Humanists International crowd-funds for persecuted humanists

Dorset Humanists is a partner of Humanists UK and Humanists International.

Humanists International, the worldwide membership body for humanist and secular groups, has launched the Protect Humanists At Risk crowd-funding campaign for 2019.

Our work with "humanists at risk" encompasses:

• people accused of 'blasphemy' and 'apostasy'
• people facing direct threats to their lives or security
• human rights defenders facing harassment or prosecution

The campaign launches today, 21 June 2019, to coincide with the annual World Humanist Day.

Chief Executive of Humanists International, Gary McLelland, comments:

“The appeal to Protect Humanists at Risk raises money for some of the most important parts of our work. In particular, it supports our work with individuals who get in touch with us almost every day needing advice or support, in some cases needing urgent security or help with relocation. Our team is continually advocating on behalf of persecuted humanists, atheists and freethinkers, supporting asylum claims where necessary, and sometimes giving emergency grant-funding to people at immediate risk. I urge humanists wherever you are around the world to support this work if you can by donating and sharing the campaign for others to see.”

Last year the campaign raised just over £20,000.

As the campaign page says:

"We are contacted all the time by humanists facing prejudice or even threats to their life and liberty from their own families; humanists who want to speak out but fear reprisal; and those who have spoken out and now face death threats from extremists or prosecution as "blasphemers".

In 12 countries atheists can be sentenced to death under "apostasy" laws.

In over 70 countries, criticism of religion can be prosecuted as "blasphemy", sometimes leading to prosecution for speaking out about human rights issues and or promoting "liberal" or "humanist" values.

Humanists International is working to change this.

• We advise and directly support individual humanists at verified risk, from countries where prosecution or violence threaten their fundamental human rights.
• We promote human rights, and highlight cases where humanists have been persecuted or prosecuted, at the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international forums.
• We research, record and monitor discrimination and persecution against the non-religious in our ground-breaking Freedom of Thought Report.
• And with the support of our Member Organizations around the world, we unite the global humanist movement: providing information, sharing best practice and acting as a hub and support network for humanists everywhere."

Your part in this

Please support Humanists International and the "Protect Humanists at Risk" campaign with a donation today. 

Your gift could help support and maybe save the life of a humanist at risk in some of the countries that most persecute the non-religious.

We are a registered non-profit organization and NGO (non-government organization). All donations will go toward delivering our work: protecting those most at risk, and changing the world to prevent the deterioration of human rights for all.

You can donate at https://gofundme.com/humanists2019.