man ents ct in ther ders ived vate ot be gally st is ften y are e not tical State they o the h the her ates e of ions te of The Special Rapporteur has expressed concern for the situation of HRDs in all countries, including both emerging democracies and countries with longestablished democratic institutions, practices and traditions. Nevertheless, special emphasis has been placed on countries where: (a) internal armed conflict or severe civil unrest exists; (b) the legal and institutional protections and guarantees of human rights are not fully assured or do not exist at all. A great many HRDs, in every region of the world, have been subject to violations of their human rights. They have been the target of executions, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, death threats, harassment and defamation, as well as restrictions on their freedoms of movement, expression, association and assembly. Defenders have been the victims of false accusations and unfair trial and conviction. Violations most commonly target either HRDs themselves or the organizations and mechanisms through which they work. Occasionally, violations target members of defenders’families, as a means of applying pressure to the defender. Some HRDs are at greater risk because of the nature of the rights they seek to protect. Women HRDs sometimes confront risks that are genderspecific and require particular attention. In most cases, acts committed against HRDs are in violation of both international and national law. In some countries, however, domestic legislations which contravene human rights are used to clamp down defenders. DECLARATION ON HRDS Deliberation on the Declaration on HRDs began in 1984 and concluded with the adoption of the text by the General Assembly in 1998, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A collective effort by a number of human rights non-governmental organizations and some State delegations helped to ensure that the final result was a strong, useful and pragmatic text. Perhaps most importantly, the Declaration is addressed not just to States and to HRDs, but to everyone. It tells us that we all have a role to fulfill as HRDs and emphasizes that there is a global human rights movement that involves us all. The Declaration’s full name is the “Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms” – with this longer title is frequently abbreviated to “The Declaration on HRDs”. 9