Giving Tuesday speaks to the power of collective action. When we work for good together, we can create enduring positive change.
At Project Expedite Justice (PEJ), we believe justice is the foundation for all rights and freedoms. It is essential to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable institutions.”
Equal protection under the law fosters trust and harmony. However, where justice systems are weak, instability follows. All too often, those with power commit grave atrocity crimes such as ethnic cleansing, rape, or torture – and cycles of retribution and violence persist.
PEJ works to break these cycles and protect human rights by building accountability. We empower local actors to create fair, just, responsive institutions.
Through programs in Sudan, Ukraine, and Central Africa, we document atrocities, support survivors, and fight for redress. From addressing Sudan’s grave humanitarian crisis to ensuring accountability for war crimes in Ukraine and protecting Indigenous rights, PEJ works to bring the rule of law where it is needed most.
Sudan, for example, has been wracked by renewed violence since civil war broke out in April 2023. This conflict has triggered vast humanitarian and rights abuse crises. All belligerents are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing, rape, torture, and indiscriminate killing. Famine is widespread, and health and justice institutions have collapsed. More than 15 million of a total population of 50 million have been displaced. The fighting has reignited ethnic tensions and violence that raise the specter of the Darfur genocide of the early 2000s.
In this context, PEJ continues to work with partners, survivors, and witnesses. We are documenting atrocity crimes, sustaining a network of civil society partners in exile, and seeking redress via international forums. And we are making a difference. One partner writes, “[PEJ’s] support helped to enhance the credibility of investigations … protecting sources, witnesses, and victims, and ensuring the confidentiality of information.”
In Sudan and elsewhere, PEJ’s survivor-centered approach includes:
Training – working with local actors and empowering them to document crimes according to the highest evidentiary standards.
Mentoring – helping local actors find and pursue the best legal strategies and venues for recourse.
Independent legal counsel – stepping in to seek redress when state institutions have failed, and international courts are the only open path to justice. We mentor local actors through this process so they are empowered to demand enforcement of their rights.
We cannot do this work without the generosity of supporters.
Peace begins with justice. Please donate this Giving Tuesday to help us promote and protect human rights for all people, in all places, and at all times.
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