MY HERO Celebrates Human Rights Defenders

What's a human rights defender?

Human rights defenders speak out against abuse and violations including discrimination, exclusion, oppression and violence. They advocate justice and seek to protect the victims of human rights violations. They demand accountability of perpetrators and transparency in government action. In so doing, they are often putting at risk their own safety, and that of their families.

Each of us can be a human rights defender.

“Human rights defender is a title each and every one of us can earn. It is not a role that requires a professional qualification. What it depends on is regard for our fellow human beings, an understanding that we are all entitled to the full range of human rights and a commitment to seeing that ideal become a reality.”

- Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Famous or not!

Some human rights defenders are famous, but most are not. They are active in every part of the world, working alone and in groups, in local communities, in national politics and internationally. They are of all ages and have diverse backgrounds and occupations. Many are highly qualified people who have special skills as lawyers, journalists, doctors, architects, teachers: many others have little or no education but they all have in common the fundamental conviction that human rights must be protected and promoted.

Everyone can advance and speak up for human rights no matter who they are or where they are from. Each one of us has the potential to make a difference.

Illustrations by Yacine Ait Kaci (YAK)

This illustrated edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is published by the United Nations in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.