On the Frontline: Violence against Human Rights Defenders in Brazil is a report that exposes the attacks on those who stand up for human rights in the country. The survey, conducted by the Brazilian human rights organizations Terra de Direitos and Justiça Global, covers the cases of violence that occurred between 2019 and 2022. The data was collected from news sources, previous reports, and cases monitored by Terra de Direitos and Justi.a Global. The report highlights the violence against both individual and collective defenders, such as indigenous and quilombola peoples.

The study classifies human rights defenders as subjects, peoples, popular movements, or collectives that act in defense of human rights, even though some of these rights have not yet taken on a legal form. According to the United Nations, human rights defenders are “individuals acting alone, legal persons, groups, organizations or social movements that act or have the purpose of promoting or defending human rights”. Currently, this is the same concept that gives rise to the main Brazilian protection policy for those who work in defense of human rights.

The survey carried out by the organizations was based on news, consultation with other reports, and internal research of cases followed by the organizations and networks they are part of. The cases were organized and categorized according to the defender's demographic information, gender, race, the place where the violence was registered, the type of violence, the context of the action, the offending agent, and the complaints made, among others.

Access the Fact Sheet here:
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