Global Human Rights Defence

GHRD concentrates on the human rights of minority groups:

1. that are dominated by social, economical and political power;
2. that have been deprived of effective protection against gross and systematic violations;
3. that have been deprived of access to resources simply because of their identity and beliefs.

GHRD's work is based on the UN Declaration on Rights of Minorities (1992), and therefore it works with linguistic, religious and ethnic minorities.

"Basic aims of the United Nations, as proclaimed in the Charter, is to promote and encourage respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,[...] emphasizing that the constant promotion and realization of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as an integral part of the development of society as a whole and within a democratic framework based on the rule of law, would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation among peoples and States" General Assembly Resolution 47/135, 18 December 1992.

GHRD is integrally distinctive from other organisations in various ways. For one, it focuses on those issues and areas where people have been deprived of their rights without their cases being properly addressed by both governments and authorities. GHRD is the first organisation in The Hague (The Netherlands) to address specifically the human rights of minorities. Outside The Hague, GHRD is distinctive because of its permanent presence of local observers, who produce genuine information and reports of distinctive quality, due to their profound knowledge of the local humanitarian situation.

GHRD has formulated the following objectives in order to fulfil its mission:

1. To fight against the violation of human rights of minority groups, particularly in those areas and populations where structural help or global attention of the world has not been given;
2. To provide refugee centre assistance and humanitarian aid to those who lack elementary basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and proper sanitary conditions;
3. To develop, stimulate and enhance human rights awareness in a national and international perspective, through means of education.^{[citation needed]}

GHRD was officially founded after The Hague 2003 International Conference on Human Rights, which was sub-themed Human Rights of Refugees and Victims of Ethnic and Religious Violence. At the end of the conference a gap in the human rights work was spotted: human rights of minorities. The establishment of GHRD was supported by a broad spectrum of over a 150 selected participants of national and international human rights organisations from all over the world. The memorandum of association, which was agreed upon unanimously and signed by all participating parties, provides the structure of this international organisation.

At the time of its establishment, the Board was led by Sradhanand Sital who still is the chairman of the organisation. When it was first established, GHRD had no official office and worked solely on a voluntary basis. Meetings were held at the founders’ living-rooms and activities were conducted by a small group of dedicated people. In September 2005, the organisation opened its head-office in The Hague at Javastraat and employed the first paid staff. In the building, GHRD was neighbour of United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Also in 2005, GHRD promoted a four-day congress at the City Hall of the Hague. The congress was titled GHRD reaches for the future and brought together some 120 experts in the field of human rights. Amongst the speakers were Dutch Human Rights Ambassador Mr. P. de Klerk, and the Mayor of The Hague Mr. W. Deetman.

In 2006 the founders had already some contacts in South-Asia and it was easier to start acting in the region. Moreover, the South-Asia region fulfilled the mission/vision of GHRD, as the violations of human rights of minorities did not hit the headlines nor were they on top of the political agenda.

GHRD head-office is based in Alexanderveld in the peace capital The Hague, South Holland, where all operations from the region are coordinated. At the time of its establishment, GHRD initially opened its offices in India, and Bangladesh. Nepal and Sri Lanka followed in 2004. Except Sri Lanka, all the offices are still active. The Sri Lanka's office had to be closed after the Tsunami in December 2004. After the disaster, a great number of NGOs started working in the country and employing local human rights experts. As a small organisation, GHRD was not able to top the salaries being paid to the locals and had to abandon the country.

In 2006, GHRD opened officially the Bhutan Chapter. GHRD had been working with the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal from the start. The observer based in Kathmandu worked closely with the seven refugee camps sponsored by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). In the same year, in India the Women's Wing was launched. However, due to a lack of human resources, the division was never fully activated. GHRD has also contacts spread around Malaysia and Indonesia and is currently studying the possibility of opening an office in Pakistan. In July 2007, GHRD signed a letter of intent for exchange of information with the African foundation Bajito Onda Africa.

In 2006, GHRD decided to become more active in Europe and initiated a cycle of seminars on migrants in Europe and human rights. The European Seminars programme has as a basic principle the promotion of equality, unity and understanding among diverse cultures, ethnicities and religions of the world, and it seeks to create opportunities regarding peace and prosperity for mankind. Consequently, the topics tackle contemporary challenges, which cause racial enmity, social unrest and overt conflicts in all levels of society.

Seminars:

In 2006

• The Hague: Human Rights Education and Social Engagement.
• Berlin: Human Rights Education and Social Engagement—under the All Equal—All Different Campaign of the Council of Europe.

In 2007

• Turin: Intercultural Forum on Rights of Migration and Asylum (IN.F.O.R.M.A.)—under the All Different—All Equal Campaign of the Council of Europe.

In 2008

• Spain
• United Kingdom

In 2017, the GHRD wrote to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs to criticize its recent Human Rights report. They wrote as a representative of Global Hindu Foundation (GHF) to express their objections to the report. They noted:

"We recognize that Christians are persecuted in Pakistan, as mentioned in the report, however, undue emphasis on one religion while ignoring the suffering faced by the other religious minorities could have catastrophic consequences. Religious minorities in Pakistan comprise of the Hindu, Sikh, Ahmadi communities, it is unfortunate that the Human Rights report of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs altogether disregards these minorities. The ongoing human rights violations need to cease immediately in order to ensure that religious minorities are not completely wiped out from Pakistan.

The report sadly shows the duplicity of the Dutch government in predominantly funding and supporting those organizations which work for the Christian community. The other religious minorities in Pakistan are also in dire need of international attention.

The report is built on the underlying theme that the Christian minority is the only community which faces human rights violations all over the globe. Accordingly, the Human Rights report exclusively focuses on the issues faced by members of the  Christian community."^{[citation needed]}

On 5 November 2018, Global Human Rights Defence's (GHRD) attended the press briefing held by Mr. Saif-ul-Malook. Mr. Malook represented Asia Bibi before the Pakistan Supreme Court and has currently sought refuge in The Netherlands.

The Pakistan Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi of blasphemy charges citing lack of evidence on 31 October 2018. Since the judgement, Pakistan has been rocked by protests from fundamentalist groups who have made open calls for violence against the religious minorities in Pakistan. The protestors demanded that the Pakistan government must include Asia Bibi's name on the Exit Control List, in the hope that it would prevent her from flying out of the country.

Mr. Vivek, GHRD's Human Rights Officer asked him about Asia Bibi's name being put on Pakistan's Exit Control List, he replied that under the legislation, a person's name can be put onto the Exit control list only if there is a criminal case or a case of criminal fraud pending against the person. Asia Bibi does not have any pending cases against her, so her name cannot be placed on the Exit Control List. Moreover, in so far as the agreement between the government and the protesters was concerned, the agreement has no constitutional or legal validity

^{[citation needed]}

On 1 October 2018, the GHRD sent a letter to Mr. Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General, to raise the issue of the Kashmiri Pandits. They warned:

"Kashmiri Pandits, a religious minority group in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, have been systematically persecuted by the majority community since 1989. Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee their homes and move to other parts of the country in order to save their lives, those who remained were mercilessly killed or subjected to other inhumane acts. Moreover, their religious places have been desecrated and vandalized. A brutal campaign of terror, murder, rape and arson and has been unleashed by the majority community which will stop at nothing to make sure that Kashmiri Pandits are completely wiped out from the region. There is an intentional attempt to bring about the physical destruction of the entire group."

The GHRD called for a need for the United Nations to address the situation of Kashmiri Pandits, before they are completely wiped out from the region. 

They asked for the United Nations to meet with the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD), a collective organization with members in India, USA, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Europe. It consists of volunteers who have pledged to work towards the betterment of the Kashmiri Pandit community at all levels be it political or socio-economic and cultural.^{[citation needed]}