"Haklara Destek" (Support to Rights) is a sub-grant program aimed at civil society organizations working on rights-based issues. The program, initiated in 2019, was completed in partnership with the Truth Justice and Memory Studies Association (Hafıza Merkezi) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBS), with funding from the European Union Turkey Delegation, under the title "Strengthening Human Rights and Increasing Resilience: Human Rights Support Mechanism in Turkey." The second phase of the project with the same title began in January 2022 and is currently ongoing.

► Visit the Haklara Destek website. 

Objective

The aim of Haklara Destek is to provide grant and capacity development support to organizations engaged in rights-based activities, contributing to the advancement of human rights and participatory democracy in Turkey. 

Rationale 

We launched Haklara Destek to stand in solidarity with organizations advocating for human rights and to contribute to expanding the democratic space. In Turkey, we are witnessing the shrinking of the civil society sector, particularly for rights-based organizations, due to increasing restrictions and surveillance. Hundreds of human rights defenders are facing various judicial and administrative pressures and are being obstructed and punished. Small-scale organizations working with vulnerable groups are especially affected by this situation. 

Activities 

1. Grant Support 

• Haklara Destek I: As part of the program, we provided grants and capacity development support to 48 small and medium-sized rights-based organizations from July 2020 to June 2021. The first phase of Haklara Destek concluded with a closing meeting held on October 18-19, 2021. 
• Haklara Destek II: From January 2023 to December 2025, we are offering institutional grants and capacity development support for a period of two years to 41 rights-based, small and medium-sized organizations."

2. Capacity Building Support 

In parallel with institutional grant support, we are establishing support mechanisms for organizations with various tools under capacity development for 24 months. 

• Workshops: Based on the needs analysis, online workshops are designed for 41 organizations in four areas according to their common needs. 
• One-on-One Expert Support: The expert support aims to address the specific needs of each organization through individual work. Each organization will engage in one-on-one sessions with two different experts, totaling 48 hours of support throughout the program. 
• Webinars: Over the two-year program, webinars supporting rights-based work are structured according to the requests and needs of organizations. 

3. Report 

The most significant output of Haklara Destek I was the report titled Shrinking Democratic Space and the Covid-19 Pandemic in Turkey 2020-2021, edited by Eylem Ertürk and prepared with the support of beneficiary organizations.