Rita Joe
Women Human Rights Defenders
WHRDs are self-identified women and lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LBTQI) people and others who defend rights and are subject to gender-specific risks and threats due to their human rights work and/or as a direct consequence of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
WHRDs are subject to systematic violence and discrimination due to their identities and unyielding struggles for rights, equality and justice.
The WHRD Program collaborates with international and regional partners as well as the AWID membership to raise awareness about these risks and threats, advocate for feminist and holistic measures of protection and safety, and actively promote a culture of self-care and collective well being in our movements.
Risks and threats targeting WHRDs
WHRDs are exposed to the same types of risks that all other defenders who defend human rights, communities, and the environment face. However, they are also exposed to gender-based violence and gender-specific risks because they challenge existing gender norms within their communities and societies.
By defending rights, WHRDs are at risk of:
- Physical assault and death
- Intimidation and harassment, including in online spaces
- Judicial harassment and criminalization
- Burnout
A collaborative, holistic approach to safety
We work collaboratively with international and regional networks and our membership
- to raise awareness about human rights abuses and violations against WHRDs and the systemic violence and discrimination they experience
- to strengthen protection mechanisms and ensure more effective and timely responses to WHRDs at risk
We work to promote a holistic approach to protection which includes:
- emphasizing the importance of self-care and collective well being, and recognizing that what care and wellbeing mean may differ across cultures
- documenting the violations targeting WHRDs using a feminist intersectional perspective;
- promoting the social recognition and celebration of the work and resilience of WHRDs ; and
- building civic spaces that are conducive to dismantling structural inequalities without restrictions or obstacles
Our Actions
We aim to contribute to a safer world for WHRDs, their families and communities. We believe that action for rights and justice should not put WHRDs at risk; it should be appreciated and celebrated.
-
Promoting collaboration and coordination among human rights and women’s rights organizations at the international level to strengthen responses concerning safety and wellbeing of WHRDs.
-
Supporting regional networks of WHRDs and their organizations, such as the Mesoamerican Initiative for WHRDs and the WHRD Middle East and North Africa Coalition, in promoting and strengthening collective action for protection - emphasizing the establishment of solidarity and protection networks, the promotion of self-care, and advocacy and mobilization for the safety of WHRDs;
-
Increasing the visibility and recognition of WHRDs and their struggles, as well as the risks that they encounter by documenting the attacks that they face, and researching, producing, and disseminating information on their struggles, strategies, and challenges:
-
Mobilizing urgent responses of international solidarity for WHRDs at risk through our international and regional networks, and our active membership.
Related Content
AWID Community Jobs board - FR
Bourse d'emploi communautaire
Êtes-vous à la recherche d'un emploi? L'un des avantages de rejoindre la Communauté de l'AWID est d'avoir accès à notre tableau d'offres d'emploi organisé par la communauté. Vous aurez l'occasion d'explorer de nouvelles opportunités et vous aurez également la possibilité de partager des postes vacants et des appels à propositions avec tous les membres.
Snippet FEA We are living in a world left (FR)
Nous vivons dans un monde où la destruction de la Nature alimente notre économie mondiale actuelle.
FRMag - Roots of Love and Resilience
Kunyit Asam : Les racines de l’amour et de la résilience
par Prinka Saraswati
Les cycles menstruels sont généralement d’une durée de 27 à 30 jours. Pendant cette période, les règles elles-mêmes ne durent que 5 à 7 jours. L’épuisement, les sautes d’humeur et les crampes sont le résultat de l’inflammation qui se produit alors. (...)
< illustration : « Mouvement féministe », Karina Tungari
Snippet - CSW69 Image - EN
Snippet - That Feminist Fire Podcast Trailer (ES)
FRMag - Armenians
Armenians, Feminism is our Past and Future
by Sophia Armen
Like it or not fierce ungerhouis have been part and parcel to our histories of resistance and are here to stay. (...)
AWID IN 2015: Building Collective Impact
In 2015 AWID grew and diversified.
We ramped up preparations for the 13th AWID international Forum, focused a lot of energy on the Post 2015 Development Agenda and Financing for Development processes, and continued the core work of our priority areas:
- Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms
- Women Human Rights Defenders
- Economic Justice
- Resourcing Women’s Rights
- Young Feminist Activism
A sneak peak inside the report
The context
- We continue witnessing the rapid breakdown in democracy and democratic institutions, with spaces for dissent shrinking.
- Multiple and concurrent systemic crises (energy, food, finance and climate) continue to deepen inequalities and pose major challenges.
- Corporations are a leading power in determining the development agenda.
- Violence against WHRDs remains an urgent problem.
- Religious fundamentalisms are pervasive and increasingly powerful.
- New forms of online gender-based violence have emerged.
In response, we are moving out of our silos.
Increasingly, women’s rights and other movements worldwide are articulating the systemic and intersectional nature of these and other problems. We are making better connections with the agendas of other social and environmental movements for solidarity, alliance building and collective responses. We are also seeing greater visibility of these movements fighting for justice on the ground.
Our Impact
- For effective strategizing and advocacy, we need facts
- To exchange knowledge and join hands in solidarity, we need a strong online community
- To build our collective power, we need to work together
- To influence international processes, we need to increase our access and voice
- To reposition power we need to give visibility and emphasize the important role that feminist and women’s rights movements are already playing
Our Members
As at 31st December, 2015 we had:
Read the full report
Barbara Lezama
Snippet - Rights and Resources - EN
Rights and Resources:
Getting Ready for the Next 30 Years
✉️ In-person registration is now closed. Sign up for the livestream here
📅 Wednesday, March 12, 2025
🕒 12.00-1.30pm EST
🏢 UNDP, 304 E 45th St. Doha Room, 11th Floor (FF Building)
Organizers: UNDP, Femena, SRI and AWID
Snippet Stories of Change Full - Download (EN)
FRMag - Dieula and the Black Dolls
Dieula y las Muñecas Negras
por Ana María Belique
El Batey Naranjo es una comunidad un poco retirada de la ciudad, pero repleta de personas trabajadoras, llenas de entusiasmo. (...)
< arte: «Tejedoras de sueños», Diana Mar
Annual Report 2010
Our 2010 Annual Report highlights the major accomplishments of each of our strategic initiatives during the year.
Along with activity highlights, we include a brief analysis of the impact of our initiatives as well as reflections from our members and partners that further illustrate the relevance of AWID’s work and its connection to broader women’s rights movements.
This interactive document is complete with links to our websites and recent publications with in-depth information on the issues we address in the report.
Carole Seymour-Jones
Snippet - CSW69 On autonomous resourcing - ES
Sobre las alternativas de dotación de recursos autónomos
- Descubra el Las Economías Feministas que Amamos
- Realidades de economía feminista: Construyendo los mundos que necesitamos
- Sin trabajadorxs domésticxs no hay economía de los cuidados Un Manifiesto
Snippet Forum Quoate Sara Abu (ES)
El Foro es un ejemplo vivo de lo que el más grande NOSOTRXS podemos hacer. Vamos al Foro, somos semillas, luego nos sembramos. Esto lo tenemos que celebrar.
- Sara Abu Ghazal, Líbano
Film club - Films from Nuestramérica
Notre programme final du Feminist Film Club est maintenant disponible: « Films from Nuestramérica » est une série de films sur les réalités féministes d'Amérique latine et d'Amérique centrale organisée par Alejandra Laprea (Venezuela).
Regardez
Lucy O.
Biography
With over ten years of finance experience, Lucy has devoted her career to for profit and furthering nonprofit missions. She also worked and volunteered at non-for-profit organizations. From the fast-paced world of Finance, Lucy has passion for staying tuned with tech skills in the finance field. Lucy joined AWID in 2014. During her spare time she enjoys music, traveling, and variety sports.
Position
Accounting Coordinator
Add to stories
Off
Zarana Papic
Snippet - GenderJobs.org
GenderJobs.org: This is a platform with a comprehensive list of job opportunities to work on gender equality and LGBTQI+ rights, curated by gender professionals and intersectional feminists who intimately know the sector and are extremely passionate about supporting other gender professionals and anyone who is aspiring to become one! (source: https://genderjobs.org/about)