Cannot meet up? – Go online!

The protection of human rights, as well as the provision of other basic services, should not be stopped during a pandemic. We must stay in touch, look for new channels of communication with clients and continue our outreach work now more than ever.
Alexandre Gviniashvili Project Coordinator, NGO Tanagdoma

Task 

I work in Tanadgoma as a social worker. I also collect cases of human rights violations in the REAct system: if something bad happens, members of my community contact me and we help the victim. Due to the state of emergency and quarantine, I can no longer come and communicate with members of my community.

Solution 

I thought: ‘They are all young, so they must be on social networks.’ I started looking for cases of violation of the rights of representatives of key groups on Facebook. I follow communities where LGBT people and sex workers share information and seek help when their rights are violated. In addition, I track hate messages and contact the victim directly to provide psychological support and legal protection if necessary.

Results

Several cases of human rights violations and discrimination have already been found through social networks. We work with a lawyer to resolve them. Community members request online consultations and support during this period.