Regional Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders CASE STUDY National Human Rights Commission of India – HRDs Focal Point The National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) has set up a focal point on human rights defenders as a support mechanism for the HRD community in India. The focal point is comprised of a team of dedicated staff primarily tasked with responding to incidents reported by HRDs. The focal point has a dedicated contact phone number, fax and email address and is available on a 24-hour basis to register incidents and address them on a priority basis, separately from the NHRC’s more routine complaints-handling work. The HRDs focal point also conducts training and sensitisation among other NHRC staff to raise awareness of the rights of HRDs and ensure that cases relating to HRDs are directed to the focal point for handling. Having a dedicated HRD focal point has resulted in complaints from HRDs being addressed expeditiously, often in a matter of hours, depending on the nature of the complaint and the required response. The NHRC uses statistics of complaints processed by the HRD focal point to generate reports on the number of violations committed against HRDs, which it includes in a chapter on HRDs in its annual report. NATIONAL ACTION 5: Monitor violations against Human Rights Defenders • Identify HRDs in complaints-handling systems • Monitor government implementation of the 1998 HRDs Declaration • Collect disaggregated data on violations from HRDs networks and other community sources APF members will conduct monitoring of violations against HRDs in their national jurisdictions. NHRIs perform a unique protection function for HRDs and their networks. Through this function and their regular contact with HRDs, NHRIs are well placed to document violations that HRDs experience, which include killings, enforced disappearances, detention, threats of violence, restrictions on funding, limits on freedom of association with colleagues, and other acts of hostility. Many NHRIs already collect data on violations against HRDs in their complaints-handling systems, by identifying whether a complainant identifies as an HRD. Some NHRIs may also monitor violations against HRDs through their relationships with defender networks and other civil society partners, where they have the capability to do so. Monitoring violations according to an established framework will enable the creation of national statistics on violations against HRDs, which will be essential for the development of a data set at the regional level. National monitoring and data will be an essential foundation for other core national activities contemplated by this Action Plan, including advocacy and reporting. Monitoring will also trigger investigations and broader inquiries by NHRIs where patterns of violations are identified, with a view to reporting violations publicly. The APF will support its members with the technical assistance required to establish effective data collection and analysis, which will also include monitoring of the implementation by government of the HRDs Declaration. Protocols will be established to ensure the identities of defenders and their families are protected during the collection and storage of data. Reported data will not include personal information of victims or their families. 28