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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

Read in: English French Spanish

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.

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Love letter to Feminist Movements #6

On love to a movement

Kraft paper envelop that says Love letters to feminist movements from Sara AbuGhazal

How does a movement start?
we get expelled by ghosts from a house, a family, and a nation
we arrive fatigued to a space (sometimes an actual address) but mainly to a state of being
preceded by a fallen star 
perhaps our arrival isn’t accompanied by fatigue, 
maybe accompanied by fear 
perhaps our arrival isn’t accompanied by fear 
maybe accompanied by anger 
from issues that keep on repeating themselves: 
a stab in the heart (read heartache) 
a bullet in the back (read betrayal) 
forced disappearances 
bodies sentenced by marriage, disfiguration, and chronic fatigue 
yet when we arrive, we gather, whisper, speak and weep. 
This is how our movements begin when we arrive at each other 
We become seeds,
This is how our movements start when we plant each other
Becoming flowers, sometimes just thorns, sometimes fruits,
we are each other’s oasis
to sing for the battles 
to make remedies 
to place the faces of our lovers, the shape of their smiles, the sound of their laughter 
the secret of turning silences into language
the detailed instructions of witches
our movement is: for all of us
when we arrive as seeds with the purpose of flowering. 

Sara AbuGhazal
www.badiya.blog

Snippet2 - WCFM Explore and share - EN

Explore and share the databases with your network now!

Quand pourrai-je m'inscrire au Forum ? Combien coûte l'inscription ? Que comprennent les frais d'inscription ?

Les inscriptions commenceront début 2024. Nous annoncerons bientôt la date exacte et les tarifs d'inscription. L'inscription comprendra la participation au Forum, et inclura le déjeuner et les collations (le petit-déjeuner sera fourni par les hôtels), ainsi qu’un dîner sur place.

ours chapter 4 es

Capítulo 4

Actores anti-derechos

Una red compleja de actores anti-derechos, en constante evolución, está ejerciendo cada vez más influencia en los espacios internacionales y en las políticas nacionales. Respaldados a menudo por financiaciones poco transparentes, estos actores construyen alianzas tácticas sobre distintos temas y cruzando diferentes regiones y credos para aumentar su impacto.

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Stacey Park Milbern

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Civil & Political Rights
Region
North America
Date of birth
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Natural

“I do not know a lot about spirituality or what happens when we die, but my crip queer Korean life makes me believe that our earthly bodyminds is but a fraction, and not considering our ancestors is electing only to see a glimpse of who we are.” - Stacey Park Milbern

Stacey Park Milbern was a self-identifying queer disabled woman of colour and a trailblazer. A long-standing and respected organizer and leader in the disability rights and justice movement, she also advocated for the rights of many different communities, not just her own. Stacey’s activism had mighty roots in her experience at the intersections of gender, disability, sexuality and race.

Stacey, along with some friends, co-created the Disability Justice Culture Club, a group working to support various and especially vulnerable communities, including helping homeless people gain access to resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She was also a co-producer of an impact campaign for Netflix’s documentary “Crip Camp”, a board member of the WITH Foundation, and led organizations at local, state and national levels. Stacey wrote beautifully and powerfully:

“My ancestors are people torn apart from loves by war and displacement. It’s because of them I know the power of building home with whatever you have, wherever you are, whoever you are with. My ancestors are queers who lived in the American South. It’s because of them I understand the importance of relationships, place and living life big, even if it is dangerous. All of my ancestors know longing. Longing is often our connecting place...” - Stacey Park Milbern

She was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in North Carolina, later  continuing her journey in the San Francisco Bay Area. Stacey passed away of complications from surgery on her 33rd birthday on 19 May 2020. 

Read an essay by Stacey Park Milbern
Listen to an interview with Stacey Park Milbern
#StaceyTaughtUs: Record your story for the Disability Visibility Project

Tributes:

“She was, a lot of people would say, a leader. She kind of encompassed all of it. You know, sometimes there's like a lead from the front, lead from the middle, lead from the back. And she was just somehow able to do all of that.” - Andraéa LaVant, disability rights activist

“What a blow to lose Stacey when our communities need her leadership more than ever, and at a time when her strength, insight, and grit were receiving increased recognition outside of disability circles, giving her a greater platform to advance her life’s work...We will not have the gift of learning where her charismatic leadership would have taken us. But let there be no doubt: What Stacey gave us, in a relatively short time, will continue benefiting others for years to come.” - Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

Annonce: Forum AWID 2024

Image avec les mots: annonce: forum awid 2024. L'arrière-plan a une photo pâle du public lors du forum précédent et a un dégradé qui va du violet à gauche au jaune à droite.

Il est temps pour le prochain forum de l’AWID en 2024.

Lorsque des milliers de féministes se réunissent, nous créons une grande force de solidarité qui a le pouvoir de changer le monde. Le Forum de l’AWID sera pour nous un moment de repos et de guérison ensemble, de connexion au-delà des frontières et de découverte de nouvelles orientations stratégiques courageuses.

La date et le lieu seront annoncés l'année prochaine, dès que possible. Nous sommes ravi.es et nous savons que vous le serez aussi. Restez à l'écoute!

Assurez-vous de nous suivre sur les médias sociaux et de vous inscrire à notre liste de diffusion pour rester informé!

Clone of Snippet - Intro WITM - FR

Where is the Money for Feminist Organizing? Survey Results

Thanks to our global feminist community! From May to August 2024, nearly 1,200 organizations working for Women's rights, gender justice, and LBTQI+ equality shared their experiences in the WITM survey. The results offer a unique picture of how feminist movements are resourced and where gaps remain.

Stay tuned for the upcoming report for more analysis!
 

Learn more about the insights

What about the visas?

We are acutely aware of the practical hurdles and emotional distress associated with international travel, particularly from the Global South. AWID is working with TCEB (the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau) to support Forum participants with acquiring visas. More information about this visa assistance will be available upon registration, including contact information for where and how to apply.

Nos droits en danger : Il est temps d’agir (Rapport OURS 2021)

Rapport

Nos droits en danger : Il est temps d’agir – Rapport sur les tendances 2021 de l’Observatoire sur l’universalité des droits

Le tout dernier rapport de l’Observatoire sur l’universalité des droits (OURs) détricote les discours de « l’idéologie du genre », du « génocide prénatal » et de « l’impérialisme culturel ». Il creuse également la réalité de CitizenGo, de l’Alliance Defending Freedom et des flux de financement antidroits. Vous y trouverez, en outre, une analyse des systèmes régionaux des droits humains et des stratégies féministes victorieuses !

Obtenir le rapport

AWID at CSW67: a Portal to Feminist Power

Imagine opening a door which takes you into a conversation with feminist activists in other continents. This portal will transcend the barriers of UN CSW by pushing beyond language barriers, unaffordable travel, unequal protection from COVID19, and racist visa regimes.

This week, we’re putting a virtual spin on CSW by connecting and amplifying feminist activists' voices, to challenge the discriminatory barriers that limit participation and influence. By setting up connecting “portals” in New York City, Nairobi & Bangalore, we'll host a physical-virtual hybrid space for feminists to connect their struggles and build collective power.

Follow us to join the livestreams:

YouTube Facebook

And stay updated following us over:
Instagram Twitter

Graphic for the Announcement of AWID's participation in CSW 2023 with Portals

What are we covering? 

Day 1: March 6 - Accessibility

Day 2: March 7- Challenging Anti-Rights Actors And Corporations

Day 3: March 8 - Challenging Anti-Rights Actors And Corporations

Day 4: March 9- Reclaiming Multilateralism

Find the program for this week's activities here: 

Download full program here (PDF)

Bangalore Schedule (PNG)  Nairobi Schedule (PNG) New York City Schedule (PNG)

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Join the feminist movement reclaiming climate action from corporate capture

With 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists at last year's COP29, we're heading alongside other feminists to Belém, Brazil for COP30, from 10 November – 21 November 2025, where we will continue to denounce false solutions, call out corporate capture, demand that States uphold their commitments under the Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities and push for feminist economic alternatives.

$2.7 trillion for the military. $300 billion for climate justice. We're here to flip the script.

Actions Hubs Tools

Follow the campaign

Mi grupo o yo íbamos a participar en el Foro que fue cancelado debido a la pandemia, ¿cómo puedo participar en este Foro?

Volveremos a ponernos en contacto con contrapartes que hayan colaborado en el pasado, para asegurarnos de que se respetan los esfuerzos realizados.Si tus datos de contacto han cambiado desde el último proceso del Foro, por favor, actualízalos para que podamos contactarte.

Editor's Note | Lost For Words

Editor's Note

Lost For Words

When our embodied labor becomes profit in the hands of the systems we seek to dismantle, it is no wonder that our sexualities and pleasures are once again relegated to the sidelines – especially when they are not profitable enough. In many instances during the production of this issue, we asked ourselves what would happen if we refused to accommodate the essential services of capitalism. 

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Una estrategia, un mercado y nuevas voces: Las mujeres indígenas y los Foros AWID

Portada para Una estrategia, un mercado y nuevas voces: Las mujeres indígenas y los Foros AWID Historias

 

 

 

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.

Descarga esta historia

En sus propias voces: mira la entrevista con María Manuela Sequeira & Mónica Alemán

Conoce todas las historias Descarga el reporte completo

Snippet - COP30 - International Eco-Socialist Encounter - EN

International Eco-Socialist Encounter

Panels, workshops, plenaries and spaces for exchange between collectives, activists and organizations in struggle to collectively walk the path towards an agenda and a program of struggle for ecosocialism.

📅 November 8 - November 11, 2025
📍 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Register here

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Pour toute question supplémentaire, veuillez utiliser notre formulaire de contact. Nous continuerons d’actualiser ce document en fonction des questions que nous recevrons de votre part !

Snippet Kohl - Plenary | She is on her way: Alternatives, feminisms and another world

Plenary | She is on her way: Alternatives, feminisms and another world

with Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Dilar Dirik, and Nana Akosua Hanson.

YOUTUBE| SOUNDCLOUD