Regional Rest and Respite is a project by Justice and Peace that aims to provide temporary shelter to threatened Human Rights Defenders. There are relocation programs in the European Union, but it is often difficult to apply for them at short notice. Due to this, and due to Schengen regulations, these programs are unable to help those Human Rights Defenders that are in immediate danger. In order to address these challenges, Justice and Peace is aiming to set up three relocation facilities outside of the Schengen zone.

Human Rights Defenders can also apply for a three-month temporary shelter in one of the six Dutch Shelter Cities: Amsterdam, The Hague, Middelburg, Maastricht, Nijmegen and Utrecht. In these six cities about 15 Human Rights Defenders per year can be provided rest and respite by the Shelter City Initiative. Deadline for the next application round is January 12, 2016.