General News
SOFTWARE PROVIDES SECURE WORLDWIDE TRACKING AND DOCUMENTATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
Currently, much of the violation and abuse information gathered by grassroots human rights groups is lost to confiscation, destruction, or neglect, making it difficult or impossible for prosecutors, truth commissions and others to use the information as evidence to hold the perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable for many of their crimes. The Martus software enables grassroots NGOs to securely store their records on off-site servers with easy-to-use software, preserving crucial evidence for research, investigation and prosecutions.
"Grassroots NGOs told us it was essential that the software be easy to use, so we modeled it after the simple interface of email," said Jim Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech.
In the Philippines, The Asia Foundation is sponsoring and facilitating the first implementation and training of the Martus software in the 22 offices of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, and a network of domestic human rights organizations. In February, the software will be installed on Internet-connected workstations, allowing these organizations to securely document and disseminate information on human rights cases for the first time, which in turn will facilitate and improve the process of investigation, prosecution, assistance, and advocacy for victims of human rights violations.
"Information technology has the potential to dramatically improve the ability of human rights groups to manage information, giving them evidence to prosecute perpetrators," said Dr. Steven Rood, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation in the Philippines. "The Martus software provides a platform for nongovernmental human rights advocates to communicate with the Commission on Human Rights in a secure manner, and will provide detailed information to help press for broader reforms."
The software was designed in consultation with human rights groups and experts worldwide, including Dr. Patrick Ball of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world's leading human rights statisticians and Senior Advisor to the project. Beta testing took place in Guatemala, Russia, Sri Lanka and the US.
Aspiration, an organization specializing in nonprofit technology implementation, has supported the development and introduction of the Martus system. Jonathan Peizer, Aspiration's President, says, "The Martus software is essential for human rights groups working to document abuses. We are now working actively to help support its deployment."
Future applications of the Martus software for social justice groups include monitoring other issues like violence against women, human trafficking, environmental destruction and hate crimes. The software and its source code are available for download at http://www.martus.org.
