FreedomLab
A learning space for Human Rights Defenders
Free e-courses, practical tools, and an interactive game.
Learn – Discover – Play
Free e-courses, practical tools, and an interactive game for
Human Rights Defenders
Strengthen Your Skills
Build practical skills through free, self-paced e-courses tailored for human rights monitors and defenders.
Enhance your work
Explore vetted open-source tools and resources to safeguard, improve, and give you ideas for your human rights work.
Test your Strategies
Step into a 4-episode human rights investigative game to test your monitoring skills while ensuring safety and security of everyone involved.
Managing Risks: Safety and Security in Human Rights Work
Human rights defenders play a crucial yet demanding role in protecting human rights, often facing significant challenges. Their work is hindered by shrinking civic space, hostile environments, and adversaries who use physical, digital, or legal threats. This e-course has been developed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
- 8 hours
- Certificate
- Available in English and Russian
Your phone rings! It's Stefan - he's been beaten up.
Four interactive episodes
An interactive learning experience based on real situations faced by human rights defenders. The lessons learned through these episodes can be used throughout your work as human rights monitors.
01. Initial assessment of the human rights problem
02. Information gathering
03. Verification, analysis and report writing
04. Advocacy
Your phone rings! It's Stefan - he was mysteriously attacked.
Four interactive episodes
An interactive learning experience based on real situations faced by human rights defenders. The lessons learned through these episodes can be used throughout your work as human rights monitors.
01. Initial assessment of the human rights problem
02. Information gathering
03. Verification, analysis and report writing
04. Advocacy
Explore
All the Episodes of
Starlight Stadium
Build by Defenders, for Defenders
Every scenario in Starlight Stadium was co-created with field investigators, psychologists, and security specialists.
As the development of four episodes of Starlight Stadium was a complex, innovative process, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights commissioned an exploratory, informative documentary about the making of the game. ODIHR hopes these lessons learned will be useful for anyone who wishes to engage in a similar process.
How it was built
Every scenario in Starlight Stadium was co-created with field investigators, psychologists, and security specialists.
As the development of four episodes of Starlight Stadium was a complex, innovative process, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights commissioned an exploratory, informative documentary about the making of the game. ODIHR hopes these lessons learned will be useful for anyone who wishes to engage in a similar process.
Essential Tools for Human Rights Defenders
Explore vetted software and guides to protect your work and data. FreedomLab’s Tool Library compiles all online tools and resources that can be relevant for human rights defenders, spanning a wide variety of topics.
What Our Users Say
Feedback collected from participants in our e-courses, in-person events, and from users of the Starlight Stadium game. Names and affiliations are anonymized for privacy reasons.
FreedomLab has become one of my go-to resources. The repository brings together practical guides, digital tools, and methodologies that would otherwise take hours to find. It's an invaluable resource for anyone working to document and respond to human rights violations.
Repository of tools
Human rights defenders Hungary, May 2026
The Trauma Informed Interviewing e-course has revolutionized my understanding and has provided great strategies that I will implement in the future.
First Defense Legal Aid representative
July 2026I learned a lot of great steps and techniques that are very applicable to my research. This course has allowed me to reflect on how I can ensure my interviews are trauma-informed and ensure I am prepared to meet the needs of my interviewees.
Anonymous human right defenders
July 2026The course was very useful for me because I work as a doctor in a Médecins Sans Frontières project supporting survivors of torture. I also participate in patient interviews to assess whether they are eligible for the project, and the skills and knowledge gained from this course will help me conduct these interviews in a more trauma-informed, ethical, and effective manner.
Italy
November 2025My understanding of trauma-informed interviewing has improved significantly as a result of this training. The course helped me grasp how trauma affects an individual’s memory, behavior, and communication style. It taught me to apply key principles such as safety, empathy, and empowerment during interviews, which makes clients feel more comfortable and supported. This improved understanding enables me to conduct interviews in a way that minimizes retraumatization and promotes trust.
HRD working for an immigration law firm
December 2025While I do not work specifically in human rights, I have been eager to improve trauma-informed interviewing skills for my research interviews. On the whole, the content was highly applicable despite the different area of work.
Anonymous HRD
April 2025I work with an organization that works with survivors of human trafficking and in the course of my work may be in a position to interview them. Having this training now will definitely help not only make me feel more confident to take on that role but also help me be better equipped to do a good job interviewing people in a way that is helpful to them.
HRD from Canada
July 2024
While I studied human rights and politics in University, this training was hands-on, informed by real-life examples and therefore very accessible to those, who have never engaged in human rights monitoring.
Anonymous human rights defender
2026Even though my job does not consist on monitoring human rights violations, I do work with people who suffer from human rights violations, so knowing this, gave me a wider perspective on how to interact with these kind of populations and also the systemic issues and the background behind each specific case.
Anonymous user
2025
The Assembly Monitoring course was highly valuable and professionally designed. One of its key strengths is its comprehensiveness — it covered all essential aspects of assembly monitoring, from legal frameworks and observation methodology to reporting and ethical considerations. The content provided a clear, structured understanding of both theoretical and practical dimensions. Another strong side of the course is its practical orientation. The training included realistic scenarios, case studies, and practical exercises that helped participants translate knowledge into real-life monitoring work. It felt very grounded in actual field needs and responsibilities.
Anonymous HRD
October 2024As a volunteer in a human rights organisation I am studing how to monitor assemblies and I hope that this will be helpful in my future work for fighting for human rights in my country. During the course I got profound knowledge how the independent assemly should be monitored.
Anonymous HRD
July 2025
The risk management concepts, digital security measures, and staff protection strategies are directly relevant to my role as a diplomat and human rights defender, particularly when planning or securing sensitive events and missions. he course helped me understand that risk management is not a one-time activity but an ongoing process involving assessment, implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement. I also gained practical tools to identify, prioritize, and mitigate both physical and digital risks.
User from US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights
August 2026
I loved playing this game! It was so good. I conducted interviews and did mistakes I don't think of anymore in my professional life. This was very refreshing for me
Human rights defenders
Tajikistan July 2026I believe it is a very efficient game. I like that you have a brief about human rights, safety and security, and other topics. And it is realistic! In parallel, I was looking into how I could use it to train human rights lawyers on security. When I will be using it, we will use our context to adapt the game.
Human rights defender
Tajikistan July 2026The game presented is very useful and can be used not only in teaching contexts (like mine), but also for personal preparation in cases of human rights defense. It is a tool that I will continue to use and articulate in classes with my students.
Anonymous HRD
June 2025, Italy
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Your phone rings. It's Stefan - he's been beaten up.
Step into the role of a human rights defender and follow the trail of evidence. Interview witnesses, assess the credibility of information, verify digital evidence, document potential violations, and decide how best to respond. Every choice you make shapes your monitoring work and tests the skills needed to monitor and document human rights violations in complex, fast-moving situations.
Your phone rings.
It's Stefan - he's been beaten up.
He was investigating the Starlight Stadium construction site. Now it’s on you: follow the evidence, interview witnesses, verify what’s real, and decide how to respond.
An interactive learning experience based on real situations faced by human rights defenders.
What Our Users Have To Say
About us
FreedomLab is a virtual space for human rights defenders. Here you will find a repository of training materials, tutorials, and digital tools, all tailored to your needs and requirements. We hope you will learn about tools, experiences, advocacy and fundraising strategies, as well as knowledge and skills related to security. Through support and collaboration, human rights defenders increase their capacity to monitor and report, seek redress, and advocate for the promotion of human rights..
News and upcoming opportunities for human rights defenders
