BRIDGE aims to bring together different justice actors, LGBT rights activists, Human rights Defenders and other stakeholders for the protection and promotion of human rights of LGBTQ people in Sri Lanka. In achieving this mission, BRIDGE engages in the following:
Through 20 Documentation Officers spread across the country, BRIDGE reaches out to LGBTQ community members and document human rights violations they have faced. So far BRIDGE has collected over 200 human rights violations cases. The Documentation Officers are managed by both NTN and YOH.
Read more about the cases we have so far collected here
The Documentation Officers support survivors of human rights violations to seek justice through making complaints at the Human Rights Commission Sri Lanka (HRCSL). So far over 100 cases have been filed at the HRCSL by BRIDGE Documentation officers and over 50 cases have got responses. The documentation Officers are supported by NTN and YOH and by the Local Legal Advisor and National Legal Advisor.
Capacity building is a key strategy employed by BRIDGE. The project has two capacity building components; building the capacity of lawyers and building the capacity of Documentation Officers.
Legal Awareness workshops – Since 2022, led by DAST, BRIDGE has rolled out four Legal Awareness Workshops targeting lawyers who are practicing in magistrate courts and who specialize is criminal proceedings. So far over 180 lawyers have been training on national laws and policies that affect LGBTQ community, international laws and human rights. A Legal Awareness Training module consisted of four sub-modules has been developed by BRIDGE to facilitate the workshops.
Read more about our legal Awareness Training Module here
Capacity Building Workshop for Documentation Officers BRIDGE envisions to build the capacity of Documentation Officers and support them to advance as LGBTQ community leaders. In achieving this goal, led by NTN and YOH, DAST has so far rolled out five capacity building workshops for the Documentation Officers which focused on building their capacity on human rights, national laws and policies, understanding UN human rights mechanisms, navigating police and making police complaints, filing cases at HRCSL etc.
The Youth Activists Collective (YAC) led by NTN is a platform to mentor and build the capacity of young LGBTQ people to become future leaders. Consisted of 20 young, dynamic and active young people, the YAC has been in operation since the mid 2022.
Find out more about YAC here
As the acronym itself suggest, BRIDGE aims to bridge all stakeholders to achieve better and sustainable justice outcomes. BRIDGE understands that the LGBTQ rights movement is stronger as much as the strength of the partnerships between each LGBT organisation. In order to facilitate these partnerships, led by NTN, BRIDGE is facilitating the Unity and Solidarity Collective, the first of its nature in the country, which brings majority of national LGBTQ led organisations together to create a unified voice.
For More information click here
led by DAST, BRIDGE had developed number of video materials that are used as resources in the BRIDGE social media platforms and in workshops and events organised by BRIDGE. Check out our videos here.
Development of strategic information runs throughout BRIDGE. Led by YOH, the BRIDGE project is regularly producing analysis of documented human rights violations, key information for LGBTQ community members, booklets and etc.
Find out more about our strategic information pieces here.