Support to Human Rights Defenders: Shelter City

The contribution is aimed to provide human rights defenders from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua in a risk situation for their lifes or physical integrity with a three months temporary relocation in Costa Rica at Shelter City facilities. Shelter City Global is an initiative of the Dutch organization Justice and Peace, a human rights non-profit organization based in The Hague, Netherlands. The mission of Justice and Peace is to defend and promote respect for human rights and social justice. Justice and Peace established the program Shelter City in 2012. The network includes cities in Netherlands such as The Hague, Middelburg, Nijmegen, Maastricht, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Tilburg, Groningen, Zwolle, Haarlem, and Deventer. The international network of Shelter City includes Tbilisi (Georgia), Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania) and San José (Costa Rica). The program in Costa Rica is run under the administration of Fundacion Acceso a Costa rican national organization, and was established under an agreement with the Costa Rica Government which provides the beneficiares of the program a special migratory status for a period of six months. The Shelter City programme provides human rights defenders in a risk situation with the ability to leave their own countries for a short period, expand their network with organisations in Europe and the Central American region, strengthen their capacities and skills in areas such as digital, organisational and physical security and access psychological well-being sessions. The original program has the capacity to support a total of 32 persons per year. With the Swedish support the program will enhance his capacity in a 25%, for a total of 40 persons per year. During the second month of their stay in the program, the Defenders elaborates a plan for their return to their own countries. In the cases in which returning is not possible other measures are evaluated. Once the defender returns to his/her country, the program provides support and follow up for another 3 months period with a focus on security and protection.