B'TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was established in February 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists, and Knesset members. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel. In 2007, B'Tselem’s Video Department launched its innovative camera project. The organization distributes video cameras and provides training to Palestinians living in areas in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip where tensions are high and clashes are commonplace. Video footage collected by volunteers provides ongoing documentation of human rights violations and the cameras expose the Israeli and the international publics to the reality of life under occupation. The cameras provide a protective presence, contribute to deterrence and help to curtail violence: “The project gave me confidence. I used to walk down the main road and be afraid, but today I feel safer… Before we had cameras settlers would come almost every day, and now it only happens rarely.” (Mahmoud Dana, Hebron).
> http://www.btselem.org/video/cdp_background