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More than 6,400 attacks against human rights defenders were reported between 2015 to 2024, according to a new report from nonprofit Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC).

“That’s close to two attacks every day over the past 10 years against defenders who are raising concerns about business-related risks and harms,” said Christen Dobson, co-head of BHRRC’s civic freedoms and human rights defenders’ program, during a media briefing on the report. Dobson said it was “just the tip of the iceberg” since they only used publicly available information, including reporting from journalists and civil society groups, but many attacks are never reported publicly.

“We also, over these past 10 years, have seen a consistent pattern of attacks, and that many defenders face multiple attacks, and there’s often an escalation,” Dobson said.

Of the recorded attacks, three in four were against climate, land and environmental defenders.

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