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.
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Snippet Opening Dance Performance EN
Will there be accessibility measures at the Forum?
In short, yes! AWID is currently working with an Accessibility Committee to ensure that the Forum is as accessible as possible. We are also conducting an accessibility audit of the Forum venue, surrounding hotels and transportation. Detailed information about accessibility at the AWID Forum will be available in this section before the registration opens. Meanwhile, for any questions please contact us.
Snippet She is on her way_Fest (ES)
Sesión plenaria:
"Ella está en camino":
Alternativas, feminismos y otro mundo
Felogene Anumo, AWID
Dr. Vandana Shiva, India
Dr. Dilar Dirik, Kurdistan
Nana Akosua Hanson, Ghana
Consol Casals
كان من المفترض أن أشارك أنا أو مجموعتي في المنتدى الذي تم إلغاؤه بسبب الجائحة، كيف يمكنني المشاركة في هذا المنتدى؟
سنعيد التواصل مع الشركاء/ الشريكات السابقين/ات لضمان احترام الجهود السابقة. إذا تغيرت معلومات الاتصال الخاصة بك منذ آخر عملية للمنتدى، فيرجى تحديثنا حتى نتمكن من الوصول إليك.
Snippet Day 14_Fest (FR)
L’histoire derrière Crear, Résister, Transform
Coumba Toure
Discours de clôture: Et maintenant, où allons-nous?
Cindy Clark, AWID
Fem Joy: Fête de clôture!
DJ Miss Ray
DJ Luana Flores
Phoenix Inana
Rosa Helena Bernal Pinto
Rapport Annuel 2012

Notre rapport annuel 2012 fournit les points saillants de notre travail durant l'année pour contribuer de manière hardie, créative et efficace à la promotion des droits des femmes et l'égalité de genre dans le monde entier.
Amusez-vous en regardant des vidéos, des photos et des histoires sur nos contributions !
كيف يمكنني تمويل مشاركتي في منتدى جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية؟
إذا كانت مجموعتك أو مؤسستك تتلقى تمويلًا، فقد ترغب في مناقشة الأمر مع الممول/ة الخاص بك الآن إذا كان قادرًا على دعم سفرك ومشاركتك في المنتدى. تخطط العديد من المؤسسات لميزانياتها للعام المقبل في وقت مبكر من عام 2023، لذا من الأفضل عدم تأخير هذه المحادثة للعام المقبل.
Snippet Festival In Review - Presentation (EN)
A Festival For Feminist Movements
Do you want to be inspired by the creative resistance strategies of feminists from all over the world? Do you want to discover feminist initiatives that show us how we can all live in a more just world? Do you want to learn about models of feminist care and healing to bring to your own community? Is that a resounding yes that we hear? YES!
Then check out Crear | Résister | Transform: a festival for feminist movements. This festival took place virtually throughout the month of September 2021 across all of AWID’s platforms, and now you can experience it on your own time.
The Festival was a multicultural and multilingual experience.
The panelists participated in their preferred language and at AWID we included subtitles on the videos for your accessibility.
Charlotte Schaer
Seismic shifts: A year of completion, transition and reflection | Annual report 2017

The past five years have been huge for AWID.
We have contributed to some major victories, like expanding the women’s rights funding landscape with ground-breaking, far-reaching research and advocacy. At the same time, we have experienced some devastating setbacks, including the assassination of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) like Berta Cacares of Honduras, Gauri Lankesh of India and Marielle Franco of Brazil, as well as the rise of anti-rights mobilizing in human rights spaces.
Five years ago, we committed to our movement-building role by producing knowledge on anti-rights movement trends, as well as on issues that feminists often engage with less, like illicit financial flows. We advocated side by side with our movement partners, strengthening young feminist and inter-generational activism, and expanding the holistic protection of WHRDs. As we close out the strategic plan, we are proud of our accomplishments and our growth as an organization. We end 2017 with renewed commitment, insights and learning for the continued struggle ahead!
هل تختلف عملية التقديم الافتراضية عن عملية التقديم الشخصية؟
ليس هناك اختلاف، نفس الطريقة ونفس الموعد النهائي. يرجى استخدام نفس النموذج لإرسال مقترحك سواء كان ذلك شخصيًا أو عبر الإنترنت أو كليهما (هجين).
Hande Kader
Snippet Relive the Festival_Fest (EN)
Relive the Festival
Vale Lesley Hall
2020: Annual Report
For many of us, 2020 was an especially challenging year due to the global health pandemic. Feminists and activists rose to the new challenges meeting community needs in innovative ways. Here are 5 highlights of how AWID contributed to feminist co-creation and resistance.
Watch our Annual Report Video below
ماذا لو لم أتمكن من الحضور شخصيا؟ هل ستكون الفعالية هجينة؟
نعم! نحن نستكشف حاليًا تقنيات مبتكرة للسماح بالاتصال والمشاركة الهادفين.
Sherly Montoya
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IM Defensoras: Hate crime against Sherly Montoya, LGTTBI defender and member of Transexual Women´s Group “Muñecas de Arcoiris”
