With many countries assenting to and domesticating an expanding regime of international human rights treaties in their respective jurisdictions, human rights advocates emerged over the last few decades to monitor these standards, and to take on governments, corporations, and some of the most powerfully entrenched systems on earth. But this type of confrontational work does not come without costs, some of which are personal and very steep.
Some human rights workers even commit suicide, losing their lives in the pursuit for justice, equality and non-discrimination.
As an advocate working in a highly controversial field in Africa—the LGBT movement—I have experienced and witnessed first-hand the effects of chronic stress and trauma in the human rights field. Many of my colleagues, for example, have experienced depression, stress and fear when tabloids run stories about them and their work. Many other human rights workers exhibit multiple effects of trauma—from both direct or indirect trauma—such as insomnia, substance abuse (addiction), paranoia, isolation and hyper-vigilance—all of which are common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a result of what they’ve experienced or witnessed, some human rights workers even commit suicide, losing their lives in the pursuit for justice, equality and non-discrimination. Like other professionals who regularly deal with trauma (e.g., nurses, police officers, paramedics), mental health in advocates themselves is rarely discussed; yet, the World Health Organization suggests that raising awareness about mental health could improve access to care and overall outcomes.
