Philippe Leroyer | Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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

Snippet FEA Mariama Sonko (EN)

This is Mariama Sonko, an inspiring small-scale rural farmer, eco-feminist and a woman human rights defender.

She lives in Niaguiss, a town in the southwest of Senegal. Growing up in a family and community of rural farmers, she witnessed the essential role of women in food production and seed preservation from a very early age, while also being immersed in the rhythms and working of the land. Mariama has been defending local agricultural knowledge and peasant practices since the 1990s. As a mother of five children, the food she grows herself is the main source of sustenance for her family.

She is currently the president of “Nous Sommes la Solution'' and is involved in promoting agroecological practices and family farming, encouraging food sovereignty, biodiversity and farmer seed preservation, and demanding equitable access to resources and land for women across West Africa.

Source: AWID’s Feminist Realities Festival Crear | Résister | Transform - Day 2/ 2ème jour/ 2º día

Snippet - WITM RESOURCES - FR

Ressources

這次論壇會召開會前會嗎?

全球和區域的合作夥伴已就論壇會前會的一些想法與我們聯繫,我們將很快分享有關這些想法的更多信息。

如果您打算在論壇之前組織會前會,請告訴我們!

聯繫我們


由諮詢小組組織,AWID資助的2016年黑人女權主義論壇(BFF)湧現出許多美好的事物。BFF產生了一些獨立組織包括巴西的黑人女權組織。儘管今年我們不會再舉辦BFF,但我們仍致力於與有興趣繼續圍繞黑人女權主義組織開展工作的任何人分享一些重要的經驗。

Who we are & what we do

We are excited to share our new Strategic Plan (2023-2027) with the world. AWID will make an announcement to inform our community and members very soon.


The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is a global, feminist, membership, movement-support organization.

For 40 years, AWID has been a part of an incredible ecosystem of feminist movements working to achieve gender justice and women’s human rights worldwide.

Our vision

GGAADD | Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) - modified

AWID envisions a world where feminist realities flourish, where resources and power are shared in ways that enable everyone, and future generations, to thrive and realize their full potential with dignity, love and respect, and where Earth nurtures life in all its diversity.

Our mission

Our mission is to support feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements to thrive, to be a driving force in challenging systems of oppression, and to co-create feminist realities.


Our tactics

We advance our work through these tactics:

Influencing, advocacy and campaigning

We collaboratively leverage our access, power, resources and relationships to strategically influence policy and practice. We aim to advance feminist agendas through our work with policy makers, funders and activists in regional and global spaces. We also work to influence feminist and women’s rights movements to centre historically oppressed movements as part of efforts to strengthen our collective power and influence.

Convening and connecting

We use our convening power to facilitate dialogue and strategize on key issues. We connect our members and allies with one another, sharing and exchanging resources, ideas and action across relevant issues. We organize and facilitate spaces to strengthen and engage across movements, to imagine and envisage new futures, to develop effective influencing tactics and to co-create powerful agendas and processes.  

Solidarity and bridge-building

We work to mobilize our members and the movements we support to strengthen collective action in solidarity with feminist causes and defenders at risk. We build partnerships, engage in active listening and ongoing, long-term, solidarity. We work with defenders to build a body of knowledge and support networks of solidarity on protection and wellbeing.

Arts and creative expression

We recognize the unique and strategic value of cultural and creative strategies in the struggle against oppression and injustice. We work with artists who centre feminist voices and the narratives of historically oppressed communities. In this emerging tactic, we see art and creative expression helping us envision a world where feminist realities continue to flourish and be celebrated. 


Marcha da Mulheres negras - 2016

Our initiatives

Our initiatives work at the intersections of the sites of change we work to address, the movements we prioritize, and the tactics we use​:

Advancing Universal Rights and Justice

We monitor, document and make visible how anti-rights actors are operating and colluding in multilateral spaces and support feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements and allies to counter their influence and impact.

Building Feminist Economies

Working on extractivism, tax justice and corporate accountability, we build knowledge on corporate power and influence; advocate for corporate accountability and equitable distribution of wealth; and amplify feminist proposals for just economies. 

Resourcing Feminist Movements

We develop accessible, action-oriented analysis on the state of resourcing for feminist movements. We aim to influence funders’ policies and practices, deepen and sustain funding for feminist social change, and support movements’ needs and strategies. 

In addition to the impact we aim to have in the world, AWID is expressly committed to strengthening our own organizational learning and resilience in order to further strengthen global feminist movements. 


Our donors

Thank you!

Without the generous funding and support from our donors, our work would not be possible

Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
Ford Foundation
Open Society Foundations
 
Sida
Government of The Netherlands
Foundation For A Just Society
 
 
Disability Rights Advocacy Fund
   

Obiageli “Oby” Nwankwo

Con una carrera jurídica que abarcó más de 30 años, Oby era conocida en toda África y en el mundo como una defensora de la justicia de género y los derechos humanos.

Fundó y fue Directora Ejecutiva del Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC), una ONG nigeriana que patrocina capacitaciones y actividades de creación de redes para miembrxs de la sociedad civil, parlamentarixs y otrxs actores clave, para promover los derechos humanos, la buena gobernanza y el acceso a la justicia y el estado de derecho.

Oby es afectuosamente recordada por lxs activistas de Nigeria como una «extraordinaria activista que mostraba energía y pasión por la lucha por la igualdad de género y la justicia de género en Nigeria y en toda África».

 


 

Obiageli “Oby” Nwankwo, Nigeria

Snippet FEA Objectives NSS Advocacy (EN)

INCIDENCIA POLITICA

Yellow circle with illustration of a brown woman with a white t-shirt holding a blue loudspeaker.
Influir en tomas de decisiones políticas y promover un acceso más equitativo a la tierra para las mujeres que trabajan en la agricultura

Could there be multiple responses to the WITM survey on behalf of a specific group?

No, we are asking for just one completed survey per group.

下一屆AWID國際論壇於何時何地舉辦?

第十四屆AWID國際論壇將於西元2021年9月20日至23日在台北举行。

了解詳情

Recordando a lxs defensorxs que ya no están con nosotrxs

AWID honra a lxs feministas y defensoras de los derechos humanos que han muerto y cuyas contribuciones al progreso de los derechos humanos se echa mucho en falta. 


Celebrando a lxs activistxs y las defensoras de derechos humanos 

El Tributo de AWID a las defensoras de derechos humanos es una exhibición fotográfica que presenta a activistxs del feminismo, de los derechos de las mujeres y de la justicia social de todo el mundo que ya no están con nosotrxs. 

El Tributo fue lanzado por primera vez en 2012, en el 12º Foro Internacional de AWID, en Turquía. Tomó la forma de una exposición física de retratos y biografías de feministas y activistxs que fallecieron. La iniciativa fue descrita por lxs participantes del Foro como una manera única, emotiva y energizante de conmemorar nuestra historia colectiva.  

En el 13º Foro Internacional, en Brasil, honramos a lxs activistas y a las defensoras de derechos humanos con una ceremonia de inauguración de un mural en cuatro idiomas, un espectáculo de danza y un ritual brasileño.

Entre los eventos, el Tributo permanece como una galería en línea que se actualiza cada año como parte de la Campaña de los 16 Días de Activismo Contra la Violencia de Género (25 de noviembre al 10 de diciembre).

Contribuciones de todo el mundo

Desde 2012, a través de nuestro Tributo anual a las defensoras de derechos humanos que ya no están con nosotrxs, hemos presentado más de 400 feministas y defensorxs de 11 regiones y 80 países.

AWID quiere agradecer a las familias y organizaciones que compartieron sus historias personales y contribuyeron a este homenaje. Nos unimos a ellxs para continuar con el notable trabajo de estas mujeres y redoblar esfuerzos para asegurar que se logre justicia en los casos que permanecen en la impunidad.

Visite la exhibición en línea del Tributo a las Defensoras de Derechos Humanos

La violencia y las amenazas contra las defensoras de derechos humanos persisten

Además de rendir homenaje a estxs increíbles activistas, el Tributo arroja luz sobre la gravedad de la situación de las defensoras de derechos humanos que han sido asesinadas o están desaparecidas.

 Un tercio de las personas presentadas en el Tributo fueron activistas asesinadxs o están desaparecidxs en circunstancias sospechosas. Fueron atacadxs específicamente por ser quiénes eran y por haber desafiado:

  • El poder del Estado
  • La heteronormatividad
  • Los fundamentalismos
  • Las corporaciones
  • El patriarcado
  • La delincuencia organizada
  • La corrupción
  • La militarización…

Mujeres como Agnes Torres, de México, fueron asesinadas debido a su identidad de género y orientación sexual; o Cheryl Ananayo, una activista ambientalista de Filipinas que fue asesinada mientras luchaba contra una compañía minera; o Ruqia Hassan, una periodista y bloguera independiente siria asesinada por sus críticas al Estado Islámico de Iraq y Levante (EIIL, ISIS en inglés). Y muchas otras.

Con el Tributo a las defensoras de derechos humanos lxs traemos a todxs a nuestra memoria colectiva y llevamos su legado de lucha como nuestra antorcha en los movimientos feministas y por los derechos de las mujeres. Reconocemos que la seguridad y el autocuidado deben ser una prioridad en todas nuestras agendas políticas. Y hacemos un llamamiento a los gobiernos y a los organismos internacionales para que aborden colectivamente la violencia contra lxs feministas y las defensoras de derechos humanos.

Creemos que este es un paso crítico para asegurar la sostenibilidad de nuestros movimientos por la igualdad de género, por los derechos de las mujeres y por justicia para todxs.

Visite la exhibición en línea del Tributo a las Defensoras de Derechos Humanos

Laura Lee

Laura était une activiste et une avocate de premier plan qui a mené une campagne courageuse en faveur de la dépénalisation du travail du sexe en Irlande.

On se souvient d'elle comme « une combattante de la liberté pour les travailleurs et les travailleuses du sexe, une féministe, une mère pour certainEs et une amie nécessaire pour beaucoup ».

Laura militait pour que les personnes de l'industrie du sexe soient reconnu-e-s comme des travailleurs et travailleuses sujets de droits. Elle a activement milité en faveur de la dépénalisation, notamment en engageant une procédure judiciaire devant la haute cour de Belfast qui concernent des dispositions criminalisant l’achat de services sexuels. Laura a déclaré que son intention était de porter l'affaire devant la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme.

 


 

Laura Lee, Ireland

Snippet FEA Audio A Caring Economy (FR)

¿Puedo responder la encuesta por fuera de KOBO y compartir las respuestas con ustedes a través de correo electrónico?

Salvo que existan cuestiones de accesibilidad o que respondas la encuesta en otro idioma, alentamos encarecidamente a usar KOBO a los efectos de contar con una recopilación y un análisis de datos estandarizados para la investigación ¿Dónde está el dinero?

Lutter pour les droits humains et affronter l'injustice en Amérique latine et dans les Caraïbes

Cette année, nous rendons hommage à dix-neuf défenseuses des droits humains originaires de la région Amérique latine et Caraïbes. Parmi elles, seize ont été assassinées, dont six journalistes et quatre défenseuses des droits des personnes LGBT*QI. Nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous pour commémorer la vie et le travail de ces femmes. Faites circuler les mèmes figurant ci-dessous auprès de vos collègues et amis ainsi que dans vos réseaux et twittez en utilisant les hashtags #WHRDTribute et #16Jours.


S'il vous plaît cliquez sur chaque image ci-dessous pour voir une version plus grande et pour télécharger comme un fichier

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Razan Al-Najjar

Razan was a 21-year-old volunteer medic in Palestine.

She was shot as she ran toward a fortified border fence, in an effort to reach a casualty in the east of the south Gaza city of Khan Younis.

In her very last Facebook post, Razan said: “I am returning and not retreating,” adding: “Hit me with your bullets. I am not afraid.”

 


 

Razan Al-Najjar, Palestine

Snippet FEA In numbers (EN)

IN NUMBERS