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Our Approach

We are a diverse and global team connected by a shared vision. Equidem connects issues and civil society across national and regional boundaries, particularly in the global south, exposing pervasive abuses and forging connections between affected communities.

The Eyes and Ears of the Human Rights Movement

We connect local rights violations to global and systemic failures, engaging with global actors and in international spaces to influence policy development and standards-setting that will better protect marginalised and minority groups at the grassroots. And we seek to bridge the gulf between local human rights actors and the global human rights movement that so often hampers meaningful and sustainable human rights change – the movement is only as strong as it is united.

No one can care more about a human rights situation than the people affected by it. Equidem’s team of field investigators and grassroots partners are the eyes and ears of the human rights movement, sharing real-time real-life data that informs intelligent strategies and effective action. Grassroots civil society is directly involved in the thinking behind and the work of exposing injustice, providing solutions, and building the movement. Together we are building the competence and confidence of grassroots civil society to know and claim their human rights which, in turn, expands Equidem’s reach and impact.

Who we are

Freedom, Liberty, Justice, and Dignity.

Equidem also looks beyond the valued movement of committed human rights activists to seek out, build, and nurture connections with non-traditional partners – those who may not support all the issues on which we work but with whom we share concerns about specific issues and/or communities; and those who may not see themselves as proponents of international human rights law but with whom we share broad values of freedom, liberty, justice, and dignity.

Practical solutions to intractable human rights challenges are Equidem’s unique added value. It’s not enough for us only to point out problems; we go beyond what we are against, and talk about what we are for, and the changes needed to achieve it. While not a single human rights violation should ever be permissible, there is a significant gap between the human rights movement’s principled stance and the practical realities of governments and businesses trying, for example, to navigate the global pandemic and financial crisis. By focusing on practical solutions, Equidem is starting to bridge that gap.

We are also practical in the paths we take to impact. As powerful actors are finding new ways to avoid accountability for their role in human rights abuse, so Equidem is dynamic and innovative in our responses to hold them to account. Equidem is agile in mindset and structure – responding to the world as it is becoming, not as it has been. We assess and add what is needed in each situation, whether that be investigation or exposure, root cause analysis or practical recommendations, adapting to provide what the human rights ecosystems needs.

Our Strategy

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