Sirikan “June” Charoensiri was only 29 when her country tried to paint her as an enemy of the state.
It was 2015, a year after the military staged a coup to take control of Thailand. The new government declared martial law. Authorities detained civilians for up to seven days without charges, set a curfew, banned public gatherings of more than five people, and tried anyone accused of breaking the law in military courts, by military judges, with no independent oversight.
June co-founded Thai Lawyers for Human Rights with her colleague and friend Arnon Nampa — who is currently imprisoned in Thailand for several charges relating to the country’s controversial Section 112 law, which makes it a crime to defame or insult the monarchy — to support and empower activists who are targeted for exercising their basic human rights.
“It was a natural response to the decline of democracy,” June told Global Citizen. “Freedom of assembly and protest are ordinary tools for citizens to express their beliefs about their country. We had no choice but to respond.”
One night, June was heading home after defending a group of student activists arrested for participating in a peaceful protest. She discovered a group of police personnel and plainclothes agents surrounding her car, demanding she give them access to the activists’ personal items.
“It was late at night; there were no witnesses. I asked if they had a warrant, and they didn’t,” June said. “[My clients] had been detained directly from the protest and hadn’t been able to see their parents or loved ones. I was concerned that an illegal search would compromise their security.”
June refused the order and immediately filed a complaint against the officers who prevented her from accessing her car and its contents. That decision made her a target.
Over the next four years, June would face formal charges of propagating false accusations against investigating officers, disobeying police orders, and allegedly being an accomplice in the coup commemoration protest that led to her clients’ arrests. In addition, the government initiated a smear campaign to damage June’s character and turn others against her.
“They put out photos of my car, my name, and tried to discredit and alienate me,” June said. “I was incredibly scared to see my personal information exposed online.”
June’s story is far from unique. Around the world, thousands of human rights defenders are routinely targeted by governments and private corporations that seek to silence them, facing harassment, intimidation, illegal surveillance, detention, and death. But while these activists fight for everyone’s basic human rights, who fights for them?
Introducing Lighthouse — the Global Protection Fund
Lighthouse, the Global Protection Fund, provides human rights defenders like June with fast and flexible support when they need it most. Coordinated by Front Line Defenders, in partnership with African Defenders, the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Human Rights, Forum Asia, People in Need, and Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, the initiative launched earlier this year and has already issued over 340 grants to activists in 75 countries.
“We have been working for many years to support [human rights defenders] to be better prepared, better secured, and better able to manage their own security needs amidst conflict, violence, and targeted threats,” Caitríona Rice, Director of Protection Grants and Consortium Engagement for Front Line Defenders, told Global Citizen. “As the context evolves, how do we create a new mechanism to meet the moment we are in and complement other existing emergency supports?”
That requires more international support, particularly funding from governments and the private sector that can be directed quickly to defenders at risk. Currently, Lighthouse is a joint initiative of several governments and foundations, including Canada, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as The Carter Center, the Ford Foundation, and the Open Society Foundation.
Lighthouse grants are meant to be distributed rapidly to help activists manage their safety and security. They can cover legal fees, increase their protection, and support temporary relocation. The fund also supports organizations that assist local human rights defenders operating in their regions and pushes back against civic space restrictions.
“We know that local organizations are the first places that human rights defenders will reach out to in their home countries [when they’re at risk], and they need to be strengthened as well,” Caitríona said. “Our motto at Front Line Defenders is ‘Protect One, Empower a Thousand.’”
June realized just how essential this type of rapid support could be when she was being targeted by Thailand’s military junta. After being charged with sedition — the same charge the government applied to her clients for protesting peacefully — June recognized the authorities wanted to send a message to other human rights defenders: step out of line and the same thing will happen to you.
But June decided to fight back. She refused to leave Thailand, even as the government’s smear campaign threatened her safety, and reached out to a network of international organizations that could help. June was able to pay for legal representation, install cameras in her home, and purchase a new cell phone.
“When you experience these dark moments, you can only hope to have a community behind you to help,” June said. “Getting support from organizations like Front Line Defenders was essential for raising the status of my case with the international community and securing grants to take additional security measures.”
Many international organizations support the safety and security of at-risk activists, but the scale of need far exceeds what they can currently meet.
Over the past two years, a massive funding crisis has reduced the resources available to support human rights globally. Official Development Assistance (ODA), or foreign aid, fell by 23% in 2025 and will likely drop further this year. The United States has ended billions of dollars in foreign assistance and slashed its contributions to the United Nations. Other wealthy countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, have also reduced their aid budgets.
The domino effect of these cuts means less money is being given to organizations that support human rights defenders; in turn, fewer resources reach activists whose lives and livelihoods depend on them.
“We receive so many requests for emergency grant support [at Front Line Defenders], but the resources we have can’t match the scale of need,” Caitríona said. “With Lighthouse, we knew emergency grant support was an essential component but also wanted to ensure that we had the capacity to respond to other needs that we hear from human rights defenders, movements and ecosystem actors.”
As funding falls, threats to civic space continue to grow. We see it as digital surveillance increases with advancements in technology, and authoritarian leaders grow more brazen in their attempts to stifle activists and target marginalized communities. Without sustained international support, the human rights defenders whose work exposes corruption and injustice will face greater reprisal.
“Grants can sometimes take too long to put funds into defenders’ hands,” June told Global Citizen. “We need this quick, emergency mechanism to save people’s lives. We need this flexibility to respond in real time to security emergencies.”
How Global Citizens can take action
Lighthouse has already supported hundreds of human rights defenders in the last nine months, but needs more support to safeguard civic space globally. The fund is calling on more governments and private sector corporations to commit resources in the year ahead.
While individuals cannot donate to Lighthouse, Global Citizens can still take action for human rights in many ways. One of the simplest is to stay informed about the activists being targeted and help amplify their cases.
Activists like June and Arnon from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights rely on international support to put pressure on their governments to drop unnecessary charges and reduce disproportionate prison sentences. Front Line Defenders and Forum Asia are two resources that profile activists facing persecution to raise awareness of their cases.
Spread the word about their work online and with friends and family, and advocate for increased civic space in your region. To get started, sign up for Global Citizen and take action.
This article is part of Global Citizen’s grant-funded content.