Human rights defenders usually work in complex environments, where there are many different actors, and which are influenced by deeply political decision-making processes. Many things will be happening almost simultaneously, with each event impacting on another. The dynamics of each actor, or stakeholder, in this scenario will play a significant role in that actor’s relationships with others. Human rights defenders therefore need information not only about issues directly related to their work, but also about the positions of key actors and stakeholders.

A simple exercise would be to organize a group brainstorming to try to identify and list all the social, political and economic actors that may have an influence on your current security situation.