7 Stories of Human Rights Advocates
USAID staff on the frontlines of leading the fight to uphold rights across the world
Seventy-five years ago on Dec. 10, 1948, the newly founded United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) — enshrining a shared global understanding that “all human beings are born equal in dignity and in rights.”
In honor of International Human Rights Day, USAID celebrates those leading the fight to uphold human rights across the world.
This includes our USAID Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs), who everyday provide unparalleled leadership, deep expertise, and impactful perspectives in support of our shared mission and human rights programming around the world. Read on to hear directly from seven inspiring FSNs who agreed to share their experiences, motivation, and challenges — which include even risking their safety and security to advance USAID’s human rights mission globally.
Q: What are some of the current human rights challenges in your country?
A: Burma has seen and gone through authoritarian governments and democracy backsliding conditions over the last several years — including the coup in February 2021, the Rohingya Genocide, and digital and information repression.
However, I am motivated every day to put my head and heart into the rights-based activities that I manage for USAID in Burma to tackle human rights violations and support human rights defenders.
I am in solidarity with the Burma people who never fail to show they deserve their rights in these challenging times. — Staff from USAID/Burma
Q: Can you share your experience with promoting an enabling environment for human rights and the role of international conventions, such as the UDHR, in that work?
A: Closing civic space in Serbia challenges USAID’s overall goal of a more prosperous and democratic Serbia committed to European integration and self-reliance. Legislation protecting civic space is broadly in place, but limited or improper implementation of existing laws remains a challenge. Providing support to the enabling environment for civil society has been at the center of USAID’s Civil Society Resilience Activity which started in February 2022. This $9 million, five-year activity is being implemented in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The work of civil society is inextricably linked to Article 20 of the Declaration, which guarantees the right to the freedom of peaceful assembly and association. The activity supports civil society in responding to closing civic space challenges in Serbia and improving the legal enabling environment. It also equips civil society with skills to navigate in a complex environment, foster dialogue and participation in public policy processes, and bridge the gap between civil society and citizens. — Neda Mirkovic, Civil Society Project Management Specialist, USAID/Serbia
Q: How do you ensure that marginalized populations, such as women, children, minorities, or refugees, are included and their rights protected in the programs or projects you support?
A: In Zimbabwe, entrenched patriarchal and hierarchical structures inhibit the participation of women and girls in discussions, decisions, and processes on political, economic, and social issues that impact their lives. In response, USAID is supporting women’s leadership development, facilitating pathways to leadership, and ensuring the inclusion of women in all their diversity.
This includes enhancing the capacity of women appointed into governance positions to deliver on their mandates — developing their professional skills and improving their advocacy strategies. Additionally, we are incorporating gender equality perspectives into our programming to ensure outcomes equitably benefit women, girls, and other vulnerable members of society.”— Bellinda Chinowawa, Democracy and Governance Specialist, USAID/Zimbabwe
Q: Can you provide an example of a challenging situation in your work and what you or your Mission did to prevent and respond to human rights abuses?
A: In Mexico, domestic violence is the second most frequently reported crime and the first for women.
In 2022 alone, a total of 3,754 women and girls were murdered — which is around 10 women a day.
In response to this lethal violence, USAID has integrated access to justice for victims of gender based violence across our Rule of Law and Human Rights programs in the country, ensuring our approaches are evidence-based, context-informed, and user-centered. Specifically, we work with state governments to design and implement tools that will improve the prosecution of gender based violence crimes, while also reducing re-victimization, and expanding on services provided to women and children.
We have also ensured that local civil society organizations working on gender based violence and with marginalized populations are closely involved in these processes, and learn from their experiences supporting victims, survivors, and in raising awareness on the prevention of GBV. This approach has allowed us to better understand the specific challenges and needs of women in different contexts, and to think about the best ways that we can support them. — Diana G. Blanco, Rule of Law Specialist, USAID/Mexico
Q: Describe any threats or risks that you have faced due to your work at USAID as a human rights advocate?
A: Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been locked in a deadly power struggle, which has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced 5.3 million internally and 1.3 million as refugees in neighboring countries. Within this context, safety and security remains a major challenge for our implementing partner staff, especially as fighting continues to spread to other states that are currently considered relatively safe to operate in.
Additionally, affiliation as USAID’s human rights focal point in Sudan has directly impacted my family and myself, especially as reports have increased of ongoing and worsening human rights violations — including sexual violence against women and girls, targeted attacks on specific ethnic groups and on civilian infrastructure including hospitals, indiscriminate aerial raids, enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment and use of children in armed conflict.
A myriad of state actors, and others have also stepped up their threats of physical danger, killing, forced eviction, home raids, and displacement, which has created an extremely unstable operating environment. — Ibrahim Hamid, Democracy and Human Rights Specialist, USAID/Sudan
Q: Could you describe the human rights project/initiative that you are most proud of?
A: Since 2019, torture, forced disappearances and the forensic crisis to identify violence victims became three of the most pressing human rights challenges in Mexico — and a priority in the political agenda. USAID is currently partnering with government, civil society, victims’ families, and specialists to discuss solutions to such complex problems and to effectively and with accountability respond to and prevent human rights violations. I am very proud of the work and results achieved through such an effort. — Barbara Perez-Martinez, Human Rights Team Lead, USAID/Mexico
Q: Who inspires you in protecting human rights either in your country or somewhere else?
A: I find inspiration in human rights defenders, particularly those in the heartland of Colombia, where institutional neglect, power vacuums, and historically unmet needs create a recipe for despair.
Despite demanding and often bleak environments, amid constant violence threatening the very essence of life, these advocates emerge as guiding lights.
They demonstrate that human rights are always a cause worth fighting for.
In the face of adversity, they embody resilience and unwavering commitment, showcasing that even in the most trying circumstances, the pursuit of justice and human rights is reason enough to hold on to hope. — Nataly Sarmiento, Human Rights Specialist, USAID/Colombia
About the Author
Jessica Benton Cooney is the Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist in USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.
