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Dear Friends,
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Grassroots Justice Prize!
These three groups—from Brazil, the United States, and Israel—represent the best of our global movement. They are responding to brutality and exclusion with creativity and perseverance. They are working every day to put the power of law in people’s hands.
We celebrate their commitment to justice. We look forward to learning and collaborating with them for years to come.
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Nossas Cidades, Brazil
Achmed Dean Sesay Memorial Award for Innovation
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Through their innovative use of social media and mobile phone apps, Nossas Cidades’ DefeZap project educates and mobilizes citizens to hold public officials and law enforcement accountable for their actions. They empower people to understand their legal rights when they are confronted by state violence and to gather evidence, file claims, and monitor the progress of cases when those rights are violated. Learn more at www.en.nossas.org
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Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice, USA/Mexico
Nomboniso Nangu Maqubela Memorial Prize
for Scale and Sustainability
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Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice helps laborers from Mexico improve the working conditions in the agricultural fields of the US. They train migrant farmworkers on their rights, help them bring legal claims before government agencies, and raise awareness of unlawful practices and deficient laws and enforcement mechanisms. Their close collaboration with unions and use of community fundraising makes their work both sustainable and scalable.
Learn more at www.cmwj.org
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Kav LaOved, Israel
#WalkTogether Prize for Courage
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Kav LaOved works to protect the rights of the most disadvantaged workers in Israel by addressing labor violations through individual assistance, advocacy, and outreach. Most of the workers they assist are foreign nationals who are exploited by employers due to their lack of understanding of the language and law. Defending the rights of foreign workers in Israel takes courage: it requires going against the tide of public opinion in a hostile political climate.
Learn more at www.kavlaoved.org.il
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An eminent panel of judges had the difficult task of choosing from nearly 200 applicants. Over 9,000 people took part in the public vote for the #WalkTogether prize.
The Argentine Minister of Justice and Human Rights, the Canadian Ambassador, regional media, the International Task Force on Justice, and two members of The Elders, Mary Robinson and Hina Jilani, attended the awards ceremony in Buenos Aires. Over 50,000 people from around the world watched the video of the event on Facebook.
Guilherme Pimentel of Nossas Cidades said that day: “The greatest importance of this award is the message that reaches the authoritarian sectors in Brazil… [we are] not alone. The international community that defends the rule of law and human rights not only knows about our work but also recognizes quality in what we do.”
It’s true. Nossas Cidades is not alone. None of us is. The Global Legal Empowerment Network is now over 1400 organizations, from 137 countries. Let’s follow the lead of these three inspiring groups. Let’s work together to bring justice everywhere.
In solidarity,
Vivek, Luciana, Abby, Marlon, Michael, Tobias, Ashley, and the entire team supporting the Global Legal Empowerment Network.
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