Canadian Human Rights International Organization

What Canadian Human Rights International Organization does

Canadian Human Rights International Organization (CHRIO) is a Toronto-based, federally registered Canadian charity (Registration Number 85310 7662 RR0001) founded on December 13, 2003. It operates as a non-governmental organization focused on the education, promotion, and defense of human rights grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with a particular emphasis on supporting victims of human rights violations including undocumented immigrants facing CBSA enforcement in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, religious minorities in Pakistan and the Middle East, women and children affected by kidnapping and trafficking in conflict zones (e.g., the Boko Haram abductions), and Indigenous peoples such as the Maya Achi Tribe of Guatemala.

CHRIO's core offerings are a portfolio of human programs rather than technology products. The portfolio includes the umbrella Human Rights Program, a Pardon & Waiver Program, a Mental Health Program, a Community Centre Program in the Jane and Finch neighborhood, a Youth Human Rights Program, a Student Placement Program, a Volunteer Program, and an International Missions function that has reportedly completed over 100 missions across troubled nations. The organization also operates the CHRIO Trillium Award for Human Rights Defenders and runs advocacy initiatives such as the Human Rights Code Project, which has been presented to foreign legislators. CHRIO maintains wholly-owned regional mission entities in Pakistan, Germany, Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, each led by a country-level Executive Director. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying "infrastructure" is people-based, consisting of mission teams, a multi-ethnic staff, and a coalition of partner NGOs and government contacts.

CHRIO's business model is donation-based, with no products or services sold. Revenue is generated from contributions by individuals, organizations, and foundations — the 2/10 Foundation is named as a dedicated and sustained sponsor — and the organization is governed by a Board of Directors and an International Executive Board. Distribution is community-led: direct field engagement in Toronto, international missions, public demonstrations, social media, and earned media. Customer concentration is effectively a donor-concentration question, with 2/10 Foundation disclosed as the only named institutional funder. The organization celebrated its 20th anniversary in December 2023 and continues to actively operate, with leadership including President Jonathan Whiteside, Human Rights Program Director Mario Guilombo, and Community Centre Director Liliana Angarita.

Name

Canadian Human Rights International Organization

Legal name

Canadian Human Rights International Organization

Website

https://chrio.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CHRIO is a Toronto-based, federally registered Canadian charity founded in 2003 that educates on, advocates for, and defends human rights for victims of violations including undocumented immigrants, religious minorities, women and children in conflict zones, and Indigenous peoples, operating international missions across 16+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Human rights advocacy
• International humanitarian missions
• Refugee protection services
• Community outreach programs
• Human rights education

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: CHRIO operates as a registered Canadian charity organization (Registration Number: 85310 7662 RR0001) and relies primarily on donations from individuals, organizations, and foundations to fund its human rights programs and international missions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Canadian Human Rights International Organization (CHRIO) is a registered Canadian charity that provides education, advocacy, and protection services for victims of human rights violations. It operates a portfolio of programs including the Human Rights Program, Pardon & Waiver Program, Mental Health Program, Community Centre Program, Youth Human Rights Program, Student Placement Program, and Volunteer Program, alongside international field missions to troubled nations.

Product overview

Canadian Human Rights International Organization (CHRIO) is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to the education, promotion, and defense of human rights. The organization operates a portfolio of programs and services centered around its core Human Rights Program, complemented by specialized initiatives including the Pardon & Waiver Program, Mental Health Program, Community Centre Program, Youth Human Rights Program, Student Placement Program, and Volunteer Program. CHRIO conducts international missions to document human rights violations worldwide and offers the CHRIO Trillium Award for Human Rights Defenders. The organization also develops advocacy initiatives such as the Human Rights Code Project for foreign governments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pardon & Waiver Program
• Human Rights Program
• Mental Health Program
• Community Centre Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported more than 15,000 families who have been victims of human rights violations
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Ontario Human Rights CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2014Barbara Hall, Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and staff members conducted a human rights workshop for CHRIO board members, staff, and volunteers. The workshop covered the human rights code, its application in defending human rights, and Universal Declaration of Human Rights principles.
• First Portuguese Canadian Cultural CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2014The First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre organized the human rights workshop in partnership with Ontario Human Rights Commission and requested the educational workshop on human rights for CHRIO members.
• No One is IllegalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2014CHRIO collaborates with No One is Illegal to oppose raids on undocumented immigrants in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto. Both organizations work together to find solutions to problems affecting the community regarding human rights respect, including opposing CBSA raids and advocating for Toronto to become a sanctuary city.
• COHURIDELA (Collective Human Rights Defenders 'Laura Acosta' International Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2014CHRIO works with COHURIDELA in international human rights advocacy. Representatives of both organizations met with Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to expose human rights violations in countries such as Iraq, Pakistan, Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico.
• Justicia for Migrant WorkersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRIO works alongside Justicia for Migrant Workers to condemn the criminalization of people of color and undocumented workers.
• Jane-Finch Action Against PovertyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRIO collaborates with Jane-Finch Action Against Poverty to advocate for undocumented workers and oppose police practices of asking people for immigration papers.
• One Free World International (OFWI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRIO participated in the 10th anniversary celebration of OFWI led by Reverend Majed Al Shafie, which focuses on the rights of religious minorities in countries in turmoil.
• CHRIO Mission PakistancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCHRIO Mission Pakistan operates as a field mission led by Executive Director Gulnar Gill, conducting advocacy against religious persecution and supporting victims of human rights violations in Pakistan.
• CHRIO Mission GermanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCHRIO Mission Germany operates as an international field mission led by Executive Director Tanya Göggelmann, representing CHRIO's human rights work in Germany.
• CHRIO Mission VenezuelaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCHRIO maintains an active mission presence in Venezuela to address human rights issues in that country.
• CHRIO Mission ColombiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCHRIO Mission Colombia has been actively involved in presenting the Human Rights Code Project to Colombian Senator Marco Anibal Avirama and supporting protests against human rights violations in Colombia.
• CHRIO Dominican Republic MissionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCHRIO maintains an international mission presence in the Dominican Republic.
• Women's Empowerment OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRIO has partnered with women's organizations including 'Mujeres de Exito' in Colombia, presenting recognition plaques and supporting women's empowerment initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PEN Canada: Canadian human rights and free-expression advocacy NGO with comparable scale and an international-advocacy mandate that overlaps with CHRIO's Universal Declaration of Human Rights framing.
• Amnesty International Canada: Canadian branch of the global human rights NGO, sharing CHRIO's mandate of advocating for human rights, engaging with government, and operating within Canada on behalf of international victims. Closest direct peer in scale, geography, and mission.
• Canadian Council for Refugees: Canadian NGO focused on refugee and immigrant rights — directly overlapping with CHRIO's primary segment of undocumented immigrants facing harassment and deportation in the Jane and Finch area. Highly comparable in geography and beneficiary population.
• COHURIDELA (Collective Human Rights Defenders 'Laura Acosta' International Organization): International human rights organization co-advocating with CHRIO in countries such as Iraq, Pakistan, Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico, including joint meetings with Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
• One Free World International (OFWI): Faith-rooted human rights organization focused on religious minorities in countries in turmoil; CHRIO has a documented mutual partnership with OFWI and shares the religious-minority-advocacy mandate in Pakistan, the Middle East, and Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Larger, well-established global human rights research and advocacy organization with documented country monitoring in many of the same regions as CHRIO (Pakistan, Colombia, Venezuela, Nigeria). Operates at significantly greater scale but shares the same advocacy, documentation, and government-engagement playbook.
• International Crisis Group: Larger international NGO conducting field-based research, advocacy, and government engagement in many of the same conflict-affected countries as CHRIO (Colombia, Venezuela, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico). Overlaps in mission-and-advocacy model though at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• Witness (Video for Human Rights): Human rights organization using video and documentation to expose abuses; comparable in mission emphasis on documenting and publicizing human rights violations globally, though with a different methodological focus.
• Global Witness: International advocacy NGO focused on human rights, land, and indigenous-peoples issues — closely overlapping with CHRIO's work on the Maya Achi Tribe of Guatemala and on forced displacement and land theft.

Others

• Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR): Principal inter-governmental human rights body in the Americas; CHRIO's documented advocacy with Colombian senators and work on the Maya Achi cases directly engages the same regional human rights system, making IACHR an institutional counterpart rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chriocanada
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbKK59qaWIrqvbyMfikdXMA
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/chriocanada

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Canadian Human Rights International Organization