About

About

RightsStart was established in 2016 by Rupert Abbott, Jenna Holliday and Ou Virak.

Having met and worked together previously in Cambodia, Rupert, Jenna and Virak re-connected over a shared concern that human rights and the international systems that protect them were (and continue to be) under attack, making it increasingly difficult for the human movement to flourish and even survive. In response, they founded RightsStart.

The ultimate aim of RightsStart is to strengthen the human rights movement.  We do this by being a hub for human rights experts, connecting, supporting and promoting them and their work.

As well as supporting experts in their own human rights work, we bring them together as a community to develop and implement new ideas and approaches in support of human rights activists, initiatives and organisations – see our projects page.

As a hub, RightsStart embraces a new organisational model for the human rights movement. Recognising that many human rights professionals are self-employed, we offer the flexibility of working independently along with the support of being part of a team. While our experts do meet in person, most of their work together is done online, meaning they can be based just about anywhere in the world. Having none of the overheads associated with large offices and workforces, we proudly work in a way that is efficient and effective.

For more information, please contact us.

External Vision
A strong, dynamic and sustainable human rights movement.

Internal Vision
The go-to hub for human rights experts working to strengthen the human rights movement, and those requiring their support.

Mission
We connect, support and promote human rights experts and their work, empowering them to strengthen the human rights movement.