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Protection of Human Rights and Mitigating Impunity (PHRMI)

The project is aim at documenting human rights violation in order to lobby , advocate against human rights violations, and provide assistance to victims of human rights violations and their families through networking.

Objectives:

  • Utilize the capacity acquired by the team over 4 – 5 years by establishing a unit that could systematically document information flowing in from the district level
  • Be able to provide direct as well as indirect assistance to victims of civil and political rights violations by enabling timely and efficient follow up
  • Be able to provide direct as well as indirect assistance to victims of civil and political rights violations by enabling timely and efficient follow up
  • Lobby for advocacy interventions based on the findings that could also be disseminated on a weekly, bi – weekly or quarterly

Outcomes :



•  Use of modern technology to support Human Rights Activism

•  Documentation, tracking incidents of violations and reporting

•  Promoting accountability in the fall of impunity

•  Empowerment of citizens and communities

Outputs:

Provide legal aid through Institute of Human Rights (IHR)

Daily, weekly and monthly analysis of data and dissemination

Provide information to Human Rights Monitoring Group (HRMG) for action

HRMG Provide Current human right situation report

Provide Livelihood through RR unit of CHA

Send letters to HR Violated Victims family regarding the victim’s current situation

Activities :

Current Activities :

  • Collect information for the CKCA
  • Collect daily incidents/ Violations from media and systematic data entry to the web portal.
  • Producing of daily analysis of the information collected
  • Receiving information from the District Human Rights Desk officer (HRDO) (6 Districts)
  • Information received from district are documented and entered to the Web portal.
  • On urgent request for legal assistance from district the cases are sent to IHR or HHR for legal representation
  • Compile arrest/detainee and disappearance list to trace the individuals in detention centers with the assistance of IHR
  • With the assistance of the HRDO and IHR verify the information published in the newspapers and web sites.
  • On special request training of staff on documenting human rights violations and data entry using the methodology developed under HRAC project

Database Development - Data base design, Data entry and Analyze for The Asia foundation (PERFECT)

Data Entry works -- PND Project
CHA Mailing list

Training Program

  • Training Program on database designing and data analysis using EpiInfo software
  • Training program on data analysis using statistical software's (SPSS)

Methodology Used :
Monitoring human rights violations
The proposed methodology is categorized to manage the different levels of interventions:

    • Online secure channel to forward information pertaining to abuses that could be routed for possible and relevant assistance on a timely manner
    • Act as an ‘information hub' that could provide information to interested organization who are willing to assist the victims or victims families
    • Systematically document the information in order to track trends and patterns of current abuses that could be highlighted on a regular basis (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly) to solicit advocacy interventions from relevant authorities

Planned Activities:

•  On special request training of staff on documenting human rights violations and data entry using the methodology developed under HRAC project

• Give the access facility to other Organizations for Web portal

The proposed system allows citizens of this country who are under threat to approach CHA and inform about the violations or imminent violations they are subjected to. Approach can be done in several ways.

  • Citizen could initiate this by sending a SMS which will be monitored by the HRAC unit. Once such information is received it will be recorded and follow up action will be taken to inquire about it and take action through relevant institution in the network.
  • Secondly citizen could send a mail and report about violation or imminent violations of rights which could be taken up by relevant institution in the network. Follow up steps will be monitored to ensure speedy remedy for the affected parties.
  • Thirdly citizen could visit our district offices based in 12 districts and make a written complaint about the violation they were subjected to. These complaints will be monitored by Colombo HRAC unit and information will be passed on to institution who could take steps to provide assistance.
  • Once the web portal system proved to be bullet proof we will open it up for the whole public to report in on human right violations. Any individual who can access to the internet to report any incidents they have witnessed or have heard about from 3rd party.

A pre designed form will be used to capture personal information of the individuals concern who will visit the CHA offices

The person will be given a chance to write down in his/her own words of his complaint

The data received by District office of CHA will be fed into an online form which will be sent to the Project Coordinator in Colombo via email. Once sent from the district, this information will be automatically stored in a centralized database in Colombo . Access to the information will be restricted with administrative passwords at Colombo level

Hand written statements would be scanned and sent in order to ensure that we are able to capture the original narration with the use of WWWWW (Who? did What? To Whom? When and Where?) Model.

On receiving such complaints the system will allow to specify type of ‘assistance’ required by the complainant, the unit, upon receipt of the bulletin will determine to which resource group it should be sent to. The resource group would be pre-identified organizations who have given their consent to receive and provide possible assistance.

If assistance can not be provided, the Human security officer will take it up with the management / program staff concerned to be tabled at meetings who can table the information for possible assistance and keep the complainant informed of steps taken via the district office.

The other organization in the same network could pass on to any information received by them on human rights violation to CHA so it could be stored in the centralized database. They could follow the same methodology in used by CHA to record any complaints received by them.

It is the responsibility of the person who is recording the complaint to assign appropriate tracking numbers in filling the documents. This includes hard copy as well as soft copies of the complaint.

Once such information send to Colombo it will be monitored and shared with relevant organizations to take actions on the matter. the organization could be one from Colombo or one from district who are working on the issue concern

There will be tracking system in the centralize database to monitor progress of the complaint. This should be available on line for other organization monitor the progress of such complaint.

Parallel to soliciting assistance to the nature of requests, the information will also be systematically documented and stored in a statistical database which would be customized to the project's requirements.
Fact finding Mission, once find the Human security issues we advocate at weekly advocacy review meeting.

Contact :

Inquiries on Protection of Human Rights and Mitigating Impunity (PHRMI) and related activities could be directed to :

N.Balasubramaniyam
Project Coordinator- (Documentation unit)
Telephone
Fax
+94-11-2592434
+94-11-4542681
Email hrac@cha.lk
Address No. 30/81, Longdon Place , Colombo 7 ,
Sri Lanka .

Niagara Jinadasa

Program officer (Human Security)
Telephone
Fax
+94-11-2592434
+94-11-4542681
Email po_hsp@cha.lk
Address No. 30/81, Longdon Place , Colombo 7 ,
Sri Lanka .