Launched in April 2021, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Monitors Platform (ZHRMP) is the flagship project of Protect Defenders zw Trust, developed in response to the widening gap in effective, timely, and credible human rights monitoring in Zimbabwe. In an increasingly repressive civic space marked by surveillance, intimidation, and shrinking democratic freedoms, the ZHRMP provides a critical digital infrastructure for documenting, exposing, and responding to human rights violations as they happen.
The ZHRMP is underpinned by a clear and transformative vision: to harness technology and media literacy to counter impunity, drive accountability, and strengthen justice for victims and communities under threat. It empowers a decentralized network of trained community-based human rights monitors who use secure digital tools and mobile platforms to collect, verify, and submit evidence of violations in real-time.
This innovative methodology is rooted in the belief that information is a form of protection—and that systematic and credible documentation is essential to confronting abuses, informing advocacy, and amplifying the voices of affected populations. The platform integrates geo-mapping, data visualization, encrypted communications, and digital media skills to ensure that reports are not only safely transmitted and stored, but also used effectively in national and international advocacy.
Through ZHRMP, violations such as arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, forced evictions, torture, police brutality, gender-based violence, and other forms of repression are systematically tracked and recorded. These incidents are then synthesized into reports, alerts, multimedia content, and evidence dossiers shared with human rights bodies, legal actors, media institutions, and policymakers. The project helps shape public discourse, galvanize international solidarity, and reinforce pressure on duty bearers to uphold human rights obligations.
Importantly, the ZHRMP also builds the capacities of human rights defenders and civil society organizations to navigate digital threats and information security risks. This includes training on cybersecurity, ethical documentation, digital advocacy, and secure data management—tools that are critical in a context where state and non-state actors increasingly resort to digital surveillance and disinformation to silence dissent.
The platform is responsive to intersectional vulnerabilities, ensuring that all vulnerable and marginalized groups are not only visible in documentation but also active participants in the protection ecosystem. It is an evolving, community-centered initiative that continues to adapt to Zimbabwe’s volatile political and socio-economic environment.
At its core, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Monitors Platform is not just a tool, but a movement—anchored in solidarity, driven by innovation, and sustained by the courage of defenders committed to justice, transparency, and accountability.
