Information Unit
Special Concerns
CSHR’s programs cater to the following groups:• Primary and secondary school children• University students• Pre-service teachers• Academic and non-academic staff of universities• Community groups• Members of the Army, Navy and Air Force• Members of the Police• Plantation sector• Prisoners and prison staff• Differently-abled persons• Various professional groups, i.e., doctors, lawyers• Local government officers at various levels• Media personnel.
Publications
Some of the publications of CSHR are the following:• CSHR Newsletter• Other publications- Protecting Freedom of and From Religion: questioning the Law’s Ability to Protect Against UnethicalConversions in Sri Lanka by Alexandra Owens- Non Violent Conflict Resolution: a Handbook forTrainers (Sinhala)- Non Violent Conflict Resolution: a Handbook forTrainers(Tamil)- Catching the Big Fish: The Introduction of the Doctrine of Command Responsibility in Sri Lankan Legislation by Nehama Jayewardene- Parental and State Responsibility for Children: theDevelopment of South African and Sri Lankan Laws
by Prof.Sharya Scharenguivel- CSHR Human Rights Journal, vol. 1 Issues 1 and 2(2005, 2006, 2007)- Sambashanai, vol. 1 (2007)- Sri Lanka: HIV/AIDS- Human Rights and the Unconvicted Prisoner: A
Study on Welikada Remand Prison
Other Information
CSHR’s Information Unit has relevant and diverse sourcesof information on human rights and services for staff andstudents of the Faculties of Law and Arts and the generalpublic. Foreign visitors also continue to use the Information Unit, particularly those visiting Sri Lanka temporarily.
Address
Centre for the Study of Human Rights (CSHR)
Faculty of Law, University of Colombo
Reid Avenue, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka
ph (94 11) 258 9118, 2500879, 598462, 503017
fax (94 11) 259 8462
e-mail: cshr@sltnet.lk
www.cshr.org

167

Law & Society Trust - Sri Lanka
Year Established: 1982
Short Historical Background
The Law & Society Trust (LST) was established in Colombo in 1982 to initiate studies and activities on law, its processes and institutions. It was subsequently incorporated
in 1992 under the Companies Act No. 17 of 1982.
LST designs activities and programs, and commissions studies and publications, which have attempted tomake the law play a more meaningful role within society. It also utilizes law as a resource in the battle against
underdevelopment and poverty, and is involved in theorganization of a series of programs to improve access tothe mechanisms of justice, as well as programs aimed atmembers of the legal community, to use law as a tool forsocial change.
Objectives
LST aims
1. To promote co-operation between government andsociety within South Asia on questions relating to human rights, democracy and minority protection
2. To participate in initiatives to develop a global intellectual and policy agenda for the nineties.
Programs
Civil & Political Rights Program – research on humanrights activism and training programs on human rights
standards, law, evidentiary and procedural issues.
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights Program – research ona variety of social and economic rights, high level meetings of key national and international decision-makers,
and publication.
Human Rights in Conflict Program - a combination of information dissemination, research and working withother groups in order to attempt to influence decisionmakers.
Internship Program - for all students interested in gaining
experience in the field of human rights and law.
Activities
Law, Human Rights & Good Governance Study Project- aims to improve legal literacy by providing additional
training workshops for local government officials andholding training of trainers on legal literacy, in order tospread legal literacy more widely and increase its impact
on the community.
Appellate Law Recorder - a quarterly publication on relevant judgments of the Sri Lankan courts in public, civil,
criminal and constitutional laws.
Right to Health – in collaboration with the People’s Movement for Rights of Patients (PMRP), works on the drafting of a constitutional provision on the Right to Health, a168

Charter on the Right to Health and a Charter on Patient’s
Rights and Responsibilities.
Farmers’ Rights to Livelihood Project - focuses on themountain areas of the five South Asian countries and thefarmers living there.
Trade, Development and Poverty – LST acts as one of thepartners in Sri Lanka on the “Linkages between Trade Development and Poverty Reduction” project of the Centre
for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTSCITEE).
Economic Social and Cultural Rights Project – aims to havean effective monitoring and implementation of a selected right guaranteed under international covenants andthereby ensuring better realization of social and economic rights in Sri Lanka.
Rights of Children in Armed Conflict and its Aftermath– designed to co-ordinate and strengthen efforts by local and international non-governmental organizations(NGOs) and government officials to protect the rights offormer child soldiers.
Access to Justice Project - aims to address the legacy of“involuntary disappearances” throughout the island, anddesigned both to make sure that issues of disappearances and accountability are made a central part of thepeace process, to inform surviving families about how
best to vindicate their rights to compensation, and to
train grassroots lawyers throughout the island on legal
and organizing strategies to challenge and prevent disappearances and related human rights violations.
Publications
Some of the LST publications are the following:• LST Review (monthly)• Sri Lanka: State of Human Rights (annual, since 1997)• Appellate Law Recorder (quarterly)• Statutory Powers and Duties of Grama Niladharis• An Activist’s Manual on the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights• Fundamental Rights and the Constitution II - A Casebook• Are Environmental Rights Human Rights?
Address
The Law & Society Trust
3 Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
ph (94 1) 691-228/684-845
fax (94 1) 686-843
e-mail: lstadmin@sltnet.lk; lst@slt.lk
www.lawandsocietytrust.org

syriaAl-Marsad - The Arab Center for Human Rights in the Golan Heights
Year Established: 2003
Short Historical Background
Al-Marsad, The Arab Center for Human Rights in the Golan Heights is an independent non-profit legal humanrights organization, located in Majdal Shams, in the Occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Al-Marsad was founded in
October 2003 by a group of lawyers and professionals in
the fields of health, education, journalism and engineering (mostly town-planners) as well as human rights defenders and other interested community members.

lan Heights who suffer from violations of international
humanitarian law and international human rights law by
the Israeli government.

Objectives
Al-Marsad aims
1. To monitor and document the human rights violations committed against the Syrian Arabs in the Golan
Heights, both past and present, by the Israeli government
2. To monitor and document Israel’s grave violations of
the International Humanitarian Law.

Organizing Campaigns – Al Marsad organizes campaigns
in order to educate the local and international communities about the human rights situation in the Occupied
Golan Heights. On 19 April 2008, Al Marsad celebrated
the global day of action to ban cluster bombs in Majdal
Shams, a town in the Occupied Syrian Golan. Al Marsad
opened a petition book for signing to the public. This coincided with the establishment of a commission against
landmines and cluster munitions in the Occupied Golan
Heights under the guidance of Al Marsad, whose committee members are made up of different individuals including landmine survivors.

Programs and Activities
Research and Publication – Al Marsad produces reports
and studies regarding the occupation of the Golan
Heights on the basis of International Humanitarian and
Human Rights Law. Since its inauguration, Al-Marsad has
been producing a newsletter regarding issues of utmost
concern in the Occupied Golan Heights, such as the planning policy of Israel in the area; the situation of separated
families; and the landmine issue, etc. Al Marsad has also
produced a number of reports submitted to various international organizations such as the United Nations(UN) human rights bodies including the UN Committee
on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the International Committee for the Red Cross in Geneva.
Promotion of the Rights of the Arab Population in the Occupied Golan Heights – Al Marsad appeals to the international community in order to promote the rights of the
Arab population in the Occupied Golan Heights in particular, and human rights in general. This is done throughits participation in international conferences and humanrights training courses and submission of regular reports
to various international organizations.
Awareness-raising within the community about humanrights issues – Al Marsad offers lectures, workshops andtraining courses to the members of the Palestinian community to raise their awarenes on human rights. It organizes human rights training courses in cooperation with
the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) to local
community groups such as the Arab Development Organization and Women Organization of the Golan Heights.
Legal services to the Syrian Arab inhabitants of the Golan
Heights - Al Marsad provides free legal service to themembers of the Arab local community of the Syrian Go-Internship Program – this provides recently graduatedstudents a great opportunity to learn both about thesituation of the Golan Heights in general and about theinternational humanitarian law and human rights law violations occurring in the Golan Heights under the illegal
occupation of Israel.

Publications
Some publications of Al Marsad:• The Occupied Syrian Golan: Background (2005)• Al Marsad’s Report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (2007)• Al Marsad’s Strategic Plan for 2008-2009 (2007)• Al Marsad’s Narrative Report of Main Fields of Activities(2005-2006)
Press releases, copies of reports submitted to international organizations, and other reports detailing Al
Marsad’s programs and activities are available online,
visit http://www.golan-marsad.org/
Address
AL-MARSAD - The Arab Center for Human Rights in theGolan Heights
P.O. Box 9
Majdal Shams 12438
Golan Heights, Via Israelph (972-4) 687-0644
fax (972-4) 687-0645
e-mail: marsad@golan-marsad.org
www.golan-marsad.org

169

The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC)
Year Established: 1997
Short Historical Background
The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) is an independent and neutral human rights organization fundamentally concerned with defending general liberties
and human rights of the Syrian people. Until SHRC is permitted to open a head office in Damascus and branches
in the Syrian provinces, SHRC will be temporarily basedin London.
Objectives
SHRC aims
1. To expose the violations, assaults and aggressions
against human rights and fundamental liberties of
the Syrian citizens, publish them to the international
media, address the issues to the authorities, and follow-up on such reported incidents with all concerned
entities
2. To conduct research and publish books and studies
related to fundamental liberties and human rights in
Syria utilizing scientific research methodologies andinvestigative verification
3. To issue various reports, initiate humane campaigns
and conduct seminars and interviews to highlight thehuman right issues in Syria
4. To raise awareness and promote the culture of humanrights in the Syrian society and encourage members of
the society to continuously demand for their humanrights and general liberties through peaceful means
5. To adhere to the principle of cooperation with organizations, entities, centers, and non-governmental associations specializing in active defense and advocacyof human rights, while preserving the independent
nature of the committee’s work agenda.
Programs and Activities
Research and Publication – SHRC gathers information onvarious issues concerning human rights violations (especially random and arbitrary detentions) in Syria. It publishes regular and annual reports, press releases, and listsof detainees of Syrian Prisons.
Campaign and Appeal - SHRC releases campaigns and appeals on human rights violations in Syria.
Special Concerns
SRCH is specifically concerned with protecting the rights
of arbitrarily detained individuals. Name Lists, Reports,
and Appeals concerning detainees are all accessible atthe SRCH website http://www.shrc.org
Publications• Report on the Human Rights Situation in Syria Over a
20-year Period (2001)• Justice Journal (quarterly) - fundamentally concernedwith defending general liberties and human rights of
the Syrian people

170• Featured Books (available online):• Just Five Minutes: Nine Years in the Prisons of Syria,
Hiba Dabbagh (2007)• Tadmur: a Witness and a Witnessed (in Arabic), Mohammed Saleem Hammad (1998)• Reports, Press Releases, Books and the Justice Journal
are all accessible on the SRCH website (http://www.
shrc.org)
Address
Syrian Human Rights Committee
BCM Box: 2789
London WC1N 3XX
United Kingdom
fax (44-870) 137 7678
email: walid@shrc.org, webmaster@shrc.org
www.shrc.org

taiwanChang Fo-Chuan Center for the Study of Human Rights
Soochow University

Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
Beginning in 1995, several faculty members of the Political Science Department at Soochow University, including Professor Mab Huang, offered courses in the humanrights field, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. They also collaborated with colleagues in Yang-ming
Medical College (now National Yang-ming University)and the Taipei Municipal Teacher’s College (now Taipei
Municipal University of Education) in training teachersand compiling teaching materials for primary and secondary schools. In 1998, an International Conference on
Human Rights Education was held in Taipei, and scholars
and experts from the US, Europe and Japan discussed
the strengthening of human rights education in Taiwan.
In 2000, the Chang Fo-Chuan Center for the Studyof Human Rights was founded at Soochow University,
Taipei. It is dedicated to research and education in thehuman rights field, including the promotion of humanrights education in primary and secondary schools. Four
years later, an undergraduate human rights program waslaunched. In the fall of 2008, the Center will inaugurate
the human rights MA program.
Objectives
The Center seeks to encourage research in the humanrights field and to help facilitate human rights education,
thus contributing to the development of a human rights
culture in Taiwan.
Programs
1. Advancing Human Rights Research in Taiwan – the Center aims to advance human rights research, which has
long been neglected in universities and research institutes in Taiwan
2. Promoting Human Rights Education – the Center aims
to meet the needs of human rights education in Taiwan, which was a taboo during the period of authoritarian rule
3. Training Local Human Rights Workers – the Center aims
to provide training in both theory and practice tomembers of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
4. Deepening International Exchanges – the Center aims tointensify international exchanges and enable Taiwan tobe part of the international human rights movement.
Its human rights MA program is designed to integratetheory and practice, emphasizing inter-discipline approach and international liaison. The Center aims torecruit students from university and college graduates,
government officials related to human rights work, primary and secondary school teachers and administrators
as well as NGO staff.

In contrast to the MA in Human Rights, the undergraduate human rights program aims to inculcate the ideasof human rights, drawing students from different disciplines.
Activities
In addition to the undergraduate Human Rights Programand MA in Human Rights Program described above,
through the years, the Center has also engaged in thefollowing activities:
1. Sponsoring international conferences, such as the International Conference on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights(2003), the International Conference on Human Rights
Education in Taiwan (2004), and the International Conference on Human Rights Education in a Diverse andChanging Asia (2006)
2. Sponsoring lecture series by internationally wellknown experts and scholars, including Dr. Heinrich
Klebes, Honorary Secretary-General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2001), Judge
Georg Ress of the European Court of Human Rights(2001), Professor Theodore van Boven of the Universitiet Maastricht (2006), and Professor Ian Neary of Oxford University (2008)
3. Sponsoring book readings and holding workshops.
For example, for 2006, the reading was primarily concerned with Radical Evil, and from August 2007 to July
2008 it was concentrated on Globalization, Development and the Rights of the Disadvantaged Groups
4. Encouraging the participation of students in international conferences and community action activities,
such as defending patient’s rights of the historic Losheng Sanatorium.
Publications• The Directory of MA Human Rights Programs (primarily in the United States and Europe), Tong Jo-chu (ed.)(2006)• The Directory of NGOs, Tong Jo-Chu (ed.) (2006)• Human Rights Dictionary: International, Mainland
China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (Bilingual), Mab Huang(editor-in-chief ) (2007).
Address
Chang Fo-Chuan Center for the Study of Human Rights
70, Linhsi Rd., Shihlin, Taipei, Taiwan111, R.O.C
ph (886-2) 28819471 ext. 6110, 6951 or 6952
fax (886-2) 28812437
e-mail_hrer@scu.edu.tw
www.scu.edu.tw/hr
www.scu.edu.tw/hrp

171

John Paul II Institute for Research into Dialogue for Peace
Fujen Catholic University

Year Established: 1997
Short Historical Background
The Fujen University John Paul II Institute for Research
into Dialogue for Peace was founded in August 1997 as
an integral part of Fujen Catholic University. The Instituteintends to sponsor the study of peace from a Chineseand Catholic perspective. An Annual Lecture on these
themes is held in the first term.
The Institute’s Library is integrated into the University’s Social Science Library, situated in the premises of the
School of Law and Business. The Institute has its own annotated bibliography of all works relating to Peace heldin the University Library.
Objectives
The Institute aims
1. To study issues of peace from a Chinese and Catholic
viewpoint
2. To study, in a systemic manner, the methods andpurpose of dialogue for peace with the intention ofpromoting, especially in the Asian context, genuine
dialogue between individuals, groups, nations and between different religious and cultural traditions
3. To establish contacts and academic cooperation withsimilar centers or institutions in Asia, the world andwith relevant Vatican Congregations
4. To gather materials sufficient to enable the Institute tofunction as a research center; collecting relevant data
about persons, publications, centers and institutes
working in the field of peace studies
5. To encourage some preliminary research in the field,
including: Papal pronouncement on Peace, Peace
Studies at University level, Peace movements at home
and abroad; and Conflict Resolution.
Programs and Activities
Peace research –Institute promotes the application ofChinese philosophy to peace issues and the presentation(in Chinese language) of important peace-related materials. The Institute has worked with the Taiwan Peacetime
Foundation since its foundation on 25 August 2000 and
the Chang Fo-chuan Human Rights Institute to promote
peace studies in Taiwan.
Annual peace lectures and conferences – the Instituteholds lectures and conferences on various themes: peacestudies, human rights and peace, civilian-based defence,
peace education, engendering security, etc.
Human rights research - from its inauguration the Institute has been engaged in the research and promotionof human rights. Four major conferences have been held
as well as a number of shorter talks. The major research
topic has been that of the initial reception of humanrights into China. A subsidiary topic has been the field ofindigenous persons’ rights.

172

Conferences on human rights – the Institute has been
holding conferences on human rights issues such as human rights and values in Asia, human rights education,
the abolition of the death penalty, indigenous peoples,
human rights in the Pacific rim, among others.
Publications• The Former Generation Discusses Human Rights: An
Anthology of Chinese Texts on Human Rights (in 4 volumes) (Chinese)- Volume 1 - The Emergence of Human Rights- Volume 2 - Women and Rights- Volume 3 - Liberty and Equality- Volume 4 - Human Rights and the Law• Human Rights and Values in East Asia (in English & Chinese)• Proceedings of the Fujen International Conferenceon Human Rights and Values in East Asia 21-23 June
1998,(in Chinese & English)• The Human Person as the Foundation of Human Rights- Proceedings of the East Asian Regional Seminar of
the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (English &Chinese)• Taiwan Opposes the Death Penalty - Proceedings ofthe Fujen University International Conference on Abolition of the Death Penalty in 2001, Fujen University(English)
Other Information
The Institute’s library has special sections on humanrights, indigenous rights, United Nations publications,
Catholic Peace and Justice and Vatican documents.
Address
John Paul II Peace InstituteLoyola Building, Fujen University
24205 HSINCHUANG, TAIWAN
ph (8862) 2903 1111 ext. 3111
fax (8862) 2904 3586
e-mail: peace@mails.fju.edu.tw
www.fju.edu.tw/homepage2/peace/d4.htm

Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR)
Year Established: 1984
Short Historical BackgroundEstablished on International Human Rights Day, 10 December 1984, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights(TAHR) is the oldest independent human rights organization in Taiwan. In its early years, TAHR operated under arepressive political regime as an underground organization. Authoritarian General Chiang Kai-shek from China
imposed martial law on Taiwan in 1949 (and lasted forthirty-nine years), suspending the Constitution and subjecting thousands of individuals to illegal arrests, torture,
imprisonment, and extrajudicial executions. In the years
prior to TAHR’s formation, Taiwanese people witnesseda series of major governmental crackdowns on oppositional voices, such as the Formosa Incident (1979), theLin family murders (1980), and the murder of Chen Wencheng (1981). Despite the horror and grief, these tragedies only strengthened the Taiwanese people’s determination to speak out for human rights, rule of law, anddemocracy. Since the establishment, TAHR fought forbasic civil and political rights together with the growing
social and political opposition movements. Main work
included: campaigns to free political prisoners; ending
the practice of blacklisting; and demanding freedoms ofspeech, association, and assembly.
The late martial law era into the 1990s was a transitional period for Taiwan. Riding on a growing democracy
and public demand, the first genuine opposition party(DPP) was established in 1986 and martial law was lifted
in 1987. The government also demonstrated a gradual
openness to public elections, rights to free expression,and freedom to assemble and to form civil society organizations. During this transitional period, TAHR enteredinto its second phase of work and focused its campaign
on repealing and revising the remaining undemocraticlaws and regulations, including the National Security
Law, the Parade and Assembly Law, the Civic Organizations Law, to name a few, as well as restrictions on radio
broadcasting —all of which continued to arbitrarily deprive people of basic civil rights.
Today, Taiwan no longer holds political prisoners.
Nevertheless, the legacy of authoritarian rule still remains. The rule of law, independence of the judiciary,
and accountability of the police and military authorities
remain elusive and many forms of discrimination are stillcommon. Furthermore, public awareness about humanrights, particularly about international human rights
norms and mechanisms, is far from adequate. Taiwan’s
involuntary diplomatic isolation represents continuous
challenges in the promotion of human rights and isolates the government from the necessary participation,interaction, and obligation to the international humanrights community.

forms of violation. It believes that human rights, rule oflaw, and democracy are indivisible and interdependent.
Without human rights, rule of law can easily degrade
into rule by law, and democracy into a winner-take-all
struggle.
Programs
TAHR focuses mainly on safeguarding due process of law,eliminating different forms of human rights violation anddiscrimination, promoting human rights education, as
well as expanding the human rights discourse to meetthe needs of contemporary society.
Activities
TAHR conducts awareness campaigns that aim to stimulate grassroots support and policy-advocacy. Its main
activities include investigating individual human rights
cases and assisting victims, monitoring state policies
and advocating legal and constitutional amendments
to meet international human rights standards, and conducting human rights education to promote a deeper
understanding of human rights. TAHR also participates
actively at international human rights forums. It aims tobuild a solid network that will strengthen the work of human rights defenders through active interaction and collaboration with international NGOs.
Special Concerns
Human rights, democracy, rule of law
Publications• Taiwan Human Rights Report (annually)• TAHR e-newsletter• Human Rights Quarterly
Other Information
TAHR is a member of Asian Forum for Human Rights andDevelopment (regional) and International Federation of
Human Rights (international).
Address
Taiwan Association for Human Rights
9F, No.3, Lane 25, Section 3, Hsin-sheng S. Rd,
Taipei, Taiwan 106
ph (886-2) 2363-9787
fax (886-2) 2363-6102
e-mail: tahr@seed.net.tw
www.tahr.org.tw

Objectives
TAHR is an independent civil society organization committed to securing and protecting human rights from all

173thailand
Alternative Asean Network On Burma (Altsean-Burma)Year Established: 1996
Short Historical Background
The Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma) is a network of organizations and individuals basedin ASEAN member-states working to support the movement for human rights and democracy in Burma. The
network is comprised of human rights and social justicecivil society organizations (CSOs), political parties, thinktanks, academics, journalists and student activists.
It was formed at the conclusion of the Alternative
ASEAN Meeting on Burma held at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, in October 1996.
It also works in coordination and cooperation with
key groups outside the ASEAN region.
Objectives
Altsean-Burma aims to support the movement for human rights and democracy in Burma within the context of ASEAN. In doing so, it also works with CSOs tostrengthen the human rights and democratization agenda in ASEAN. While its focus has been on Burma, it works
with partners to support human rights causes within theregion. It regards the political participation of women as
an essential element of democracy and therefore incorporates this approach into its work.

174

Programs and Activities
1. Advocacy and Campaigns - Altsean-Burma develops
and implements a range of regionally-based advocacy
activities in active partnership with strategic organizations, networks and individuals concerned with human rights and democracy in Burma and in ASEAN
2. Research, publications and campaign resources - Altsean-Burma produces various resources that are used
as tools for advocacy and campaign work by legislators, activists, journalists, researchers, diplomats andother decision-makers
3. Women Internships & Alumni Program - Barman & Ethnic- this program is geared to developing the understanding by the women of Burma of various aspects of human rights and democracy, with an emphasis on valuing diversity. The program is focused on developing
skills in problem-solving, negotiation, risk assessmentand management, project management, networking,advocacy, leadership and other organizational skills.
4. Women of Burma Program - this program bridges theinternship, capacity building, women’s solidarity, andresources production programs. Its key aim is to promote the role of women in the struggle and generate
greater solidarity among women of Burma and support from non-Burmese women’s movements.
5. Women of Burma Day campaign - June 19 (Aung San
Suu Kyi’s birthday) has been dedicated as Women of
Burma Day groups around the world and is used as theday for focusing attention on the struggle of women
against Burma’ s military dictatorship.

6. Burma Women Writers’ Program – this program aims,
among others, to assist the women of Burma to develop creative writing skills and gain the confidence toexpress themselves and their opinions through writing short stories, letters, articles and poems.
7. Capacity-building (trainings)
a. Advocacy Capacity Building - Altsean-Burma provides a range of strategic capacity building initiatives
for people of Burma involved in the pro-democracy
movement, with an emphasis on encouraging theparticipation of women, youth and diverse ethnic
groups.
b. Economic Literacy Training for Burma Activists Program - this is a multi-stage series aimed at developing the skills of Burma activists to use economic
issues for human rights advocacy, and to increase
their ability to engage in economic policy development debates, both now and in a future transition
period.
c. Security Analysis & Policy Program – this training explores both traditional approaches to ‘security’ andnon-traditional approaches which are particularly
relevant to Burma and Burma advocacy.
Publications• Burma Bulletin (monthly)• Burma Issues and Concerns• Briefing notes• Special reports:- A Piece of Pie? Burma’s Humanitarian Aid Debate(2002)- Ready, Aim, Sanction! Non-military options to Support Burma Democratization (2003)- On the Road to Democracy? (2004)- A Failing Grade – Burma’s Drug Eradication Efforts(2004)• Campaign resources: t-shirts, posters, postcards, stickers, calendars, video
Address
Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma
P.O. Box 296 Lardprao Post Office, Bangkok 10310
Thailandph 668 1850 9008
fax (66 2) 2754261
e-mail: altsean@altsean.org
www.altsean.org; www.unscburma.org

Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR)
Year Established: 1988
Short Historical Background
In June 1988 a group of professionals and social activists involved with urban poor development activities invarious Asian countries established the Asian Coalition
for Housing Rights (ACHR). The first activity the group
implemented was a regional campaign against evictions
in Korea. This led to a number of new regional activities with a larger number and broader range of contact
groups. ACHR evolved into a regional network and representative for Habitat International Coalition, for Asia. It
has also become the main regional network on humansettlements and urban issues consulted by many United
Nations agencies such as UNCHS, UNDP and ESCAP.
Objectives
ACHR aims
1. To act as a pressure group and for crisis intervention in
specific problems (including fact-finding missions andregional campaigns) of the urban poor
2. To disseminate information on issues of the urbanpoor
3. To provide opportunities for community organizations
to facilitate sharing of experiences at the community
level and for international members to deepen theirunderstanding of the major forces affecting the urbanpoor
4. To facilitate experience sharing and exchange amonggroups, especially among the grassroots groups andnon-governmental organizations (NGOs)
5. To provide professional consultation based on needs
for groups working on urban poor issues
6. To coordinate with related international and local
agencies, especially with regard to regional activities
7. To support the empowerment of local urban poororganizations and strengthen their links among eachother
8. To support the grassroots struggle for housing withan aim to develop the process that enables people tostrengthen their own capabilities
9. To research key issues on urban poor and innovative
initiatives in the region
10. To advocate the right to housing at international, national and local levels
11. To create space for change and facilitating dialogue
on local situations by organizing activities with localgroups12. To support and encourage young professionals to get
involved in community development work and deepen their understanding of the people’s process.
Programs and Activities
Training & Advisory Program (TAP) – a system of mutual
learning and support based on Asian experiences andprocesses for Asian grassroots community organizations,
NGOs and urban poor development professionals.

Eviction Watch & Housing Rights - aims to document andreduce the number of forced evictions throughout Asian
cities as well as introduce alternative methods for solving
housing-related problems in Asian cities.
Community Environmental Improvement Facility – aims to
improve local governance through the creation of community-led environment development planning, budgeting and implementation processes centered aroundthe concern for improving the local environment.
Young Professionals - aims to influence the decision-makers of the future by providing opportunities for young
graduates to work with and for urban poor communities,
and to influence learning institutions concerned withcity development and planning.
Advocacy - highlights the views of senior ACHR members
in Asia as advocates on behalf of the region’s urban poorat the local, national, regional and international levels to
promote solutions to city problems.
Country Projects – in countries in Asia where community-based development is either non-existent or weaker
than in other Asian cities. ACHR has established country-level programs to catalyze and then strengthen local
grassroots organizations of the urban poor.
Publications• Housing by People In Asia (bi-annual newsletter)• News on TAP (bi-annual newsletter)• Young Professionals Newsletter• Evictions/Housing Rights Abuses in Asia, Denis Murphy and Minar Pimple, editors (compiled from “ Eviction Watch monitoring reports), 1995
• Housing Finance for the Poor, a joint publication of
HIC/ACHR /IIED/UNDP, 1994
• Housing The Poor: Asian Experiences, Fr. Jorge Anzorena, 1994
• Housing Crisis in Central Asia, Arif Hasan• How Communities Organize Themselves, Kenneth Fernandes• Working with Government, Arif Hasan.
Address
Asian Coalition for Housing Rights
73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110
Ladprao Rd Bangkok 10310, THAILAND
ph (662) 538 0919
fax (662) 539 9950
e-mail: achr @ loxinfo.co.th
www.achr.net

175Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Year Established: 1991
Short Historical Background
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development(FORUM-ASIA) is a membership-based regional humanrights organization working to promote and protect
all human rights, including the right to development
through collaboration and cooperation among humanrights organizations and defenders in Asia.
FORUM-ASIA was founded following a consultation
among human rights and development non-governmental organizations in Asia held in Manila on 17 December 1991. Its regional Secretariat has been locatedin Bangkok, Thailand since 1994. It has NGO Consultative
Status with the United Nations (UN). It presently has forty member-organizations in fifteen countries in South,
Southeast and Northeast Asia.

man rights defenders and organizations in advocacy,
campaigning and networking
3. Coalition-Building: promoting coalition-building andnetworking among human rights organizations and other stakeholders at national and international levels
4. Developing Organization: enhancing the effectivenessand sustainability of organizational management anddevelopment, including information and communications strategy.

Objective
FORUM-ASIA aims to strengthen its leading and coordinating role in building a regional human rights movement through effective engagement with states andother stakeholders in Asia.

Publications• Asian Human Rights Defender (AHRD)• 2nd Asian Regional Human Rights Defenders’ Forum:
Reference Materials• Compilation of E-Newsletters No. 1-26 (2006)• International Human Rights Law: A Compilation of Human Rights Treaties and Other Instruments• Compilation of Legal Frameworks for National Human
Rights Institutions in Asia
• United Nations Reform Initiatives (1993-2003 and2004-2005)• Background Document on Peace and Democracy in
Nepal• Key Documents Related to Human Rights Defenders(Volumes 1 and 2)• Selected Documents on Millennium Declaration + 5• Asian Highlight - Issue One: Presentation of Special
Procedures Reports• Report: Presentation of Special Procedures Reports at
the Council’s Fourth and Fifth Regular Session• Human Rights Council Session IV - High Level Segment
Report• Performance of National Human Rights Institutions in
Asia 2006• Freedom of Expression and the Media in Thailand• Talking About Taboos: Asia Pacific women reflect on issues of sexuality• Neither Wolf, nor Lamb: Embracing Civil Society in the
Aceh Conflict

Programs
The Country Program Branch works closely with member-organizations that primarily deal with human rights
issues on the ground and organize international campaigns jointly with members and partners by providing
necessary support and assistance when needed. Under
this program, there are two sub-regional programs,
namely the South Asia (SA) Program and East Asia (EA)
Program.
The Advocacy Program Branch promotes effective engagement with the state and other stakeholders forhuman rights accountability, as well as the rule of law
through effective advocacy at inter-governmental bodies and processes. Under the Advocacy Program Branch,
there are two programs, namely the UN Advocacy (UNA)
Program and the Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Program. The UNA Program aims to enhance the impact andeffectiveness of advocacy at UN human rights bodies
and processes. It covers the UN Human Rights Counciland UN human rights treaty-monitoring bodies. The HRD
Program aims to strengthen protection and assistancefor HRDs and activists and to promote the role of HRDs
in accordance with internationally recognized humanrights norms and standards. The HRD Program covers thepromotion of the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders, training and networking among HRDs andNational Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs).
Activities
1. Advocacy: strengthening advocacy campaigning aswell as solidarity actions at the national and international levels
2. Building Capacity: strengthening the capacity of hu-

176

Special Concern
Human rights defenders, establishment of the rule of law
and combating impunity, abolition of the death penalty,
human rights education and learning, advocacy at theregional and international levels and intergovernmental
bodies.

Address
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development(FORUM-ASIA)
246 Times Square Building, 12 Fl., Room 12-01
Sukhumvit Road, Between Soi 12-14
Klongton, Klongtoey, Bangkok, Thailandph (662) 653 2940-1
fax 66 (0)2 653 2940-1
e-mail: info@forum-asia.org
www.forum-asia.org

Asian Research Center for Migration (ARCM)
Chulalongkorn University

Year Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Indochinese Refugee Information Center (IRIC), a
unit of the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, was established in 1987 to observe and study
refugees and displaced persons from Cambodia, Laos,
Vietnam and, later, Myanmar/Burma, who were seeking asylum in Thailand. Due to resettlement abroad andrepatriation, few Indochinese asylum seekers remain in
Thailand and other Asian nations. Yet starting around thesame period, major concerns emerged with respect to regional migration (both legal and illegal), the magnitudeof this migration and the lack of in-depth knowledge
about it throughout Southeast Asia. In late 1994, in consultation with, and with the encouragement of national
and international institutions, the Institute of Asian Studies decided to broaden IRIC’s terms of reference with theaim of establishing a regional center focusing on migration from a global perspective and providing services toboth public and private sectors. On 1 January 1995, IRIC
was renamed the Asian Research Center for Migration(ARCM).
Objectives
The ARCM aims
1. To act as a centralized source of migration-related information for the Southeast Asia region, by researching and documenting regional migratory movements
and the impacts of such movements
2. To conduct research on key migration topics, including migrant workers, refugees and other transborder
movements of people
3. To strengthen links with other academic institutions,
governments,
non-governmentalorganizations(NGOs) and international organizations
4. To build a significant resource and information base,and disseminate information in relevant formats
5. To organize lectures, seminars, training and consultancies for individuals and organizations in the region.
Programs and Activities
Academic Activities- Management of a computerized, easily searchable
catalog of books, journals, papers, video tapes,
maps, and other such materials available at ARCM
- Collection and dissemination of information on crossborder migratory movements and the impacts such
movements have in the realms of politics, social environment, health, economy, labor, and law- Strengthening of links with other people and organizations interested in cross-border migration, bothwithin and outside of Southeast Asia
- Establishment of ARCM as a centralized source of
migration-related information for Thailand and toa lesser degree, other parts of mainland Southeast
Asia.

Service- Making ARCM’s catalog available to public and private parties, including Internet access- Undertaking surveys, studies and analyses upon request on specific subjects related to migration- Devising recommendations on problems and policies related to migration.
Publications
Some of the ARCM publications are the following:• Children Caught in Conflicts: The Impact of Armed
Conflict on Children in Southeast Asia
• Research report: Lack of Laborers in Thailand, 2000 (inThai)• Research Project: Follow the Result of Registration for
Immigrant Worker: Process and Problems, 2001 (inThai)• Immigrant Workers Policies, short and long term solutions to problems, 2001 (in Thai)• Thai Migrant Workers in East and Southeast Asia: The
Prospects of Thailand’s Migration Policy in the Light of
the Regional Economic Recession (Returnees to Thailand)• Research Report on Migration and Deception of Migrant Workers in Thailand• Academic Conference Report: Dimension of Thailand
Research for International Migration in Globalization(in Thai)• Mobility and HIV/AIDS in the Greater Mekong Subregion• Thailand-Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Thailand - Myanmar Border Areas (Trafficking in Children
into the Worst Forms of Child Labour: A Rapid Assessment)• Thailand: Improving the Management of Foreign
Workers (in Thai)• Module and Handbook of Awareness-Raising Workshop on Migrant Welfare and Obligations (in Thai)• Thailand Policies Towards Migrant Workers from
Myanmar• Assessing the Situation of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Samutsakhon (in Thai/Eng)
Address
Asian Research Center for Migration (ARCM)
Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University
7th floor, Prachadhipok-Rambhai Barni Building,Phyathai Road, Bangkok, 10330 Thailandph (662) 218-7462, 218-7415 , 218-7419
fax (662) 255-1124, 255-8854
e-mail: arcm@chula.ac.th, supang.c@chula.ac.th
www.arcm.ias.chula.ac.th177

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)
Year Established: 1986
Short Historical Background
In December 1986, women-delegates from across Asia
met in Tagaytay, Philippines to discuss the most pressing socio-legal issues facing women and to explore possible areas of collaborative action. The outcome of thismeeting was the formation of the Asia Pacific Forumon Women, Law and Development (APWLD), the firstregional response to the challenges of Nairobi. In 1986,
women-lawyers and other activists in the region formallylaunched APWLD and set up a secretariat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Secretariat relocated to Chiangmai,
Thailand in October 1997.
Objectives
APWLD aims
1. To enable women in the region to use the law as an instrument of change for the empowerment of womenin their struggle for justice, peace, equality and development
2. To promote basic concepts of human rights in the region as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations (UN) Convention on
the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations Against Women (CEDAW) and other relevant international humanrights instruments.
Programs
Rural and Indigenous Women (RIW) Program - strengthens
the capacity of RIW to address issues of globalization andinfluences the agenda of peoples and social movementson the impacts of globalization on rural and indigenous
women from a feminist perspective.
Violence Against Women (VAW) Program - strengthens
the effectiveness of human rights mechanisms, specifically the UN Special Rapporteur mechanism, to address
violence against women, builds capacities of women’sgroups to advocate for the elimination of existing andemerging forms of VAW in the Asia Pacific, and enhances
conceptual clarity among women’s organizations working on VAW, its causes and consequences.
Women’s Human Rights Working Group (WHR-WG) - promotes integration of the women’s human rights framework in APWLD’s programs and activities, identifies andundertakes actions on critical issues related to women’shuman rights particularly in Asia Pacific, and enhances
the understanding of emerging issues of women’s rights
in the programs of APWLD and among members.
Women’s Participation in Political Processes (WPPP) Program - focuses on advocacy and capacity building strategies centered on promoting women’s agenda within
political processes and increasing the representation of
women in leadership positions.

178

Women and Environment (WEN) Program - addresses issues of environmental destruction and degradation andthe displacement of women and men due to mal-development projects.
Activities
International, regional and national activities in eachprogram are conducted such as:• Trainings (Feminist Legal Theory and Practice Training,
Regional and National Gender and Politics Training
Workshop)• Research (Special Economic Zones, Collation of Laws
on Women’s Political Participation, Women’s Strategies
in Electoral Processes)• Advocacy (Commission on Status of Women, UN Commission on Human Rights, building of marginalized
women’s movement in the Asia Pacific)• Fact Finding Missions (Women and Environment Program)• Consultations, Seminars, Conferences (Women’s Strategies in Electoral Processes, Asia Pacific Regional Consultations with the UN Special Rapportuer on VAW)
• Monitoring of UN and International/Regional Strategic
Forums• Campaigns (VAW and Access to Justice, Recognitionof Domestic Work as Work, Rights of Migrant Domestic Workers, International Campaign on Food Sovereignty)• Publications
Publications
Some of the publications of APWLD are the following:• Women Workers Labour Conditions and Disputes inSouth Korea Free Trade Zones• Claiming Rights, Claiming Justice: A Guidebook on
Women Human Rights Defenders• Series of publications on the impact of tsunami on therights of women (India, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
and Pakistan)• Guidelines for Gender Sensitive Disaster Management• Negotiating Culture: Intersections of Culture and Violence Against Women in Asia Pacific• Why are women more vulnerable during disasters?
• Interlinkages between Violence against Women and
Women’s Human Right to Adequate Housing (2004)• FORUM NEWS - newsletter
Address
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development(APWLD)Girl Guides Association, 189/3 Changklan Road
Amphoe Muang, Chiangmai 50101 Thailandph (66-53) 284527, 284856
fax (66-53) 280847
e-mail: apwld@apwld.org
www.apwld.org

Asia-Pacific Network of People with HIV/AIDS (APN+)
Year Established: 1994
Short historical background
APN+ is the network of PLHIV living in the Asia Pacificregion. It was established in 1994 at a meeting in Kuala
Lumpur by forty-two PLHIV from eight countries. It wasestablished in response to the need for a collective voicefor PLHIV in the region, to better link regional PLHIV
with the Global Network of PLHIV (GNP+) and positive
networks throughout the world, and to support regional
responses to widespread stigma and discrimination andbetter access to treatment and care.
Objectives
APN+ aims
1. To provide leadership by actively advocating from theregional level for the equal rights of all PLHIV as wellas ensuring full participation and representation in the
response to HIV and AIDS
2. To further develop the capacity of APN+ networks inthe areas of skills, knowledge and attitudes, responding to identified needs and using a range of internaland external resources that allow organizations andindividuals to grow and sustain their networks
3. To strengthen the exchange of knowledge and information among PLHIV, their networks and other key
stakeholders through undertaking research, developing publications, providing training and securing adequate resources for the purpose of responding effectively to the needs of PLHIV in the region
4. To build and strengthen the network of all PLHIV organizations at regional, sub-regional and national levels
in a meaningful partnership with governments, donors and civil society as a way of advancing the APN+
agenda
5. To develop the capacity of the APN+ secretariat andsteering committee in core leadership and management areas in ways designed to efficiently and effectively support network members in achieving theirown country missions and objectives.
Programs and Activities
Women of APN+ (WAPN+) - this is a newly-formed women’s working group of APN+ whose vision is the “empowerment of women living with HIV and AIDS in the
Asia-Pacific region to provide a united voice, improve thequality of our lives and ensure our leaders protect ourrights.” WAPN+ aims to:
1. Share information on a range of issues to HIV-positive
women throughout the region
2. Increase the capacity of HIV-positive women to take onleadership roles
3. Strengthen and help establish national networks ofwomen living with HIV.

countries. The MSM Working Group undertook the following activities for 2007:
1. Advocacy and collaborations: such as with Purple Sky(Mekong) Network, APCOM and AP Rainbow
2. Research: positive MSM focus groups in four countries
3. Capacity building for positive MSM: skills training forour members
4. Communications: e-group for members
5. Resource development: positive MSM information resources
6. Positive MSM activities at ICAAP8 (Sri Lanka August2007): presentation, skills building workshop and satellite meeting.
Publications• APN - who we are• Asia Pacific Participant’s Manual and Training Resourceon Basic HIV Counselling Skills• Baseline Survey of GIPA and stigma and discriminationin Greater Mekong Region• Lifting the Burden of Secrecy (A Manual for HIV Positive People Who Want to Speak Out in Public)• Lifting the Burden of Secrecy (A Training Module for
HIV positive speakers)• Valued Voices APN+ GIPA Toolkit• We Have Rights (Rights Advocacy Tool)• AIDS Discrimination in Asia
• Project Report May 07• APN+ Tsunami Report• International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)
Newsletter
Address
Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS
176/22 Sukumvit soi 16, Klongtoey
Bangkok 10110 Thailandph (662) 2591908, 2591909
fax (662) 2591906
e-mail: info@apnplus.org
www.apnplus.org

APN+ MSM Working Group – this was launched at the beginning of 2007. As of September 2007 the APN+ MSM
Working Group has twenty-four members from thirteen

179

Burma Issues
Year Established: 1990
Short Historical Background
Burma Issues (BI) is a non-profit organization, made upof young ethnic people from Eastern Burma who now
dedicate their lives to educating and empowering thegrassroots communities in Eastern Burma, documenting
human rights abuses and acting as a bridge between thegrassroots communities and the international community. Initially founded in 1990, BI acts as a private, nonprofit organization devoted to a peaceful resolution to
Burma’s struggle for human rights and democratic rule.
It is non-partisan and does not advocate, campaign foror represent any leaders, political parties or ideologies as
solutions to Burma’s civil strife.
BI operates as a project under the Peaceway Foundation, a registered entity with the Thai government.
The Peaceway Foundation aims to expand its work andideology into other areas and countries, without becoming secular in its work, and striving to help build a global
grassroots movement.
Objectives
BI aims
1. To systematically document the events of the past andpresent them through a documentation center in order to do effective analysis and to create strategies forbuilding a better future
2. To build up grassroots activists who have a vision fortrue change in Burma, are responsible and disciplined,
and are clear in the nature of their commitment to thelong-term struggle
3. To encourage the grassroots people to lead the struggle for social, economic and political change in Burma
4. To build up international awareness and support forthe struggle in Burma by acting as a bridge between
the grassroots people and the international support
community in such a way that the grassroots people
help international support groups focus actions on themost critical issues which prolong the cycle of war in
the country.
Programs
1. Grassroots empowerment: educating and empowering communities in Burma’s civil war zones. It includes
education to both adults and children in concepts ofcivil participation, leadership, critical thinking, and cultural pride
2. Information for action: documenting the human rights
abuses through interviews, videos and photography
3. Campaigns for peace: raising awareness among the international community about the situation.
Activities
1. Information for Action - aims to systematically document past and present events for analysis in order to180plan for a better future. This focuses on information
for the internal movement and for external supportive
campaigns.
		 The Documentation Centre provides a base for information for and from the other projects. The Video
Project aims to raise awareness of the situation in
Burma. The Kwe Ka Lu Newspaper, a Karen-language
monthly newspaper, aims to be a tool for empowerment among grassroots Karen villagers by developing
their awareness of local, regional and global issues andby encouraging them to express their views on issues
that affect their lives. The Burma Issues Newsletter,produced by the Research and Publications project, isan eight-paged, monthly, issue-oriented news bulletin, which analyses information on Burma for an international audience. The Human Rights Documentation
project trains documentalists to go inside Burma tocollect information on human rights abuses, as well as
train village-level documentalists so that villagers cando the work themselves.
2. Grassroots / Community Organizing - gives the tools andsupport to the grassroots people to lead the struggle
for social, economic and political change in Burma,
helps distribute publications relating to the situationin Burma to the grassroots and collects informationfrom refugees, works to empower children throughtwo projects, Children’s Education and Children’s Story
Book.
3. International Peace Campaign - aims to build up international awareness and support for the struggle in
Burma by acting as a bridge between the grassroots
people of Burma and international community in sucha way that the grassroots people help international
support groups focus actions on the most critical issues which prolong the country’s cycle of war.
Publications• Burma Issues Weekly• Burma Issues Newsletter• Living Ghosts - The spiraling repression of the Karenni population by the Burmese military junta (March
2008)
Address
Burma Issues
1/11 Soi Piphat 2
Convent Road
Silom, Bangkok 10500 Thailandph (662) 234 6674
fax (662) 631 0133
e-mail: burmaissues@burmaissues.org
www.burmaissues.org

Child Workers in Asia Foundation (CWA)
Year Established: 1985
Short Historical BackgroundChild Workers in Asia Foundation (CWA) was establishedin 1985 as a support group for child workers in Asia andthe non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working
with them. From a small group of five organizations,
it now brings together over seventy-eight memberorganizations working on child labor in eleven countries. It facilitates sharing of expertise and experiences
between NGOs and strengthens their collaboration to
jointly respond to the exploitation of working children
in the region.
For the last twenty-two years, CWA has been a venue
for interaction between big and small NGOs. The network has strived to contribute to the development of theunderstanding of the situation of children who work andare exploited. It has tried its best to support the emergence of local actions for working children and for thepromotion of children’s rights.
Objectives
CWA aims
1. To become one of the leading knowledge-based
network organization within Asia in the field of childlabor
2. To focus on institutional development by strengthening the CWA as an information, a coordination and anaction network on the issue of child labor
3. To strengthen collaboration and capacities of CWA
network partners to advocate policy against the worst
forms of child labor.
Programs and Activities
Capacity Building - holding of activities such as the Children’s Forum & Bangkok Regional Consultation Against
the Most Intolerable Forms of Child Labour, Roundtableagainst Trafficking of Women and Children in South Asia,
Workshop with ASIANET for Mekong countries on Child
Trafficking.
Research on Khmer Migrant Children - CWA took part in asurvey research on Khmer migrant children in Thailand
in cooperation with Redd Barna Child Labor Project. The
objectives of the research are to study the situation andfactors involved in child labor cross-border and to present the research findings, alternatives and possible solutions to the concerned agencies, at both national andregional levels.

Resource Center - publications and audio-visual production - seeks to highlight the diverse contexts and conditions in which children work in selected countries in the
Asia-Pacific region, as well as to analyze some of the key
factors contributing to child labor and the main challenges to be addressed at the local and national levels intackling the most intolerable forms of work that children
do.
Publications• CWA Newsletter – quarterly• The World of Working Children (magazine)• Books- Behind Closed Doors- Invisible Children (Save the Children Alliance & CWA)
Training Materials- Working Together: A Guidebook for Training of Trainers on Mainstreaming Children’s Participation- Raising One Voice: A Training Manual for Advocateson the Rights of Child Domestic Workers• Comic books- The Working Children of Kathmandu, Nepal: Survivors- Child Workers in Nepal and CWA- Mina: Buruh Anak-Anak Di Perkebunan Malaysia(Child Workers in Asia , INSAN & SAMIN)
Address
Child Workers in Asia Foundation
120/16 Soi Sukumvit 23
Klongtoey-Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailandph (662) 662 3866 to 68
fax (662) 261 2339
e-mail: cwanet@csloxinfo.com
www.cwa.tnet.co.th
Postal address:
P. O. Box 26, Srinakharinwirot Post Office
Bangkok 10117, Thailand

Exchange Programs - for NGO field workers from different
countries to visit other countries in order to strengthen
NGO coordination and partnerships between the participating countries, to share and document child labor
situations at the state and national levels, and to draw
lessons and methodologies on how to contact and assist
child workers.

181

Committee for Asian Women (CAW)
Year Established: 1987
Short Historical Background
The Committee for Asian Women (CAW) was founded as achurch-affiliated organization based in Hong Kong, when
women workers in the region had neither a voice nor aspace to struggle for their rights. In the eighties, CAW
was successful in facilitating the emergence of women
workers organizations, as well as the empowerment of
women leaders, the gender sensitization of trade unions
and the labor sensitization of women’s movements.
CAW’s specificity has from the very beginning until now
intertwined labor and women’s concerns and linked up
women’s organizations and trade unionism. This integration of issues is CAW’s exceptional achievement and constitutes its organizational profile.
CAW is a regional network of forty-three women
workers groups in fourteen Asian countries with the goalof empowering women workers to protect, advocate,
and advance their rights. Since its birth more than thirty
years ago, it has been doing pioneering work to build
solidarity among women workers in various countries in
Asia.
Objectives
The mission of CAW is to support the self-empowerment of Asian women workers and the formation of their
movements to struggle against global capitalism and patriarchy, and to advance their rights. Essential to all this is
the ongoing challenge of redefining work to encompass
reproductive and domestic labor, and work in the informal economy, in addition to paid work.
CAW therefore aims
1. To raise the consciousness of women workers in Asia
on their right to realize their common situations andproblems, and to work for organized responses tothese problems
2. To support organizing efforts of the women workers toaffect favorable changes in their lives
3. To be a regional platform for women workers in Asia
to facilitate and represent the voice of women workers
in Asia
4. To promote improvement in the lives of women workers in Asia
5. To support women workers in their efforts to create alternative systems, both at home and in the workplace
6. To create organizing spaces for women workers.
Programs and Activities
CAW works for the improvement in the lives of women
workers especially where they are most vulnerable andleast organized. The programs CAW adopted toward thisend consist of the following:
1. Formal economy/Informalization of work - focuses on
trade agreements and their implication on local industries that employ women workers
2. Informal Economy - supports empowerment of women182

workers towards legislative and policy protection fordomestic workers, waste collectors and agricultural
workers
3. Women Workers Rights in Conflict and Suppression- builds solidarity among women workers in areas ofconflict and political suppression towards peace, democracy and decent work for women
4. Information, Communication and Media - disseminates
information on women workers’ issues through the
Asian Women Workers Newsletter, CAW researches
and reports, website and mass media
5. Asian Labor Solidarity Movement Building – builds
linkages with other peoples’ movements to enhance
women workers’ movements toward regional andglobal labor consciousness.
6. Women Workers’ Leadership Training and Education
Program - builds women workers’ leadership capacity on national, regional and global issues towards thestrengthening of women workers’ movements in Asia.
Publications
CAW’s most recent publications:• Asian Women Workers Newsletter (Quarterly every
year)• CAW Forum on Women Workers in Areas of Armed
Conflict and under Politically Suppressive Regimes(2006)• Impact of Globalisation: Uniting Women Workers ofAsia in Action (2006)• Bridging the Gap: Women Workers & Media (2007)• Women Migrant Workers under the Chinese Social
Apartheid (2007)• Disrobing NAMA (2007)
Other Information
The documentation center of CAW acts as a resource
center for many activists and students working in thearea of women and women workers. CAW has an extensive collection of books, newsletters and journals spanning three decades.
Address
Committee for Asian Women (CAW)
386/58 Ratchadapisek Soi 42,
Ladyao, Chatujak, Bangkok 10900
THAILANDph (662) 930 5634 - 5
fax (662) 930 5633
e-mail: cawinfo@cawinfo.org
www.cawinfo.org

Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Year Established: 1992
Short Historical Background
The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) was establishedin 1992 and now consists of a small group of Karen office and management staff and foreign volunteers, supported by an extensive network of approximately thirty
researchers based inside Burma. It documents the situation in any and all parts of Burma whenever firsthandinformation is available, though its background andlimited resources lead it to focus most of its activities insoutheastern Burma, particularly Karen areas. Though
KHRG often operates in or through areas controlled by
the Karen National Union (KNU), it is independent andunaffiliated with any other group. Its actions and reports
are in no way controlled, restricted, or censored by the
KNU or any other group or organization. Its commitment
is not to any organization, but to the villagers whose
voices are far too often ignored. To this end, its reporting
follows their perspective on human rights - a more holistic view requiring an understanding of how different
factors and abuses combined, rather than the incidentbased legal perspective favored internationally. It also
focuses on the strengths of local people in responding totheir human rights situation rather than presenting themas helpless victims.
Objective
KHRG aims to help villagers in rural Burma to get theirstory to the outside world by translating their stories andtestimonies for worldwide distribution, accompanied by
supporting photos and documentary evidence of thehuman rights situation in rural areas.
Programs and Activities
Documentation of human rights situation – this program
uses the media of written reports, audio cassettes, photos and occasional videos for the documentation of thehuman rights situation. The materials are distributed
internationally to human rights organizations, Burma
activist groups and opposition groups, the United Nations, including its Human Rights Council and Thematicand Special Rapporteurs as appropriate, various governments, relief organizations, academics, journalists andothers worldwide.
The reports and photos are also circulated via theweb site (www.khrg.org) and to a subscription email list.
The documentation is often presented in raw form
straight from the field, consisting of the recorded, transcribed and translated testimonies of villagers and refugees who have suffered and/or witnessed human rights
abuses, accompanied by written analysis of the context
of those abuses. KHRG operates on the principle that it isthe villagers themselves who can best express their situation, so their testimony forms the core of our reporting.

them as ‘helpless victims’ by focusing on their strengths
and the strategies they already use successfully to resist
human rights abuses and retain control over their own
lives, land and livelihoods. Through this work, it hopes
to catalyze discussions and other processes among villagers themselves that can enhance these strategies andstrengthen their position relative to armed and powerfulgroups.
Special Concerns
Rural villagers in Burma who are suffering abuses such as
forced labor, systematic destruction of villages and crops,
forced relocation, extortion, looting, arbitrary detention,
torture, sexual assault and summary executions.
Publications• Regional and thematic reports - based primarily on
detailed testimony by local people, supported by photographic and other evidence• Field Reports - drawn from situation summaries submitted by KHRG researchers in the field, with supporting testimony from villagers and documentary evidence when available• News Bulletins - regularly produced by KHRG to provide timely reporting on particular events in Karen andother areas of Burma, particularly when urgent action
may be required• “KHRG Commentary” – issued every few months toprovide a summary of trends and some analysis andcommentary relating the incidents being documented
to the overall situation in Burma and internationally.
Address
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
e-mail: khrg@khrg.org
www.khrg.org

Empowerment of the villagers – KHRG works directly withvillagers to help them overcome outside perceptions of183

Mekong Region Law CenterYear Established: 1994
Short Historical BackgroundThe concept of the Center was formed during the first
conference on Law and Legal Development in the Mekong Region held in Chiang Mai in September 1992.
After eighteen months of development work by an international committee made up of legal experts from
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, the MRLC wasformally established at the inaugural conference of the
Mekong Region Law Center in Phnom Penh, held in June
1994. The forming instrument was the MRLC Charter,
which was signed by delegates from the member-countries and adopted at the inaugural conference.
MRLC is a member of the Thai Sub-Committee on
Combating Transnational Trafficking in Children and
Women, and is a member of the United Nations Working Group on Trafficking in Women and Children in the
Mekong Sub-region. This working group helps provide
technical support and advice in the management of the
U.N. Inter-Agency Project on ‘Trafficking in Women andChildren in the Mekong Sub-region’.
In 1995, The Mekong Region Law Center Foundation
was registered under the law of Thailand - Reg. No. Gor
Tor 438.
Objectives
MRLC aims
1.To promote public consciousness of legal rights and responsibilities and to encourage respect at all levels ofsociety for the rule of law
2. To foster prosperity and economic growth within the
Region and attract investment into the Region, and3. To assist and contribute to the process of legal development within the countries of the Region.
Programs
MRLC has programs in four legal fields:
1. Business and International Trade Law
2. Environmental and Resource Management Law
3. International Law [Public and Private]
4. Human Rights and Administration of Justice.
Activities
1. Training - training workshops on various issues (suchas trafficking of women and children) at national and
Mekong levels
2. Conferences/workshops
3. Internship
4. Legal databases (through publications and web-site)
5. Research
Publications• Regional Conference on Trafficking in Women andChildren, Mekong Region Law Center , Thailand . National Commission on Women’s Affairs, Southeast Asia
Fund for Institution and Legal Development, UNICEF(1997)

184• Proceedings of the 1997 Regional Conference on ‘Illegal Labor Movements: The Case of Trafficking in Women and Children’, (in English) (1999)• The Proceedings of the June 1999 Cambodian National Workshop on Trafficking in Women and Children,(prepared and produced by the Cambodian Ministryof Justice in Khmer and English) (1999)• The Proceedings of the December 1999 Vietnamese
National Workshop on ‘Elimination of All Forms of Trafficking in Women and Children’ (prepared and reproduced by Vietnam Lawyers’ Association), (in English
and Vietnamese) (2000)• Proceedings of the November 2000 Thai National
Workshop on ‘Trafficking in Women and Children’, (themain part is in the Thai language) (2001)• The Thai criminal justice system and human trafficking: a report on the study / Mekong Region Law Center(translated by Pisawat Sukonthapan & Achariya Indrasen) (2006)
Address
Mekong Region Law Center
c/o Faculty of Law
Thammasat University
2 Phrachan Road, Phranakorn
Bangkok 10200 Thailand
www.mekonglawcenter.org/index-current.htm

Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development (OHRSD)
Mahidol University

Year Established: 1996
Short Historical Background
The OHRSD was established in 1996 by Mahidol University with the aim of providing education and research opportunities in the area of human rights. The OHRSD runs
an international Graduate Program in Human Rights,
leading to a Masters of Human Rights, and a number of
research projects and other activities. It also offers an International PhD course in Human Rights and Peace Studies, and a Masters of Human Rights and Development inThai language.
The Masters of Human Rights is the only Masters
human rights program offered in the Southeast Asian
region. It attracts students from around the world, andstudents from about twenty countries have graduated orare completing their research.
Objective
The OHRSD aims to develop the ways and means bywhich human rights are transformed into social andpolitical realities at the community, national and international levels. It does so primarily through educating
human rights practitioners, but also through outreachprograms to community and international organizations, and by conducting cutting edge research on issuesof crucial importance to human rights.
Programs and Activities
1. Study Program - OHRSD is currently running three
graduate study programs• MA in Human Rights (International Program)• PhD in Human Rights and Peace Studies (International Program)• MA in Human Rights and Development (in Thai language)
2. Training Program - OHRSD runs human rights training upon request to enhance academic human rights
knowledge for practitioners in the region. From 20022006, it also ran annual Southeast Asian Advanced
Program on Human Rights and Asian Thematic Training on Human Rights with the support from the Raoul
Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund University, Sweden.
3. Research - OHRSD supports research that contributes
to the greater understanding and increasing reach ofhuman rights to all levels and groups in society. Research supported by the program aims to both develop academic knowledge of critical concern to humanrights, and provide practical applications of humanrights activities in a wide diversity of fields.
4. Networking - OHRSD is an active component of thehuman rights network of organizations from thegrassroots level, to the national and international
levels. The OHRSD works with non-governmental organizations, government offices, and regional groups
who are active in the field of human rights.

Publications• A Critical Analysis of the United State’s Treatment of
Detainees at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in the Context of International Law, Maria Therese Godskesen• Capital Expansion and Migrant Workers: Flexible Laborin the Thai - Burma Border Economy, Dennis Arnold• Good Governance and Legal Reform in Indonesia,
R.Herlambang Perdana Wiratraman• The Impact of TRIPS on Thailand’s HIV/AIDS Drug Policies: Human Rights Concerns in the Context of Global
Trade, Mukdawan Sakboon• Non-Formal Primary Education in Bangladesh: An Examination of its Compliance with the Right to Education - Shihab Uddin Ahamad• Communication and Human Rights, Mike Hayes (editor)
Address
Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Mahidol University
Salaya Campus
Nakhon Pathom, 73170
Bangkok, Thailandph (662) 441 4125, ext 400, 401.
fax (662) 8892151
e-mail: ohrsd@yahoo.com
www.humanrights-mu.org

185

timor leste (east timor)
Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP)
Year Established: 2001
Short Historical Background
JSMP was established in April 2001 to monitor the processes of the Ad Hoc Human Rights Tribunal in Indonesia
and the Special Panels for Serious Crimes in Timor Leste.
JSMP very quickly extended court monitoring and judicial system analysis to include the operations of Timor
Leste’s District Courts. JSMP also undertakes legislative
analysis.
JSMP created the Women’s Justice Unit to focus oncases involving women victims of domestic violence in
2004, Victim’s Support Service, a legal referral and legal
aid service for women in 2005.
Objectives
JSMP aims to be the foremost independent organization in Timor Leste that contributes to the development
and improvement of the justice and legislative systemthrough objective monitoring, analysis, advocacy andtraining in order to:
1. Support and advance the rule of law and humanrights2. Advance the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession and the administration of justice in fullcompliance with standards of international law
3. Promote the adoption and implementation of international human rights standards and other legal rules
and principles that advance human rights and the ruleof law
4. Promote the establishment and enforcement of a legal
system that protects individuals and groups against
violations of their human rights
5. Promote understanding of and compliance with therule of law and human rights and provide assistanceto those to whom the rule of law and human rights are
denied
6. Promote equality and the right of everyone to receive
equal and fair access to justice and treatment under
the law.

186

Programs and Activities
1. Legal Research - involves 1) trial observation, 2) judicial
system analysis, 3) analysis of pending bills in the National Parliament and those submitted by the government, 4) lobby and advocacy work with the parliament,
government, those involved in the judicial system, andthe United Nations.
2. Women’s Justice• Monitoring and Reports – JSMP monitors the progress of women-related cases at the District Courts
and generates reports on issues found significant.
It also monitors and reports on actions of all justicesector actors regarding sexual assault and domestic
violence cases.
• Training - JSMP provides training on domestic
violence guidelines for prosecutors, and on formal

justice system and domestic violence and sexual assault for members of the police, local government
leaders and women’s groups at the districts level.
• Public Education Materials – JSMP produces and distributes education materials (including posters, brochures, a radio program and a TV Show) on bringing
gender-based violence cases to the formal justicesystem.
3. Victim Support Service (VSS) - provides information, advice and support to women victims for their empowerment and the improvement of their ability to accessthe formal justice sector. The VSS hopes to assist in
the successful prosecution of cases involving sexualassault and domestic violence and improve the efficiency of the formal justice sector.
4. Outreach Unit - disseminates information to the general public, provides the media with information onhuman rights and legal issues, and provides training
on human rights and the judicial system to membersof the Suco Council (village council).
Publications
Thematic Reports
2007• Digest of the Jurisprudence of Special Panels for Serious Crimes (English,• Torture Survivors: Their Experiences of Violation,
Truth and Justice (English, Indonesia
2006• Progress to Date in the Cases of Rogerio Lobato andMari Alkatiri (Indonesia English, Tetum)• Victim Support Service Mid-Year Report (English, Indonesia, Portuguese)
Judicial Monitoring Updates
2007• The Right to Vote (Indonesian, Portuquês, English)• Restrictive Measure, Pre-Trial Detention, Parole andSuspension of the Execution of a Prison Sentence(Indonesian, Portuquês, English)• The Court Needs Witness Testimony to Establish The
Material Facts (Indonesian, Tetum, English)
Information on other publications available at www.
jsmp.minihub.org/Language_English/reports_english.htm
Address
Judicial System Monitoring Programme
Rua Setubal, Kolmera, Dili, Timor-Leste
Postal Address: PO Box 275, Dili, Timor-Leste VIA DARWIN
ph/fax: (670) 3323 883
e-mail: info@jsmp.minihub.org
www.jsmp.minihub.org

La’o Hamutuk (Instituto ba Analiza no Monitor Desenvolvimento iha Timor-Leste/Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis)
Year Established: 2000
Short Historical Background
La’o Hamutuk (LH) was founded in 2000 in Timor-Lesteat the start of its transition to independence after the
24-year Indonesian occupation. LH started as a joint
initiative of Timorese civil society leaders and international solidarity activists to address the major influenceof international organizations (the United Nations, World
Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development
Bank), aid agencies, multinational oil companies, global
commodity trade groups, etc. on the new nation.
Today, LH is a Timor-Leste organization with international participation that monitors and reports on theactivities of international institutions in Timor-Leste as
they relate to the physical, economic and social reconstruction and development of the country. LH believes
that the people of Timor-Leste must be the ultimate
decision-makers in the development process, and thatthe process should be as democratic and transparent as
possible. In this regard, LH provides non-partisan analysis of international activities in Timor-Leste with the goalof facilitating greater levels of effective Timorese knowledge about and participation in the reconstruction anddevelopment of their country.
Objectives
LH aims
1. To monitor, analyze and provide information on thedevelopment of Timor-Leste, and to help make thatprocess more just and responsive to Timor-Leste needs
and desires
2. To empower the people of Timor-Leste, especiallywomen, to participate more effectively in the development process
3. To facilitate relationships between the people of TimorLeste and international solidarity networks, providing
information on alternative development models
4. To increase communication and understanding between the people of Timor-Leste and international institutions and donors
5. To advocate for improvements in transparency, economic and social justice, human rights and democracy
6. To help Timor-Leste learn about and avoid the pitfallsof globalization, petroleum dependency and exportoriented “free market” economic policies.
Programs
LH researches and investigates several broad issues suchas the following:
1. Natural resources, especially oil and gas. This includes
petroleum dependency, revenue management, regulation of oil companies, environment, transparency,
accountability, sustainability and human and community rights
2. Agriculture and food security, including agriculture

policy, land rights, markets, irrigation, farm-to-market
transport and other aspects of life in rural areas
3. Governance, including justice, security, rule of law, human rights, civic education, elections, legislation, state
institutions, decentralization and government administration
4. Economic development, including foreign investment,
privatization, globalization and trade, especially in sectors other than petroleum and agriculture
5. Social services, including health, education, communications, water, electricity and infrastructure.
Activities
1. Research - through analysis of documents, interview
with policy-makers and intended beneficiaries, andconsultation with experts from around the world
2. Publishing Bulletin every few months, with reports
based on LH’s research and other information
3. Maintenance of website and email list
4. Broadcasting weekly radio program “Igualidade”
5. Holding public meetings that bring together panels ofdecision-makers and civil society
6. Maintenance of a resource center (library) with books,
electronic and audio-visual materials
7. Advocacy through the media, organizing coalitions,and direct personal contact
8. Information dissemination to the international and local media.
Publications• La’o Hamutuk Bulletin (English and Bahasa Indonesia)• Annual and other special reports• Books- Sunrise LNG in Timor-Leste: Dreams, Realities andChallenges (English and Indonesian, 2008),- Tansa Mak Tenke Kuba (Tetum, 2005)- Kekuasaan, Gender dan Perubahan Social: Memoria
Intercambio Nicaragua-Timor Lorosa’e (Indonesian,
2003)
Address
La’o Hamutuk(Instituto ba Analiza no Monitor Desenvolvimento iha
Timor-Leste /Timor-Leste Institute for Development
Monitoring and Analysis)
1/1a Rua Mozambique, Farol, Dili, Timor-Leste
P.O. Box 340, Dili, Timor-Leste
Mobile: (670-\) 7234330
ph (670) 3325-013
e-mail: info@laohamutuk.org
www.laohamutuk.org

187vietnamInstitute for Family and Gender Studies (IFGS)Year Established: 1987
Short Historical BackgroundIn 1987, the Vietnamese government established theCenter for Women Studies, one of the research institutes of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS).
During the International Year of the Family in 1994, theVietnamese Government assigned to the Center an additional responsibility of taking on family studies. As aresult, the Center was renamed the Center for Family and
Women Studies. In February 2004, the Vietnamese government again renamed the Center into the Institute for
Family and Gender Studies (IFGS). The Institute is the firstand leading research institution of the Vietnamese government on women, family and gender issues.
Objective
The Institute aims to undertake theoretical and practical research to provide Vietnam’s leaders, policy makers
and planners at all levels with scientific arguments in thedevelopment of laws and policies on the family, womenand gender equality. The Institute is also a reliable consultant for organizations and bodies in and related tofamily, women, and gender studies.

188

Programs
Research on various issues on women and the familysuch as the following:
Women Studies• Women and rural economic development: household economic development, women’s roles in rural
economic development, and non-agricultural industry development• Women, education, culture, and social affairs: theimpacts of education policies, law education infamilies for family members, especially women, andthe content and methods of education in families;
prostitution and trafficking in women in Vietnam
Family studies• The structure and function of Vietnamese families’
transformation from traditional life to modern circumstances• Family conflict and domestic violence
Gender equality studies• Theoretical and practical foundations for implementing gender equality in Vietnam during the Doi
Moi transition and for implementing socio-economic development policies as Vietnam pursues a socialist-oriented market economy• Gender issues in education-vocational training system, influential factors and measures to improve
gender inequality
Studies on children• The roles of the family in the formation and development of a child’s personality• Child labor in the period of economic transition• Violence against children

Policy-responsive studies• Improvement of working conditions for women insome areas• Employment and equality for women• Social policies towards women and family• Women and social non-conformity: prostitution, violence against women, homeless children and women
Activities
1. Designing and implementing theoretical and empiricalstudies in the fields of family, women and gender, independently or in cooperation with other research organizations, institutes, and universities at home and abroad
2. Delivering lectures at universities at home and abroadon family, women and gender issues
3. Disseminating scientific knowledge of family, womenand gender through publications and other information channels
4. Building a network of information, documentation,library and necessary technical infrastructure for its
studies on family, women and gender as a leading
research center in the country in the fields of family,
women and gender studies.
5. Providing consultation for organizations and bodies interested in and related to family, women and gender issues.
6. Providing active and effective support for the development of women through advocacy activities.
Publications
Periodicals• Journal of Family and Gender Studies, Bimonthly in
Vietnamese language• Vietnam Journal of Family and Gender Studies, Biannual in English language
Books• Gender equality in Vietnam (2008)• Evolving process of domestic violence in Vietnam: Detection from a qualitative research (2008) (Forthcoming)• Family Research: Feminist Theories and Gender Perspective (2006)• Life and Change of Marriage and the Family in Vietnam
Today (2006)• Single Women in Vietnam (2005)• Family and Women with Population, Culture and Sustainable Development in Vietnam (2004)• Marriage and Family: Question and Answers (2004)• Studies on Women, Gender and Family (2003)
Address
Institute for Family and Gender Studies (IFGS)
6 Dinh Cong Trang street, Hoan Kiem district
Hanoi, Vietnam
ph (844) 933-0435
fax (844) 933-2890
e-mail: ifgs@hn.vnn.vn; minhnguyen.ifgs@gmail.com
www.ifgs.org.vn

Research Center for Human and Citizen’s Rights
Law Faculty of Vietnam National University (VNU - Hanoi)
Year Established: 2007
Short Historical Background
The Law Faculty of the Vietnam National University (VNU
– Hanoi), founded in 1976, established the Research Center for Human and Citizen’s Rights in 2007. The Dean of
the Faculty decided to found the Center in order to focus
on human rights research and education.
Objectives
The Center aims to popularize legal norms on rights andenhance the knowledge of students and members of thecommunity on human and citizens’ rights.
Programs
1. Legal Information – collection of legal data (in Vietnamese and English), maintenance of a law library andan online legal resource, and provision of legal counsel
on rights-related issues
2. Research – research on human and citizens’ rights, andcapacity-building on rights-related issues for scholars
and lawyers
3. Education - drafting curriculums and teaching of human rights in universities (graduate and post-graduate levels); popularizing legal norms on rights and enhancing the knowledge on human and citizens’ rightsof the students and members of the community
4. Cooperation - liaising between national and international researchers, educators, researchers, educational
institutions and universities on human rights study.
Special Concerns
Human rights education and research
Publications• Human Rights Law and Theories textbook (underpreparation)
Address
Research Center for Human & Citizen’s Rights (CHR)
Law Faculty of Vietnam National University(VNU - Hanoi)
ph (844) 7547913
fax (844) 7547913
e-mail: ttquyenconnguoi@gmail.com

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Vietnamese Research Centre for Human Rights (VRC)
Year Established: 1994
Short Historical Background
In Vietnam, the awareness of human rights has existed
for a long time. During the renovation process (Doi Moi),
Vietnam has shown an interest in human rights research
as an independent scientific subject. As a result, theVietnamese Research Centre for Human Rights (VRCHR)
was established under the Hochiminh National Political
Academy, which has the status of a ministry, in 1994.
The Hochiminh National Political Academy is the mostinfluential Communist Party think-tank and a pre-eminent center for political scientific education. Since then,
VRCHR became a unique and key scientific institution inpromoting human rights awareness in Vietnam.
Objectives
VRCHR aims
1. To conduct basic research on the history and theory ofhuman rights, as well as systematic research on the situation of the actual implementation of human rights
in Vietnam and around the world
2. To teach human rights to Vietnamese public servants,
to educate and strengthen the awareness of humanrights at all levels of society
3. To develop and disseminate human rights documents
to the society
4. To strengthen the scientific base and contribute topolicy and lawmaking related to human rights
5. To enhance the international relations and cooperation concerning human rights research with humanrights institutions in other countries and international
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in
Vietnam.
Programs• Research on various themes• Teaching/education for different target groups• Convening national workshops and conferences• Preparation of human rights documents• Publication of books and monthly fact-sheets on human rights• Building up good relations and cooperation with human rights institutions around the world.
Activities• Research, publication and education
Publications• Information of Human Rights, newsletter• Pocketbook on the International Bill of Human Rights• Pocketbook on Women and Children’s Rights• Traditional Practices and Guarantee of Equality Rights
for Women and Children in Vietnam• Human Rights : Major International Instruments• Human Rights : Some Major International Instruments• Introduction to the International Bill of Human Rights• For Children’s Rights and Equality for Women

190• Training Manual on Children’s Rights• Pictures on Children’s Rights
Address
Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy
HVCTQG Hochiminh - Nguyen Phong Sac Street
Nghia Tan - Cau Giay - Ha Noi - Viet Nam
ph (844) 836-2468
fax (844) 756-5126 ; 8361-194
e-mail: vrchr@fpt.vn; vchumanrights@fpt.vn

appendix
The following institutions have been identified as human rights centers but have no profile in this Directory due toincomplete information. Several other institutions were recommended for inclusion in the Directory but their formal
name, address, and profile information were not yet available at the time of printing.
Bangladesh
LAW WATCH - A Centre for Studies on Human
Rights Law
House E-13, 2nd Floor, Pallabi Extension, Mirpur
Dhaka-1221 Bangladesh
ph (882) 8020628 / 018229212
fax (882) 812 5155
India
Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Studies
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan
12, LB Block, Sector III, Salt Lake City
Kolkata 700098 Indiaph (91-33) 2335-0534/73799/0765/2806
fax (9133) 2335-7422
Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation(HRARF)
No.10, Thomas Nagar, Little Mount, Saidapet
Chennai 600015 Indiaph (91-44) 2353503
fax (91-44) 2355905
Human Rights Institute Lucknow
C-2/5 River Bank Colony
Lucknow 22601 India
Centre for Human Rights
Pondicherry University
R.V Nagar, Kalapet
Puducherry 605 014
ph (91-413) 2655991 to 2655998, local 451
www.pondiuni.org/scho.html
Indian Institute of Human Rights
A-16, Paryavaran Complex, (E), Saket-Maidangarhi MargNew Delhi-110030 India
Indonesia
Sentra Kajian Kebijakan Publik dan Hak Asasi Manusia, Universitas Lampung (SKKP & HAM UNILA)
Jl. Prof. Sumantri Brojonegoro, Bandar Lampungph (62721) 705173
fax (62721) 773798
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia(PUSHAM UNP)
Universitas Negeri Padang
Jl. Prof. Dr. Hamka Air Tawar Padang 25131, Indonesia
ph (62751) 445 187/445 128

Pusat Kajian HAM UNM(PK-HAM UNM)
Universitas Negeri Makassar (UNM)
Gedung Rektorat Lama Lt. III Kamar BA. 312,
Kampus Gunungsari Baru,
Jl. A.P. Pettarani, Makassar, 90222 Indonesia
ph (62-411) 884534, 587219
fax (62-411) 868794
PSA HAM Universitas Riau
(PSA-HAM UNRI)
Jl. Pattimura 9 Pekanbaru 2813 Indonesia
ph/fax (62-761) 40191
Pusat Studi dan Advokasi Hak Asasi Manusia(PSA-HAM UNDANA)
Universitas Cendana, Kupang
Jl. Adisucipto Penfui, Kotak Pos 1212
Kupang 851560 Indonesia
ph (62-380) 881560
fax (62-380) 881560
PUSHAM Universitas Pattimura
Jl. Batu Gantung Dalam No. 52 RT 01/004 Ambon
Jl. WR. Supratman SK 3-34/35, Lorong Kedondong
Tanah Tinggi, Ambon, Indonesia
ph (62911) 353974
fax (62911) 353974
Human Rights Study Centre
Faculty of Law
Mataram State University
Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara
Indonesia
Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia
PUSHAM Universitas Bung Hatta Padang, Sumatra Barat
Fakultas Hukum Universitas Bung Hatta
Jl. Sumatera Ulak Karang Padang
ph/fax (62751) 444 177
PUSHAM FH Unsoed
Kampus Grendeng Purwokerto
ph (6281) 638339
PK HAM dan Hukum Humaniter FH Unisba
FH Unisba, Jl. Tamansari No. 1 Bandung 40116
ph (6222) 4203368 ext. 127, 129
fax (6222) 4264066

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PUSHAM UIN Syarif Hidayatullah JKT
Jl. Ir. H. Juanda 95 Ciputat 15412
ph/fax (6221) – 7493367

Human Rights Research Department
Capital Normal University
www.cnu.edu.cn/index.asp

Pusat Studi Hukum Humaniter dan HAM (terAs)
FH Universitas Trisakti Jakarta
Jl. Kyai Tapa No. 1
Kampus A Grogol Jakarta 11440 Indonesia
ph/fax (6221) 5637747

Child Rights Centre
East China University of Politics and Law,
1575 Wan Hang Du Road
Shanghai 200042 China

PUSHAM Universitas Panca Marga Probolinggo
Jl. Yos Sudarso Dringu Kab. Probolinggo
Jawa Timur 67271 Indonesia
ph (62335) 422715
Pusat Kajian HAM Universitas Diponegoro
Jl. Imam Bardjo, S.H., No. 1-3 Semarang
ph (6224) 831 7870
fax (6224 ) 884 9873 / 831 6870
Japan
Hiroshima Shudo University Human Rights ResearchCenter
1-1-1, Ozukahigashi, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima, 7313195, Japanph (81-82) 830-110300
fax (8182) 830-1303
Kanagawa Human Rights Center
1-1-28 Nakahara, Isogo-ku, Yokohama city
Kanagawa, Japanph (8145) 773-2250
www.bekkoame.ne.jp/ro/jinken/index.html
Yokohama International Human Rights Center
Nagashima Bldg, 3-97, Hanasaki-cho, Nakaku
Yokohama, 231 Japanph (81-45) 261-3855
fax (81-45) 243-4030
Korea (south)
Dasan Human Rights Center
313 Beobjeon Bldg., Wonchon-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon
Kyunggi-do, South Korea
ph 82-31-213 2105
fax 82-31-215 4395
e-mail: humandasan@hanmail.net
www.rights.or.kr
Mongolia
Mongolian Human Rights Center
Baga Toiruu-49; Ulaanbaatar-46,
P.O. Box-374, Mongoliaph (976-11)318041, 322842
fax (976-11) 318041
People’s Republic of China
Human Rights Teaching and Research Centre
Beijing Normal University

192

Centre for Human Rights Studies
Fudan University
220, Han Dan Road
Shanghai, 200433 China
ph(8621) 65642590
fax (8621) 65119567
Research Center for Human Rights
Guangzhou University
Guangzhou, China
ph (86 139) 2502-7359
fax (86139) 208655 0229
Human Rights Research Center
Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences
7/622 Huaihai Zhonglu
Shanghai 200020 China
ph (8621) 53820569
fax: (8621) 53820569
http://english.sass.org.cn
Human Rights Study Centre
Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
Wuhan, China
Philippines
Center for Peace, Gender and Human Rights Education
Philippine Normal University
Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines 1000
ph (632) 527-03-66
fax (632) 527-03-66
Moro Human Rights Center (MHRC)
27-D Matapat Street,
Barangay Pinahan
Quezon City, Philippines
ph (632) 433-6816
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Foundation
27, Independence Avenue
Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
ph (941) 69-88-14
ThailandInstitute of Community Rights
3 Soi 1, Wualai Road, Haiya Muang
Chiangmai 50100 Thailand
ph/fax (6653) 201796

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HURIGHTS OSAKA, inspired by the Charter of the United Nations and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, formally opened in December
1994. It has the following goals: 1) to promote human rights in the AsiaPacific region; 2) to convey Asia-Pacific perspectives on human rights
to the international community; 3) to ensure inclusion of human rights
principles in Japanese international cooperation activities; 4) to raisehuman rights awareness among the people in Japan to meet its growinginternationalization. In order to achieve these goals, HURIGHTS OSAKA
has the following activities: information handling, research and study,
education and training, publications, and consultancy services.

HURIGHTS OSAKA(Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center)
2-8-24 Chikko Minato-ku, Osaka 552-0021 Japan
phone (816) 6577-3578
fax (816) 6577-3583
e-mail: webmail@hurights.or.jp
www.hurights.or.jp
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