Front Line Defenders have recently released their Global Analysis report looking at Human Right Defenders in 2020.

The report looks at the global impact 2020 had on human right defenders overall, particularly the impact of COVID-19, before delving into more regional specific analysis.

Momentum from a year of protests in 2019 carried into the opening months of 2020 as Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) sought to capitalise on gains made the previous year in demanding changes to how their countries were governed. By March, however, it was clear that significant new challenges would emerge when the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The situation created new demands on defenders as they sought to assist their communities, while also creating new risks in the form of restrictive measures, exposure to the virus through their outreach work and increased efforts by states to control the flow of information. The crisis led to an increase in risk for Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs), LGBTIQ+ Defenders and for those defending the rights of vulnerable populations, including refugees, migrants and sex workers.