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Special Focus

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

Women Human Rights Defenders

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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.

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Paulina Cruz Ruiz

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Category
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Region
Latin America
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Killed

Paulina Cruz Ruiz, from the Rabinal, Baja Verapaz region of Guatemala, was an ancestral Maya Achí (Indigenous) authority and a human rights defender.

She was actively involved in community organizing and resistance, including legal measures against mining projects on Indigenous territory, projects that would severely affect and damage the socio-environmental fabric.  

“The extractive industry model promoted by the Guatemalan government and the construction of large-scale development projects on indigenous lands without community consent has been a source of ongoing disputes with resistance movements.” - Minority Rights Group International

Paulina was also part of the March for Dignity, Life and Justice, in which on 1 May 2019 thousands of Guatemalans started a march of eight days against corruption and impunity in the prosecution and assassinations of human rights, peasant and Indigenous leaders and land defenders.

Paulina was murdered on 14 September 2019 near her home in the village of Xococ. 

According to the Minority Rights Group International, “one of the major ongoing issues affecting Mayan communities is the increasing activity of the mining industry.”

Read more about the Mayans of Guatemala

Read more about the March for Dignity, Life and Justice
 

 

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Margo Okazawa-Rey is an activist-educator and transnational feminist working on issues of militarism for nearly 30 years. She is a founder member of the International Women’s Network against Militarism and Women for Genuine Security, the US group of the Network. She has long-standing activist commitments with Du Re Bang/My Sisters Place in South Korea and Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling in Palestine. She also serves on the International Board of PeaceWomen Across the Globe in Bern, Switzerland and is President of the Board of Directors of Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID). Her foundational activist/life principle is that love is a radical act. She is also known as DJ MOR Love and Joy.

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“ابدعي، قاومي، غيّري”: جولة في المهرجان

مع استمرار الرأسمالية الأبوية الغيريّة في دَفعِنا نحو الاستهلاكية والرضوخ، نجد نضالاتنا تُعزَل وتُفصَل عن بعضها الآخر من خلال الحدود المادّية والحدود الافتراضية على حدٍّ سواء.

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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.

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Position
Copresidenta
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أبقي رغبتك في خوض تجارب جديدة على جمر ملتهب!

Image of a tweet with the photo of American tv Host Steve Harvey. Text says - Me: Sir, have you tried pegging? Him: No, I haven't. Me: Think about it, cuz I would love to screw you the way the workplaces screw employees out of a livable wage.

أنا: هل سبق أن ثبتّ شيئاً بقضيب؟
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Cette œuvre est la collaboration photographique et illustrative réalisée par Siphumeze et Katia pendant le confinement. Elle se penche sur les récits de sexe et de plaisir des queers noirs, le bondage, le sexe protégé, les jouets, la santé mentale et le sexe et bien d'autres choses encore. Elle a été créée pour accompagner l'anthologie Touch.

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Veena Singh

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Biography

Veena Singh is a Fiji Islander, feminist, and woman of colour. Born and raised in a small rural town in Fiji, she draws strength from her rich mixed heritage (her mother is an Indigenous Fijian woman and her father is Fijian of Indian descent). Veena’s identity and lived experiences deeply inform her commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion.  With over two decades of experience in human rights, gender equality, community development, and social inclusion, Veena is a passionate advocate for shifting power to create transformative change and for building an “economy of kindness”. Her work spans diverse areas including community development; women, peace and security; social policy; human rights; and policy advocacy.

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Position
Co-President
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Will there be any support for materials or other preparatory costs for workshops?

You can expect all the standard materials for workshops and presentations: flip charts, markers, sticky notes, in addition to projectors and audio-visual equipment. Any additional materials are the responsibility of the activity organizers. AWID’s logistics team will be available to answer questions and advise.

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Christine Hayhurst

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Biography

Con más de 30 años de experiencia en finanzas, Christine ha dedicado su carrera a fomentar misiones sin fines de lucro en todo el mundo. Sus contribuciones incluyen desempeñarse como tesorera en la junta de una ONG . Se sumó a AWID en 2007 como Fiscalizadora y, en 2023, asumió el rol de Directora de Finanzas. En su tiempo libre, disfruta de viajar, la jardinería y el senderismo.

Position
Directora de Finanzas
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ฟอรัม AWID นานาชาติ คืออะไร

ทุกสามถึงสี่ปี AWID จะเป็นเจ้าภาพงานประชุมนานาชาติที่สำคัญ โดยจะเป็นการประชุมขนาดใหญ่ระดับโลกที่หัวใจหลักอยู่ที่ขบวนการเฟมินิสต์และความเป็นธรรมทางเพศที่หลากหลาย เป็นการรวมตัวกันระดับโลกของนักกิจกรรมเฟมินิสต์ เครือข่ายพันธมิตร นักวิชาการ แหล่งทุน และผู้กำหนดนโยบาย โดยฟอรัมเปลี่ยนสถานที่จัดหมุนเวียนไปในต่างภูมิภาคและในประเทศต่างๆทั่วซีกโลกใต้

Suma tus propuestas

Para inspirarte, te aconsejamos leer las propuestas que estamos ofreciendo antes de acercarnos tus ideas. Tal vez alguien ya haya pensado lo que quieres proponer. Puedes enviarnos tus propuestas a contribute@awid.org.

Revisaremos las propuestas que recibamos e iremos incluyendo las nuevas en este sitio de Internet.

Ekaete Judith Umoh

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Biography

Ekaete Judith Umoh is an international disability rights advocate and inclusive development expert with astute analysis of issues regarding gender, disability and inclusive development. Her dream is to see increased visibility of women and girls with disabilities in the global feminist movement, as well as in all development efforts around the world.

Ekaete enjoys activism and politics, and went on to become the first elected female President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Nigeria, where she led Organizations of Persons with disabilities in the struggle to sign the Nigerian Disability Bill into Law in 2019, after over 17 years of consistent advocacy. Thereafter, she joined CBM Global as a pioneer Country Director and led her team for about 3 years, contributing towards ending the circle of poverty and disability in Nigeria. Aside from disability activism, Ekaete has served as consultant to several development agencies, providing technical assistance on disability inclusion in program and project design.

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