DTP - BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF ASIA-PACIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENTS 1990 - 2022

NEW DTP WEBSITE IS LIVE

DTP’s new website is now live. It highlights the DTP Community of 3000 plus DTP alumni, DTP partners, trainers and supporters, part of the wider community working for human rights and democracy across Asia and the Pacific. Complete with searchable databases, the web site is an invaluable tool for human rights defenders and those seeking news about human rights in the Asia-Pacific region. Please update your list of favourite sites and bookmarks.

DTP PROGRAMS

RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: The next webinar has been postponed until January 2023. It will have a focus on the CRC and young people. More information to follow. The next CRC workshop has been postponed and will now be held in Sydney on 28 February-1 March. Applications close 14 February 2023 FIND OUT MORE

30TH ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEOPLE'S DIPLOMACY PROGRAM: Rescheduled to 23 Jan-3 Feb 2023, Bangkok, Thailand – in partnership with Forum-Asia, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Migrant Forum in Asia, Pacific Islands Association of NGOs, Mahidol University, HRDF and SHAPE-SEA.

DEFENDING THE BLUE CONTINENT EHRD WORKSHOP - FIJI: 3 day workshop for environmental human rights defenders across the Pacific to strengthen their collaboration in holding governments and businesses accountable for human rights violations - in partnership with OHCHR Regional Office, the Pacific Human Rights Defenders Network, and the Hawai'i Institute for Human Rights, 14-16 February. REGISTER INTEREST HERE

MYANMAR DIASPORA HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY IN ASEAN: Rescheduled to March 2023, Bangkok, Thailand. Applications are still open FIND OUT MORE

DIPLOMATIC OUTREACH FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS: (in partnership with AIPP) The penultimate session of this pilot program took place last week. Participants will now be organising meetings with diplomats over the next few weeks. FIND OUT MORE

Photo of Lucy Geddes. Credit: Lucy Geedes, PIAC

TRAINER PROFILE: LUCY GEDDES

Lucy is a human rights lawyer who leads the Asylum Seekers’ Rights project at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). Lucy is passionate about ensuring that our society is just and inclusive: where all human beings are treated with dignity.

"DTP is providing people with toolkits to address human rights issues within their own countries to encourage long-term strategies and processes to address human rights violations. However, as part of that capacity-building process, it creates an opportunity to exchange ideas and perspectives between participants and trainers. This means it’s not just a one-way process – I learned so much from the participants and many of their ideas I can use within my own work.”

ALUMNI PROFILE: SOKUNTHY ROS

Sokunthy is the Cambodia country coordinator of Focus on the Global South (FGS), a regional organisation based at the Department of Social Science at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. She is passionate about enabling grassroots advocacy and action and works closely with Cambodian farmers and women textile workers.

"We examined different cases of garment factory workers, migration, globalization, and forest degradation. We were divided into small groups and learned from each other. It was impressive. We learned from the field; then, after coming back, we reflected on what we learned from the case studies and in the field. The training was like opening a new chapter for me.”

Photo of Sokunthy Ros. Credit: Sokunthy Ros

DTP ALUMNI IN ACTION

For information on our alumni, click here. If you want to get in contact with any of DTP's alumni, please contact the office at [email protected]

Gebril Atong (right) sharing his community’s story together with Albert after the premiere screening of ‘Baliu Kano Kai’. Credit: Freedom Film Network

MALAYSIA

Gebril Atong interviewed on the loss of language and culture of Sarawak Indigenous peoples brought about by land grabbing of their ancestral land

Photo of Pervez Siddiqui. Credit: Pervez Siddiqui

BANGLADESH

DTP would like to congratulate DTP alumnus Pervez Siddiqui for his selection for the US International Visitor Leadership Program

Protest in Quetta about the ill-treatment of children in the hands of judicial authorities. Credit: Waheed Ahmad

PAKISTAN

Waheed Ahmad shares news of protest in Quetta about the ill-treatment of children in the hands of judicial authorities

Photo of Pil Kyu Hwang. Credit: Pil Kyu Hwang

SOUTH KOREA

Pil Kyu Hwang recently presented at the Climate/Environmental Justice and the Role of Legal Service Provider roundtable

MYANMAR

Htwe Htwe Thein joined DTP trainer Chris Sidoti, Manny Maung (Human Rights Watch) and Tun Aung Shwe (National Unity Government of Myanmar representative in Australia) for a panel discussion on the current dimensions of this human rights crisis.

WATCH HERE

Htwe Htwe Thein, Manny Maung, Chris Sidoti and Tun Aung Shwe Defending Human Rights in Myanmar panel. Credit: Sydney Southeast Asia Centre

PIANGO Executive Director Emeline Ilolahia, the Programme Manager Josaia Jirauni and Finance Manager, Livai Caginavanua with the new board members that will guide the strategic direction of PIANGO for the next three years. Credit: PIANGO

PARTNER NEWS

PIANGO DTP would like to congratulate alumna Marstella Jack on her election as Chair of the Board of PIANGO READ MORE

FORUM-ASIA 64 cases of harassment of human rights defenders were documented across 16 countries in October 2022 READ MORE

Myaung Women Warriors. Credit: The Irrawaddy

NEWS FROM THE REGION

MYANMAR Myaung Women Warriors are among many Indigenous women’s groups joining the fight against the military junta READ MORE

AUSTRALIA The UN Committee on Torture urged the Government to repeal mandatory and indefinite detention of unauthorised arrivals, and to raise the minimum age of responsibility READ MORE

NEW ZEALAND DTP congratulates members of Make It 16, some of whom took part in a recent webinar on children’s rights, for the supreme court ruling that NZ discriminates against young people on the voting age READ MORE

CHINA Front Line Defenders joins international NGOs in statement calling for the immediate release of human rights lawyer Li Yuhan READ MORE

INDIA UPR highlighted growing pressure, shrinking space for independent civil society and undermining of human rights accountability in the judicial system READ MORE

CAMBODIA Woman human rights defender and Trade Union leader Chhim Sithor detained after 12-day trip to Australia and held in horrendous and extremely poor prison conditions TAKE ACTION

Human Rights Day 2022 banner. Credit: UN

UN NEWS AND CALLS TO CONTRIBUTE

OHCHR Call for inputs on the rights of the child and inclusive social protection, deadline 15 January 2023 READ MORE

The 42nd UPR session 23 January-3 February 2023 will review 13 countries including Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Japan, and Sri Lanka VIEW THE PROGRAM

The Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity calls for input on freedom of religion or belief and sexual orientation and gender identity, deadline 15 January 2023 READ MORE

OHCHR to launch 12 months campaign to mark the 75th anniversary of the UDHR on human rights day 10 December READ MORE

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls Call for Proposals is now open, deadline 11 January READ MORE

RESOURCES

The Universal Periodic Review and its potential to foster freedom of expression, access to information and safety of journalists: guidelines for civil society organisations READ MORE

Soo Suh from the Asia Democracy Network Secretariat invites participation in “Future of Democracy in Asia” survey READ MORE

Vitit Muntarbhorn documents how human rights are being threatened by emerging technologies such as autonomous weaponry, neurotechnology, and cyberbullying READ MORE

Photo of Trainer Virginia Dandan and participant from 2019 Annual Program

PLEASE DONATE

DTP relies on donations to provide quality training to human rights defenders so that they can promote and protect human rights effectively in their societies. Please help if you can and donate here. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

Participants on DTP's 2019 Regional Workshop on Ethical Business and Recruitment Practices, Dubai

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

One of DTP's strengths is you, our alumni and networks. If you have news, opinion pieces, resources or examples of best practice to share, or have questions on human rights, please send them to us at [email protected] Please stay safe.

Issue #163 December 2022

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We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work, the Bedegal people of the Eora Nation