Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask
And Help Others Once You Are Out of Immediate Danger
When an authoritarian regime takes over, NGOs, advocacy nonprofits, and activist organizations face significant threats. These threats often target both the institution (through legal action, financial restrictions, or forced shutdowns) and the people (through surveillance, harassment, and violence). Balancing the protection of institutions and the people they serve is critical to sustaining movements and protecting vulnerable communities.
The Right Balance: Institutions vs. People
Prioritize People Over Institutions: Organizations exist to serve communities and support the people within them. Protecting people—staff, volunteers, and, especially, the communities they serve—must always come first. Institutions can be rebuilt; lives cannot.
Maintain Institutional Resilience: While prioritizing people, organizations must also ensure that their mission can continue under repressive conditions. This may involve decentralizing operations, adapting strategies, or transforming structures to reduce risk. But remember that the mission and the organization are not inseparable. Secure your ability to continue serving your mission by decentralizing and creating networks made up of nodes that are not dependent on outside funding, and not dependent on a nonprofit or other institutions in order to keep serving their functions.
Avoid False Choices: Protecting people and preserving institutions are not mutually exclusive. Strategies can be designed to ensure both goals are pursued simultaneously.
Maintaining the Balance
Adopt a People-Centered Approach
Embed protection measures into organizational culture and operations. Make the safety and well-being of staff, volunteers, and community members a starting point consideration in all decisions.
Create systems that allow for flexibility, enabling individuals to step back or relocate if needed without compromising their livelihoods.
Build Resilient Institutions
Decentralize decision-making to reduce reliance on key leaders, making the organization less vulnerable to targeted attacks.
Create backup plans, such as alternative funding streams, secure communication systems, and emergency legal support.
Foster Collective Leadership
Share leadership roles to reduce the risks associated with targeting high-profile individuals.
Build leadership capacity across the organization so that operations can continue if leaders are removed or incapacitated.
Maintain Operational Continuity
Document processes and strategies so that institutional knowledge isn’t lost if key staff are targeted.
Develop shadow structures or underground networks that can take over in case of forced shutdowns.
Recommended Actions for Activists
1. People Protection Measures
Risk Assessments:
Conduct thorough risk assessments for staff, volunteers, and communities.
Identify individuals who are most at risk and develop tailored protection plans, reaching out for support to the experts such as the team at Vision Change Win.
Secure Communication:
Use encrypted platforms (e.g., Signal, ProtonMail) for all sensitive communications.
Train staff and volunteers in digital security best practices.
Legal Support:
Establish legal defense funds and relationships with trusted lawyers.
Provide "know your rights" training for staff and community members likely to face state harassment.
Emergency Relocation:
Create protocols for relocating at-risk individuals, including housing, financial support, and relocation services.
Build networks of safe houses and partner organizations for mutual aid.
Mental Health and Wellness:
Offer trauma-informed counseling and peer support for staff and volunteers.
Build a culture that prioritizes self-care and collective care, understanding that mental health is critical to maintaining security.
2. Institutional Protection Measures
Decentralization:
Avoid centralizing operations or decision-making to reduce vulnerability to raids, surveillance, or leader targeting.
Establish semi-autonomous local chapters or networks that can function independently if needed.
Backup and Redundancy:
Store critical data in secure, encrypted offsite locations or on distributed cloud systems.
Create backup plans for funding, communications, and operations in case of asset freezes or forced shutdowns.
Diversify Resources:
Avoid reliance on a single source of funding, especially from government contracts or easily targeted donors.
Develop grassroots fundraising mechanisms and international solidarity support.
3. Collective Security for People and Institutions
Network Building:
Build coalitions with other organizations to share resources, strategies, and protection mechanisms.
Collaborate on mutual aid networks for rapid-response support during crises.
Safety in Numbers:
Coordinate collective actions with other groups to dilute individual risks.
Use public visibility as a deterrent by aligning with larger movements and amplifying voices internationally.
Scenario Planning:
Prepare for worst-case scenarios, such as raids, arrests, or asset freezes. Practice simulations to ensure readiness.
Develop succession plans for leadership and strategies for continuing operations under clandestine or decentralized conditions.
Key Considerations for Activists
Prepare Before the Crisis:
Anticipate repression and build protective measures before attacks occur.
Establish clear protocols and train staff so they know how to respond.
Balance Transparency and Secrecy:
Be transparent about your mission and values to maintain public trust.
Keep sensitive information and operations secure to avoid state targeting.
Prioritize Intersectional Protection:
Recognize that people face different risks based on their identities and roles within the organization.
Center the safety of those most vulnerable, including marginalized groups targeted by the regime.
Engage International Solidarity:
Connect with global networks to raise awareness about threats and increase the cost of repression for the regime.
Seek support from international human rights organizations, funders, and media.
The Wrap Up
In the face of authoritarian repression, activists and organizations must prioritize the safety of their people while maintaining the resilience of their institutions. By embedding security measures, decentralizing operations, and fostering collective leadership, movements can continue their work while protecting those at risk. The goal is not just to survive but to adapt and grow stronger in the face of repression, ensuring that both the mission and the people behind it endure.