Irina van der Sluijs

Human Rights Fund

'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly'.

Martin Luther King was quoted in the latest human rights policy document by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs. Democracy and justice can only flourish when human rights are protected and respected by all actors in society.

The Dutch human rights fund provides means for human rights defenders to do their work. Together with a consulting team from Berenschot International, I assess the applications to this fund for 2014-2017. We study the proposals on topics such as equal rights for LGBT, equal rights for women and freedom of speech. Economic, social and cultural rights are increasingly important in the context of business and human rights.