Last month, Pride was celebrated around the world. In places where Covid restrictions allowed, people marched in colorful parades. But in others, just as before the days of Covid-19, they were forced to gather in secrecy for fear of violence or arrest. While Pride is a celebration of hard-won rights in some cities and countries, […]
This is a series of stories from the Resource of Open Minds (R.O.O.M) Program, New Ways of Working focus area. Through this new area we have on boarded 8 grantees in our continued support to defend the waning civic space in East Africa. The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has had its fare share of challenges affecting […]
Times are increasingly difficult for the LGBTIQ+ community in Guatemala, especially for transgender women. On June 9, 2021, Cecy Caricia Ixpatá, a member of RedTrans, died at a local hospital after being violently attacked by two unknown men in Salamá, 256 km from Guatemala City. Just two days later, on June 11, Andrea Mutz Gonzáles, […]
How to achieve worldwide energy access by 2030? And, while doing so, also reach gender equality in the energy sector, amplify women’s voices and accelerate actions on gender and energy. In preparation for the September UN High-level Dialogue on Energy, ministries, governments, private sector, civil society, youth organizations and others gather virtually over five days […]
Strategic litigation is an innovative and integral advocacy approach which uses the justice system to bring about legal and policy change as well as create public awareness on human rights violations.
By Mendi Njonjo, Regional Director, Hivos East Africa As the rest of the world continued with information exchanges online, a wall of silence fell on citizens of Nigeria on Friday, June 4, 2021. The federal government announced a ban on Twitter, leading to a full blackout affecting millions of users that is now entering its […]
2021 marks 40 years since the first case of AIDS was reported in the world, signalling the rise of an epidemic that is not a respecter of geographic location, gender, race, ethnicity or age. In fact, low income countries have been worst hit with extreme impact on vulnerable populations such as women and the youth. […]
The 10th anniversary edition of RightsCon is taking place next week. The (online) event brings together business leaders, human rights defenders, government representatives, technologists, and journalists from around the world to tackle the most pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and technology. Issues that are also high on Hivos’ change agenda. This year, Hivos […]
Hivos expresses our very deep concern over the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. The latest outbreak of hostilities was triggered by efforts to forcibly displace Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. While Hivos does not have program and operational presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, […]
Hivos through its Regional SRHR Fund, on Tuesday May 18th 2021 launched the Consent to Access Campaign (#Consent2Access). The Campaign is aimed at promoting adolescent access to Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) information and services. The campaign aims to achieve this through advocacy for improved laws, policies and practices on age of consent for adolescent access […]
The free exchange of information, and the ability of journalists to exercise their right to freedom of expression and to find out facts, are essential in a healthy democracy. It is often their work, uncovering the truth and holding those in positions of power to account, that helps citizens make informed decisions and likewise demand […]
Today is IDAHOT, the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Thirty-one years ago today, May 17 was chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness. At about the same time, Hivos started working with the LGBTIQ+ communities. Initially, we partnered with organizations to respond to the HIV/AIDS […]