Amnesty International Protect The Human badges

The Protect The Human badge was part of a major Amnesty International campaign launched in 2005. It aimed to make human rights a visible and everyday concern.

Background ✊

The slogan 'Protect The Human' was simple but powerful, reminding people that Amnesty’s mission is about protecting people’s basic rights globally — freedom of speech, freedom from torture, fair trials, and other fundamental rights.

The badge, usually black with white or yellow text saying 'PROTECT THE HUMAN' or showing the Amnesty candle-and-barbed-wire logo, was designed to:

Raise awareness of human rights violations
Show solidarity with those whose rights were being denied.
Encourage people to take action and support Amnesty’s work

The campaign and its associated badge became popular among activists, students, musicians, and even celebrities during that period, including the actor James Nesbitt (main image).

Design and release of the badge 🪧

The placard badge has a black background with uppercase letters reading PROTECT THE HUMAN. In the top right corner is the Amnesty International logo of a candle wrapped in barbed wire.

The badge came in three colours — green, purple and yellow.

There is no official public record of how many Protect the Human badges were made. Amnesty International never formally published production numbers.

However, based on:

The scale of the campaign (it was international, but especially big in the UK, Europe, and parts of North America)
The fact that badges were given out at thousands of events, protests, university fairs, festivals, and concerts
Plus, they were also sold via Amnesty shops and online for several years

It’s safe to say that tens of thousands (if not low hundreds of thousands) were produced between around 2005–2010.

Collectors' guide 🔍

☮️ Organisation: Amnesty International

🕰️ Age: Modern - 2005

💎 Rarity: (5/10) Hard to find

🪙 Material: Enamel and wood

📏 Size: Width - 3.5 cm approx..

📏 Size: Height - 2.5 cm approx..

🎨 Variations: green, yellow and purple

📌 Top Tip: Although not currently defined as a vintage badges, they are destined to become highly prized collectibles - so try to get all 3.

Despite the Protect the Human badge being a modern badge that was sold in high volumes they are far more harder to find second hand than you think and scores a 5/10 (hard to find) with a price guide of £7.50 - £15..

The most likely reason for this is possibly the placard badge is such an unusual design that the badge has become iconic in its own right and collectors are reluctant to sell them.

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