This collection highlights just a few stories about our work in this area. To find out more about how AJWS supports grantees that organize individuals and communities to advocate for justice, visit our Civil and Political Rights issue page.
Civil and Political Rights: Story Collection
We aid communities and movements that speak out against injustice, hold governments accountable to respect the rights of all people, and work to recover from civil wars and other conflicts.
Relief for the Rohingya People: My Journey to Bangladesh
I have just returned from Bangladesh, where I witnessed with my own eyes the results…
A Protest Consumed in the Flames: Demanding Justice for the Girls of Hogar Seguro
One year ago today, in a state-run group home for battered and neglected youth in…
Celebrating Progress Toward Universal Human Rights
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” -Dr. Martin…
Justice for the Disappeared in Mexico
On this International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, I stand in solidarity with…
Survivors of Sexual Slavery Obtain Justice in Guatemala, One AJWS Grantee Helps Keep Them Safe
“We are telling the truth. We want to be heard, and we want justice,” said…
What Burma/Myanmar’s Historic Elections Mean for the Country
On Sunday, November 8, 2015, more than 30 million people voted in Burma*’s first contested…
Khun Khit San
Mobilizing youth to challenge authoritarian rule
Creative Campaigning: How Cambodian garment workers used fashion to fight for a living wage
On May 25, 2014, hundreds of Cambodian factory workers hosted an event that gave new…
Seynabou Male Cissé
Mobilizing women to make peace
The Politics of Gang Violence in El Salvador
Reporting from El Salvador In recent months El Salvador has been torn by a surge…
Blood in the Water
Hundreds of Maya Achi people were murdered to make way for a dam in Guatemala.…
Investigative journalists hold Haiti’s officials accountable
Investigative journalists keep Haiti’s officials accountable for responsible reconstruction. Billions of dollars in foreign aid…
As activists speak out, UDEFEGUA helps them stay safe
This award-winning NGO helps activists stay safe, so they can keep speaking out against injustice.…
Using the Law to Help Uganda’s People Seek Justice
In Uganda, being poor means facing limits—not just limited income, but also limited ability to…
Y’en a Marre
In the summer of 2011, the streets of Dakar—Senegal’s capital city—filled with young protesters who…
Supporting Women Peacemakers in Casamance
Thirty years of armed conflict in Casamance have left many people—especially women—feeling powerless: powerless to…
Cecelia’s Story
Cecelia Danuweli has been to hell and back. As a girl during Liberia’s brutal civil…
Protecting Indigenous Communities from Mining
The rapid growth of mineral mining across Mexico has ravaged local communities. Poverty and disease…
Mending the “Open Wounds” of Mexico
When 43 college students disappeared from Iguala, Mexico in late September 2014, the incident was…
Life on $3 a Day: Garment Workers and Cambodia’s Struggle for Human Rights
A month ago, I stood outside Cambodia’s National Assembly with hundreds of Buddhist monks. They…