Human Rights For All

What Human Rights For All does

Human Rights For All (HR4A) is an Australian non-profit legal organization founded in 2016 that provides pro-bono legal representation to refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless persons held in Australian immigration detention. The organization pursues cases through Australian courts, including up to the High Court of Australia, and makes parallel submissions to United Nations human rights bodies. Its core work covers merits litigation challenging indefinite detention, intervention in transfer cases (such as NZYQ v Minister for Immigration concerning Nauru transferees), and strategic High Court challenges such as AJL20 v Commonwealth, which contributed to the closure of the Park Hotel detention facility in 2022.

The organization's service mix has broadened over time to include a Migration Agent registration for visa and onshore visa-related work, an internship/PLT program to train the next generation of refugee lawyers, and a 2021 Afghan evacuation program extending its mandate to individuals fleeing the Taliban. HR4A holds United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Special Consultative Status, awarded in December 2021, which is the basis for its UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) submissions; all WGAD opinions involving Australia to date have originated from HR4A cases.

HR4A's business model is that of a non-profit: services are delivered free to clients, with funding sourced from individual donations, crowdfunding campaigns (such as via Chuffed), and institutional grants (including Uniting's Innovative Community Grants Fund). The team consists of approximately five staff — Director Principal Alison Battisson, Special Counsel Zaki Omar, Solicitor Advocate Eric Zhang, and Migration Agent Shira Sebban — supported by a network of volunteer solicitors and pro-bono barristers. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the organization's operating scale sits below A$1M based on headcount and disclosed funding signals.

Name

Human Rights For All

Legal name

Human Rights For All

Website

https://hr4a.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Human Rights For All is an Australian non-profit, founded in 2016, that provides pro-bono legal representation to refugees and stateless persons in Australian immigration detention, litigating cases through Australian courts and making submissions to UN human rights bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Immigration Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Pro-bono legal services
• Refugee legal advocacy
• Immigration detention representation
• Stateless persons rights
• Human rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: HR4A operates as a pro-bono organization with activities relying completely on volunteer support and donations from individuals and organizations. Additional funding comes from grants such as Uniting's Innovative Community Grants capacity grant.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Human Rights For All is a non-profit legal organization that provides free (pro-bono) legal representation to refugees and stateless persons held in Australian immigration detention. The organization handles cases through Australian tribunals and courts up to the High Court, makes submissions to international human rights bodies including the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and pursues media advocacy to challenge immigration detention policies.

Product overview

Human Rights for All is a nonprofit legal organization operating as a single unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization's core offering consists of legal representation services for refugees and stateless persons held in Australian immigration detention, supported by UN-level advocacy submissions and public education initiatives. They work on the most challenging 'too hard' or 'impossible' cases through legal action before Australian courts at all levels, international human rights bodies, and through media engagement. Supplementary programs include an internship and Practical Legal Training supervision for aspiring human rights lawyers, and an Afghan evacuation assistance program for at-risk individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pro-Bono Legal Representation Services
• UN and International Human Rights Body Submissions
• Afghan Evacuation and Resettlement Assistance Program
• Internship and Practical Legal Training (PLT) Supervision Program
• Public Advocacy and Media Engagement Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 129 people freed from immigration detention
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ChuffedminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Crowdfunding organization that approached HR4A offering sponsorship for a fundraising campaign to support work with men detained at Park Hotel. Campaign helped raise funds to allow HR4A to take on Eric as a paid employee.
• Tonka Restaurant (Melbourne)minorOthers · 1 August 2021Melbourne restaurant that offered jobs to Afghan women's football team members who were helped to escape Afghanistan and resettled in Melbourne.
• Other law firms and human rights organisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHR4A works in tandem with other law firms and human rights organisations on a wide range of cases. This collaborative approach allows them to handle cases at all levels of advocacy and Australia's legal system.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Human Rights Commission: Australia's national human rights institution responsible for promoting and protecting human rights. Broader institution with overlapping subject matter; HR4A was a finalist in its 2023 Human Rights Awards (Law Category).
• Refugee Council of Australia: Australia's national peak body for refugees and people seeking asylum, focused on advocacy and policy rather than direct legal representation. Adjacent peer given overlapping subject matter and Australian focus.

Emerging players

• International Detention Coalition (IDC): Global network of over 300 NGOs and individuals working to end immigration detention. Comparable in advocating against arbitrary and indefinite immigration detention, with a more international, network-based structure rather than direct casework.
• Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law: UNSW-based research and policy centre generating research and policy work on refugee rights. Adjacent peer given overlapping subject matter expertise on refugees and stateless persons, though it focuses on policy and research rather than direct legal representation.
• Justice Connect: Australian not-for-profit connecting vulnerable communities with pro-bono legal services. Adjacent peer given shared reliance on pro-bono legal model to serve disadvantaged populations in Australia.

Direct peers

• Refugee Legal: Victorian-based community legal centre dedicated to protecting the rights of people seeking asylum. Directly comparable in providing free legal services to asylum seekers, refugees, and stateless people in Australia.
• National Justice Project: Australian not-for-profit law and policy organisation that uses strategic litigation to advance social justice. Eric Zhang worked here before HR4A, indicating a directly comparable practice in public and administrative law and human rights.
• Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS): Largest specialist refugee legal aid provider in Australia, providing free legal assistance to people seeking asylum and refugees. Closest direct peer given overlapping pro-bono immigration detention casework and Australian focus.
• Asylum Seekers Resource Centre (ASRC): Australia's largest asylum seeker organisation providing legal aid, food, medical care, and advocacy. Strongly comparable given its pro-bono legal services, advocacy work, and direct support for people in immigration detention.
• Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC): Leading Australian human rights organization that uses strategic litigation, advocacy, and education to promote human rights. Comparable in pursuing systemic change through human rights litigation, including cases involving refugees and immigration detention.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HumanRights4A
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC341RHibkq5lA2u1krqYyfQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/humanrights4allaus
• Instagraminstagram.com/humanrights4a
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/human-rights-for-all

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Human Rights For All