At the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), our work is inspired by the individuals who dedicate their lives — often at great personal risk — to challenging authoritarian governments that violate the most basic rights of 4.2 billion people around the world.
What differentiates HRF from other human rights organizations is our singular focus on authoritarian regimes. We believe authoritarianism is the single largest obstacle to freedom around the world, and the statistics overwhelmingly support this position. Our research shows that 54% of humanity currently lives under an authoritarian regime.
Many other human rights organizations focus a substantial portion of their resources on democracies (where domestic nonprofits are allowed to operate freely) — oftentimes at the cost of devoting far less attention to the most egregious cases of human rights abuses that occur under tyrannical regimes. Given our size, budget, and track record, we believe the way HRF allocates its resources is efficient and impactful.
HRF seeks to reach as many people as possible (including world leaders, academics, journalists, philanthropists, artists, technologists, as well as the general public) to promote freedom and democracy for those living under authoritarian regimes.
We advocate for the release of prisoners of conscience, develop educational resources for those living under dictatorships, and host conferences where people can learn about the importance of individual rights directly from activists on the frontlines advocating for human rights.
We produce global events that feature the stories of brave activists who risk their lives for the freedom many take for granted, and we collaborate with tech experts and companies that provide skills, knowledge, and resources for these activists to remain safe and secure in their line of work.
2020 was a disruptive and devastating year, but I am most grateful that HRF continued to work to achieve international legal victories and assist our global community through this time of great need.
As a charitable organization without an endowment, HRF is entirely dependent on the generosity of donors like you in order to carry out our work. With your support, we can continue to expand our efforts to challenge tyranny and promote freedom where it is most needed.