Vitali Safarov
Vitali Safarov first got involved in human rights work in 2013 when he became a trainer in a multicultural camp for children in Georgia. He then worked for the Georgian NGO “Centre for Participation and Development” as a trainer of youth programs. For the past two years, Vitali was a part of the Tbilisi Shelter Initiative that provides human rights defenders from across the region with a safe space, rest, medical aid and capacity-building programs. He accompanied defenders from different countries and backgrounds on a daily basis, helping them to adapt during their stay in Tbilisi and to benefit from the Shelter's programs.
Human rights defenders in Georgia are often subjected to physical attacks, threats and insults, defamation, and slander. In most cases, these forms of intimidation are levelled against those who protect and promote the rights of migrants and members of national, religious, or sexual minorities, as well as those working on politically sensitive cases and in remote areas where they have almost no opportunities for protection.
