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Women Human Rights Defenders are at the forefront of rights struggles. WHRDs are targeted because of our work, including for what we do, the fact that we do it, and the identities we carry.

On 24 May 2017, the divisional court in Ankara overturned a conviction for sexual assault of human rights defender, Kemal Ördek. Instead the three perpetrators were sentenced to seven years and six months imprisonment for the charge of ‘aggravated burglary.’ The man previously convicted and sentenced for the sexual assault was acquitted.

The strong organization of lesbian activists across Argentina achieved Higui’s release pending trial. Higui, an Argentine lesbian, was imprisoned for fatally wounding one of her attackers while trying to avoid being gang raped by a group of ten men.

To understand FRIDA’s achievements in the context of the larger movement and history of feminist organizing, the team reached out to Lydia Alpizar to share her personal reflections on why it is important to document these beginnings, what it contributes to our knowledge of movements, and what were some of the lessons learned. Lydia was the Executive Director at the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) who helped kickstart the beginnings of FRIDA.

AWID and partners express our strong concerns about the draft resolution on the protection of the family. We are concerned that the resolution attempts to instrumentalize older persons and their rights.

At a time when the experiences and demands of domestic workers are often narrated by others, Beirut-based, Filipina domestic worker Ursula Cruz tells her own story.

AWID works with partners to share key knowledge, convene civil society dialogues and events, and influence negotiations and outcomes of the 35th session of the Human Rights Council. We met with Meghan Doherty, Cynthia Rothschild and Alejandra Sardá-Chandiramani, who are involved in this process. They reflect on their perspective.

The State of Our Feminist Movements animation is the first of “Movement Sparks”, a series of animations exploring key topics facing our movements for justice and liberation today; and the need for integrated and coherent approaches that cut across diverse locations, agendas, and strategies.

As we look ahead to the 35th session of the Human Rights Council we share a refresher on key progressive language relating to religion, culture, and tradition that came out of the last session (27 February - 24 March 2017).

At a recent summit in Budapest, anti-abortion celebrities and anti-gay rights activists gathered with their political allies waging a ‘spiritual war’ for the ‘traditional family.’