New Software Provides Secure Worldwide Tracking and Documentation of Human Rights Abuses

The Benetech Initiative and The Asia Foundation have produced "The Martus Human Rights Bulletin System," an open source technology tool designed to assist human rights organisations in collecting, safeguarding, organising, and disseminating information about human rights abuses. Martus was first installed on Internet-connected workstations in the Philippines.

Currently, according to organisers, much of the violation and abuse information gathered by grassroots human rights groups is lost to confiscation, destruction, or neglect, making it difficult for prosecutors, truth commissions, and others to use the information as evidence to hold the perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable for many of their crimes. The Martus software is designed to enable grassroots NGOs to securely store their records on off-site servers with easy-to-use software, preserving crucial evidence for research, investigation, and prosecutions.

Future applications of the Martus software for social justice groups include monitoring other issues like violence against women, human trafficking, environmental destruction, and hate crimes. The software and its source code are available for download at the Martus site.