Preparedness

When mental health becomes disabling: supporting the human rights workforce

Leave a Comment / Curated 7, Curated Series, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Equality and Non-Discrimination, Human Rights Defenders, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Amidst environments burning with hostility, violence, harassment, criminalisation, and political repression, the human rights workforce operates at front and rear under pressure. Coupled with experiences of injustice, urgency and institutional pressure, their psychological well-being is often threatened, at times to a disabling degree.

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Reducing the mental health toll on environmental human rights defenders

Leave a Comment / Curated 7, Curated Series, Environment, Human Rights Defenders, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Environmental rights defenders have been recognised as human rights defenders. This mitigates the costly daily price of being frontline against environmental destruction, which regularly results in a disproportionate toll on mental health and in loss of lives.

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From eco-anxiety to empowerment: cooling down the fear of a heated future

Leave a Comment / Curated 7, Curated Series, Environment, Human Rights Defenders, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Eco-anxiety, though not a clinical disorder, impacts personal resilience. Addressing it requires therapeutic safe spaces and restoring personal agency to help individuals cope with the emotional weight of climate change by fostering empowerment amid planetary challenges.

From eco-anxiety to empowerment: cooling down the fear of a heated future Read More »

Women in the human rights field: navigating the path to impact without burnout

Leave a Comment / Curated 7, Curated Series, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Equality and Non-Discrimination, Gender, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Burnout severely limits women’s ability to create impact within the human rights field. Left unaddressed women human rights professionals are overwhelmed and exhausted. Multiple steps can be taken for women to have a positive impact without burnout.

Women in the human rights field: navigating the path to impact without burnout Read More »

Accessing health rights for women and girls with disabilities in Palestine

Leave a Comment / Alumni Regional Correspondents, Arab World, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Gender, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Palestinian women and girls with disabilities encounter numerous obstacles and discrimination accessing and asserting their sexual and reproductive health and rights. It is crucial to raise awareness, involve them in decision-making processes concerning issues that affect them and provide specialised training for service providers.

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Caring for colleagues: how to help without being a psychologist

Leave a Comment / Curated 7, Curated Series, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Human Rights Defenders, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Five evidence-based strategies are offered to support the mental wellbeing of humanitarian colleagues—without being a psychologist. Grounded in academic research, these strategies provide practical tools to care for others responsibly, without overstepping or causing unintended harm.

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Attacks on civil and non-governmental organisations in Latin America

1 Comment / Alumni Regional Correspondents, Civil and Political Rights, Democracy & Governance, Human Rights Defenders, Latin America - Caribbean, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

These past few years and with growing intensity these past few months, governments in Latin America have been passing laws to censor and prevent civil and non-governmental organisations receiving vital funds from international donors, a violation of human rights.

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Avoiding compassion fatigue: staying compassionate without emotional overload

Leave a Comment / Curated 7, Curated Series, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Global, Human Rights Defenders, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Human rights work demands deep compassion, often leading to emotional overwhelm. To avoid burnout and fatigue, it is worth exploring relevant steps for maintaining balance and well-being in such an emotionally demanding profession.

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Why mental health is essential to the future of human rights work

Leave a Comment / Curated 7, Curated Series, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Human Rights Defenders, Preparedness / Gaia Balbo

Mental health is not only a human right but also a vital asset in defending all other rights. It is worth exploring the overlooked mental health toll on human rights professionals and calling for systemic care and support.

Why mental health is essential to the future of human rights work Read More »

Reducing the mental health toll on environmental human rights defenders

From eco-anxiety to empowerment: cooling down the fear of a heated future

Attacks on civil and non-governmental organisations in Latin America

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