Act Today, Build Tomorrow
We define ourselves not by the injustices and human rights violations we fight against, but by the future we want to build.
The heart of our work is the desire to protect human rights in order to leave a better world for future generations.
For us, the future is an open code that needs to be written and rewritten. When we code the future, we prioritise:
- Fundamental rights and freedoms instead of state interests;
- The power of the righteous instead of the righteousness of the power;
- Responding to change rather than following old plans and goals set by past generations.
The best way not to feel hopeless is to take action.
Human rights is a concept which does not belong to any political party or ideology, and although it has always been in front of us, until recently we were afraid to name it.
This concept, which was put on the world’s agenda especially due to the devastation caused by the two world wars and which is now represented by large institutions in almost every geography with its universal character, needs action like a sapling that always needs water for its growth and development.
Human Rights Solidarity is a space to learn, enjoy, recognize and fight for our rights.
We invite human rights activists, all those who want to be part of change and are willing to stand up against injustice, to join our humble initiative to shape the future for generations to come.
Defending the rights of people, animals and nature
Who We Are ?
What We Do ?
How We Do ?
Mission & Vision
Solidarity for all!
The founding group and current volunteers of Human Rights (HRS) Solidarity are mostly young refugees and first- or second-generation migrants in the UK.
Many HRS contributors and volunteers have paid a high price by becoming refugees for dissenting and speaking out against an autocratic regime.
The HRS team learned the value of fundamental rights and freedoms not through deep reading, but through witnessing dramatic events.
Recognizing the importance of human rights in the life of society, we believe that they are necessary not only for ourselves, our family or our community, but for everyone.
Our efforts will continue until we see a world where everyone's human rights are protected. We will be in solidarity for everyone!
If you want to be part of this organisation, please do not hesitate, because the gates of the HRS are open for all.
HRS is an independent self-organised and volunteer-led organisation. The only allegiance we have is to our foundational principles that are incorporated into our founding documents and the Solidarity Principles.
All financial and decision-making processes of HRS are transparently shared with our volunteers, donors and relevant UK authorities.
Protection and promotion of human rights with SOLIDARITY !
What we do is to take action. Take action against human rights violations and for promotion of human rights. Because as indicated our first co-chair, the best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something.
We do act, because we want to be architects of that better world. We want to inherit the next generation, a culture of solidarity for human rights, a network of people standing up to power and to sways of often engineered popular opinion.
We do act, because we believe human rights are not a body of abstract knowledge that can be obtained through reading or listening. A good knowledge of the muscle system does not make one well-built. Human rights are qualities that can only be obtained through exercising, through continuous activism.
We do act, because we cannot undo the wrongs of the past. But we can undo and redo the future, which in its current form is gloomy.
HRS, where young volunteers take an active role in the management, has almost all the features that can be expected from a human rights organization with its dynamic structure.
In addition to defending human rights violations on the streets, HRS fights for rights in various international organizations through reporting and advocacy activities.
Positive transformation on the urgent and critical human rights situations
Human Right Solidarity (HRS) works on a range of projects with the aim of protecting and promoting human rights. HRS’s primary aim is to contribute towards achieving a positive transformation on the urgent and critical human rights situations throughout the world.
HRS works towards this through a combination of coaching and support; human rights and international law education and advocacy; research, monitoring and urgent actions on human rights violations; policy engagement; and utilising human rights complaint mechanisms of domestic and international institutions.
The primary means of activism at the house of solidarity is to learn and the primary means of learning is to act upon what we have learnt. We learn through various forms of human interactions: Social media activism, campaigns, letter writing, peer group discussions, webinars, panels, forums, blogs, vlogs, protests, exhibitions, lectures, reports, infographics, books, music, art and films.
Through participation to and collaboration with other human rights organizations’ activities, we have garnered a body of experience enough to pick and replicate when a call for action is raised in our meetings at any level of the HRS architecture. Committees are main decision-making bodies in HRS architecture, and they form permanent or temporary projects in line with their objectives.
These projects then grow into concrete actions and feed back to the body of experience and knowledge on why, what and how to successfully manage a project and create greater awareness in the upcoming projects. We learn from our flaws and mistakes, and we value the lesson learnt from a project, more than the concrete outcomes itself.
Lighting a human rights fire against the darkness!
History has repeatedly shown that the first condition for the total advancement of humanity is respect for fundamental human rights. An analysis of developments in recent centuries shows that respect for human rights is the cause, not the result, of economic and political progress.
In a society where fundamental rights and freedoms are not respected, there may have been a period of economic and technological prosperity, but this situation has not been permanent and has negatively affected the fate of humanity.
One of the most important reasons underlying the desire of democratic societies to seriously protect human rights is undoubtedly the intention to ensure the continuity of economic and political power by being aware of this fact.
Our mission and vision is to light another human rights fire in solidarity and respect for the values of democratic society against the darkness.
Solidarity for all!
Having witnessed human rights violations and experienced dehumanization we have decided to act for human rights all over the world and in Solidarity for All!
We are young
We are young. 95 per cent of our founding cohort are between 16 and 28. However, we do not discriminate against older ages. The gates of the HRS are open for all.
We are independent
HRS is a self-organised and volunteer-led organisation. The only allegiance we have is to our foundational principles that are incorporated into our founding documents and the Solidarity Principles
Let's walk together...
We do not have an institutional history we can be proud of. Our journey has just started, and we invite young souls to walk with us through this road to change, freedom and equality.
We call ourselves human rights activists not because of what we have already accomplished, but because of an unwavering belief in our contribution to the prosperous future we shall inherit to the generations to come.
We are not here because of what we did, but because of what we can do.
Particularities of our remote future will be defined by the new volunteers to join us. Regardless, we already have an idea about our near future. We will see the actual destiny in front of us only when we reach there, but we already have a roadmap.
In our roadmap of the near future we have the following target dates:
- 2022: Application to register as a ‘charity’ in the UK. ✔
- 2023: Reaching 250 active volunteers target.
- 2024: Launching Solidarity Clubs for universities in the UK.
- 2025: Launching Solidarity Market, the online charity shop of HRS.
- 2026: Launching Solidarity Review, an online investigative journal of human rights.
- 2027: Applying for Consultative Status at ECOSOC of UN.
What Makes Us Different
Human Rights Advocacy and Awareness
Our charity strive to influence awareness and political decision-making mechanisms through public and media organs related to human rights violations. To achieve that mission, we will organize or participate in awareness-raising events such as exhibitions, conferences, roundtable discussions and demonstrations in order to highlight human rights violations and to urge authorities to take action to stop them.
Migrant and Refugee Rights
There is a growing numbers refugees and asylum seekers in the UK due to political problems in their country and trying to settle both legally and emotionally. Due to ongoing pandemic conditions and language barriers, they don’t know what to do, how to act, and whom should they contact to receive financial, legal and moral aid.
Responding to Human Right Crises
We work with Human Rights activists from various regions and develop their capacity to be more effective. We will develop activists’ skills and capability to achieve human rights impact through case campaigning.
Protecting Individuals At Risk
More than 75% of our volunteers and service users, in fact, are refugees and immigrants that constantly need various types of help while they are settling in the UK. HRS already has an extensive network of intellectuals who benefit from its services.
Training
Our charity create activities, opportunities and capabilities that will inform and educate both the general public, our own volunteers, our interlocutors, British and immigrant lawyers, and domestic and international institutions on human rights theory, human rights advocacy practice and specific human rights violations.
Research
HRS regularly prepare reports, factsheets, database studies, news and journal articles related to human rights issues. The organisation will also evaluate and share the findings from its research and projects with other Human Rights Organizations, Community Foundations, Education Institutions and Networks.
Peaceful Street Activities
Our charity organize a series of activities from demonstrations to artistic activities, from panel-conference participation to symbolic actions, or participate in activities organized by other institutions, in order to draw attention to human rights violations.
Publishing
HRS deal with publishing activities at all levels of human rights advocacy and plan to publish various reports and books and a running informative online site and blog.
Years of
Foundation
monthly
donors
incredible
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Volunteer with
Human Rigths Solidarity
and help us
built a better world
HELP US REWRITE THE FUTURE
Where dictators collaborate, human rights defenders need to cooperate better. Our solidarity is our debt to future generations.
We seek volunteers for all of our projects. Writers, bloggers, YouTubers, social media editors, protestors, make-up artists, video editors, drummers, chanters, shouters, thinkers, discussers, criticizers… Future needs you… HRS is calling you to duty!
Meet Our Team
Elif Kanlioglu
Asiye Betul
Tugba Timur
Burhan Ali Erol
Zeynep Nur Guler
Merve Aslangoren
Melike Guray
Tugrul Karakaya
Mehmet Ozdemir
