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GRIMdata

Global Rights Index Monitoring

GRIMdata is an open research initiative analyzing human rights through automated document analysis pipelines. We develop tools to track digital rights, protections for vulnerable populations, and policy implementation across countries.

Mission: Support evidence-based human rights research and advocacy through transparent, reproducible data analysis.

Current Projects

  • 🌈 LittleRainbowRights

    Status: Active | Scope: Global (194 countries)

    Child and LGBTQ+ digital rights research tracking 10 indicators: AI policy, data protection, LGBTQ+ legal status, child online protection, and more. Features open-source pipeline, validated data sources, and comprehensive scorecard.

    Presented: 2nd International Conference on Children's Rights (Stellenbosch, September 2025)

    Repository: DigitalChild (Python pipeline)

    Full Documentation

  • SGBV-UPR

    Status: Published (2022) | Scope: SADC member states → Expanding globally

    Sexual and gender-based violence analysis using Universal Periodic Review recommendations. Precursor research demonstrating methodology at regional scale. Updating for UPR Cycle 4 and global expansion.

    Published: Vollmer & Vollmer (2022), Stellenbosch Law Review

    Repository: HumanRights (SGBV analysis tools)

    Project Overview

Research Evolution

SGBV-UPR (2019-2022) demonstrated the feasibility of automated analysis of UPR recommendations at regional scale, focusing on SADC member states and SGBV themes. This work was published in academic literature and validated the core methodology.

LittleRainbowRights (2025-present) expands this approach to global digital rights analysis, tracking 10 indicators across all 194 countries with 2,543 validated sources. The project advances the pipeline with comprehensive testing, security frameworks, and reproducible workflows.

What GRIMdata Provides

  • Open Data

    All datasets include authoritative source URLs, validation status, and transparent provenance. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0 for academic and advocacy use.

  • Open Source Code

    Complete pipelines available on GitHub with MIT licensing. Modular design enables adaptation for other human rights research projects.

  • Documentation

    Comprehensive guides covering installation, usage, methodology, and standards. Full architectural documentation for researchers and developers.

  • Research Quality

    Security testing, input validation, automated source monitoring, and version control ensure data integrity and reproducibility.

Technology Stack

  • Python 3.12 - Core language
  • BeautifulSoup4 & Selenium - Web scraping
  • pandas - Data analysis
  • pytest - Testing framework (124+ tests)
  • MkDocs Material - Documentation

All pipelines follow best practices for security, validation, and error handling.

Getting Started with LittleRainbowRights

The LittleRainbowRights project is ready for use:

  1. Install the pipeline - Setup in ~5 minutes
  2. Quick start guide - Run your first analysis
  3. Explore the scorecard - Browse 194-country dataset
  4. Read the documentation - Complete project overview

Get Started with LittleRainbowRights

Use Cases

For Researchers: - Systematic literature reviews of human rights policies - Cross-country comparative analysis - Longitudinal policy tracking - Data-driven advocacy campaigns

For NGOs & Advocates: - Evidence-based policy recommendations - Monitor country compliance with commitments - Identify gaps in protections - Track implementation progress

For Policy Makers: - Benchmark against peer countries - Identify best practices - Gap analysis for policy development - Regional cooperation insights

Publications & Outputs

SGBV-UPR Research: - Vollmer, SC and Vollmer, DT. (2022). Global perspectives of Africa: Harnessing the universal periodic review to process sexual and gender-based violence in SADC member states. Stellenbosch Law Review, 33(1), 8–41. DOI: 10.47348/SLR/2022/i1a1

LittleRainbowRights Research: - Vollmer, DT and Vollmer, SC. (2025). Queer AI for the digital child: Examining the response to advanced digital technologies on the human rights of LGBTQ+ children in Africa. Presented at the Second International Conference on Children's Rights, Stellenbosch, South Africa, September 9-11, 2025.

Open Source & Licensing

Code: MIT License - Free for any use including commercial applications

Data & Documentation: CC BY 4.0 - Attribution required

This dual licensing ensures maximum utility while giving credit to the research effort.

About the Initiative

GRIMdata is maintained by an independent researcher alongside other work. Both projects represent passion projects aimed at making human rights data more accessible and analysis more transparent.

Maintained by PhD Student

This project is maintained part-time by one person alongside PhD research. Response times may vary. Your patience is appreciated!

Contact & Contributing

Support This Work

  • ⭐ Star the repositories on GitHub
  • 📢 Share with researchers and advocates in your network
  • 🐛 Report data quality issues or bugs
  • 💻 Contribute code or documentation improvements
  • 📝 Cite in your publications and presentations

Making human rights data accessible, transparent, and actionable.