Tobacco control advocates across the world can face intimidation linked to their work. One potential avenue for strengthening protection is to consider what can be learnt from existing approaches to protecting human rights defenders.

In a joint project with US-based Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) research fellow Dr Britta Matthes convened a cross-sector roundtable in June 2026. Participants from tobacco control, human rights and adjacent advocacy fields discussed the opportunities and limitations of applying a human rights defender lens to tobacco control advocacy, and potential pathways for strengthening recognition and protection.

A new brief, From Recognition to Protection, synthesises the key insights from that discussion and identifies potential pathways for further exploration. It builds on an earlier commentary co-authored by TCRG and ASH which explored the relevance of human rights defender approaches to intimidation in tobacco control.

Dr Matthes comments:

Our discussions highlighted that tobacco control advocates fit the definition of human rights defenders. The important question is what that recognition can offer in practice.

Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, Managing Attorney, ASH, adds:

There are real opportunities for the tobacco control and human rights communities to work more closely together to strengthen support and protection for advocates.

TCRG is part of the University of Bath’s Centre for 21st Century Public Health. This work was supported by the University of Bath University Impact Fund.