Rights and Security International

Help us raise funds to stop Islamophobia in the UK. For decades, the UK has run Prevent, a counter-extremism programme that places Muslims under suspicion and reinforces prejudice. Thousands are reported to police every year but the UK police admit they are not collecting consistent data about the race or religion of those referred to Prevent. They do not know the programme's potential level of racism or Islamophobia and so can't tackle the problem. We push the police and Home Office to collect better data about Prevent's impact on minorities. Donate here: https://lnkd.in/e5pSpJKw

Rights & Security International (RSI) is seeking two paid interns to work in our Migration and Citizenship team for 9 months, 2 day per week. The role can be fully remote, or hybrid if you live in London. Apply here:

Help us end Prevent-related Islamophobia in the UK. Your donation will help us continue our work. Donate here: http://goto.gg/67160

In October 2024, the Kenyan organisations Africa Center for Engendered Security (ACES), Collaboration of Women in Development (CWID), Community Development & Sustainability Organization (CDS Kenya), and the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS) partnered with RSI to develop a joint submission to the Human Rights Council ahead of the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Kenya. The UPR is a process in which all the UN Member States can examine the human rights record of the country in question and make recommendations for improvement. In our joint report, we raise concerns about Kenya's broad and arbitrary implementation of its Prevention of Terrorism Act 2012 (POTA), which has enabled security forces to apply it subjectively to various situations, from silencing protesters and human rights defenders to racially profiling people who identify as Muslim and people of Somali descent. Our joint submission also highlights concerns about the high numbers of alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions by security forces and the use of excessive force, including lethal force, during anti-government protests. For example, from June to July 2024, military officials responded to protests against the government's tax proposals with violence and are allegedly responsible for multiple fatalities, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests. Additionally, our submission raises concerns about the government's role in these alleged human rights violations and whether it is doing enough to hold perpetrators accountable, including security forces accused of their involvement in such cases. For these reasons, RSI and our partners in Kenya are calling on the government of Kenya to: ➡ Amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2012 to ensure it aligns with international human rights standards; ➡ Investigate all complaints of excessive use of force, including enforced disappearances; extrajudicial executions; and arbitrary arrest and detention; ➡ Protect rights enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya and international human rights law, including the right to freedom of expression, association, and assembly; ➡ Ratify all relevant international human rights conventions, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.   These recommendations, among others, are detailed in our joint stakeholder submission which you can read and download here: https://lnkd.in/e4eaApmk

On the 21 October, we will be having a short launch and discussion of a new report about how the law has been used in the fight against racism in the criminal justice system in the UK. Date/time: 21 October, 10:30-11:30am, Zoom. The report focuses on the role of legal activism from the 'sus' laws in the 1970s to the legal battles surrounding deaths in custody and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the 2010s. Report authors, Dr Adam Elliott Cooper and Dr Kojo Koram, will present findings from their research and discuss how legal action can help continue the work. The webinar will be Chaired by Sabah Hussain from Rights and Security International Please join us! https://lnkd.in/g9UVpXaY

Our annual report is here. Read about our impact in 2023:

Please support us on easyfundraising! You can raise FREE donations for us when you shop online with over 7,500 brands. It's simple and only takes 2 minutes to sign up! This will make a BIG difference to us. Please visit: https://lnkd.in/eSxiWXEf

We are seeking a part-time Finance and Grant Management Officer to maintain our internal financial controls, assist with budgeting, and oversee our expenditures, especially by continually tracking our grant spending. Apply at CharityJob: https://lnkd.in/exhmm6B3

📢 Our latest press release: New police data on the race of people referred to Prevent, the UK government’s counter-extremism programme, prompts fears that schools and the public sector in England and Wales are reporting people as potential ‘extremists’ due to racial bias, the human rights organisation Rights & Security International said today. https://lnkd.in/ePPQztaq

🚨URGENT CALL TO ACTION! 🚨 FOURTEEN major civil society groups in the UK are standing together to directly challenge the Home Office’s expansion of counter-terrorism policies. 🛑 These policies threaten our human rights and freedom. RSI have joined forces with fourteen organisations in a joint letter to demand change from the Home Secretary. Read the letter here: https://lnkd.in/e_Dn4pm6 Let's protect our rights together! ✊ #StopPrevent #ProtectOurRights #HumanRights #FreeSpeech #CommunityAction #CivilSociety #TogetherWeFight