Implementation Guidelines for Regional Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders campaign. If HRDs from local communities participate in your activities and campaigns, provided it is safe to do so, this can encourage people from the community to take part, as they see someone from their community is involved. It is also important that your NHRI carries out activities and campaigns specifically related to the rights of HRDs (see Section C of this National Action below). B. Countering narratives against HRDs33 The RAP highlights the need to counter vilification, defamation and smear campaigns often endured by HRDs when carrying out awareness-raising activities for them.34 Smear campaigns, as well as discourses that legitimise the actions of aggressors have a grave impact on HRDs and their work. Such narratives can change societal attitudes towards HRDs, leading to loss of support for their work, hindering protection efforts and even motivating new aggressions.35 In this regard, it is clear that there is a pressing need to develop a strategy directed towards countering vilifying narratives against HRDs. Not only to ensure their security and ability to do their work, any effective strategy at the national level needs to be relevant to the national context. Some steps to developing an effective strategy in this regard, you should:36 • Investigate how the public perceives and how the media portrays HRDs and their work. • Convene actors outside the human rights’ space, such as journalists, politicians and public personalities, to examine narratives on HRDs. Discuss possible approaches and strategies for a narrative change with those groups. • Consider using positive narratives when communicating about them, including highlighting the values HRDs protect rather than the individual actions they perform. In doing this, avoid portraying them as “heroes”, as this may shift the attention and sense of accountability from those violating human rights to HRDs. i. Positive narratives on HRDs You should pay particular attention to the wider narratives developed around HRDs. Narratives on HRDs are often negative, including focusing on obstacles they face, attacks and reprisals they are subject to. While it is certainly important to highlight the difficulties that HRDs suffer so as to invite public scrutiny, this type of discourse can also have the detrimental effect of normalising violations of HRDs rights. Being exposed to so much negative news about HRDs can also have a desensitising effect, causing audiences to instinctively associate human-rights defense work with reprisals and danger. This becomes counterproductive, as it reduces the impact of the stories being told, while at the same time deters potential defenders from engaging in this work. Therefore, a change of discourse becomes useful and necessary, so that messages can reach a wider audience and have a stronger impact. Below are some tips to achieve this:37 • Focus your narrative on the tangible benefits and importance of the work of HRDs, as well as on their achievements and objectives, not on the dangers and risks they face. • Celebrate diversity, but also highlight the common desires, interests, characteristics and goals that humanity has in common and that are being promoted by HRDs. 22 33 https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.protectioninternational.org/sites/default/files/2017-Roundtable-report-EN. pdf&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1632243783827000&usg=AOvVaw2KT4x5vgXGIC85E0QOGggH 34 RAP page 27 35 https://www.protectioninternational.org/sites/default/files/2017-Roundtable-report-EN.pdf p.11 36 https://www.protectioninternational.org/sites/default/files/2017-Roundtable-report-EN.pdf p.11, 13 37 https://ishr.ch/defenders-toolbox/resources/new-narratives-a-seat-at-the-table/ pp. 3, 4, 9, 10