Human rights defenders often work under enormous pressure. Threats, surveillance, criminalisation, displacement, violence, burnout, and isolation are not exceptional experiences. For many defenders, they are part of daily life. The emotional and psychological impact of this work is profound, yet too often overlooked.
Across the world, defenders are finding ways to continue despite these pressures, and protection mechanisms play a crucial role in making that possible.
In Colombia, an Indigenous woman human rights defender and leader from the Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas (CAOI) was forced to flee her community after receiving threats from paramilitary groups linked to her work defending Indigenous territories and denouncing corporate abuses. After a temporary relocation supported through solidarity networks and protection mechanisms, she returned to her community, now rested and more equipped to face her work with new energy, determined to continue her advocacy despite ongoing risks. Her story reflects not only the physical dangers defenders face, but also the emotional burden of displacement, fear, and constant insecurity.
In Kenya, grassroots women human rights defenders from the Coalition for Grassroots Human Rights Defenders (CGHRD-K) participated in psychosocial support sessions supported through ProtectDefenders.eu. Many of the defenders involved were already survivors of violence themselves and were experiencing stress, fear, burnout, and economic hardship while continuing their activism. The sessions created space to reflect, share experiences, and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
Participants reported improvements in their mental health, relationships, conflict resolution, and collective solidarity. Importantly, the support extended beyond individuals and strengthened the wellbeing of the organisation as a whole.
Similarly, during a regional training in Tunisia bringing together defenders from across the southern Mediterranean region, discussions on mental health and collective wellbeing became central. Through facilitated conversations, defenders shared personal stories about the emotional toll of their work and reflected collectively on resilience, fear, and solidarity. As one phrase shared during the workshop captured: “Ce qui ne s’exprime pas s’imprime”, what is not expressed leaves a mark.
At ProtectDefenders.eu, we believe protection must go beyond emergency responses and physical security. A truly holistic approach means recognising that mental health, collective care, and psychosocial wellbeing are essential components of protection. Defenders cannot continue their vital work if they are left alone to carry fear, trauma, exhaustion, or grief.
Care, rest, solidarity, and psychosocial support are not secondary to protection work, they are protection work.
