NATIONAL ACTION 5: Monitor violations against Human Rights Defenders NHRIs are in a unique position to collect information on the rights of HRDs.88 The UN Human Rights Council has recognised the value of their monitoring and recommendations on existing and proposed legislation, especially in regards to its impact on HRDs’ activities (as was discussed in National Action 1).89 Monitoring can also include a focus on the lived experiences of HRDs in the country, including by investigating rights violations. Monitoring can yield immediate and long-term results, both by helping a victim obtain redress and by triggering investigations and broader inquiries, which can identify systematic patterns of violations. Disaggregated and contextualised data can help to: • Ensure that resources, policies and advocacy for HRDs are effectively targeted and responsive.90 • Indicate HRDs most at risk and in need of support, as well as which protective measures have had actual impact.91 • Ensure accountability for human rights violations, as it aids in identifying root causes of aggressions and common manifestations, as HRDs and areas most affected.92 The above means NHRIs can be essential actors in the fight against impunity.93 By obtaining data through a set of indicators agreed at the regional level, regional statistics can also be developed. In this regard, the APF can support its members with technical assistance required to establish effective data collection and analysis, as well as support the development of frameworks for national and regional statistics. A. Important rules on data collection i. Including HRDs as a specific priority in Strategic Plans Considering the major role that HRDs play in promoting the effective enjoyment of human rights by all, the protection and promotion of HRDs and their work should be a priority for NHRIs, and NHRIs should consider this when developing their strategic plans. HRDs could be classified as a specific priority in your strategic plans, which would ensure that resources and time are devoted to their protection. The framing of this priority will be up to each NHRI, based on the particular needs of HRDs in their country, and - as always - developed in consultation with HRDs. This could also be supported by the APF. If there are particularly pressing problems for HRDs in a given country, the priority should reflect this, such as where there are extractive industry projects infringing on the rights of indigenous HRDs, or where specific groups of HRDs are being criminalized because of their work. ii. Secure management of information from HRDs As mentioned at the start of this Guide, one cross-cutting element when dealing with information related to HRDs is keeping it secure and prioritising the security of the HRDs. This is essential when monitoring and also reporting (see National Action 6) on violations against HRDs. Some HRDs abstain from reporting violations to their rights due to a fear of reprisals. This is particularly the case when the violations were committed by State agents.94 In this regard, no 88 https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/22/47 par. 23, 72 89 https://www.right-docs.org/doc/a-hrc-res-22-6/ par. 16, 17 90 RAP page 22 91 https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/preleases/2021/106.asp (p.18 of the guide) 92 https://ganhri.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/DIMR_GANHRI-CSW-Report_final-BF.pdf p.14, 35 93 https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/22/47 par. 24 94 https://undocs.org/en/A/74/159 pars. 56-58 35