Turning victims into defenders of human rights
Who We Are
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor is a youth-led independent, nonprofit organization that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region, particularly those who live under occupation, in the throes of war or political unrest and/ or have been displaced due to persecution or armed conflict.
Euro-Med Monitor was established in November 2011 and is registered in Switzerland (CH-660.0.748.015-1), where it maintains its official headquarters. The idea of Euro-Med Monitor is inspired by the people’s will to rebel against tyranny and oppression that swept through the Arab region in 2011 and continues to percolate everywhere. Euro-Med Monitor strives to support these movements by planting the seeds for international mobilization and stimulating human rights organizations and decision-makers to focus on violation of the people’s right to expression and freedom.
Currently, in addition to our administrative/policy office in Geneva (home of many human rights-related UN bodies), Euro-Med Monitor has a regional office in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, in addition to representatives and collaborations with organizations serving the remaining MENA countries and Europe. Euro-Med is managed by a senior staff dispersed among these countries and guided by a Board of Trustees
Our Scope of Work
Euro-Mediterranean operates as a complement to and partner with other human rights organizations in the MENA region. Through our news bulletins, video interviews and in-depth reports, we both expose incidents with detail not available through other sources, and probe broad patterns of behavior that call out for sustained attention. When helpful, we pose recommendations for dealing with humanitarian crises and helping those affected.
Through these vehicles, we seek to:
- Elevate the awareness of and appreciation for human rights law in the countries of the region.
- Leverage international law to hold accountable perpetrators of human rights violations.
- Provide a helping hand to local institutions for the implementation of joint projects.
- Stimulate international and European human rights organizations and decision makers to focus on particular violations.
- Highlight the challenges facing marginalized populations.
- Encourage the use of peaceful and legal channels to expose the perpetrators of human rights violations, including parties that impede the work of jurists.
Issues of focus:
· Treatment of civilians during armed conflicts.
· Rights of refugees and migrants.
· Youth Rights.
· Women's and children's rights.
· Freedom of expression.
· Extralegal executions.
· Torture
Our Philosophies
Three fundamental philosophies guide our work:
- Human rights develop to their highest form when they extend beyond protection from harm and defense of free speech to inclusion of typically marginalized populations, such as refugees, in priority-setting and advocacy.
- Youth form the backbone of our staff and volunteers. They constitute the majority of the MENA population, and to catalyze positive change, we must develop and empower this up-and-coming generation.
- European institutions charged with monitoring and regulating development, law and human rights (as well as the international bodies they fund) are the primary targets of our advocacy. We work on involving these parties to take action, and use their influence in the benefit of our target groups.
Funding
Since the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, we have completely refused all offers of funding, sponsorship or support from government and faction bodies to protect our vision and narrative, to ensure an unbiased perspective and to resist external influences and pressures. We, however, rely on individual donations, project funding by independent international organizations, as well as crowdfunding campaigns, which are launched by our crowdfunding team several times a year. This funding is used either to finance specific projects or to provide salaries and bonuses to young women and men working as part of the Euro-Med team in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. A network of international activists and human rights defenders, as well as members of Euro-Med Board of Trustees and Board of Directors, who contribute to keeping the organization independent from external influences, also help bring in funding from different sources.
Examples of crowdfunding campaigns we launched:
- We Are Not Numbers Project: - First stage
Our Mission
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has declared its mission to establish an independent and nongovernmental organization that would work across the region to investigate and expose oppression and atrocities has become urgent. Our mission must not only be to observe and document violations of human rights, but also to inform public opinion and “plant the seeds” for international mobilization by advocacy organizations, governmental bodies, watchdog groups and grassroots activists.
International law must once again become a respected tool of world governance, to which the downtrodden and persecuted can look for relief through recognition and redress, including compensation. Impunity must become an artifact of the past, no matter how wealthy or influential the party