Marren Akatsa-Bukachi
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
Film club - intro
Dans le cadre de l’aventure de l’AWID sur les Réalités féministes, nous vous invitons à explorer notre tout nouveau Club de cinéma féministe : une collection de courts et longs métrages sélectionnés par des programmateurs·rices et narrateurs·rices féministes du monde entier, dont Jess X. Snow (Asie/Pacifique), Gabrielle Tesfaye (Afrique/diaspora africaine) et Esra Ozban (Asie du Sud-Ouest, Afrique du Nord). Alejandra Laprea est responsable du programme Amérique latine et centrale, que nous lancerons en septembre dans le cadre de Crear, Résister, Transformer : un festival pour les mouvements féministes porté par l’AWID. En attendant, surveillez les annonces sur les projections de films spéciaux et les discussions avec les réalisateurs·rices!
Snippet - Resources to rally - FR
Ressources à mobiliser en vue de la CSW69
Allez-vous ouvrir un appel à propositions ?
Oui ! Veuillez lire notre Appel à activités et vous inscrire ici. La date limite est fixée au 1er février 2024.
Rachel Bhagwan
Claudia Montserrat Arévalo Alvarado
Biography
Claudia es Maestra en Igualdad y Equidad para el Desarrollo, psicóloga feminista, activista por la defensa de los derechos humanos desde hace 30 años y por los derechos de las mujeres desde hace 24 años.
Trabajando en El Salvador, Claudia está cofundadora y directora Ejecutiva de la Asociación Mujeres Transformando, desde hace 16 años es defensora de derechos laborales de las trabajadoras del sector maquila textil y confecciones. Ha colaborado en la formulación de iniciativas de Ley, propuestas de políticas públicas e investigaciones tendientes a mejorar la calidad del empleo para las trabajadoras de este sector, además de trabajar incansablemente en el fortalecimiento organizativo y empoderamiento de las obreras de la maquila textil y bordadoras a domicilio.
Participa activamente en acciones de incidencia a nivel nacional, regional e internacional por la defensa y reivindicación de los derechos laborales de la clase trabajadora del Sur Global desde una perspectiva, feminista, anticapitalista, antipatriarcal y desde la toma de conciencia de clase y de género. Es parte del Consejo Directivo de la Iniciativa Spootlithg y del Grupo Nacional de Referencia de la minsma. Tambien es parte del Grupo Asesor de la Sociedad Civil de ONUMujeres.
Position
Copresidenta
Add to stories
Off
OURS 2021 - Chapter 1 es
Capítulo 1
Promover agendas feministas: progresos clave en género y sexualidad
La montée en puissance des antidroits a préparé son terrain. Nous devons comprendre la montée de l’ultranationalisme, du pouvoir incontrôlé des entreprises, de la répression croissante et de l’amenuisement de l’espace civique pour contextualiser les menaces actuelles contre nos droits.
Snippet - CSW69 - Transfeminist Alliances - EN
Transfeminist Alliances Against Fascism
✉️ By registration only. Register here
📅 Thursday, March 13, 2025
🕒 09.30-11.30am EST
🏢 Outright International Office, 17th Floor, 216 E 45th Street, New York
🎙️AWID speaker: Inna Michaeli, Co-Executive Director
Organizer: Outright International
Jennifer López
How can I fund my participation in the AWID Forum?
If your group or organization receives funding, you might want to discuss with your funder already now if they are able to support your travel and participation to the Forum. Many institutions plan their budgets for next year early in 2023, so better not delay this conversation for next year.
Yolanda Ordaz
Sanyu Awori
Biography
Sanyu est une féministe panafricaine basée à Nairobi, au Kenya. Elle a passé la dernière décennie à soutenir les mouvements syndicaux, féministes et de défense des droits humains en faveur de la redevabilité des entreprises, de la justice économique et de la justice de genre. Elle a travaillé avec le Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, IWRAW Asia Pacific et la Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. Elle est titulaire d’un master en droits humains et d’une licence en droit de l’Université de Nottingham. Ses écrits ont été publiés dans le Business and Human Rights Journal, Human Rights Law Review, Open Global Rights, Open Democracy et d’autres encore. Pendant son temps libre, elle adore se promener en forêt et chasser les papillons.
Position
Cheffe de l’Initiative de Construction d’Économies Féministes
Add to stories
Off
Bibliothèque de ressources « Nos droits en danger »
Bibliothèque de ressources « Nos droits en danger »
Collection évolutive de ressources en soutien aux mouvements féministes, aux décideur·euse·s et aux allié·e·s pour contrer les fascismes, les fondamentalismes et résister aux tendances antidroits.
Snippet - WCFM smart filtering - EN
With smart filtering for both databases, you can connect with funders based on:
| Nature of funding: Due to global funding cuts and freezes |
|
 |
Recipient type: Filter for organizations or individual funding opportunities |
 |
Preferred languages: Boil them down to communications language preferences |
| Funding type: Be it rapid response, grantmaking, seed, direct aid and more |
|
 |
Movement and Struggle: Connect with funders that speak to your movement |
Aysin Büyüknohutçu
¿Cómo se conecta el Foro de AWID con espacios regionales y otros?
Estamos en comunicación con reuniones regionales, temáticas y de donantes planificadas para 2023-2024, para garantizar el flujo de conversaciones y conexiones. Si estás organizando un evento y deseas establecer una conexión con el Foro de AWID, ¡por favor contáctanos!
Flor Alba Nunez Vargas
Eni Lestari
Biography
Eni Lestari is an Indonesian domestic worker in Hong Kong and a migrant rights activist. After escaping her abusive employer, she transformed herself from a victim into an organizer for domestic workers in particular, and migrant workers in general. In 2000, she founded the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers (ATKI-Hong Kong) which later expanded to Macau, Taiwan, and Indonesia. She was the coordinator and the one of the spokesperson of the Asia Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) - an alliance of grassroots migrants organisations in Hong Kong coming from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka. She is also the current chairperson of International Migrants Alliance, the first-ever global alliance of grassroots migrants, immigrants, refugees, and other displaced people.
She has held important positions in various organizations including and current Regional Council member of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), former Board Member of Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW), spokesperson for Network of Indonesian Migrant Workers (JBMI), advisor for ATKI-Hong Kong and Macau as well as the Association of Returned Migrants and Families in Indonesia (KABAR BUMI). She has been an active resource person in forums organized by academics, interfaith groups, civil societies, trade unions and many others at national, regional, and international arenas.
She has actively participated in United Nations assemblies/conferences on development and migrants’ rights and was chosen as a speaker at the opening of the UN General Assembly on Large Movement of Migrants and Refugees in 2016 in New York City, USA. She received nominations and awards such as Inspirational Women by BBC 100 Women, Public Hero Award by RCTI, Indonesian Club Award, and Non-Profit Leader of Women of Influence by American Chamber Hong Kong, and Changemaker of Cathay Pacific.
Add to stories
Off
Rights at Risk: The Observatory on the Universality of Rights Trends Report 2017
Report:
Rights at Risk - OURs Trends Report 2017
The first report from the Observatory on the Universality of Rights acts as a compendium of information on anti-rights trends in international spaces. Find out about key anti-rights religious actors, discourses, and tactics within the UN.
Snippet2 - WCFM type of funder - EN
Type of funder:
Filter your search by funders from different sectors i.e., philanthropic foundations, multilateral funders, women’s and feminist funds