A/HRC/43/51 follow-up on individual cases, such as those involving arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances or extrajudicial executions. Without their efforts to secure evidence, reach out to witnesses and victims, facilitate their participation and access to reparations, the International Criminal Court and others simply could not fulfil their mandates. Ultimately, defenders also give echo to the recommendations made by international entities and track follow-up. This requires more forceful acknowledgment as we reflect on responsibilities in protecting and supporting defenders. B. Multiple profiles, uneven recognition 9. The contribution of humanitarian aid workers, journalists, including investigative reporters and bloggers, other media and associated personnel, has been rightfully in focus. The same goes for staff of international organizations, including staff of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who protect and assist civilians and investigate alleged violations. In these and many other capacities, the unwavering commitment of women defenders is also increasingly recognized, 5 although their extreme exposure to risks is not. Women defenders continue to lead in long-standing international movements seeking truth, accountability and reparations for war crimes and crimes against humanity. They also relentlessly advocate for equal participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict processes and for the effective implementation of the women, peace and security agenda. Recent situations and initiatives also illustrate the potential of religious leaders and faith-based organizations in opposing major human rights violations and in preventing and mediating conflict. 10. Lawyers and paralegals play an equally critical role. They assist victims of violations of international law during armed conflict, including peaceful protesters unlawfully arrested and detained or those baselessly charged for terrorism or sedition. They challenge deviations from human rights norms under exceptional legal regimes and raise legal awareness in communities affected by military operations, notably those subject to land grabs. Prosecutors and judges who fight impunity and assaults on their independence do so too, as do elected and public officials such as mayors and members of parliament who denounce corruption. A wider spectrum of professionals and, with them, unions and professional associations also deserve recognition. Academics, teachers, engineers and artists have joined citizens’ movements and campaigns against violations perpetrated by belligerents or authorities under emergency laws or military regimes and have voiced demands for peace and urgent post-conflict reforms. I became a human rights activist after my husband’s enforced disappearance in 2010. Since I filed a case, I have been subjected to intimidation, hate speech and harassment. But, whatever the circumstances, I and the activist community will continue our struggle for justice. (Defender, Sri Lanka) 11. In conflict and post-conflict situations, many people become defenders as a result of circumstances or out of necessity. They include first responders in areas under active hostilities, the relatives of those murdered or disappeared who pursue truth and justice, those honouring the dead and working towards a shared collective memory for the societies they live in. They also include children calling for peace and equal access to education; 6 defenders forced into exile, challenging assaults on public freedoms or indefinite military service back home; and those speaking up for the most vulnerable in camps for internally displaced persons and refugees. Because they are not formalized, not attached to a particular affiliation or profession and are performed in the most isolated areas or in transitory settings, countless of these contributions continue to remain invisible. 5 6 4 General Assembly resolution 68/181, para. 16; S/2018/900, para. 1; Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, general recommendation No. 30 (2013) on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations, para. 6; A/72/707-S/2018/43, para. 64. www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRC/Discussions/2018/CRC_DGD_2018_ OutcomeReport.pdf, pp. 18–21.