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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

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

Principes d'engagement

Bienvenue à Crear | Résister | Transform : un festival dédié aux mouvements féministes !

Principes d'engagement

L'AWID s'engage à créer un espace en ligne qui nous invite et nous pousse tou·te·s à faire preuve de courage, de curiosité, de générosité et de responsabilité partagée. 

Nous vous invitons à créer à nos côtés des espaces sans harcèlement ni violence, où chacun·e est respecté·e dans son identité et son expression de genre, sa race, ses capacités, sa classe, sa religion, sa langue, son ethnicité, son âge, sa profession, son type d'éducation, sa sexualité, sa taille et son apparence physique. Des espaces où nous reconnaissons les inégalités de notre monde et où nous nous efforçons de les transformer au gré de nos propres interactions avec les autres.


Nous voulons créer un espace qui permette à tout·te·s :

  • d’être présent·e·s:

Soyez là les un·e·s pour les autres en étant activement à l’écoute. Essayons de nous sentir proches, même si tout est virtuel. Pour cela, vous aurez accès à l’interprétation de la discussion et à des moyens de communications ouverts (comme la boîte de dialogue et autres outils) pour réagir et échanger. Nous vous recommandons de porter des écouteurs ou un casque pendant la séance pour mieux entendre les autres et vous faire entendre. Dans la mesure du possible, essayez de fermer votre messagerie électronique ou toute autre distraction pendant que vous prenez part à la discussion.

  • de valoriser toutes les formes de savoirs:

Célébrons les multiples façons dont le savoir se manifeste dans nos vies. Nous vous invitons à aborder la conversation avec curiosité et ouverture d’esprit pour apprendre des autres, en se permettant de désapprendre et de réapprendre à travers ces  échanges, comme une manièrede commencer à construire collectivement des connaissances.

  • de se sentir accueillie·s: 

Nous nous engageons à adopter une approche holistique de l'accessibilité en tenant compte des différents besoins physiques, linguistiques, mentaux et de sécurité. Nous voulons un espace qui accueille des personnes d'origines, de croyances, de capacités et d'expériences différentes. Nous anticiperons au mieux mais vous demanderons également de nous communiquer vos besoins, et nous ferons de notre mieux pour y répondre.

  • de se sentir en sécurité et respecté·e·s :

Nous nous engageons tou·te·s individuellement et collectivement à respecter la vie privée de chacun·e· et à demander le consentement des autres avant de partager des images ou du contenu qui les concerne,  générés au cours de la conversation.


Créer un environnement sécurisé, respectueux et agréable durant ces conversations est la responsabilité de  tou·te·s .


Signalement

Si vous remarquez qu'une personne a un comportement discriminatoire ou offensant, veuillez contacter la personne de référence qui vous sera indiquée en début de session. 

Tout·e participant·e qui utilisera un langage ou des images abusives sera exclu·e de la conversation et ne sera pas réadmis·e. Nous n’aurons plus de relations avec cette personne de quelque manière que ce soit. 

لا أشعر بالراحة لمشاركة اسمي او اسم مجموعتي، منظمتي و\ أو حركتي مع AWID, هل أستطيع مع ذلك تعبئة الاستطلاع؟

طبعاً! هذه الأسئلة اختيارية. نقدّر جداً حقكم بالسرية. الرجاء تعبئة الاستطلاع دون علاقة بقراركم/ن بمشاركة اسم المجموعة، المنظمة أو الحركة أو تفاصيل التواصل معكم/ن.

Christine Hayhurst

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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Snippet FEA WE ARE LEGAL AND ALWAYS WERE (EN)

SPAIN

Sindicato OTRAS

 

WE ARE LEGAL AND

ALWAYS WERE

Juana Ramírez Santiago

Ayant co-fondé le réseau Red de Mujeres Ixiles de Nebaj, une organisation de défense des droits des femmes autochtones, membre de l’Initiative mésoaméricaine des femmes défenseur-e-s des droits humains (IM-Defensoras en espagnol), Juana était actuellement membre de son conseil d’administration.

Elle était également sage-femme et mère de 7 enfants. Juana avait reçu des menaces de mort qui avaient été signalées au bureau du procureur. Juana est la troisième défenseure autochtone assassinée dans la région en 2018. L'Ombudsman pour le Guatemala a signalé qu'au total 20 défenseur-e-s ont été tué-e-s dans le pays cette année.

Juana Ramírez Santiago a été abattue par des assaillants non identifiés alors qu'elle traversait un pont à Nebak, Quiché, au Guatemala. Les enquêtes visant à identifier les auteurs sont en cours. 


 

Juana Ramírez Santiago, Guatemala

Values - intersectionality

Intersectionality

We believe that for feminist movements to be transformative and strong we must continue to work across our similarities and differences. We also must interrogate power and privilege both within and outside our movements.

Colectivo Morivivi

Colectivo Moriviví is an all women artistic collective. Our artistic production consists of muralism, community-led muralism, and protest performance/actions. Our work is about democratizing art and bringing the narratives of Puerto Rican communities to the public sphere to create spaces in which they are validated. We believe that through artivism we can promote consciousness on social issues and strengthen our collective memory.  

“Cacibajagua” 2017, Mural Project. Jiangxi, China
“Cacibajagua” 2017, Mural Project. Jiangxi, China
“Cacibajagua” 2017, Mural Project. Jiangxi, China
“Cacibajagua” 2017, Mural Project. Jiangxi, China
“Paz para la Mujer” 2015, collaboration with Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer Organization. Santurce,
“Paz para la Mujer” 2015, collaboration with Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer Organization. Santurce, Puerto Rico

 

“Paz para la Mujer” 2015, collaboration with Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer Organization. Santurce, Puerto Rico
“Paz para la Mujer” 2015, collaboration with Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer Organization. Santurce, Puerto Rico
Collectivo Moriri Artwork


As part of their participation in AWID’s Artist Working Group, Colectivo Morivivi gathered a diverse group of members, partners and staff to facilitate a collaborative process of dreaming into, informing, and deciding on the content for a community mural through a multi-stage co-creation process. The project began with a remote conceptualization with feminists from different parts of the planet brought together by AWID, and then it evolved to its re-contextualization and realization in Puerto Rico. We were honored to have the input of local artists Las Nietas de Nonó(@lasnietasdenono), the participation of local women in the Community Painting Session, the logistics support from the Municipality of Caguas, and FRIDA Young Feminist Fund’s additional support to the collective.
 
The mural explores the transcendence of borders by presenting bodies like a map, in an embrace that highlights the intersection of the different feminist manifestations, practices and realities. 
 
We also thank Kelvin Rodríguez, who documented and captured the different stages of this project in Puerto Rico:

Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork
Collectivo Moriri Artwork

About Colectivo Morivivi 

Colectivo Morivivi portrait

Moriviví is a collective of young female artists, working on public art since April 2013. Based in Puerto Rico, we’ve gained recognition for the creation of murals and community led arts.

The group started out in local Urban Art Festivals. As our work became more popular, organizations and community leadership started to reach out to us. We began as eight high schoolers who wanted to paint a mural together. However, in eight years of hard work, we’ve faced many challenges.  Now we are in a period of transition. During this following year, we aim to restructure the collective internally. Our goal is to open new opportunities for collaborators and back-up our decision making process with a new evaluation system.  In the long run, we aspire to become an alternative school of art practice for those interested in immersing themselves in community art production.

Могу ли я поделиться информацией об опросе с другими?

Да, пожалуйста! Мы просим распространить ссылку на опрос среди своих коллег по сети. Чем больше различных точек зрения мы соберем, тем более полным будет наше понимание финансового положения феминистских организаций.

Ekaete Judith Umoh

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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Snippet FEA Unio Otras Photo 2 (ES)

Foto de Sabrina Sánchez ondeando una bandera y encabezando una manifestación. Ella marcha en un conjunto de lencería y tacones. Hay personas con carteles detrás de ella.

Diakite Fatoumata Sire

Diakite was actively involved in advocating for women in political and public life in Mali.

She worked to support training of women candidates in elections, and spoke out against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She was a strong proponent of reproductive health and rights. 


 

Diakite Fatoumata Sire, Mali

Membership why page page - to join as a member block

Afiliación paso a paso

  1. Lee y acepta las directrices sobre los Valores y la Comunidad de AWID.
  2. Completa el formulario de inscripción e indica tu contribución al menos a uno de los tipos de acción propuesta.
  3. Verifica tu casilla de correo donde recibirás un paquete de bienvenida digital con la confirmación de tu membresía.
  4. Completa tu compromiso de contribución según el(los) tipo(s) de acción que hayas escogido en el formulario de inscripción.

Tácticas, estrategias e impactos anti-derechos

Capítulo 5

Los actores anti-derechos adoptan una estrategia doble. Además de atacar abiertamente al sistema multilateral, los actores anti-derechos también socavan los derechos humanos desde adentro. Se involucran con el fin de cooptar procesos, consolidar normativas regresivas, y erosionar responsabilidades.

Photo-OP // the first anniversary of the EU signature to the Council of Europe Convention to prevent and combat gender-based violence and domestic violence, the so-called Istanbul Convention
© ALDE Group/Flickr
Photo-OP // El primer aniversario de la firma de la UE del Convenio del Consejo de Europa para prevenir y combatir la violencia de género y la violencia doméstica, el llamado Convenio de Estambul

El involucramiento de los actores anti-derechos en espacios internacionales de derechos humanos tiene un objetivo principal: socavar el sistema y su capacidad de respetar, proteger y satisfacer los derechos humanos para todas las personas, y de exigir rendición de cuentas a los Estados miembro por su violación. Algunas tácticas anti-derechos operan por fuera de la ONU, e incluyen la deslegitimación y la presión política para desfinanciar a la ONU, o para que ciertos Estados miembro se retiren de acuerdos internacionales sobre derechos humanos. En los últimos años, algunos actores antiderechos han logrado una creciente influencia dentro de la ONU. Sus tácticas internas incluyen la capacitación de representantes, la distorsión de los marcos de derechos humanos, el debilitamiento de acuerdos sobre derechos humanos, la infiltración en comités de organizaciones no gubernamentales, las solicitudes de ingreso al Consejo Económico y Social bajo nombres neutrales, la infiltración en los espacios de la juventud, y las presiones para ubicar a actores antiderechos en posiciones clave.

Índice de contenidos

  • Institucionalización de actores anti-derechos en los mecanismos de la ONU
  • Exclusión y deslegitimación
  • Disminución de los estándares de derechos humanos
  • Cooptación - Construcción de un marco paralelo de derechos humanos
  • Ejercicio: Sí, ellos son fuertes, ¡pero también nosotrxs somos fuertes!
  • Ejercicio: Responsabilizar a los gobiernos

Leer el capítulo completo

Membership why page - Loyiso Lindani

I believe empowered women empower women and that is why I’ve had an incredible time being an AWID member. My knowledge and understanding of Feminism and intersectionality has been broadened by the exposure I received being part of the AWID Community Street Team. I hope more women join and share topics and ideas that will help other women.

- Loyiso Lindani, South Africa.

Alejandra Morena

Biography

Alejandra is passionate about women’s rights and gender justice. She dreams of creating a world that centers care – for people and nature. As a feminist human rights expert, she’s worked at the intersections of gender, climate, social and economic justice at various international organizations. Her areas of expertise include knowledge building and co-creation, research, facilitation, and advocacy. She holds a MA in Human Rights from the University of Essex and has authored and co-developed many publications, including the article “Enraged: Women and Nature”. The campaign Feminist Activism Without Fear draws on interviews and research carried out by Alejandra. 

Originally from Argentina, she has lived and worked in several countries in Europe and Latin America over the past two decades. Alejandra loves photography, the sea, baking with her daughter, and enjoying food from around the world. As a mother, she aims to be a cycle breaker. Alejandra draws energy and inspiration from the amazing women in her life, who are spread in many corners of the world.

Position
Research & Advocacy Lead, Resourcing Feminist Movements
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Snippet FEA Sabrina Sanchez Bio (FR)

Nous vous présentons Sabrina Sanchez, incroyable femme trans, migrante, travailleuse du sexe, organisatrice, transféministe et l'une des fondatrices du syndicat OTRAS.

Originaire de Mexico, elle a émigré en Espagne il y a 17 ans après avoir obtenu son diplôme en communication et a commencé à travailler comme travailleuse du sexe.

Il ne fallut pas longtemps avant qu'elle ne s'implique dans l'activisme trans et l'activisme des travailleur·euses du sexe à Barcelone. Après avoir rejoint l'Association des Professionnel·les du Sexe (Asociación de Profesionales del Sexo, Aprosex), elle a commencé à travailler dans son secrétariat et a fondé le syndicat espagnol des travailleur·euses du sexe OTRAS.

Elle vit actuellement à Amsterdam, où elle travaille comme coordinatrice de l'Alliance Européenne des Travailleur·euses du Sexe.

Fait divers: elle est aussi mécanicienne automobile et adepte de la course à pied!

Andaiye

Andaiye in Swahili means ‘a daughter comes home’. Born Sandra Williams on 11 September 1942 in Georgetown, Guyana, she changed her name to ‘Andaiye’ in 1970 as the Black Power movements swept her country and the wider Caribbean region. 

Andaiye was seen as a transformative figure on the frontlines of the struggles for liberation and freedom. She was an early member and active in the leadership of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), a socialist party in Guyana which fought against authoritarian rule and continued throughout her life to focus on justice for the working-class and rural women’s rights and on bridging ethnic barriers between Indo and Afro-Guyanese women. 

Andaiye was a founding member of Red Thread Women, an organization that advocated for women’s care work to be fairly remunerated, worked at the University of the West Indies and with CARICOM. Never afraid to challenge governments, she pointed out gender imbalances in state boards, laws that discriminated against sex workers, called for abortion rights in Jamaica and spoke out against trade agreements such as the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) that allowed for the free movement of women domestic migrant workers but did not give their children the same rights.  

Andaiye published several scholarly essays, wrote newspaper columns and also edited the last books of Walter Rodney, the Guyanese political activist and fellow WPA leader, who was assassinated in 1980. A cancer survivor, Andaiye was one of the founders of the Guyana Cancer Society and the Cancer Survivors’ Action Group. She also served on the executive of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), as a Director of Help and Shelter and as Board Member of the Guyana National Commission on Women. She received a number of awards, including the Golden Arrow of Achievement in Guyana (the fourth highest national award).

Andaiye passed away on 31 May 2019 at the age of 77. The subsequent tributes that flowed in from activists, friends and those inspired by her life spoke eloquently to her amazing legacy and her beautiful humanity.

Here are but a few: 

“Andaiye had a profound effect on me...she was so many things, an educator, fighter, she taught me to be self-critical, to think more clearly, she taught me about survival, about incredible courage, about compassion, about going beyond external appearances and treating people as people and not being distracted by status, class, race...anything.”
- Peggy Antrobus, Feminist Activist, Author, Scholar, Barbados

“The kind of confident idealism Andaiye expressed, this willingness to confront the world and a stubborn belief that you could actually change it... That politics of hope...How else to honour her life, legacy and memory but to keep doing the work ethically and with ongoing self-critique? And to put women’s caring work at the center of it.”
- Tonya Haynes, Barbados

“I can hear her quip at our collective keening. So through the tears I can laugh. Deep bows to you beloved Andaiye, thank you for everything. Love and light for your spirit’s journey. Tell Walter and all the ancestors howdy.” - Carol Narcisse, Jamaica

Read more tributes to Andaiye

Forum Theme (Forum page)

Thème du Forum

Le thème du 14e Forum international de l'AWID est «Réalités féministes : notre pouvoir en action».

Ce Forum célébrera et amplifiera les propositions audacieuses autour de nous, à tous les stades de déveoppement ! 

En savoir plus