(BANGKOK, March 2021)—In March 2021, Dr. Anita Ramšak, an independent, professional human-rights-impact evaluator, completed a 16-month independent assessment on the effectiveness of Fortify Rights’s theory of change in advancing the rights of refugees and at-risk migrants in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. The evaluation relied on an “Adjusted Outcome Harvesting” methodology and included an in-depth review of Fortify Rights’s internal documentation and reporting, discussions with Fortify Rights team members, and interviews with 19 external stakeholders, including five current or former government representatives in Southeast Asia.
The evaluation found that between 2018 and 2020 Fortify Rights “significantly contributed” to 16 changes to laws, polices, and practices that improved rights and protections for refugees and at-risk migrants.
The evaluation also identified Fortify Rights as “an influential leader working on advocacy and investigation work” and an organization that is “on the frontlines of mobilization efforts against unsafe, undignified forced returns of refugees throughout the region.” Describing Fortify Rights’s work, one government representative said the organization “has been working tirelessly and continues to do an amazing job to advocate for the rights of refugees.”
A full version of the 87-page report is available upon request.