Grace Mann
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 - CSW69 On feminist resourcing today - ES
Sobre la dotación de recursos feministas de hoy
- Responde el quiz "¿Dónde está el dinero?" aquí
- Our Resource (en inglés)
- Recursos autónomos: ¿Cómo lxs activistas podemos dotar de recursos a nuestro activismo?
- Qué podemos aprender de lxs feministas que se autofinancian
Mena Mangal
Mena Mangal fue una destacada periodista de televisión, defensora de los derechos de las mujeres y asesora cultural de la Wolesi Jirga, la cámara baja del parlamento nacional de Afganistán.
Durante más de una década, trabajó para Ariana TV, el canal Lamar de lengua Pashto de Tolo TV, y para la emisora privada de televisión nacional afgana Shamshad TV. Como presentadora, Mena se enfocó en los derechos de las mujeres y en los programas de entrevistas culturales.
"La defensora de los derechos de la mujeres Wazhma Frogh dijo que Mangal "tenía una voz fuerte" y se pronunció activamente como defensora de su pueblo".
Fuera de la pantalla, también dirigió páginas populares de redes sociales que defendían los derechos de las niñas y mujeres afganas a la educación y el trabajo. En lo que concierne a su vida privada, Mena escribió extensamente acerca de cómo había sido forzada a contraer un matrimonio arreglado en 2017, y sobre el proceso que tuvo que atravesar para poder obtener finalmente el divorcio.
En un post de Facebook, Mena escribió que estaba recibiendo amenazas de muerte de fuentes desconocidas, pero que aun así continuaría llevando a cabo su trabajo.
El 11 de mayo de 2019, Mena fue atacada por hombres armados desconocidos y asesinada a tiros a plena luz del día en un espacio público del sudeste de Kabul.
"Estamos preocupadxs por la situación actual ya que está teniendo un impacto directo en las mujeres que trabajan fuera de sus casas... Las mujeres periodistas están cambiando de profesión debido a los crecientes riesgos que enfrentan". - Robina Hamdard, defensora de los derechos de las mujeres en Kabul.
Demo WYSIWYG page for testing
In a context like Colombia’s, the work of imagining, dreaming and even creating processes of transformation so we can live in worlds that are decent, just, careful, and affectionate is worthy of admiration. It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
- It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
Privacy is a fundamental right not just for the most powerful and privileged
In a context like Colombia’s, the work of imagining, dreaming and even creating processes of transformation so we can live in worlds that are decent, just, careful, and affectionate is worthy of admiration. This is an emboldened paragraph.
We are thinking of them and of all the women leaders who are continuing the fight, having gained consciousness, from their respective ethnic, political, cultural, and identity locations and from their work, of their selves and the social problems facing their communities.
This link goes somewhere, but this sentence doesn't, it only exists to show how a link works. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry.
£2600 is an amount of money that I've wrapped some <strong> tags around, while 4 weeks – a length of time – also has had the same treatment for the purposes of just testing how typography appears on the page. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Find out how links are made into buttons
Header Level 2
In a context like Colombia’s, the work of imagining, dreaming and even creating processes of transformation so we can live in worlds that are decent, just, careful, and affectionate is worthy of admiration.
We are thinking of them and of all the women leaders who are continuing the fight, having gained consciousness, from their respective ethnic, political, cultural, and identity locations and from their work, of their selves and the social problems facing their communities.
Header Level 3
Women leaders and human rights defenders in Colombia: A legacy of dreams, struggles and affection that we will not silence
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
These are hyperlinks in paragraphs where they're needed the most, right in a demo page.
£2600 is an amount of money that I've wrapped some <strong> tags around, while 4 weeks – a length of time – also has had the same treatment for the purposes of just testing how typography appears on the page. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Header Level 4
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated. These are hyperlinks in paragraphs where they're needed the most, right in a demo page.
£2600 is an amount of money that I've wrapped some <strong> tags around, while 4 weeks – a length of time – also has had the same treatment for the purposes of just testing how typography appears on the page. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Header Level 5
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated. These are hyperlinks in paragraphs where they're needed the most, right in a demo page.
£2600 is an amount of money that I've wrapped some <strong> tags around, while 4 weeks – a length of time – also has had the same treatment for the purposes of just testing how typography appears on the page. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Header Level 6
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
These are hyperlinks in paragraphs where they're needed the most, right in a demo page. £2600 is an amount of money that I've wrapped some <strong> tags around, while 4 weeks – a length of time – also has had the same treatment for the purposes of just testing how typography appears on the page.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Blockquotes
Standard
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
Short (Big)
It is an attack on life itself.
Long (Small)
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated. It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated. It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
Bordered
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
Boxed (white)
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
Boxed (primary theme)
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
Boxed (secondary theme)
It is an attack on life itself. Not just on the life of one official, but an attack on the soul, on the spirit of an entire people who feels frustrated.
Snippet FEA Barcelona, Spain (ES)
Barcelona, España
Metzineres
Lxs Mujerxs Toman Drogas.
SUPÉRALO
Francela Mendez
Snippet - CSW69 - What Can Feminist Movements Learn - EN
What Can Feminist Movements Today Learn from Beijing 1995?
✉️ By registration only. Register here
📅 Wednesday, March 12, 2025
🕒 6.30–8:00pm EST
🏢 Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
🎙️Co-facilitated by: Inna Michaeli, Co-Executive Director
Organizer: Jass, Gender at Work, and Count Me In! Consortium
Lina Ben Mhenni
« Je veux dire à tou·te·s les Tunisien·ne·s : Nous devons nous rassembler pour dire “non” à la censure et aux procès d’opinion. » - Lina Ben Mhenni (entretien de 2013)
Lina Ben Mhenni était une blogueuse, activiste et chargée de cours de linguistique tunisienne. Elle s’est exprimée haut et fort contre la censure sur Internet, a défendu la liberté d’expression ainsi que les droits des femmes et les droits humains. Lina s’est également battue pour la libération des étudiant·e·s arrêté·e·s sous l’ancien président Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
« Un cyberactiviste doit aller sur le terrain, sentir ce que vivent les autres. On dit que la Révolution tunisienne est celle du Net, mais si elle n’était que ça, elle n’aurait jamais abouti ! » » Lina Ben Mhenni (article dans Ouest-France)
Elle a co-organisé en 2010 une manifestation en réaction à la suppression des médias et la censure sur Internet imposées par le gouvernement. Lina était très connue pour son blog « A Tunisian Girl » et son travail pendant la révolution tunisienne en 2011 était reconnu. Elle s’est servie de son blog pour transmettre des informations sur la révolte, partager des images documentant les manifestations, et a été parmi les rares voix qui s’élevèrent pour dénoncer les assassinats et la répression des manifestant·e·s à Sidi Bouzid. Lina était une des rares blogueuses à utiliser son vrai nom sur Internet, et non un pseudonyme pour protéger son identité.
« Notre liberté d’expression est vraiment en danger. Je crains que nous ne soyons en train de perdre les fruits magnifiques de notre révolution : la disparition de la peur et la liberté d’expression. Nous devons continuer de nous battre pour protéger et préserver ce droit. » - Lina Ben Mhenni (entretien de 2013)
Lina n’avait que 36 ans lorsqu’elle est décédée, le 27 janvier 2020, de complications d’une maladie auto-immune.
« La liberté, une meilleure éducation et la santé - c’est tout ce que nous voulions. Lorsque nous échouions, elle nous incitait à continuer. » Hala, l’institutrice de Lina.
#MeToo in China
The #MeToo movement in China was ignited in January 2018, impelled by the momentum of the #MeToo movement around the globe. The movement was a response to cultural and systemic problems in relation to gender and power within China. The foundation of the movement was laid over decades, with many years of debate and advocacy for gender equality finally erupting into a tremendous force across society. #MeToo has been driven mainly by young people, among whom are countless anonymous women and their allies, and they search for opportunities to realize the ultimate “Chinese Dream”: to transform China into a country with gender equality.
The environment for #MeToo movement is extremely adverse in China: the rule of law, the fairness and transparency of government action, and freedom of speech cannot be taken for granted by the movement in China but are the very goals it fights for. From the beginning, it has been an intense struggle, with every victim or activist who comes forward running tremendous risks. From being silenced, humiliated, or retaliated against, to having their safety jeopardized, every success of the #MeToo movement has been won by those who are courageous enough to bear the costs of speaking out and defying censorship.
#MeToo in China Exhibition was first held in 2019 and toured in 5 cities. The aim of the exhibition is to bring the personal experiences of the victims and activists to greater prominence and, through engagement with these stories, to inspire our audience to join in the fight. The exhibition has itself become a part of the #MeToo struggle—the exhibition has been beset by challenges on its tour throughout China, on more than one occasion even facing closure.
Snippet FEA Metzineres has supported (FR)
Depuis sa fondation,
Metzineres a accompagné plus de
|
383 personnes. |
Heike Jensen
Snippet - WCFM Movement and Struggle - EN
Movement in focus:
Filter your search by funders’ priority support areas that speak to your organizing efforts
Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre
Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre was a much loved young feminist artist and activist from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, known for her beautiful and evocative hand-painted clothing with eyes being an emblematic feature in her work. Her murals transformed the run down and vacant buildings in Ciudad Juarez’s downtown, bringing life and political commentary to their walls.
Through her art and political activism Isabel sought to draw attention to the gender based violence pervasive in her hometown. She volunteered with the women’s network Mesa de Mujeres on the Citizen Observatory on Gender to monitor the performance of judges, prosecutors and public defenders on cases of femicides and other gender based violations. She was also a member of Hijas de su Maquilera Madre, a feminist collective whose name makes reference to the daughters of mothers who are maquila workers. Some of these mothers were among the first victims of femicide in the city.
Isabel’s latest project, still in progress, was an art installation to protest a Canadian company that was looking to mine copper in the Samalayuca Desert.
On 18 January, 2020 Isabel was shot while riding her bike back home in Downtown Juárez, in what appeared to be a targeted killing, her body found beside her bike.
Isabel’s murder, sparked a new wave of outrage against femicides in the region, hundreds marched to the US-Mexico border bridge, blocking it for hours and chanting “Ni una mas” (Not one more) as feminist collectives continue to protest the murders of women throughout Mexico. In 2019 alone, 3142 women and girls were killed in Mexico, many of whom were targeted specifically because of their gender.
She loved riding her bike.
"The bike for her was a symbol of freedom. A symbol of being free in the streets." - Marisol (a friend of Isabel’s)
Nicole Barakat
somos infinitxs
Una exposición de Nicole Barakat que encarna su reconexión con los objetos de la diáspora de sus tierras ancestrales en la región del Sudoeste Asiático y África del Norte (SWANA, por sus siglas en inglés).
Barakat presenta una colección de obras textiles como manifestaciones de su práctica de conectarse con los objetos desplazados, y a menudo robados, que son exhibidos en colecciones de museos occidentales que incluyen el Museo del Louvre de París, el Museo Británico de Londres y el Nicholson Museum de Sydney.
Para burlar a los guardianes y fisurar las vitrinas que retienen estos objetos ancestrales, Barakat recupera formas de conocimiento precoloniales, no lineales y receptivas que son, a menudo, devaluadas y desestimadas por las instituciones coloniales y patriarcales, utilizando la adivinación con la borra del café, el trabajo con los sueños, la escucha intuitiva y las conversaciones con los objetos mismos (fuente).
Sobre Nicole Barakat
Nicole Barakat es una artista femme queer de SWANA, que nació y vive en las tierras de Gadigal (llamadas Sydney) en Australia. Trabaja con procesos intuitivos y de escucha profunda, con la intención de transformar las condiciones de la vida cotidiana. Su obra se desarrolla a través de métodos artísticos no convencionales, creando objetos intrincados que plasman el amor y la paciencia característicos de las prácticas textiles tradicionales.
Sus trabajos incluyen dibujos en papel y en tela cortados y cosidos a mano, esculturas realizadas con su propio cabello, tela y materiales vegetales, así como obras en vivo en las que utiliza su voz como material.
La práctica creativa de Nicole está arraigada en el re-cuerdo y la re-colección de sus conocimientos ancestrales, incluyendo la adivinación con la borra del café y, más recientemente, el trabajo con esencias de plantas y flores para el cuidado y la sanación comunitaria.
Nicole’s creative practice is rooted in re-membering and re-gathering her ancestral knowing, including coffee divination and more recently working with plants and flower essences for community care and healing.
Sus trabajos incluyen dibujos en papel y en tela cortados y cosidos a mano, esculturas realizadas con su propio cabello, tela y materiales vegetales, así como obras en vivo en las que utiliza su voz como material.
La práctica creativa de Nicole está arraigada en el re-cuerdo y la re-colección de sus conocimientos ancestrales, incluyendo la adivinación con la borra del café y, más recientemente, el trabajo con esencias de plantas y flores para el cuidado y la sanación comunitaria.
Nicole’s creative practice is rooted in re-membering and re-gathering her ancestral knowing, including coffee divination and more recently working with plants and flower essences for community care and healing.
Clone of Snippet FEA Environments Of Shelter (FR)
Metzineres fournit les types de soutien suivants, connus sous le nom de
Environnements d'abri :
 La Couverture
|
 La puissante
|
 Le lierre
|
 Le hurlement
|
Production et entrepreneuriat |
 L’Artisan·e
|
Barbara Lezama
Clone of Snippet FEA Title Menu (FR)
Les Économies Féministes
QUE NOUS ADORONS
ÉCONOMIES DES SOINS AGROÉCOLOGIE ET SOUVERAINETÉ ALIMENTAIRECOOPÉRATIVISME FÉMINISTESYNDICALISME FÉMINISTE
Aïssata Kane
Aïssata Kane, también conocida afectuosamente como «Yaye Kadia»” [«Madre Kadia»], fue una feminista comprometida, durante toda su vida, con la defensa de los derechos de las mujeres africanas y, en especial, mauritanas.
En 1975 fue la primera mujer en ocupar el cargo de Ministra de Protección Familiar y Asuntos Sociales, puesto desde el cual Aïssata trabajó fervientemente para mejorar el estatus de las mujeres de su país.
Este trabajo incluyó el fomento de la educación de niñas y mujeres, la lucha contra la práctica de alimentación forzada de mujeres jóvenes, la incidencia para la inclusión de una legislación sobre derechos maritales, y la promoción de la creación de un cupo de representación femenino en el Parlamento.
«[Aïssata] materializaba todas sus pasiones con humildad, valentía y determinación. No quería molestar a nadie con su lucha en todos estos frentes simultáneos.» - Ball Halimata Dem, sobrina de Aïssata
Fundó la Unión Nacional de Mujeres de Mauritania (UNFM), creando y publicando con otras activistas Marienou, una revista dedicada a la emancipación de las mujeres mauritanas. Aïssata también dirigió varias organizaciones subregionales y locales, por ejemplo, como Presidenta de la Asociación Internacional de Mujeres Francófonas (AIFF) y, como firme ecologista, fue Presidenta de la Asociación para la Protección del Medio Ambiente de Mauritania (APEM).
En 2018, recibió el Premio a la Mujer Pionera, en honor a su trabajo para la promoción del estatus de las mujeres de Mauritania y como reconocimiento de su fuerte liderazgo y su sentido de la innovación.
Aïssata falleció el 10 de agosto de 2019.
