Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights (CILD)

The Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties (CILD) was founded in 2014, building on the idea that human rights and civil liberties are deeply connected, interdependent and inseparable.

Based on this premise, a large number of civil society organizations in Italy have decided to create a new national actor in this field. Those organizations are presenting themselves with one voice, speaking to institutions, media, and to the public opinion.

As the first Italian experiment in freedom contamination, the coalition aims at boosting efforts by intertwining the work on different thematic areas:

• fighting against racism and xenophobia;
• battling against every form of discrimination based on gender or gender identity;
• changing the public opinion perception on immigration;
• expanding the definition of citizenship;
• overcoming prejudices against Roma, Sinti, and traveler people;
• creating a criminal justice system that is more respectful of fundamental rights;
• advocating for transparency in the public administration and fighting against corruption;
• extending human rights and civil liberties beyond traditional boundaries.

CILD supports and empowers civil society groups working on some of the most pressing human rights issues faced by the country today, through a combination of media capacity building strategic communication, advocacy and public education.

The organization is funded by Open Society Foundations and Oak Foundation.