Founded | 1976 |
---|---|
Type | non-governmental organization |
Focus | Human Rights, Knowledge Sharing |
Location | |
Website | hri.ca |
Human Rights Internet (also referred to as HRI [1] ) is a non-governmental organization (NGO), not-for-profit based in Ottawa, Canada. Its mission is twofold: to inspire education, advocacy, and dialogue in Canada; and, to document and disseminate information on human rights.
Today, this mission is supported through two programs. Its HRI Small Grants Competition [2] awards funding through a competitive process to Canadian-based non-governmental organizations, community organizations, schools, and individuals who propose initiatives in Canada which support any one of the rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [3]
These grants are funded by HRI’s second program, international human rights grey literature collections. Historically, HRI served as a non-governmental repository for English language documentation produced by human rights NGOs worldwide. The repository began in 1980. HRI has continued to collate and catalogue documents which span a broad range of human rights issues from all regions of the world. A Dutch company, Brill/IDC Publishers, makes these documents available for a fee. Originally packaged in a microfiche format, in 2024, there are now six collections with over 77,000 human rights documents available from Brill/IDC Publishers as full-text, searchable online databases, making it the largest database of its kind. These collections are:
- Human Rights Documents [4]
- Climate Change and the Law [5]
- Rights of the Child, Women’s Rights, Reproductive Rights, LGBTQ+ and Gender [6]
- Economy and Inequality [7]
- Environment, Sustainability and Climate [8]
- Technology, Democracy and Society [9]
HISTORY
HRI was co-founded by the political scientist Laurie S. Wiseberg [10] . Launched in 1976 under the name InterNet: the International Human Rights Documentation Network, the organization came to be known as Human Rights Internet (HRI). It employed the term InterNet six years before the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) was introduced as the standard networking protocol on the ARPANET, the precursor to the modern Internet. Originally the organization employed the term to refer to the concept of an international network of human rights organizations.
HRI became affiliated with the Harvard University Law School from 1985 until 1990. HRI was independent of, but worked in cooperation with, the Law School’s Human Rights Program. In 1990, HRI moved to Ottawa and was initially affiliated with the University of Ottawa (again, the organization was independent but worked in cooperation with the university's Human Rights Research and Education Centre). In 1994 HRI left its university location and operated from its own office in Ottawa. Today it is an entirely virtual office. HRI had been a registered non-governmental organization in both the USA and Canada. It dissolved the corporation in the USA in the early 2000s. The Canadian corporation remains active. It is governed by a volunteer board. In 2012, the board decided to form a “virtual office”, with board members, staff and consultants working remotely.
For nearly 15 years (1998 until 2013), HRI managed a number of internship programs. Hundreds of Canadian youth were placed and supported in internships in foreign countries through the International Youth Internship Program (IYIP). Funding for these internships came from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), and Industry Canada.
HRI was also home to the Initiative on Quiet Diplomacy, referred to as IQD. The Initiative aimed at preventing violent conflict through co-operative, problem-solving and quiet diplomatic arrangements within regional and sub-regional inter-governmental organizations. Publications from this Initiative included:
- Equal Women’s Participation in Peace Processes
- Land and Conflict Prevention Handbook
HRI also published the Human Rights Tribune from 1992 to 2006.
IDC may refer to:
Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley and Richmond, British Columbia. The school is a member of Universities Canada.
Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB) is an international non-profit organization founded in 2000 by Connecticut Attorney, Christina M. Storm, which operates worldwide from its central headquarters located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A. Its single affiliate, Lawyers Without Borders UK, was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in London, having acquired UK charity status in June 2010. Lawyers from around the world are engaged as volunteers either individually or through their employers who support LWOB as pro bono partners. To date, the countries which contribute the largest number of lawyer volunteers to LWOB field work are the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
The Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary academic centre. It offers various research and educational programs related to the field of globalization. It is located in Toronto, Ontario, offers master's degrees in global affairs and public policy, and a master's degree in European, Russian and Asia-Pacific studies. This school is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA). It also works in group of schools that educate students in international affairs. The Munk School's Master of Global Affairs program typically receives 500 and 600 applicants per year and offers 80 students entry into its program.
Sheila Watt-Cloutier is a Canadian Inuk activist. She has been a political representative for Inuit at the regional, national and international levels, most recently as International Chair for the Inuit Circumpolar Council. Watt-Cloutier has worked on a range of social and environmental issues affecting Inuit, most recently, persistent organic pollutants and global warming. She has received numerous awards and honours for her work, and has been featured in a number of documentaries and profiled by journalists from all media. Watt-Cloutier sits as an adviser to Canada's Ecofiscal Commission. She is also a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Ghana face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Sexual acts between males have been illegal as "unnatural carnal knowledge" in Ghana since the colonial era. The majority of Ghana's population hold anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Physical and violent homophobic attacks against LGBTQ people occur, and are often encouraged by the media and religious and political leaders. At times, government officials, such as police, engage in such acts of violence. Young gay people are known to be disowned by their families and communities and evicted from their homes. Families often seek conversion therapy from religious groups when same-sex orientation or non-conforming gender identity is disclosed; such "therapy" is reported to be commonly administered in abusive and inhumane settings.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Iraq face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Openly LGBTQ individuals are subject to criminal penalties under the 2024 law making homosexual relations punishable by up to 15 years in prison with fines and deportation; the 2024 law also criminalizes and makes punishable by prison time promoting homosexuality, doctors performing gender-affirming surgery, and men deliberately acting like women. Discrimination is also widespread. Openly gay men are not permitted to serve in the military and same-sex marriage or civil unions are illegal. LGBTQ people do not have any legal protections against discrimination and are frequently victims of vigilante justice and honor killings.
The King's University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is a Canadian Christian university offering bachelor's degrees in the arts, humanities, music, social sciences, natural sciences, business, and education. King's is one of 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions in Alberta. The university serves more than 900 students from across Canada and abroad, representing more than 16 nations.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, commonly shortened to Victory Fund, is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ public officials in the United States. Victory Fund is the largest LGBTQ+ political action committee in the United States and one of the nation's largest non-connected PACs.
Ottawa Capital Pride is an annual LGBTQ pride event, festival, and parade held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and Gatineau, Quebec, from mid to late August. Established in 1986, it has evolved into a 7 to 9-day celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, advocating for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the National Capital Region. The festival offers bilingual events in English and French, known as 'Capital Pride / Fierté dans la capitale', seamlessly blending local pride with national importance.
HRI may refer to:
Internet censorship in Vietnam is implemented in the country, according to a 2009 report from Reporters Without Borders. Vietnam regulates its citizens' Internet access using both legal and technical means. The government's efforts to regulate, monitor, and provide oversight regarding Internet use has been referred to as a "Bamboo Firewall".
NetCorps was a volunteer-organizing coalition consisting of nine Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and managed by the NetCorps coordination unit. Through the program, the organizations created international information and communication technologies (ICT) internships in developing countries around the world. Interns typically participated in six-month programs, leaving between August and November for host organizations in the placement countries. Positions were limited to 19–30-year-old Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who had "appropriate information and communication technologies skills". Typical duties included creating webpages, developing databases, computer networking, setting up hardware, preparing manuals and other documentation, and general-to-advanced computer instruction.
The Dodd Center for Human Rights is a University of Connecticut center which supports programming, educational initiatives, and events dedicated to the theme of human rights. The complex is located on the main UConn campus in Storrs, Connecticut.
The HIV Legal Network is Canada's leading advocacy organization working on the legal and human rights issues raised by HIV and AIDS. The organization actively promotes the human rights of people living with and vulnerable to HIV and AIDS, in Canada and internationally, through research and analysis, advocacy and litigation, public education, and community mobilization. The organization was founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1992, by human rights lawyers Ralf Jürgens, David Patterson, David Thompson, and Norman Halde. It is currently located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The David Bohnett Foundation is a private foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas – primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBT rights in the United States, as well as leadership initiatives and voter education, gun violence prevention, and animal language research. It was founded by David Bohnett in 1999. As of 2022, the foundation has donated $125 million to nonprofit organizations and initiatives.
The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) was a Canadian charitable organization that operated from 2005 to 2024. CCGSD worked towards stopping bullying, discrimination, and homophobia in schools and communities in Canada. CCGSD closed their operations in October 2024.
The Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network, also known as "I&J Policy Network", "Internet & Jurisdiction, or simply "I&J", is the multistakeholder organization fostering legal interoperability in cyberspace. Its Secretariat facilitates a global policy process between key stakeholders to enable transnational cooperation and policy coherence. Participants in the Policy Network work together to preserve the cross-border nature of the Internet, protect human rights, fight abuses, and enable the global digital economy. Since 2012, the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network has engaged more than 300 key entities from different stakeholder groups around the world, including governments, the world's largest Internet companies, the technical community, civil society groups, leading universities and international organizations.