Forum for Human Rights

What Forum for Human Rights does

Forum for Human Rights (FORUM) is a Central European legal non-governmental organization founded in 2015 and registered in the Czech Republic as the civic association Fórum pro lidská práva, z.s., headquartered at Mánesova 48, Prague 2. The organization provides free strategic litigation, international advocacy, and legal representation services to victims of human rights violations across six primary segments: victims of torture and ill-treatment, people with disabilities, Roma communities, children, migrants and asylum seekers, and judicial independence advocates. FORUM represents clients before international bodies including UN human rights treaty bodies, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR), and pursues matters in national courts of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The entity employs approximately 9 staff and operates without a parent company, subsidiaries, or equity funding.

The organization's core "products" are services rather than software: a portfolio of grant-funded programs including the ROMAntici volunteer network for monitoring online hate speech against Roma communities, the FLARE project on EU Charter strategic litigation capacity-building, environmental justice litigation (notably the Bambusky collective complaint against the municipality of Martin, Slovakia), easy-to-read legal materials for crime victims with disabilities (Voices for Justice), and policy publications such as the guide on prosecuting digital antigypsyism. Underlying operational assets are the procedural expertise required to litigate before ECtHR, ECSR, and UN bodies, and an evidence pipeline generated through volunteer-driven case documentation, exemplified by 245 documented hate speech cases and 100+ regulatory complaints filed by ROMAntici volunteers in Slovakia.

FORUM's revenue model is non-commercial and entirely grant-dependent, with funding from institutional donors including the European Commission (FLARE), Open Society Foundation Public Health Program, EVZ Foundation, UN Fund for Victims of Torture, and Abakus Foundation; services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries. Distribution occurs through direct legal representation, alternative report submissions to UN bodies, consortium-led multi-country projects (with partners including ERRC, Romea, Fair Trials, International Commission of Jurists, Minority Rights Group Europe Service, Slovak Academy of Sciences, and others), and conferences and workshops such as the Independent Life Conference. The organization's market positioning centers on its specialist access to international human rights venues, with demonstrable outcomes including the first-ever UN Committee on the Rights of the Child decision against the Czech Republic (June 2023), an ECtHR Article 3 violation finding in B.Ü. v. Czech Republic, and an ECSR decision finding discriminatory institutionalization of children with disabilities and Roma children.

Name

Forum for Human Rights

Legal name

Fórum pro lidská práva, z.s.

Website

https://forumhr.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forum for Human Rights (FORUM) is a Prague-based legal NGO founded in 2015 that provides free strategic litigation and international advocacy for human rights victims in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, representing clients before UN bodies, the ECtHR, and the European Committee of Social Rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Legal Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

Keywords

• Strategic litigation
• Human rights advocacy
• International human rights law
• Legal aid services
• Civil society organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague 2

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant funding and donations: FORUM operates as a non-governmental organization funded primarily through grants from international donors, EU programs, and private foundations. Revenue supports litigation activities, advocacy work, and project implementation across Central Europe.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Forum for Human Rights provides free legal representation and strategic litigation before international and national human rights bodies, including the European Court of Human Rights, the European Committee of Social Rights, and UN human rights mechanisms. It also conducts international advocacy, submits alternative reports to UN bodies, and runs volunteer-led programs (such as ROMAntici) to combat online hate speech and support marginalized communities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Product overview

Forum for Human Rights (FORUM) is a Central European legal non-governmental organization that operates as a service-based NGO rather than a software product company. The organization offers strategic litigation and legal representation services before international and national human rights bodies (ECtHR, European Committee of Social Rights, UN mechanisms). It delivers programs including: ROMAntici (volunteer-led online hate speech monitoring), Voices for Justice (easy-to-read materials for crime victims with disabilities), FLARE (strategic litigation capacity building for Roma rights), environmental justice litigation (Bambusky case), and policy publications on digital antigypsyism. The organization also conducts advocacy before international bodies and publishes research reports on human rights issues affecting marginalized communities in Central Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ROMAntici: Group of Roma and non-Roma volunteers monitoring and reporting hate speech against Roma on social media

Quantifiable outcome

• Historic first UN Committee on the Rights of the Child decision against Czech Republic - violations of Articles 3, 9, 12, and 37 found
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Minority Rights Group Europe Service (MRGE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Project coordinator for the FLARE project (Fundamental rights, Litigation, Awareness Raising and Equality) which aims to strengthen knowledge and capacity of CSOs and legal practitioners on EU Charter application in strategic litigation for Roma rights.
• Asociatia Juristilor Romi RomaJustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Romanian partner in FLARE project focusing on strategic litigation training and awareness raising for Roma rights in Romania.
• Equal Opportunities Initiative AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Bulgarian partner in the COORDE project (Challenging online and offline Roma discrimination in Europe) implementing volunteer-led anti-discrimination activities.
• ROMAJUSTminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Romanian partner in the COORDE project implementing volunteer-led anti-discrimination and hate speech monitoring activities.
• European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022FORUM partners with ERRC on multiple projects including combating online hate speech against Roma in Czech Republic and Slovakia, environmental justice cases, strategic litigation on Roma rights, and alternative reports to UN bodies. ERRC coordinates the ROMAntici volunteer network and Challenging Digital Antigypsyism initiative across six countries.
• RomeacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Romani news portal providing volunteers who document hate speech against Roma on social media and support criminal complaints filed by FORUM lawyers. Partnership focuses on challenging digital antigypsyism in the Czech Republic.
• Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Academic research partner in environmental justice project, contributing researchers to study on waste disposal practices in Roma settlements and environmental burdens in marginalized communities.
• Rómsky inštitút (Roma Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in environmental justice project contributing expertise on Roma community issues and rights.
• Boston University Northeastern University School of LawminorOthersProvided support for UN Special Rapporteur report on right to safe drinking water and sanitation prepared by FORUM lawyers.
• Organisation for Aid to RefugeesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing assistance to asylum seekers, cooperating with FORUM on cases involving ill-treatment at borders and detention conditions.
• International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ROLL project (Rule of Law for Lawyers) organizing workshops on judicial independence and strategic litigation for legal practitioners across EU.
• Human Rights in PracticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ROLL project focusing on judicial independence and rule of law protection in EU.
• Wolne sądyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish partner in ROLL project contributing to workshops on judicial independence and rule of law challenges.
• AditusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaltese partner in ROLL project contributing to judicial independence workshops and strategic litigation discussions.
• Fair TrialscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal criminal justice watchdog collaborating with FORUM on research reports documenting antigypsyism and institutional racism in Czech and Slovak criminal justice systems.
• Advisory Council for Social Work (RPSP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in alternative report to UN Committee Against Torture on rights of people with disabilities in Slovakia.
• SOCIA FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in alternative report on disability rights and environmental justice for marginalized communities in Slovakia.
• Liga za duševné zdravieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in alternative report to CAT on mental health rights and institutional conditions in Slovakia.
• MDAC (Mental Disability Advocacy Centre)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in alternative reports on rights of persons with disabilities and deinstitutionalization issues.
• Slovak Disability CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Independent Life conference on living conditions of persons with disabilities in Slovakia.
• LUMOSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided opinion supporting collective complaint on institutionalization of children with disabilities and Roma children.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Commission of Jurists (ICJ): ICJ is FORUM's partner in the ROLL project on judicial independence, operating the same model of strategic-litigation workshops and rule-of-law advocacy across the EU. Directly comparable in mandate and tooling.
• European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC): ERRC is FORUM's core strategic partner on Roma rights and operates the same model of strategic litigation before the ECtHR, ECSR, and UN bodies. It coordinates the ROMAntici volunteer network and co-files collective complaints, making it the closest direct comparable in mandate, geography, and method.
• Amnesty International Czech Republic: The Czech section of Amnesty operates in the same geographic footprint as FORUM, pursuing similar human-rights research, advocacy, and litigation against the Czech state. It is the most direct national-level comparable for human-rights NGO operations in Prague.
• Mental Disability Advocacy Centre (MDAC): MDAC is a FORUM project partner focused on strategic litigation for persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in Central/Eastern Europe. It shares FORUM's exact playbook of ECSR collective complaints and UN alternative reports on deinstitutionalization.
• Fair Trials: Fair Trials is a FORUM collaborator on criminal-justice strategic litigation, including amicus briefs (e.g., Valchář v. Czech Republic) and reports on antigypsyism in criminal justice systems. Comparable as a Europe-wide strategic-litigation NGO working on rule-of-law cases.
• Open Society Justice Initiative: The Justice Initiative pursues strategic human-rights litigation before ECtHR and UN bodies on issues including Roma rights and discrimination — a directly comparable mandate funded by FORUM's donor (Open Society Foundations), often co-filing cases.
• LUMOS: LUMOS supported FORUM's collective complaint on institutionalization of children with disabilities and shares a focus on deinstitutionalization and children's rights in Central/Eastern Europe through strategic litigation and advocacy.
• Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE): MRGE coordinates the FLARE project with FORUM on EU Charter strategic litigation for Roma rights. Both organizations pursue minority-rights litigation and partner CSO capacity-building through EU-funded multi-country projects.
• Aditus Foundation: Aditus is FORUM's Maltese partner in the ROLL project on judicial independence. Comparable as a small, specialist European human-rights NGO focused on strategic litigation, rule-of-law monitoring, and EU Charter advocacy in its jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: HRW conducts international human-rights research and advocacy with overlapping coverage on Roma, disability, and migration issues in Central Europe. It is a broader incumbent with global scope, whereas FORUM is a specialist with regional depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forum-for-human-rights

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forum for Human Rights