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

Protection of the Family

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The Issue

Over the past few years, a troubling new trend at the international human rights level is being observed, where discourses on ‘protecting the family’ are being employed to defend violations committed against family members, to bolster and justify impunity, and to restrict equal rights within and to family life.

The campaign to "Protect the Family" is driven by ultra-conservative efforts to impose "traditional" and patriarchal interpretations of the family, and to move rights out of the hands of family members and into the institution of ‘the family’.

“Protection of the Family” efforts stem from:

  • rising traditionalism,
  • rising cultural, social and religious conservatism and
  • sentiment hostile to women’s human rights, sexual rights, child rights and the rights of persons with non-normative gender identities and sexual orientations.

Since 2014, a group of states have been operating as a bloc in human rights spaces under the name “Group of Friends of the Family”, and resolutions on “Protection of the Family” have been successfully passed every year since 2014.

This agenda has spread beyond the Human Rights Council. We have seen regressive language on “the family” being introduced at the Commission on the Status of Women, and attempts made to introduce it in negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Our Approach

AWID works with partners and allies to jointly resist “Protection of the Family” and other regressive agendas, and to uphold the universality of human rights.

In response to the increased influence of regressive actors in human rights spaces, AWID joined allies to form the Observatory on the Universality of Rights (OURs).  OURs is a collaborative project that monitors, analyzes, and shares information on anti-rights initiatives like  “Protection of the Family”.

Rights at Risk, the first OURs report, charts a map of the actors making up the global anti-rights lobby, identifies their key discourses and strategies, and the effect they are having on our human rights.   

The report outlines “Protection of the Family” as an agenda that has fostered collaboration across a broad range of regressive actors at the UN.  It describes it as: “a strategic framework that houses “multiple patriarchal and anti-rights positions, where the framework, in turn, aims to justify and institutionalize these positions.”

 

Related Content

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Gloria Chicaiza

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Medioambiente
Region
América Latina
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Enfermedad

Gloria Chicaiza, una activista social y ambiental ecuatoriana, fue una ferviente defensora de la tierra y el agua. Desafió el statu quo, al luchar contra un modelo de desarrollo basado en la extracción, y trabajó incansablemente por la justicia ecológica y los derechos de las comunidades afectadas por la minería.

Gloria participó en las acciones de resistencia para la protección del ecosistema en distintas áreas de Ecuador. Con pasión y dedicación, Gloria apoyó al movimiento indígena y ambiental, a sus comunidades y a las organizaciones que se oponen a los proyectos de minería y protegen sus territorios y sus proyectos de vida colectivos. En foros locales e internacionales, se pronunció contra la criminalización del disenso y la resistencia, contra la presión y la violencia ejercidas contra lxs activistas comunitarixs (y, en particular, contra las defensoras de derechos humanos), y a favor de los esfuerzos comunitarios por la soberanía alimentaria y la sustentabilidad.

Fue Coordinadora del Área de Justicia Minera de Acción Ecológica, participó en la Red Latinoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Sociales y Ambientales, e integró la Junta Directiva del Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina (OCMAL).

En octubre de 2010, la compañía minera Curimining/Salazar Resources S.A. (con sede en Vancouver, Canadá) acusó a Gloria de auspiciar un acto de terrorismo, sabotaje y asociación ilícita para delinquir. Acción Ecológica consideró que esto fue «en represalia por su trabajo de denuncia de los impactos de las actividades mineras en el país».

En 2014 Gloria apoyó la coordinación de una delegación a la Conferencia Internacional sobre Cambio Climático (COP 20) de la ONU. El grupo estuvo integrado por veinticinco mujeres indígenas de América Latina.

Gloria falleció el 28 de diciembre de 2019 por complicaciones de un trasplante de pulmón. Es recordada por su resistencia y su incansable trabajo.

«El camino más rápido para llegar a la sustentabilidad sigue siendo la resistencia.» - Gloria Chicaiza (entrevista de 2010)

Tributos:

«Para GLORIA. GLORIA Agua. GLORIA Tierra. GLORIA Madre. GLORIA Revolución. GLORIA Hermana. GLORIA Cielo. GLORIAmiga. GLORIAstral. Gracias por entretejernos.» - Liliana Gutiérrez

«Gracias Glorita, por sostener la esperanza, por mantener el tejido fuerte, por conectar la comunidad, por las manos unidas, por la solidaridad, gracias Glorita por  acompañarnos en los momentos más difíciles. Gracias por enseñarnos que, a lo largo de la vida, nadie se cansa.» - Chakana News

«Fue más intrépida, más audaz y más generosa que su cuerpo; ese cuerpo que enfrentó toletes y bombas lacrimógenas, que paseó bajo la cadencia de los tambores y las batucadas, que incubó otra vida, hermosa y digna, como la suya. Haz dejado de toser, querida amiga, pero hoy, más que nunca, tu voz me quema adentro.» - Pablo Ospina Peralta

«Gloria Chicaiza valoraba ser una de muchxs, y así prosperaba. Y, humilde como era, tenía una extraordinaria capacidad para llevar y mantener un ritmo sostenido y estruendoso, un pulso de afirmación de la vida que guiaba, movilizaba e inspiraba a las comunidades y a las redes para la protección de la Madre Tierra. Se oponía a toda forma de violencia contra los cuerpos-territorios. Apoyaba el buen vivir.» - Gabriela Jiménez, Coordinadora de Asociaciones para América Latina, KAIROS

«Gracias Gloria Chicaiza, desde el infinito estamos seguros de que seguirás apoyando nuestra lucha.. Tú, que continuaste acompañándonos en la lucha a pesar de que tu salud fallara. Vivirás en los bosques y en el agua que defendiste con tanta valentía, vivirás en nuestros corazones.» - Comunidad de Intag, Ecuador

Lee más Tributos a Gloria
 

Snippet FEA Mariama Sonko (EN)

This is Mariama Sonko, an inspiring small-scale rural farmer, eco-feminist and a woman human rights defender.

She lives in Niaguiss, a town in the southwest of Senegal. Growing up in a family and community of rural farmers, she witnessed the essential role of women in food production and seed preservation from a very early age, while also being immersed in the rhythms and working of the land. Mariama has been defending local agricultural knowledge and peasant practices since the 1990s. As a mother of five children, the food she grows herself is the main source of sustenance for her family.

She is currently the president of “Nous Sommes la Solution'' and is involved in promoting agroecological practices and family farming, encouraging food sovereignty, biodiversity and farmer seed preservation, and demanding equitable access to resources and land for women across West Africa.

Source: AWID’s Feminist Realities Festival Crear | Résister | Transform - Day 2/ 2ème jour/ 2º día

Snippet - WITM About the survey - PT

Sobre o inquérito

  • GLOBAL E DIVERSO: Reflete sobre as realidades de financiamento da organização feminista em escala global e separadas por regiões
  • CONTEXTUALIZADO: Dá enfâse às vozes, perspetivas e experiências vividas dos movimentos feministas com toda a sua riqueza, coragem e diversidade, nos seus respetivos contextos
  • CRIADO EM COLABORAÇÃO: Desenvolvido e testado em colaboração conjunta com membres da AWID e parceires do movimento
  • COMPLEMENTAR: Contribui para os testemunhos existentes e aprofunda os mesmos sobre o estado de financiamento para a organização feminista, de direitos das mulheres e de justiça de género por ativistas, financiadores feministas e aliados
  • MULTILINGUE: Disponível em árabe, inglês, francês, português, russo e espanhol.
  • CONFIDENCIAL: Damos prioridade à sua privacidade e ao seu anonimato. A AWID jamais divulgará informações sobre uma organização específica ou informações que permitam identificar uma organização através da respetiva localização ou características. A nossa política de privacidade detalhada está disponível aqui.
  • ACESSÍVEL: Acessível para pessoas com uma variedade diversificada de habilidades auditivas, de movimento, visuais e cognitivas, sendo que demora aproximadamente 30 minutos a ser realizado.
  • REPRODUZÍVEL: Pode ser reproduzido através dos movimentos nos seus respetivos contextos; ferramentas de inquérito e conjuntos de dados estarão disponíveis publicamente para abranger mais inquéritos e advocacia coletiva.

Lorena Borjas

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Category
Droits des LGBTQI
Region
Amérique du Nord
Date of birth
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Maladie

Lorena Borjas, femme trans et activiste latino-américaine, travaillait et vivait dans le quartier de Jackson Heights dans le Queens, à New York. Dans ces rues, pendant des années, elle s’est occupée de sa communauté à plaider en faveur des droits des personnes trans et immigrées, soutenir les individus ayant survécu à la traite des êtres humains et à la maltraitance et défendre les droits des travailleures du sexe et des personnes vivant avec le VIH et le sida.

Lorena se battait avec force, sans relâche, afin d’aider, de défendre et de soutenir les personnes les plus marginalisées et discriminées par la transphobie, la misogynie et le racisme.  

« Elle nous a poussé·e·s à briller avec authenticité, à devenir le cri subversif qui affirme “ je suis là et je mérite moi aussi d’être heureux·se ” » - Cecilia Gentili, activiste trans et ami·e de Lorena 

Ayant elle-même fait face à de nombreux traumatismes et difficultés en tant qu'immigrée transgenre et victime de la traite des êtres humains, Lorena a puisé dans le puits de ses expériences des connaissances et d’une mémoire émotionnelle afin d'aider à construire et à renforcer la communauté dont elle faisait partie, et qui faisait partie d'elle. Pour ce faire, elle a notamment organisé et mobilisé des aides allant de la fourniture de préservatifs à la mise en relation de femmes trans avec différents services, en passant par la création d'une clinique de dépistage du VIH à son propre domicile.

« C’était une si belle âme qui aidait les autres alors que son parcours d’immigrée, et d’immigrée trans, était difficile et douloureux. Elle était convaincue que la communauté trans avait besoin d’amour, d’acceptation et de compassion, et elle a tout donné. » - Luchia Dragosh, superviseuse de production chez QPTV dans le cadre d’un documentaire sur Lorena 

En plus de 25 ans d'activisme, elle a également fondé le Fonds communautaire Lorena Borjas avec Chase Strangio (avocat et activiste des droits des trans), qui aide les nombreux·ses membres de sa communauté (et en particulier les personnes trans) confronté·e·s aux problèmes d'immigration à éviter le cycle arrestation-prison-expulsion. 

Lorena est décédée en mars 2020 des suites de complications liées à la COVID-19.  

Son oeuvre, gigantesque et merveilleuse, sera poursuivie dans les rues du Queens par le réseau et la communauté qu’elle a cocréés.  

« Nous reprendrons son travail là où elle l’a laissé, travail essentiel au bien-être de ses “ pajaras ” (oiselles), comme elle aimait appeler les filles trans du Queens qu’elle avait prises sous son aile. » - Cecilia Gentili 

Hommages : 

« Lorena nous a apporté de la lumière alors que nous vivions une période très sombre ici à New York. Elle nous a apporté sa lumière alors que nous faisions face à l’ ”épidémie de crack ”, à la crise du sida, aux changements dans les politiques d’immigration. » - Cristina Herrera, fondatrice et directrice générale de Translatina Network et amie de Lorena

« Lorena a fait plus que quiconque pour faire la lumière sur l’épidémie de traite dans les communautés transgenres et permettre à d’autres femmes trans d’échapper à l’exploitation. » - Lynly Egyes (a représenté Borjas pour le compte du Transgender Law Center)

Regardez un documentaire sur Lorena Borjas (seulement en anglais)

Lisez l'article sur Lorena Borjas dans la rubrique Postscript du New Yorker (seulement en anglais)

Lisez un article d'opinion de Cecilia Gentilin dans le New York Times (seulement en anglais)
 

Snippet FEA Objectives NSS Advocacy (EN)

INCIDENCIA POLITICA

Yellow circle with illustration of a brown woman with a white t-shirt holding a blue loudspeaker.
Influir en tomas de decisiones políticas y promover un acceso más equitativo a la tierra para las mujeres que trabajan en la agricultura

Snippet - WITM FAQ - PT

Perguntas Frequentes

Rosane Santiago Silveira

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Category
Environment
Region
Latin America
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Killed

Rosane Santiago Silveira was affectionately known as Rô Conceição. A Brazilian environmental and human rights activist, she fervently fought to protect the environment where it was most threatened. 

This included defending it on the island of Barra Velha, where it was endangered by oil exploration, as well as safeguarding it by campaigning against land-grabbing and expansion of eucalyptus plantations in Bahia State, where Rosane was a member of the Cassurubá Extractivist Reserve Council.

“Extractive Reserve is a protected area where resident families make their living off natural products extracted from the forest. These activities help maintain the forest integrity.” - Global Justice Ecology Project (original source: Rede Brasil Atual)

She was part of trade union activities, human rights and cultural movements. Rosane dedicated much of herself to causes that were not only close to her but are also of concern to land, forests, rivers, and communities whose rights and lives are continuously at risk.

She was tortured and murdered on 29 January 2019 in Nova Viçosa, a city in southern Bahia. 

“Unfortunately, today there is a feeling of total insecurity, because of the State’s absence in prosecuting these crimes. We were with her at Christmas, and everyone realised that she was worried and now we know that she had received three death threats,”  - Tuian, Rosane’s son in an interview with Rádio Brasil Atual (original source: Rede Brasil Atual)

Snippet FEA Audio A Caring Economy (FR)

Может ли одна группа заполнить несколько опросов?

Нет, мы просим только один заполненный опрос от каждой группы.

Ayanda Denge

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Derechos económicos, sociales y culturales
Region
África
África Subsahariana
Date of birth
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Asesinato

«Soy una maravilla... ¡Por lo tanto, he nacido de una madre! Cuando comienzo a balbucear, Mi vida ha sido como ninguna otra...» - Ayanda Denge (lee el poema completo más abajo)

Ayanda Denge fue unx mujer trans, trabajadorx sexual, activista, poeta. Era una xhosa de Puerto Elizabeth, en el Cabo Oriental de Sudáfrica. Después de viajar por diferentes ciudades del país, se mudó a Ciudad del Cabo.

Como comprometida y ferviente activista por la justicia social, luchó por los derechos de lxs trabajadorxs sexuales, de las personas trans y de quienes viven con VIH y SIDA. Era también conferencista motivacional para concientizar sobre el cáncer, y hacía campaña por viviendas sociales económicas, en especial, para la gente pobre y de clase trabajadora. Ayanda se erguía, alta como una montaña, contra los distintos y, a menudo, abusivos rostros de la discriminación.

«Ser transgénero no es una dosis doble, sino una dosis triple de estigmatización y discriminación. Te discriminan por tu identidad sexual, te discriminan por tu trabajo, y te discriminan por tu estatus de VIH.» - Ayanda Denge, 2016

Ayanda presidía la organización Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) [ Grupo de Trabajo para la  Educación y la  Defensa de Trabajadorxs Sexuales], y trabajaba también como coordinadora de promoción comunitaria en Sisonke, un movimiento nacional de trabajadorxs sexuales de Sudáfrica.

«Desde nosotrxs, desde nuestra sede regional, hasta SWEAT, de la que integro la Junta Directiva, o hasta Sisonke, un movimiento de trabajadorxs sexuales de Ciudad del Cabo,   todxs nos amalgamamos, tenemos un solo grito y es un grito que  ha sido reconocido internacionalmente por lxs trabajadorxs sexuales internacionales. Queremos la descriminalización del trabajo sexual.» - Ayanda Denge, 2016

Vivía en la Ahmed Kathrada House, que estaba siendo ocupada por la campaña Reclaim the City [Recuperar la Ciudad] en favor de las viviendas sociales. En 2018, Ayanda fue elegida líder de la casa. El 24 de marzo de 2019 fue apuñalada en su habitación. El año anterior, otrx residente había sido asesinadx.

Reclaim the City señala una conexión entre la seguridad de lxs residentes de la casa, el corte del servicio de electricidad por parte del gobierno provincial, y el derecho humano al agua:

«No podemos separar la seguridad de las mujeres y de las personas LGBTQI que están viviendo en la casa ocupada de la negativa a reestablecer los servicios de electricidad y agua en la Ahmed Kathrada House por parte del gobierno de la Provincia del Cabo Occidental.

De noche, la casa está completamente oscura. Necesitamos luces para protegernos unxs a otrxs. Es como si la Provincia quisiera castigar a la gente pobre y de clase trabajadora, cuyo único crimen es necesitar un hogar. Si bien pueden estar en desacuerdo con nuestros motivos por ocuparla, deberían avergonzarse de priorizar la política en detrimento de la seguridad y la dignidad de lxs residentes de esta ciudad.

Descansa en paz, camarada Ayanda Denge. Te recordaremos mientras mantenemos viva la llama de la lucha por una vivienda decente y bien ubicada.»

Poema de Ayanda:

Soy una maravilla…
¡Por lo tanto, nací de una madre!
Cuando comienzo a balbucear,
Mi vida ha sido como ninguna otra.
Nacida en el dolor
Nutrida por la lluvia
Para mí ganar
Era vivir en un desagüe.
Mientras se me cae una lágrima
Me pongo de pie y empuño mi lanza.
Las voces hacen eco, no temas
Habrá desafíos dentro del año,
Desafíos de daño se ciernen sobre mí;
La comunidad aplaude porque asume que he ganado mi carrera;
Pero en realidad mi trabajo avanza a paso de tortuga;
De rodillas me inclino y pido gracia.
Porque el Señor
Es mi espada
Para recordar a la humanidad
Que Él brinda cordura.
¿Por qué Señor soy esta maravilla?
El Señor me responde con la lluvia y el trueno,
Por cuestionar a mi padre
Que tiene en el libro de los corderos
Un nombre llamado Ayanda.
Desde las calles mi vida nunca fue dulce
La gente que tenía que encontrar;
A veces yo nunca saludaba,
Aun a pesar de que tenía que comer;
Optaba por inclinarme
En lugar de sentarme

Escucha el poema en la voz de Ayanda

«Porque mi vida representa la de una flor de loto, ya que de las turbias y turbulentas aguas florecí para ser hermosa y fuerte...» - Ayanda Denge, mira y escucha

Tributos:

«Ayanda, quiero decirte que todavía eres una sobreviviente, en nuestros corazones y nuestras mentes. Te has ido, pero estás en todas partes, porque eres amor. Qué hermoso es ser amadx, y dar amor. Y Ayanda, ese es el regalo que nos has dado. Gracias por todo el amor, verdaderamente te necesitábamos. De ahora en adelante, te prometo que todxs nos comprometeremos a continuar la lucha a la que tanta energía y tiempo dedicaste. Y nos comprometeremos a  buscar justicia por este horrible final de tu vida.» - transcripción de un mensaje en un tributo de despedida a Ayanda

«Ayanda era una activista por naturaleza. Sabía cuáles eran sus derechos y no le importaba pelear por los derechos de otrxs. Para mí, no fue una sorpresa que se involucrara en muchas organizaciones, y era sabido que era una persona de la gente. Ella representaba no solo los derechos de las personas LGBTI, representaba los derechos de todxs.» - hermana de Ayanda
 


 

Snippet FEA In numbers (EN)

IN NUMBERS

Posso realizar o inquérito fora do KOBO e partilhar as minhas respostas convosco por e-mail?

Somente no caso de problemas de acessibilidade e/ou se realizar o inquérito noutro idioma; caso contrário, encorajamo-lo a utilizar o KOBO para a recolha e análise padronizadas de dados do WITM.

Snippet Intro The Feminist Realities Magazine (ES)

La revista de las Realidades Feministas

Las Realidades Feministas proclaman y personifican la esperanza y el poder.

Las encontramos en todo lo que nos muestra que existen otras formas de vivir, de pensar y de hacer,  desde las expresiones cotidianas que se evidencian en cómo nos relacionamos con otrxs hasta los sistemas alternativos de gobernanza y de justicia. Las realidades feministas son formas de resistencia a sistemas de poder como el patriarcado, el capitalismo y la supremacía blanca. 

Son propuestas poderosas que nos orientan hacia la idea de lo que es posible y nos muestran cómo los procesos de organización feminista están abriendo caminos hacia la justicia en movimientos y comunidades de todo el mundo. 

Descargar la revista completa (PDF)

Explorar la revista

كم سؤال في الاستطلاع؟

هنالك 47 سؤال في الاستطلاع، منها 27 سؤال اجباري* والعشرين الباقين هي أسئلة اختيارية. أغلب الأسئلة هي أسئلة متعددة الخيارات. ندعوكم/ن للإجابة على جميع الأسئلة.

Terms of Use Agreement

Last Updated Date: 25 April 2023

PLEASE READ THIS TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT (THE “TERMS OF USE”) CAREFULLY.  THIS WEBSITE AND ITS SUBDOMAINS (COLLECTIVELY, THE “WEBSITE”), THE INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE, AND THE SERVICES AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE OR ENABLED VIA THE WEBSITE (EACH A “SERVICE” AND COLLECTIVELY, THE “SERVICES”), ARE CONTROLLED BY ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN DEVELOPMENT (“AWID”). THESE TERMS OF USE ALONG WITH ALL SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS THAT MAY BE PRESENTED TO YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE (COLLECTIVELY, THE “AGREEMENT”), GOVERN YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES. BY COMPLETING THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, BROWSING THE WEBSITE, OR OTHERWISE ACCESSING OR USING ANY OF THE SERVICES, YOU REPRESENT THAT (1) YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE AGREEMENT, (2) YOU ARE OF LEGAL AGE TO FORM A BINDING CONTRACT WITH AWID, AND (3) YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO THE AGREEMENT PERSONALLY OR ON BEHALF OF THE LEGAL ENTITY IDENTIFIED DURING THE ACCOUNT REGISTRATION PROCESS, AND TO BIND THAT LEGAL ENTITY TO THE AGREEMENT. THE TERM “YOU” REFERS TO THE INDIVIDUAL OR SUCH LEGAL ENTITY, AS APPLICABLE.  IF YOU, OR IF APPLICABLE, SUCH LEGAL ENTITY, DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE AGREEMENT, YOU, AND IF APPLICABLE, SUCH LEGAL ENTITY, MAY NOT ACCESS OR USE ANY OF THE SERVICES.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT SECTION 1.4 (AWID COMMUNICATIONS) OF THE AGREEMENT BELOW CONTAINS YOUR OPT-IN CONSENT TO RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS FROM US.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AGREEMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY AWID IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION AT ANY TIME.  WHEN CHANGES ARE MADE, AWID WILL MAKE A COPY OF THE UPDATED AGREEMENT AVAILABLE AT THE WEBSITE AND UPDATE THE “LAST UPDATED DATE” AT THE TOP OF THESE TERMS OF USE.  IF WE MAKE ANY MATERIAL CHANGES TO THE AGREEMENT, WE WILL PROVIDE NOTICE OF SUCH MATERIAL CHANGES ON THE WEBSITE AND ATTEMPT TO NOTIFY YOU BY SENDING AN E-MAIL TO THE E-MAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED IN YOUR ACCOUNT REGISTRATION (IF WE HAVE ONE ON FILE).  ANY CHANGES TO THE AGREEMENT WILL BE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY FOR NEW USERS OF THE SERVICES AND WILL BE EFFECTIVE FOR EXISTING REGISTERED USERS UPON THE EARLIER OF (A) THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE “LAST UPDATED DATE” AT THE TOP OF THESE TERMS OF USE, OR (B) YOUR CONSENT TO AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE UPDATED AGREEMENT IF AWID PROVIDES A MECHANISM FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE ACCEPTANCE IN A SPECIFIED MANNER (SUCH AS A CLICK-THROUGH ACCEPTANCE), WHICH AWID MAY REQUIRE BEFORE FURTHER USE OF THE SERVICES IS PERMITTED.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE UPDATED AGREEMENT, YOU MUST STOP USING ALL SERVICES UPON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE UPDATED AGREEMENT.  OTHERWISE, YOUR CONTINUED USE OF ANY OF THE SERVICES AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE UPDATED AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE UPDATED AGREEMENT.  PLEASE REGULARLY CHECK THE WEBSITE TO VIEW THE THEN-CURRENT AGREEMENT. YOU AGREE THAT AWID’S CONTINUED PROVISION OF THE SERVICES IS ADEQUATE CONSIDERATION FOR THE CHANGES IN THE UPDATED AGREEMENT. 

If AWID becomes aware of any possible violations by you of the Agreement, AWID reserves the right to investigate such violations.  If, as a result of the investigation, AWID believes that criminal activity has occurred, AWID reserves the right to refer the matter to, and to cooperate with, any and all applicable legal authorities.  AWID is entitled, except to the extent prohibited by applicable law, to disclose any information or materials on or in the Services,  in AWID’s possession in connection with your use of the Services, to (i) comply with applicable laws, legal process or governmental request; (iii) enforce the Agreement, (iv) respond to your requests for customer service, or (vi) protect the rights, property or personal safety of AWID, its Registered Users or the public, and all enforcement or other government officials, as AWID in its sole discretion believes to be necessary or appropriate. 

You may choose to have the arbitration conducted by telephone, based on written submissions, or in person at a mutually agreed location. Any judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Entire Agreement.  The Agreement is the final, complete and exclusive agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and merges all prior discussions between the parties with respect to such subject matter.

  1. USE OF THE SERVICES.  The Services, and the information and content available on them, are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.  Unless subject to a separate license between you and AWID, your right to use any and all Services is subject to the Agreement. 

1.1 License to the Services.  Subject to your compliance with the Agreement, AWID grants you a non-assignable, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable, non-exclusive license to use the Services in the manner permitted by the Agreement.  

1.2 Updates.  You understand that the Services are evolving. You acknowledge and agree that AWID may update the Services with or without notifying you.

1.3 Certain Restrictions.  The rights granted to you in the Agreement are subject to the following restrictions: (a) you shall not license, sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign, reproduce, distribute, host or otherwise commercially exploit any of the Services; (b) you shall not frame or utilize framing techniques to enclose any trademark, logo, or other parts of the Services (including images, text, page layout or form); (c) you shall not use any metatags or other “hidden text” using AWID’s name or trademarks; (d) you shall not modify, translate, adapt, merge, make derivative works of, disassemble, decompile, reverse compile or reverse engineer any part of the Services except to the extent the foregoing restrictions are expressly prohibited by applicable law; (e) you shall not use any manual or automated software, devices or other processes (including but not limited to spiders, robots, scrapers, crawlers, avatars, data mining tools or the like) to “scrape” or download data from any web pages contained in the Services (except that we grant the operators of public search engines revocable permission to use spiders to copy materials from the Website for the sole purpose of and solely to the extent necessary for creating publicly available searchable indices of the materials, but not caches or archives of such materials); (f) except as expressly stated herein, no part of the Services may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means; and (h) you shall not remove or destroy any copyright notices or other proprietary markings contained on or in the Services. Any future release, update or other addition to the Services shall be subject to the Agreement.  AWID, its suppliers and service providers reserve all rights not granted in the Agreement.  

1.4 AWID Communications.  By entering into the Agreement or using the Services, you agree to receive communications from us, including via e-mail.  Communications from us and our affiliated companies may include but are not limited to operational communications concerning your use of the Services and promotional emails.  IF YOU WISH TO OPT OUT OF ANY PROMOTIONAL EMAILS, YOU CAN UNSUBSCRIBE FROM OUR PROMOTIONAL EMAIL LIST BY FOLLOWING THE UNSUBSCRIBE OPTIONS IN THE PROMOTIONAL EMAIL ITSELF.  

  1. REGISTRATION.

2.1 Registering Your Account.  In order to access certain features of the Services you may be required to become a Registered User.  For purposes of the Agreement, a “Registered User” is a user who has registered an account with AWID through the Services (“Account”).

2.2 Registration Data.  In registering an Account, you agree to (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the registration form (the “Registration Data”); and (b) maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete.  You represent that you are (i) at least eighteen (18) years old; (ii) of legal age to form a binding contract; and (iii) not a person barred from using the Services under the laws of the United States, Canada, your place of residence or any other applicable jurisdiction.  You are responsible for all activities that occur under your Account.  You agree that you shall monitor your Account to restrict use by any other persons, including minors, and you will accept full responsibility for any such unauthorized use.  You may not share your Account login or password with anyone, and you agree to (y) notify AWID immediately of any unauthorized use of your password or any other breach of security; and (z) exit from your Account at the end of each session.  If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, or AWID has reasonable grounds to suspect that any information you provide is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, AWID has the right to suspend or terminate your Account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Services (or any portion thereof).  You agree not to create an Account using a false identity or information, or on behalf of someone other than yourself.  You agree not to create an Account or use the Services if you have been previously removed by AWID, or if you have been previously banned from any of the Services.

2.3 Your Account. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, you acknowledge and agree that you shall have no ownership or other property interest in your Account, and you further acknowledge and agree that all rights in and to your Account are and shall forever be owned by and inure to the benefit of AWID. 

2.4 Necessary Equipment and Software.  You must provide all equipment and software necessary to connect to the Services.  You are solely responsible for any fees, including Internet connection or mobile fees, that you incur when accessing the Services.  

  1. OWNERSHIP.

3.1 Services.  AWID and its suppliers own all rights, title and interest in the Services, and that the Services are protected by intellectual property rights throughout the world. You agree not to remove, alter or obscure any copyright, trademark, service mark or other proprietary rights notices incorporated in or accompanying any Services.

3.2 Trademarks. AWID’s name and all related stylizations, graphics, logos, service marks and trade names used on or in connection with any Services are the trademarks of AWID and may not be used without permission in connection with your, or any third-party, products or services.  Third party trademarks, service marks and trade names that may appear on or in the Services are the property of their respective owners.

3.3 Feedback.  You agree that submission of any ideas, suggestions, documents, and/or proposals to AWID (“Feedback”) is at your own risk and that AWID has no obligations (including without limitation obligations of confidentiality) with respect to such Feedback.  You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to submit the Feedback.  You hereby grant to AWID a fully paid, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, and non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, perform, display, distribute, adapt, modify, re-format, create derivative works of, and otherwise commercially or non-commercially exploit in any manner, any and all Feedback, and to sublicense the foregoing rights, in connection with the operation and maintenance of the Services and/or AWID’s business.

  1. USER CONDUCT.  As a condition of use, you agree not to use any of the Services for any purpose that is prohibited by this Agreement or by applicable law. You shall not (and shall not permit any third party) take any action that: (i) infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates any intellectual property right, right of publicity, right of privacy or other right of any person or entity; (ii) is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libelous, deceptive, fraudulent, invasive of another’s privacy, tortious, obscene, offensive, or profane; (iii) constitutes unauthorized or unsolicited advertising, junk or bulk e-mail; (iv) involves commercial activities and/or sales, such as contests, sweepstakes, barter, advertising, or pyramid schemes without AWID’s prior written consent; (v) impersonates any person or entity, including any employee or representative of AWID; (vi) interferes with or attempt to interfere with the proper functioning of the Services or uses the Services in any way not expressly permitted by the Agreement; or (vii) attempts to engage in or engage in, any potentially harmful acts that are directed against the Services, including but not limited to violating or attempting to violate any security features of the Services, introducing viruses, worms, or similar harmful code into the Services, or interfering or attempting to interfere with use of the Services by any other user, host or network, including by means of overloading, “flooding,” “spamming,” “mail bombing,” or “crashing” the Services.
  2. DONATIONS.  AWID may collect donations from you through the Services.  You must provide AWID with a valid credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or any other issuer accepted by us) or PayPal account of a payment provider (each, a “Payment Provider”) in order for us to process the donation.  Your Payment Provider agreement governs your use of the designated credit card or PayPal account, and you must refer to that agreement, not this Agreement, to determine your rights and liabilities.  
  3. INDEMNIFICATION.  You agree to indemnify and hold AWID, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, partners, suppliers, and licensors (each, an “AWID Party” and collectively, the “AWID Parties”) harmless from any losses, costs, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) relating to or arising out of any and all of the following: (a) your use of any Service in violation of the Agreement; (b) your violation of any rights of another party, including any Registered Users; or (c) your violation of any applicable laws, rules or regulations.  AWID reserves the right, at its own cost, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which event you agree to fully cooperate with AWID in asserting any available defenses.  This provision does not require you to indemnify any of the AWID Parties for any unconscionable commercial practice by such party or for such party’s fraud, deception, false promise, misrepresentation or concealment, or suppression or omission of any material fact in connection with any Services provided hereunder.  You agree that the provisions in this section will survive any termination of your Account, the Agreement and/or your access to the Services.
  4. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS.

7.1 As Is. YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK, AND THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITH ALL FAULTS.  AWID EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS, AND CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT ARISING FROM USE OF THE SERVICES.  

  1. AWID MAKES NO WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION OR CONDITION THAT: (1) THE SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; (2) YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE; OR (3) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE.
  2. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM AWID OR THROUGH THE SERVICES WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY MADE HEREIN.

7.2 No Liability for Conduct of Third Parties.  YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT AWID PARTIES ARE NOT LIABLE, AND YOU AGREE NOT TO SEEK TO HOLD AWID PARTIES LIABLE, FOR THE CONDUCT OF THIRD PARTIES, INCLUDING OPERATORS OF EXTERNAL SITES AND OTHER USERS OF THE SERVICES.

7.3 Third-Party Materials.  As a part of the Services, you may have access to materials that are hosted by another party.  You agree that it is impossible for AWID to monitor such materials and that you access these materials at your own risk.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

8.1 Disclaimer of Certain Damages.  YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL AWID PARTIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE OR DATA, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES OR COSTS DUE TO LOSS OF PRODUCTION OR USE, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, IN EACH CASE WHETHER OR NOT AWID HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE AGREEMENT OR ANY COMMUNICATIONS, INTERACTIONS OR MEETINGS WITH OTHER USERS OF THE SERVICES, ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY.  THE FOREGOING LIMITATION OF LIABILITY SHALL NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY OF AN AWID PARTY FOR (i) DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY AN AWID PARTY’S NEGLIGENCE; OR FOR (ii) ANY INJURY CAUSED BY AN AWID PARTY’S FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION. 

8.2 Cap on Liability.  TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, AWID PARTIES WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR MORE THAN $100.  THE FOREGOING CAP ON LIABILITY SHALL NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY OF AN AWID PARTY FOR (i) DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY AN AWID PARTY’S NEGLIGENCE; OR FOR (ii) ANY INJURY CAUSED BY AN AWID PARTY’S FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION.

8.3 Exclusion of Damages.  CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES.  IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

8.4 Basis of the Bargain.  THE LIMITATIONS OF DAMAGES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF THE BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN AWID AND YOU.

9. PROCEDURE FOR MAKING CLAIMS OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.  It is AWID’s policy to terminate membership privileges of any Registered User who repeatedly infringes copyright upon prompt notification to AWID by the copyright owner or the copyright owner’s legal agent.  Without limiting the foregoing, if you believe that your work has been copied and posted on the Services in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide our Copyright Agent with the following information: (a) an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest; (b) a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed; (c) a description of the location on the Services of the material that you claim is infringing; (d) your address, telephone number and e-mail address; (e) a written statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law; and (f) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.  Contact information for AWID’s Copyright Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement is as follows: Director of Operations, AWID, 192 Spadina Avenue #300, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2C2, Canada, dosr@awid.org.

10. MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT.  AWID reserves the right to: (a) take appropriate legal action, including without limitation, referral to law enforcement, for any illegal or unauthorized use of the Services; and/or (b) terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Services for any or no reason, including without limitation, any violation of this Agreement.

11. TERM AND TERMINATION.  

11.1 Term.  The Agreement commences on the date when you accept them (as described in the preamble above) and remain in full force and effect while you use the Services, unless terminated earlier in accordance with the Agreement.

11.2 Prior Use.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, you hereby acknowledge and agree that the Agreement commenced on the earlier to occur of (a) the date you first used the Services or (b) the date you accepted the Agreement, and will remain in full force and effect while you use any Services, unless earlier terminated in accordance with the Agreement.

11.3 Termination of Services by AWID.  If you have materially breached any provision of the Agreement, or if AWID is required to do so by law (e.g., where the provision of the Services is, or becomes, unlawful), AWID has the right to, immediately and without notice, suspend or terminate any Services provided to you. You agree that all terminations for cause shall be made in AWID’s sole discretion and that AWID shall not be liable to you or any third party for any termination of your Account.

11.4 Termination of Services by You.  If you want to terminate the Services provided by AWID, you may do so by (a) notifying AWID at any time and (b) closing your Account for all of the Services that you use. Your notice should be sent, in writing, to AWID’s address set forth below. 

11.5 Effect of Termination.  Termination of any Service includes removal of access to such Service and barring of further use of the Service.  Upon termination of any Service, your right to use such Service will automatically terminate immediately. All provisions of the Agreement which by their nature should survive, shall survive termination of Services, including without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, and limitation of liability.

11.6 No Subsequent Registration.  If your registration(s) with, or ability to access, the Services or any other AWID community, is discontinued by AWID due to your violation of any portion of the Agreement or for conduct otherwise inappropriate for the community, then you agree that you shall not attempt to re-register with or access the Services or any AWID community through use of a different member name or otherwise, and you acknowledge that you will not be entitled to receive a refund for fees related to those Services to which your access has been terminated.  In the event that you violate the immediately preceding sentence, AWID reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to immediately take any or all of the actions set forth herein without any notice or warning to you.

12. INTERNATIONAL USERS.  The Services can be accessed from countries around the world and may contain references to Services that are not available in your country.  These references do not imply that AWID intends to announce such Services in your country.  The Services are controlled and offered by AWID from its facilities in Canada. AWID makes no representations that the Services are appropriate or available for use in other locations.  Those who access or use the Services from other countries do so at their own volition and are responsible for compliance with local law.

13. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES. The Services may contain links to third-party websites (“Third-Party Websites”), applications (“Third-Party Applications”) and advertisements for third parties (“Third-Party Ads”).  When you click on a link to a Third-Party Website, Third-Party Application or Third-Party Ad, we will not warn you that you have left the Services and are subject to the terms and conditions (including privacy policies) of another website or destination.  Such Third-Party Websites, Third-Party Applications and Third-Party Ads are not under the control of AWID.  AWID is not responsible for any Third-Party Websites, Third-Party Applications or Third-Party Ads.  AWID provides these Third-Party Websites, Third-Party Applications and Third-Party Ads only as a convenience and does not review, approve, monitor, endorse, warrant, or make any representations with respect to Third-Party Websites, Third-Party Applications or Third-Party Ads, or any product or service provided in connection therewith.  You use all links in Third-Party Websites, Third-Party Applications and Third-Party Ads at your own risk. When you leave our Website, the Agreement and our policies no longer govern.  You should review applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any Third-Party Websites, Third-Party Applications, or Third-Party Ads, and make whatever investigation you feel necessary or appropriate before proceeding with any transaction with any third party. 

14. DISPUTE RESOLUTION.

14.1 Applicability of Arbitration Agreement. You agree that any dispute between you and us relating in any way to the Agreement, will be resolved by binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that (1) you and AWID may assert claims in small claims court if the claims qualify; and (2) you or AWID may seek equitable relief in court for infringement or other misuse of intellectual property rights (such as trademarks, trade dress, domain names, trade secrets, copyrights, and patents). This Arbitration Agreement shall apply, without limitation, to all claims that arose or were asserted before the Effective Date of this Agreement or any prior version of this Agreement.

14.2 Arbitration Rules and Forum. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Arbitration Agreement. To begin an arbitration proceeding, you must send a letter requesting arbitration and describing your claim to us in writing in writing at 192 Spadina Avenue #300, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2C2, Canada. The arbitration will be conducted by JAMS, an established alternative dispute resolution provider. Disputes involving claims and counterclaims with an amount in controversy under $250,000, not inclusive of attorneys’ fees and interest, shall be subject to JAMS’ most current version of the Streamlined Arbitration Rules and procedures available at http://www.jamsadr.com/rules-streamlined-arbitration/; all other claims shall be subject to JAMS’s most current version of the Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures, available at http://www.jamsadr.com/rules-comprehensive-arbitration/. JAMS’s rules are also available at www.jamsadr.comor by calling JAMS at 800-352-5267. If JAMS is not available to arbitrate, the parties will select an alternative arbitral forum. If the arbitrator finds that you cannot afford to pay JAMS’s filing, administrative, hearing and/or other fees and you cannot obtain a waiver from JAMS, AWID will pay them for you.

14.3 Authority of Arbitrator. Without limiting the scope of Section 14.1, the arbitrator shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute related to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability or formation of this Arbitration Agreement including, but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this Arbitration Agreement is void or voidable. The arbitrator will decide the rights and liabilities, if any, of you and AWID. The arbitration proceeding will not be consolidated with any other matters or joined with any other proceedings or parties. The arbitrator shall have the authority to grant motions dispositive of all or part of any claim or dispute. The arbitrator shall have the authority to award monetary damages and to grant any non-monetary remedy or relief available to an individual party under applicable law, the arbitral forum’s rules, and this Agreement (including the Arbitration Agreement). The arbitrator shall issue a written award and statement of decision describing the essential findings and conclusions on which any award (or decision not to render an award) is based, including the calculation of any damages awarded. The arbitrator shall follow the applicable law. The arbitrator has the same authority to award relief on an individual basis that a judge in a court of law would have. The award of the arbitrator is final and binding upon you and us.

14.4 Waiver of Jury Trial. YOU AND AWID HEREBY WAIVE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY RIGHTS TO SUE IN COURT (OTHER THAN SMALL CLAIMS COURT AS PERMITTED HEREIN) AND HAVE A TRIAL IN FRONT OF A JUDGE OR A JURY. You and AWID are instead electing that all covered claims and disputes shall be resolved by arbitration under this Arbitration Agreement, except as specified in Section 14.1 above. An arbitrator can award on an individual basis the same damages and relief as a court and must follow this Agreement as a court would. However, there is no judge or jury in arbitration, and court review of an arbitration award is subject to very limited review.

14.5 Waiver of Class or Other Non-Individualized Relief. ALL CLAIMS AND DISPUTES WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS ARBITRATION AGREEMENT MUST BE ARBITRATED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT ON A CLASS OR COLLECTIVE BASIS, ONLY INDIVIDUAL RELIEF IS AVAILABLE FOR CLAIMS COVERED BY THIS ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, AND CLAIMS BY OR AGAINST ONE USER CANNOT BE ARBITRATED OR CONSOLIDATED WITH THOSE OF OR AGAINST ANY OTHER USER OR PERSON. If a decision is issued stating that applicable law precludes enforcement of any of this Section 14.5’s limitations as to a given claim for relief, then the applicable claim, and only that applicable claim, must be severed from the arbitration and brought into the courts in the Province of Ontario or the federal courts of Canada (as applicable) in accordance with Section 15.1.  All other claims shall be arbitrated.

14.6 30-Day Right to Opt Out. You have the right to opt out of the provisions of this Arbitration Agreement by sending a timely written notice of your decision to opt out via email to info@awid.org or in writing to 192 Spadina Avenue #300, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2C2, Canada, within 30 days after first becoming subject to this Arbitration Agreement. Your notice must include your name and address and a clear statement that you want to opt out of this Arbitration Agreement. If you opt out of this Arbitration Agreement, all other parts of this Agreement will continue to apply to you. Opting out of this Arbitration Agreement has no effect on any other arbitration agreements that you may currently have with us, or may enter into in the future with us.

14.7 Severability. Except as provided in Section 14.5, if any part or parts of this Arbitration Agreement are found under the law to be invalid or unenforceable, then such specific part or parts shall be of no force and effect and shall be severed and the remainder of the Arbitration Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.

14.8 Survival of Agreement. This Arbitration Agreement will survive the termination or expiration of the Terms or your relationship with AWID.

14.9 Modification. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement to the contrary, we agree that if AWID makes any future material change to this Arbitration Agreement, you may reject that change within thirty (30) days of such change becoming effective by e-mailing AWID at the following address: info@awid.org or writing to AWID at 192 Spadina Avenue #300, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2C2, Canada.

15. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

15.1 Governing Law; Venue. ANY DISPUTE, CLAIM OR REQUEST FOR RELIEF RELATING IN ANY WAY TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE GOVERNED AND INTERPRETED BY AND UNDER THE LAWS OF THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO OR THE FEDERAL LAWS OF CANADA (AS APPLICABLE), WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY PRINCIPLES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION.  To the extent permitted under this Agreement, both you and AWID agree that all claims and disputes arising out of or relating to the Agreement will be litigated exclusively in the courts of the Province of Ontario or the federal courts of Canada (as applicable), and the parties hereby expressly submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of such courts.

15.2 Electronic Communications.  The communications between you and AWID may take place via electronic means, whether you visit the Services or send AWID e-mails, or whether AWID posts notices on the Services or communicates with you via e-mail.  For contractual purposes, you (a) consent to receive communications from AWID in an electronic form; and (b) agree that all terms and conditions, agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that AWID provides to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications would satisfy if it were to be in writing.  The foregoing does not affect your statutory rights, including but not limited to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act at 15 U.S.C. §7001 et seq. (“E-Sign”).

15.3 Assignment.  The Agreement, and your rights and obligations hereunder, may not be assigned, subcontracted, delegated or otherwise transferred by you without AWID’s prior written consent, and any attempted assignment, subcontract, delegation, or transfer in violation of the foregoing will be null and void.

15.4 Force Majeure.  AWID shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from causes outside its reasonable control, including, but not limited to, acts of God, pandemics, war, terrorism, riots, embargos, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, strikes or shortages of transportation facilities, fuel, energy, labor or materials. 

15.5 Questions, Complaints, Claims.  If you have any questions, complaints or claims with respect to the Services, please contact us via e-mail at info@awid.org or in writing at 192 Spadina Avenue #300, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2C2, Canada.  We will do our best to address your concerns.  If you feel that your concerns have been addressed incompletely, we invite you to let us know for further investigation.

15.6 Choice of Language.  It is the express wish of the parties that the Agreement and all related documents have been drawn up in English. 

15.7 Notice.  Where AWID requires that you provide an e-mail address, you are responsible for providing AWID with your most current e-mail address.  In the event that the last e-mail address you provided to AWID is not valid, or for any reason is not capable of delivering to you any notices required/ permitted by the Agreement, AWID’s dispatch of the e-mail containing such notice will nonetheless constitute effective notice.  You may give notice to AWID at the following address via e-mail at info@awid.org or in writing at 192 Spadina Avenue #300, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2C2, Canada.  Such notice shall be deemed given when received by AWID via e-mail, or by letter delivered by nationally recognized overnight delivery service or first class postage prepaid mail at the above address.

15.8 Waiver.  Any waiver or failure to enforce any provision of the Agreement on one occasion will not be deemed a waiver of any other provision or of such provision on any other occasion.

15.9 Severability.  If any portion of the Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, that portion shall be construed in a manner to reflect, as nearly as possible, the original intention of the parties, and the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect.

15.10 Export Control.  You may not use, export, import, or transfer any Services except as authorized by U.S. law, the laws of the jurisdiction in which you obtained the Services, and any other applicable laws.  In particular, but without limitation, the Services may not be exported or re-exported (a) into any United States embargoed countries, or (b) to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Denied Person’s List or Entity List. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a “terrorist supporting” country and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties. You also will not use the Services for any purpose prohibited by U.S. law, including the development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.  You acknowledge and agree that products, services or technology provided by AWID are subject to the export control laws and regulations of the United States.  You shall comply with these laws and regulations and shall not, without prior U.S. government authorization, export, re-export, or transfer AWID products, services or technology, either directly or indirectly, to any country in violation of such laws and regulations.

15.11 Consumer Complaints.  In accordance with California Civil Code §1789.3, you may report complaints to the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs by contacting them in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.

15.12 Entire Agreement.  The Agreement is the final, complete and exclusive agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and merges all prior discussions between the parties with respect to such subject matter.