(7 April 2016) A virtual space, a real commitment. In a sign of cooperation. It’s now online www.hrduganda.org, an Italian web platform created to raise awareness of the difficulties and the successes of the work of human rights defenders in Uganda through the sharing of files, videos, photos and other study materials. Hrduganda.org is administered by the humanitarian organization “Soleterre – Strategies of Peace” and is part of the activities of the project “On the side of human rights defenders in Uganda” funded by the Italian Cooperation for Development, active for more than a year in the state of Uganda. The site gives human rights defenders a virtual space through which they can tell their stories and their struggles and it aims to give information and raise awareness. “One of the best ways to support and protect the work of human rights defenders is to speak out, tell their stories and abuse and discrimination to which they are subjected – said in a note Damiano Rizzi, president of Soleterre – giving them visibility means to guarantee them more chance to carry on the activities and to be protected against the strong powers and the local press, which often denigrates and defames them because of their work for the rights of the weakest. Informing and raising awareness is an activity essential both in Uganda and in Europe, this is why Soleterre included in its project the production and dissemination of materials that can help you better understand what is going on and help improve the situation. “Organizations and individual activists in the country are constantly dedicated to the defense of human rights and are often forced to operate in a hostile climate: threats, abuse and discrimination are common. Especially vulnerable are journalists, women, activists and organizations working against corruption, for the protection of environmental resources and the protection of minorities in the area, including the LGBTI. (Gil)
