Fashion Show at Oslo Freedom Forum 2023 - Human Rights Foundation

Other Programs

Art is a powerful tool for dissent in closed societies, provoking constructive dialogue and creating space for debate beyond mainstream bodies of political discourse. Authoritarian governments around the world recognize the power of art as a conduit of change and systematically persecute, repress, or censor artists to silence political dissent.

All governments, especially those of dictators, frequently debase, manipulate, demonetize, and surveil currencies, confiscate property, and freeze the bank accounts of people they don’t like. Dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, and nonprofit organizations in authoritarian countries face enormous obstacles just to receive donations and pay bills.

The fashion industry is one of the world’s largest economies and employs millions of people globally. Authoritarian countries often house the most labor-intensive stages of production, leaving workers extremely susceptible to human rights violations without any path of recourse.

The CCP Disruption Initiative endeavors to increase awareness about the CCP’s ongoing attacks on civil liberties and inspire a change in public attitudes toward Xi Jinping’s authoritarian regime. The program’s main areas of focus include corporate intimidation, digital surveillance, the crackdown on Chinese human rights defenders, the Uyghur genocide, the severe stifling of freedoms in Tibet, the trampling of freedoms in Hong Kong, and threats against Taiwan’s sovereignty.