Resilience as Resistance: Mental health and well-being in human rights

Studio Incendo/Flickr, CC BY 2.0

The mental health and well-being of advocates has often been neglected by human rights organizations, funders, and advocates themselves. Recently, however, activists and mental health professionals have begun giving the issue more attention, exploring what risks advocates face and how they might be mitigated. Human rights organizations increasingly want to bolster the resilience and creativity of their staff and constituents. Defenders increasingly see their own well-being as an imperative for sustainable movements.

This series examines a range of critical questions and issues including: research conducted on the mental health impacts of human rights work, obstacles to advancing mental health and well-being in this field, as well as innovative approaches and strategies to prevent and alleviate the harmful effects of human rights work.

Collaborating Guest Editors: Fred AbrahamsFarea Al-MuslimiSarah KnuckeyDouglas MawadriLucia Nader, and Meg Satterthwaite