Human Rights Information and Training Center (HRITC) is a private, civil, non-governmental, non-profitable organization, which aims at enhancing human rights values in Yemen and the Arab World and is committed to all international charters, agreements and declarations published by the United Nations. 

HRITC was established in1995 and works with both non-governmental organziations and government bodies. Its objective is to create awareness about human rights and to develop a human rights culture in Yemen.

The Center is active in disseminating human rights awareness through various activities, i.e. training, workshops, forums, publications, library services, and periodical bulletins. Hritc receives unconditioned funds from international and local organizations, institutions, and persons provided that such funds serve the Center technical and independent programs. The Center also receives subscription fees and charity donations solely employed to enhance HR concepts.

 

The Center's General Aim

1. Holding specialized training courses to disseminate awareness of human rights, promoting and developing NGOs to play a positive and active role in the society.
2. Establishing of a specialized library, including publications and covenants concerning human rights as well as booklets and bulletins issued by the local, Arab and international authorities that may benefit researchers and those interested in addition archiving newspapers, seminars and periodicals on human rights.
3. Holding seminars and intellectual meetings that aim only to promote human rights awareness and publicize the principles and international covenants of human rights in coordination with other bodies and organizations with common interest.

 

Main Programs

1. Developing Human Rights Awareness:

Its basic aim is to raise Human Rights awareness, highlight the entrance to the human rights urgent issues raised in the intellectual arena and studying the cultural political problems including the cultural-related civil rights. This program is implemented by (The Research + The legal Affairs) units .The Training unit also helps in executing the defined plans in coordination with the educational program and publishing program.

2. Training and Rehabilitation:

The Center is promoting human rights education through the following:

-General Educational Seminars
-Specialized Seminars and Workshops
-Seminars and Lectures

A periodic meeting with audience through a monthly dialogue forum. Such seminars and lectures define different human rights concepts.

3. Documentation:

Its basic aim is to establish database specialized in the human rights field by using advanced techniques to manage the documents. Documentation of the different information is done through the following two mechanisms:

-Library Archives
-Journalistic Archives

4. Publication and Information:

-The Center issues periodically magazine "Our Rights" four times a year issued so far twenty two in Arabic and English.
-Published various studies and researches on curriculums, prisons status, spread of small arms and the status of civil society organizations.
-Publishes a monthly journal on human rights status.
-Publishes a monthly bulletin for the Dialogue Forum as well as the democratic youth.

5. Legal Assistance for Women who are Victims of Violence:

-Fighting violence against women by addressing its causes
-Offering direct legal Assistance for the Women Victims of Violence. The project started in 2001 in Taiz, Ibb and Lahj prisons.
-With the cooperation of the Lawyers Syndicate, create committees in Aden, Sana'a and Taiz to support human rights aiming at providing legal help to those in need.
-The program includes training and awareness for the prisons authorities of the importance of the assistance and also to make the society aware of the necessity to fight violence against women.
-The program succeeded in releasing 163 female prisoners during this period.

6. Social Integration and Fighting Poverty:

This program aims to deliver the legal awareness and to lift the economical level of the marginalized groups - The 1st stable center was opened in Taiz (Al-Amal Program) to eradicate illiteracy and to raise health primary care. The Center constructed the first special school and kindergarten as part of the program of educating children of marginalized groups since the year 2002. 343 children benefited from the program till the beginning of 2008.

7. Youth Programs:

This program aims at youths to be involved in the political life in order to enhance their role in promoting human rights and democracy principles through:

- Forming democratic clubs at the Yemeni universities.
- Developing youths capacities on human rights.
- Issuing a bulletin for democratic youths.
- Creating a website for the youths and their democratic contributions.
- Holding an annual youth camp in order to share experiences as well as develop capacities.

 

8. Regional and International Cooperation:

The center has distinct relations, agreements of cooperation and partnership with many institutes and international organizations to hold joint activities or to attend and participate in different program. These institutions are included but not limited to:

- UN
- International NGOs.
- Arab organizations concerning human rights.