Special Focus

AWID is an international, feminist, membership organisation committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women’s human rights

Confronting Extractivism & Corporate Power

Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) worldwide defend their lands, livelihoods and communities from extractive industries and corporate power. They stand against powerful economic and political interests driving land theft, displacement of communities, loss of livelihoods, and environmental degradation.


Why resist extractive industries?

Extractivism is an economic and political model of development that commodifies nature and prioritizes profit over human rights and the environment. Rooted in colonial history, it reinforces social and economic inequalities locally and globally. Often, Black, rural and Indigenous women are the most affected by extractivism, and are largely excluded from decision-making. Defying these patriarchal and neo-colonial forces, women rise in defense of rights, lands, people and nature.

Critical risks and gender-specific violence

WHRDs confronting extractive industries experience a range of risks, threats and violations, including criminalization, stigmatization, violence and intimidation.  Their stories reveal a strong aspect of gendered and sexualized violence. Perpetrators include state and local authorities, corporations, police, military, paramilitary and private security forces, and at times their own communities.

Acting together

AWID and the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD-IC) are pleased to announce “Women Human Rights Defenders Confronting Extractivism and Corporate Power”; a cross-regional research project documenting the lived experiences of WHRDs from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We encourage activists, members of social movements, organized civil society, donors and policy makers to read and use these products for advocacy, education and inspiration.

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Tell us how you are using the resources on WHRDs Confronting extractivism and corporate power.

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Thank you!

AWID acknowledges with gratitude the invaluable input of every Woman Human Rights Defender who participated in this project. This project was made possible thanks to your willingness to generously and openly share your experiences and learnings. Your courage, creativity and resilience is an inspiration for us all. Thank you!

Related Content

Snippet - WITM about research - AR

عن استطلاع "أين المال"

استطلاع "اين المال" (أين التمويل للتنظيمات النسوية) هو ركيزة أساسية للنسخة الثالثة لأبحاثنا الموجهة نحو العمل. سيتم بحث وتوسيع نتائج الاستطلاع من خلال المحادثات العميقة مع النشطاء/ الناشطات والممولين/ات وسيتم مقارنة النتائج مع تحليلات وبحوث أخرى عن وضع التمويل للحركات النسوية وحركات العدالة الجندرية.

سيتم نشر تقرير أين المال للتنظيمات النسوية في العام 2026.

لمعرفة المزيد عن كيف تسلّط جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية الضوء على على تمويل التنظيمات النسوية أو ضدها، انظروا إلى قصة "أين المال" وتقارير سابقة هنا

Liliana Bodoc

Liliana was a teacher, a weaver, and a well recognized writer from Argentina.

Her trilogy La saga de los confines received several awards and is unique in the fantasy genre for its use and re-imagining of South American Indigenous mythology.

Liliana’s commitment to feminism was expressed in the diverse, rich and strong women voices in her writing, and particularly in her extensive work for young readers. She also took public positions in favour of abortion, economic justice and gender parity.

 


 

Liliana Bodoc, Argentina

Become an AWID member

By joining AWID, you are becoming part of worldwide feminist organizing, a collective power that is rooted in working across movements and is based on solidarity.

Join AWID as an individual for free 

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Join AWID as an Organization for free

Join AWID as an Organization for by paying a nominal amount 

Snippet FEA collaborator and allies Photo 3 (EN)

The photo depicts five women (Sopo is standing in the middle) standing on top of stairs in front of a stone wall, holding placards with Georgian slogans written on them.

Por que devo considerar responder ao inquérito?

Existem várias razões pelas quais a sua resposta ao inquérito WITM é importante. Por exemplo, tem a oportunidade de partilhar a sua experiência vivida com a mobilização de financiamento para apoiar a sua organização; de reivindicar o seu poder como especialista sobre como o dinheiro circula e os bolsos em que entra; e de contribuir para a defesa coletiva e consistente junto de financiadores para mover mais recursos de maior qualidade. Ao longo das últimas duas décadas, o inquérito WITM da AWID tem-se revelado um recurso fundamental para ativistas e financiadores. Convidamo-lo a juntar-se a nós na sua terceira edição para destacar o estado efetivo do financiamento, desafiar soluções falsas e apontar a forma como o financiamento precisa de mudar para que os movimentos prosperem e enfrentem os desafios complexos do nosso tempo.

Clone of Anuncio: Foro AWID 2024

Imagen con las palabras Anuncio del foro AWID 2024. Más informaciones próximamente. El fondo de la imagen es una fotografía tenue de la audiencia en el foro de 2016, con un efecto de color degradado que va de púrpura a amarillo de izquierda a derecha.

¡Es hora para el próximo Foro de AWID: en 2024!

Cuando miles de feministas se unen, creamos una fuerza arrolladora de solidaridad que tiene el poder de cambiar el mundo. El Foro de AWID será un momento para que descansemos y nos recuperemos juntas, nos conectemos más allá de las fronteras y descubramos nuevas y osadas direcciones estratégicas.

La fecha y el lugar se anunciarán el próximo año, tan pronto como podamos. Estamos emocionades y sabemos que ustedes también lo están. ¡Manténganse al tanto!

¡Asegúrate de seguirnos en las redes sociales y suscríbete a nuestra lista de correo para mantenerte al día!

Snippet FEA Workers demonstrations in Georgia 3 (ES)

La foto muestra una manifestación donde una multitud sostiene carteles verdes y blancos.

هل يمكن أن تعبئ مجموعة واحدة الاستطلاع أكثر من مرة واحدة؟

كلا. نطلب فقط تعبئة استطلاع واحد لكل مجموعة.

Lara Kruger

Lara était une DJ bien connue et appréciée de la Motsweding, une radio FM d’Afrique du Sud.

Lara a été l’un des premières animatrices ouvertement transgenre d’une radio grand public. Elle a œuvré sans relâche pour que lumière soit faite sur les questions LGBTI.

L’activisme de Lara a commencé très tôt, alors qu’elle revendiquait son droit de s’habiller et de se comporter afin de se sentir à l’aise auprès des membres de sa communauté qui ne comprenaient pas encore ce que signifiait être transgenre.


 

Lara Kruger, South Africa

Merci

Merci de votre visite sur le site d'AWID. Pour plus d'informations sur AWID rendez-vous sur https://www.awid.org/fr

Snippet FEA Unfair Policies (FR)

Balance de la justice rose

LES POLITIQUES INJUSTES

Become a member (homepage block) - French

Pourquoi rejoindre l’AWID ?

Oeuvrez pour le renforcement des mouvements pour les droits des femmes et contribuez aux transformations en faveur des droits humains.

Rejoindre l'AWID

Могу ли я пройти опрос со своего телефона?

Да, доступ к опросу можно получить с помощью смартфона.

Riham Al-Bader

Riham was a lawyer and activist committed to monitoring rights violations in Yemen.

She worked with other activists to supply civilians trapped by Houthi militias in the outskirts of the city of Taiz with food and water.

Riham was killed in February 2018 and it is unconfirmed whether she was killed by a sniper or hit by an aircraft. Nobody has been held accountable for her murder. 


 

Riham Al Bader, Yemen

Building Feminist Economies

Building Feminist Economies is about creating a world with clean air to breath and water to drink, with meaningful labour and care for ourselves and our communities, where we can all enjoy our economic, sexual and political autonomy.


In the world we live in today, the economy continues to rely on women’s unpaid and undervalued care work for the profit of others. The pursuit of “growth” only expands extractivism - a model of development based on massive extraction and exploitation of natural resources that keeps destroying people and planet while concentrating wealth in the hands of global elites. Meanwhile, access to healthcare, education, a decent wage and social security is becoming a privilege to few. This economic model sits upon white supremacy, colonialism and patriarchy.

Adopting solely a “women’s economic empowerment approach” is merely to integrate women deeper into this system. It may be a temporary means of survival. We need to plant the seeds to make another world possible while we tear down the walls of the existing one.


We believe in the ability of feminist movements to work for change with broad alliances across social movements. By amplifying feminist proposals and visions, we aim to build new paradigms of just economies.

Our approach must be interconnected and intersectional, because sexual and bodily autonomy will not be possible until each and every one of us enjoys economic rights and independence. We aim to work with those who resist and counter the global rise of the conservative right and religious fundamentalisms as no just economy is possible until we shake the foundations of the current system.


Our Actions

Our work challenges the system from within and exposes its fundamental injustices:

  • Advance feminist agendas: We counter corporate power and impunity for human rights abuses by working with allies to ensure that we put forward feminist, women’s rights and gender justice perspectives in policy spaces. For example, learn more about our work on the future international legally binding instrument on “transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights” at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

  • Mobilize solidarity actions: We work to strengthen the links between feminist and tax justice movements, including reclaiming the public resources lost through illicit financial flows (IFFs) to ensure social and gender justice.

  • Build knowledge: We provide women human rights defenders (WHRDs) with strategic information vital to challenge corporate power and extractivism. We will contribute to build the knowledge about local and global financing and investment mechanisms fuelling extractivism.

  • Create and amplify alternatives: We engage and mobilize our members and movements in visioning feminist economies and sharing feminist knowledges, practices and agendas for economic justice.


“The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling – their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing”.

Arundhati Roy, War Talk

Related Content

Snippet FEA Striking against all odds (EN)

Striking against all odds: the story of Solidarity Network’s unprecedented win.

In January 2022, the Solidarity Network organized a strike with 400 workers. Their main demand? To increase wages. The strike was called following months of unsuccessful talks with the Georgian Ministry of Social Affairs as part of a labor dispute.

After weeks of protesting, negotiating, speaking to the media, withstanding backlash, and enduring the blistering cold of Georgian winter, the workers won unprecedented concessions from the government: wage increase, paid maternity leave, the covering of transportation costs, no lay-offs, compensation for strike days, and more.

The strike did not only result in material gains, it also left the workers feeling united and empowered to stand up for themselves and fight for dignified working conditions now and in the future. They became a source of inspiration for all workers across the country.

You can read more about their victory here.

Reason to join 5

Expand your boundaries. AWID members increasingly represent a diverse and vibrant cross-section of feminists working on land rights, workers’ rights, sexual rights and bodily autonomy, among other issues. By joining us as a member, you can connect your struggles across movements.