Study indicates 20 years of flaws in the protection of human rights defenders
A survey by the CBDDH exposes budget cuts, the lack of a legal framework, and the inefficacy of the PPDDH
The Brazilian Committee of Human Rights Defenders (CBBDH, acronym in Portuguese), published a document entitled Dossiê Vidas em Luta: 20 Anos na Defesa do Direito de Lutar (Lives of Struggle: 20 Years Defending the Right to Fight, in a free translation), which offers a new perspective on the precariousness in the human rights defender protection policy in Brazil. The survey goes over two decades of monitoring by the Human Rights Defenders, Communicators, and Environmentalists’ Protection Program (PPDDH, acronym in Portuguese) and indicates the absence of a federal legal framework, the lack of staffing and resources, and the inefficacy of protective measures.
The historical series reveals that, between 2005 and 2010, the expected and effective budget of the program only exceeded 2 million BRL once. In 2018, out of the 15 million BRL forecast, less than 400,000 BRL were effectively employed. In 2023, in turn, in spite of an increase that raised the forecast to 18.9 million BRL, only 5.5 million BRL were used. In 2024, even with the highest allocation until then —27.8 million BRL —, a little over 9 million BRL had been used by June.
The study also shows setbacks, lack of continuity, and structural weaknesses that, according to the Committee, limit this source of protection to a symbolic role. The collective, made up of 45 organizations and social movements, defends the adoption of the National Human Rights Defenders’ Protection Plan (PlanoDDH, acronym in Portuguese) and the approval of a draft bill that institutionalizes the policy, ensuring an effective and stable protection network.
