Third Reviewed Version Year II Q2 Report

This mechanism is designed to protect and bolster freedom of association, expression, and other basic human rights. The project is funded by USAID and implemented by Freedom House. The project's main activities and results achieved during the report period of April 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, include the registration of cases of human rights abuses committed against human rights defenders, journalists, and social communicators. The HRD Lab, a sub-grantee of Freedom House, registered 28 cases of abuses and threats against these groups throughout the country. The lab also provided accompaniment and follow-up on various cases entering the Mechanism, with four cases submitted to and accepted by the Protection Mechanism. The project also conducted a Training of Trainers (ToTs) workshop on physical and digital security, which was attended by 14 representatives from various human rights groups. The workshop covered topics such as how to identify an HRD, how to identify and mitigate risks, and how to develop individual and collective safety plans. The HRD Lab is also creating a ToT manual to share with training participants, which will include strategies for physical self-protection, psychological wellbeing, organizational security, and digital security. In addition, the HRD Lab issued seven early warning alerts, which were shared through social media and directly with the Ministry of Human Rights, the Protection Mechanism, and other stakeholders. The project also provided technical assistance to set up the Prevention and Context Analysis unit (UPAC) and conducted several trainings, including how to apply the collective risk methodology and the gender perspective. The project's context analysis highlights the ongoing challenges faced by human rights defenders in Honduras, including the failure of the government to properly investigate human rights violations committed during the post-election protests. A recent poll showed that 57.1 percent of survey respondents did not believe the deaths and other human rights abuses perpetrated in the aftermath of the election would ever be investigated. The project aims to address these concerns by developing and making operational the methodology with a gender approach and increasing awareness on the Protection Law and Mechanism through sub-grants to CSOs inside and outside of the Council. The project's program activities are focused on improving the ability of civil society to prevent attacks against human rights defenders, journalists, and social communicators. The HRD Lab is working closely with its sub-grantee ACI-PARTICIPA to implement activities of the HRD Lab, including the registration of cases, accompaniment and follow-up on various cases, and the issuance of early warning alerts. The project also aims to enhance the ability of civil society and human rights defenders to hold the Government of Honduras accountable for its actions. The project's geographic focus is on Honduras, with a specific emphasis on the Protection Mechanism and the HRD Lab. The project's timeframes are from April 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, with a focus on the implementation of the project's activities and the achievement of its results. The project's recommendations include the development of a comprehensive public policy to protect human rights defenders, the allocation of the necessary budget for the Mechanism, and the increasing of cooperation across various state sectors.