The Social Network for Justice and Human Rights (Rede Social de Justiça e Defesa dos Direitos Humanos or, Rede Social) is a human rights organization that supports the work of social movements in Brazil through legal assistance, trainings, reporting and media campaigns on abuses of human rights.

For example, Rede has worked tirelessly to expose the inhuman and illegal conditions faced by many workers in Brazil’s lucrative sugar cane and ethanol industry (including documenting cases of slavery and of laborers being literally worked to death) and have been courageous advocates for the rights of activists who are being persecuted for challenging these unjust living and working conditions.

Rede Social provides training and legal assistance to members of social movements and promotes communication and networking activities at the national and international level. Rede Social works with a variety of civil society organizations, including the Landless Workers Movement (MST), Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), Movement of People Displace by Dams (MAB), The Movement of Quilombolas (rural communities of African descendants) and the Organization of Popular Movements (CMP) to combat against human rights violations such as asassinations, pre-emptive arrests, wrongful incarcerations, and death threats and other forms of intimidation toward leaders and members of social movements.

Rede prepares and submits human rights cases and petitions nationally and internationally; trains community members as human rights monitors and researchers; conducts popular research; and produces educational materials, books, and reports; and coordinates the organizations within the network. Rede Social also produces an Annual Report of the Human Rights in Brazil, with the goal of pressing, informing the public, fighting against impunity in the rural areas.

Rede’s publications and studies contribute to the coordination and advocacy agendas of social movements and other Grassroots’ partners like the MST and the Association of Rural Workers (ATC) in Nicaragua.