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
Forum 2024 - FAQ - Accessibility and Health ES
Accesibilidad y Salud
Transnational Embodiments | Small Snippet AR
التجسيدات العابرة للحدود
نصدر النسخة هذه من المجلة بالشراكة مع «كحل: مجلة لأبحاث الجسد والجندر»، وسنستكشف عبرها الحلول والاقتراحات وأنواع الواقع النسوية لتغيير عالمنا الحالي وكذلك أجسادنا وجنسانياتنا.
Anchalee Phonklieng
Margarita Salas Guzmán
Margarita is a feminist and LGBTIQA activist from Latin America; her passion is social transformation and collective wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Communications and Public Administration, as well as certificates in Public Policy, Leadership, Management & Decision Making. In her professional capacity, Margarita has had extensive experience with grassroots organizations, national and regional NGOs, universities and the public sector, developing facilitation, capacity building, political advocacy, communications & policy assessment.
Y a-t-il un format privilégié pour les sessions d’activités ?
L’Appel à activités énumère plusieurs formats et méthodologies pour le déroulé des activités. Faites preuve de créativité et assurez-vous d’avoir lu la section « Ce qu’il faut savoir » avant de commencer.
Disintegration | Title Snippet EN
Disintegration
Adapted from a tale by Ester Lopes
Photos by Mariam Mekiwi
Costume design and modeling by El Nemrah
Hande Kader
Clara Luper
Sara AbuGhazal
Sara AbuGhazal es una feminista palestina que vive en Beirut. Es cofundadora de Sawt al-Niswa, un colectivo que produce conocimiento en Beirut. Es codirectora de The Knowledge Workshop [«Taller del conocimiento»], una organización feminista con sede en Beirut que trabaja en la historia oral y el archivo feminista. Sara es actualmente la Coordinadora Regional de la Coalición Regional para Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos en el Medio Oriente y África del Norte.
Sara lucha para ayudar a crear espacios de transformación feminista y solidaridad. Su trabajo se centra principalmente en la construcción de movimientos sostenibles en la región del MOAN. Sara se empeña en temas de la Palestina, la producción de conocimiento y la transformación feminista. Publica regularmente en sawtalniswa.org y su obra de ficción también aparece en la revista electrónica Romman
Can speakers or other activity details be changed during 2024?
As we are submitting the application almost one year before the actual event.
Yes! Currently the form requests to list presenters even if they are not confirmed yet. We understand that changes are likely to occur within a year.
A Joy to the World: Six Questions with Naike Ledan | Small Snippet AR
الفرح للعالم: ستّة أسئلة مع نايكي ليدان
ما ساعدني في ذلك هو حبّي للعمل في كافة أنحاء البلاد، وتوثيق معارف الناس. لذلك تركت مساحتى المريحة، وأصبحت مديرة قطرية لمنظّمة إقليمية كويرية. تركَّز معظم عملي على إيجاد الموارد وبناء قدرات المجتمع المدني.
Sherly Montoya
Related Content
IM Defensoras: Hate crime against Sherly Montoya, LGTTBI defender and member of Transexual Women´s Group “Muñecas de Arcoiris”
Leyla Seylemez
Salome Chagelishvili
Salome est une activiste féministe originaire de Tbilisi, Géorgie, qui se consacre à la justice de genre et sociale. Titulaire d’une Maîtrise en études sur le genre, elle s’est impliquée auprès de mouvements féministes, queers et écologiques au cours des neuf dernières années, travaillant entre autres sur les questions de la violence liée au genre, la violence domestique, la santé sexuelle et reproductive et les droits afférents, les droits LGBTIQ et la sécurité et les droits holistiques et numériques.
Depuis 2014, elle travaille activement sur les questions de sécurité et de sûreté des activistes et des femmes défenseures des droits humains, organisant des ateliers sur la sécurité intégrée et la sécurité numérique spécialement pour les activistes de groupes défavorisés (personnes homosexuelles, minorités ethniques et religieuses, femmes et filles rurales, etc.) ainsi que pour de grandes organisations féministes. Salome est membre de l’Independent Group of Feminists (Groupe indépendant de féministes)- une initiative non-formelle, non hiérarchique et non enregistrée qui réunit des féministes géorgiennes ayant différents parcours. Elle travaille actuellement avec le Fonds pour les femmes de Géorgie, où elle est pleinement impliquée dans la construction de mouvements de femmes/féministes, tout en offrant un financement féministe et encourageant la philanthropie féministe locale.
Moving Conversation | Small Snippet EN
Moving Conversation
"We were finally experiencing that other form of love – that pleasure of being together and listening to each other. For me, these kinds of chats are among the expressions of love that life had only recently allowed me to enjoy..."
Patricia Villamil Perdomo
Contenido relacionado
Proceso Digital: Asesinan abogada que fue candidata a diputada en primarias del Partido Nacional
Petite Jasmine
Michelle D'Cruz
Michelle is a Southeast Asian feminist who enjoys conspiring to bring people together and spark conversations for social change and feminist knowledge sharing, through art, poetry, music and games. With a background in digital advocacy and communications strategy development, she has contributed to initiatives in digital rights, human rights research, and civil society coalition building throughout Southeast Asia. She has an LLB from National University of Singapore, enjoys following her feet down random city streets and likes coffee a little too much.
Snippet Kohl - Plenary: The revolution will be feminist | AR

جلسة عامة | ستكون الثورة نسوية وإلّا لن تكون ثورة
مع منال التميمي وبوبولينا مورينو وكارولينا فيكيفيتش وأنووليكا نوجوزي أوكونجو