[Mac_crypto] Martus - New tool now available for Human Rights Activists

[Robert Guerra]

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 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 www.martus.org .

About Benetech

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

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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Robert Guerra <rguerra@privaterra.org>
Privaterra - Securing Human Rights
<http://www.privaterra.org>

A project of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)
<http://www.cpsr.org>