(fwd) New software to assist NGO documentation of human rights abuses

[Marco Gaiarin]

...credo possa interessare...

-- forwarded message --
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0301152328180.1692-100000@news.goa.bytesforall.org>
From: Frederick Noronha <fred@bytesforall.org>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce
Subject: New software to assist NGO documentation of human rights abuses
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 12:15:38 CST
Organization: Altopia Corp. - Usenet Access - http://www.altopia.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Bytes For All readers -

I wanted to let everyone know that the nonprofit I work for, The
Benetech Initiative, just released our human rights software,
The Martus Human Rights Bulletin System.  The release (with URL)
is below; the main Martus site where people can download the
software is http://www.martus.org.

Sincerely - 
Brendan Nyhan

http://www.martus.org/project_update.html
 
NEW SOFTWARE PROVIDES SECURE WORLDWIDE
TRACKING AND DOCUMENTATION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSES 

The Benetech Initiative and The Asia Foundation team up to
deliver The Martus(tm) Human Rights Bulletin System

Palo Alto, Calif. - Jan. 15, 2003 - The Benetech Initiative, a
Silicon Valley nonprofit, today announced the release of The
Martus Human Rights Bulletin System, an open source technology
tool designed to assist human rights organizations in collecting,
safeguarding, organizing and disseminating information about
human rights abuses. Through a partnership with The Asia
Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit working on the ground in Asia,
Martus will first be implemented in the Philippines to provide
better resources to groups combating hundreds of human rights
violations per year.

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.

About Benetech 
http://www.benetech.org

The Benetech Initiative is a Silicon Valley nonprofit that
develops technology projects addressing major social problems in
areas such as disability, human rights, literacy, education, and
the digital divide. Its purpose is to use the high technology
enterprise model to address pressing social problems. Many
technologies have compelling social applications that are not
developed because such efforts do not meet investors' financial
expectations. Benetech specifically pursues endeavors with a
strong social, rather than financial, return on investment,
bringing commercial technology and private sector management
techniques to bear in creating innovative, non-traditional
solutions to problems ranging from literacy to human rights.

The Martus Project was funded by a major grant from the
Information Program of the Open Society Institute, as well as by
individual donors and the Benetech Initiative itself.

About The Asia Foundation
http://www.asiafoundation.org
 
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental
organization committed to the development of a peaceful,
prosperous, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports
programs in Asia that help improve governance and law, economic
reform and development, women's participation, and international
relations. Drawing on nearly 50 years of experience in Asia, the
Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to
support leadership and institutional development, technical
assistance, exchanges, policy research, and educational
materials.

With a network of 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in
Washington, D.C., headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation
addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. The
Asia Foundation has a proven track record of success. In just the
past fiscal year of 2002, the Foundation has provided grants,
educational materials, and other resources of more than $50
million to 21 countries in Asia and through its Books for Asia
program has distributed over 750,000 books to over 4,000 schools
and other regional educational institutions. During the past five
years, the Foundation has supported more than 800 public interest
NGOs.

The Asia Foundation has been working in the Philippines since 1954
and has a trusted network of partners. With funding from the U.S.
State Department, The Asia Foundation is supporting this first
implementation of the Martus system in the Philippines.

Contact: 
Brendan Nyhan 
The Benetech Initiative
Phone: 202/588-8269
Email: bnyhan@benetech.org

Contact: 
Jennifer C. Betti 
The Asia Foundation
Phone: 415/743-3367
Email: jbetti@asiafound.org



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