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.
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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.
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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;
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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:
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Mobilizing urgent responses of international solidarity for WHRDs at risk through our international and regional networks, and our active membership.
Related Content
Snippet - COP30 - Resistance Hubs Section Column 1 - EN
As world leaders gather in Brazil, it’s vital that feminist movements especially from the Global Majority have autonomous spaces to gather, strategize, and disrupt.
These Hubs challenge the elitism of climate talks, center lived experiences, and aim to build collective power across borders. They offer a critical counterbalance to top-down, often exclusionary international negotiations. The Hubs aim to foster community-driven solutions, amplify feminist demands, and ensure that feminist principles of care and solidarity shape the climate agenda. It’s not just about being present at COP30, it’s about reshaping the conversation on climate justice on feminist terms.
Una estrategia, un mercado y nuevas voces: Las mujeres indígenas y los Foros AWID

Esta historia es sobre la manera en que un grupo cada vez más diverso de feministas del Pacífico se organizaron a lo largo de los años para asistir a los Foros de AWID, y el modo en que ese proceso lxs transformó en forma personal, como organizaciones y como movimiento a través de lo que aprendieron, descubrieron y experimentaron. Ilustra la importancia de los Foros como espacio que permitió que una región que tiende a ser marginada o ignorada a nivel global pueda construir una presencia sólida en el movimiento feminista, que luego es replicada en otros espacios internacionales de derechos de las mujeres.
En sus propias voces: mira la entrevista con María Manuela Sequeira & Mónica Alemán
2023 - Hybrid like never before: in person - ar
هجين (hybrid) كما لم يحدث من قبل
لأول مرة، يعرض منتدى جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية ثلاثة طرق للمشاركة
الحضور الشخصي
سيجتمع المشاركون/ات في بانكوك، تايلاند. ننتظر بفارغ الصبر!
Snippet - COP30 - Feminist Economic Alternatives Brief - EN
📖 Feminist Economic Alternatives Brief
A tool for feminist activists at COP30 fighting for transformative, equitable and community-centred solutions to address the climate crisis.
Thank you
Thank you for your interest, but the page you're looking for no longer exists.
You can explore more content and updates at https://www.awid.org.
CFA 2023 - what you need to know - ar

ما الذي تحتاج/ين معرفته؟
- سيتم إعطاء الأولوية للأنشطة التي تسهل وتشجع الاتصال والتفاعل بين المشاركين/ات.
- إذا كان من الممكن إجراء نشاطك عبر الإنترنت أو بشكل هجين (ربط المشاركين/ات في الموقع وعبر الإنترنت)، يرجى النظر في كيفية توليد مشاركة حقيقية ومشاركة نشطة من المشاركين/ات عبر الإنترنت.
- نشجع اللقاءات والحوارات والتبادلات بين الحركات والأقاليم وبين الأجيال.
- يرجى تصميم النشاط بطريقة تسمح بالمرونة في عدد المشاركين/ات. في حين أن بعض الأنشطة قد تقتصر على مجموعات أصغر، إلا أن الأغلبية ستحتاج إلى استيعاب أعداد أكبر.
- إذا كان نشاطك يناسب عددًا من أشكال التقديم أو لا يناسبه أي شيء، فستتمكن من الإشارة إلى ذلك في نموذج الطلب.

اللغات التي يمكنك إرسال طلبك بها
- لغات تقديم الطلبات: سيتم قبول الطلبات باللغات الإنجليزية والفرنسية والإسبانية والتايلاندية والعربية.
- لغات المنتدى: سيتم توفير الترجمة الفورية في الجلسات العامة للمنتدى باللغات الإنجليزية، الفرنسية، الإسبانية، التايلاندية والعربية، بالإضافة إلى لغة الإشارة الدولية (ISL)وربما أكثر. بالنسبة لجميع الأنشطة الأخرى، سيتم توفير الترجمة الشفوية في بعض هذه اللغات، ولكن ليس جميعها، وربما بلغات أخرى، مثل اللغة السواحيلية والبرتغالية.
Manal Tamimi | Snippet EN

Manal Tamimi is a Palestinian activist and human rights defender. She is a mother of four who holds a master’s degree in international humanitarian law. Due to her activism, she was arrested three times and got wounded more than once, including with live explosive bullets which are banned internationally. Her family is also a target: her children have been arrested and wounded with live ammunition more than once. The last incident was an assassination attempt of her son Muhammad who was shot in the chest, near the heart, a few weeks after his liberation from the occupation prisons where he had spent two years. Her philosophy on life: if I have to pay the price for being a Palestinian and not for a crime I have committed, I refuse to die in silence.
Gladys Lanza Ochoa
Snippet - COP30 - Mutual Aid and Community Care - FR
Exclusivité membres d’AWID : atelier créatif sur l’entraide et le soin de la communauté
Les membres de l’AWID exploreront et feront une évaluation critique du rôle que l’entraide peut jouer pour financer et apporter des ressources aux mouvements, en se livrant à un collage collectif.
📅 Mercredi 12 novembre 2025
📍 Espace COP Populaire
Site web en anglais, espagnol et portugais
Rapport Annuel 2011

Chaque programme comporte plusieurs volets, y compris le développement et la diffusion de connaissances, la recherche-action, les plaidoyers, l’établissement d’alliances et l’organisation de dialogues stratégiques.
Notre Rapport Annuel 2011 vous proposent un sommaire des principales réalisations pendant l'année, dans le cadre de chacune des programmes de l’AWID.
Financiamiento de los movimientos feministas

La encuesta "¿Dónde está el dinero?" #WITM ya está disponible. Participa y comparte tu experiencia en la financiación de tu organización con feministas de todo el mundo.
Obtén más información y participa de la encuesta
En todo el mundo, los movimientos feministas, de derechos de las mujeres y aliados están enfrentando al poder y reimaginando políticas de liberación. Las contribuciones que sostienen este trabajo llegan de muchas formas, desde recursos financieros y políticos a actos diarios de resistencia y supervivencia.
La iniciativa de AWID Financiando a los Movimientos Feministas (FMF) echa luz sobre el actual ecosistema de financiamiento, el cual abarca desde modelos autogenerados a corrientes de financiamiento más formales.
Mediante nuestra investigación y análisis, indagamos cómo las prácticas de financiamiento pueden servir mejor a nuestros movimientos. Analizamos críticamente las contradicciones de «financiar» la transformación social, especialmente en vistas de la creciente represión política, las agendas anti-derechos y el creciente poder corporativo. Sobre todo, construimos estrategias colectivas para apoyar movimientos prósperos, fuertes y resilientes.
Nuestras acciones
Reconociendo la riqueza de nuestros movimientos y respondiendo al momento actual, nosotrxs:
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Creamos y difundimos alternativas: Difundimos prácticas de financiamiento que ponen en el centro las prioridades de lxs propixs activistas e involucramos a un amplio espectro de financiadoras y activistas para que desarrollen nuevos y dinámicos modelos para financiar los movimientos feministas, especialmente en un contexto en el que se reducen los espacios para la sociedad civil.
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Construimos conocimiento: Analizamos, intercambiamos y fortalecemos el conocimiento sobre cómo los movimientos atraen, organizan y utilizan los recursos que necesitan para lograr cambios significativos.
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Hacemos incidencia: Trabajamos de manera colaborativa, como en el Consorcio Count Me In, para influir sobre las agendas de financiamiento y abrimos espacios para el diálogo directo entre/con los movimientos feministas para redistribuir poderes y dineros..
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Forum 2024 - FAQ - Travelling to Bangkok EN
Travelling to Bangkok
Manal Tamimi | Snippet AR

منال التميمي، ناشطة فلسطينية ومدافعة عن حقوق الإنسان. أم لأربعة أطفال كما أنها حائزة على ماجستير في القانون الدولي الإنساني. اعتقلت منال ثلاث مرات على إثر نشاطها السياسي وأصيبت أكثر من مرة بالرصاص الانشطاري الحي المحظور دوليا. عائلتها مستهدفة أيضًا: اعتقل وأصيب أطفالها بالذخيرة الحية أكثر من مرة. وكانت الحادثة الأخيرة محاولة اغتيال نجلها محمد الذي أصيب برصاصة في صدره قرب القلب بعد أسابيع قليلة من تحريره من سجون الاحتلال حيث أمضى عامين. فلسفتها في الحياة: إذا كان عليّ أن أدفع ثمن كوني فلسطينيّة، فأنا أرفض أن أموت في صمت.
Rosalinda Pérez
Snippet 2 - What's happening at HRC61 Intro
With avenues for civil society (especially those not based in Geneva) to participate in the Human Rights Council becoming more limited because of the financial crisis, spaces to put pressure and hold governments accountable for rights violations are increasingly closed. These measures include charges for hybrid participation and interpretation for side events, visa obstacles, and the limited availability of hybrid informal negotiations on draft resolutions.
Below are resolutions, key resolutions, panels and taking place in these sessions, related to gender and sexuality:
AWID in 2016: Co-Creating Feminist Futures
AWID is pleased to share our 2016 Annual Report.

2016 was an incredible year for AWID, we convened the 13th International AWID Forum in Bahia, Brazil, a space for strategizing and alliance building with feminists and other justice movements, which was attended by over 1800 participants from 120 countries and territories across the globe.
We know that women’s rights and feminist movements are key actors in creating sustainable transformative change. Within our movements, organizing, resisting and responding to the challenging context is sharpening, and in our increasingly connected world, the potential for collective action across diverse movements has dramatically grown.
This is the crucial work that AWID seeks to amplify and support every day.
What we achieved in 2016
We expanded solidarity and joint action across diverse movements
A highlight of 2016 was our ground-breaking 13th International Forum with the theme: “Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice”, where we harnessed the thinking and energy of nearly 500 partners, presenters, panelists, moderators, artivists, writers, facilitators, IT innovators, and performers, many of them leaders in their movements. We also supported the convening of the first and historical Black Feminisms Forum (BFF) organised by a working group of Black Feminists from across the world.
We strengthened knowledge of issues and strategies
- On challenging corporate power - we produced ‘Challenging corporate power: Struggles for women’s rights, economic and gender justice’ with the Solidarity Center, revealing the scale and scope of corporate power and outlining how corporations in collusion with elites and other powerful actors, are impacting the lives of women and oppressed peoples.
- On feminist economies - we released ‘Feminist Propositions for a Just Economy’ with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) and the African Women’s Development and Communication Network FEMNET.
- On Young Feminist Activism - we published ‘Brave, Creative, Resilient: The Global State of Young Feminist Organizing’, a young feminist mapping project.
We contributed to collective advocacy
AWID, in partnership with other feminist and women’s rights organisations, engaged in advocacy and dialogue to explore better solutions for women’s rights agendas including our work with the Count Me In! consortium .
We increased the visibility of movements
The experiences of women with disabilities, Black and Afro-descendant women, sex workers, Indigenous women, trans and intersex people, domestic workers and how their lives are impacted by multiple oppressions and violence were placed front and center of the Forum process.
We also launched the 2016 WHRD Tribute to commemorate defenders who are no longer with us, during the 16 Days of activism, and thanks to the contributions from our members,
We drove attention to groups and issues that do not usually receive adequate mainstream media coverage through our partnership with The Guardian and Mama Cash.
Our members

¿Qué criterios están utilizando para seleccionar las actividades?
Por favor consulta la Convocatoria de Actividades, incluida la sección «Lo que necesitas saber».
Mariam Mekiwi | Snippet FR

Mariam Mekiwi est une cinéaste et photographe originaire d’Alexandrie qui vit et travaille à Berlin.
