PROVEA
Programa Venezolano de Educación y Acción en Derechos Humanos – Provea (Venezuelan Programme for Education and Action on Human Rights) works to improve already existing initiatives and to develop new programmes in the defence of human rights, focusing in particular on social, economic and cultural rights. It also works to promote the diffusion of human rights principles in Venezuela and to support victims of human rights violations. It was established in Caracas in October 1988.
HRDs have been working under restrictive policies for many years: the Maduro administration has continued the work begun by Chávez in restricting civil space and delegitimising HRDs, repeatedly accusing them of undermining the Venezuelan democracy with the alleged collaboration of the United States. HRDs are discredited and criminalised by state-controlled media (television, radio, print media) on a weekly basis.
