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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

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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

Type

So'oalo Roger

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Droits des LGBTQI
Region
Pacifique
Cause of death / disappearance

Naturelle

So'oalo était une fervente défenseure des droits humains, notamment en ce qui concerne les droits de la communauté LGBTQI dans le Pacifique.

Elle était membre de la Samoa Fa’afafine Association (SFA) et militait avec passion pour la reconnaissance d’un troisième genre dans le pays insulaire. Sous sa direction, la SFA a fait pression pour la reconnaissance du bien-fondé des droits de la communauté des fa’afafine et leur respect.

Elle a également été une pionnière dans l’articulation des liens entre les droits humains, l’exploitation des fa’afafines à Samoa et dans le Pacifique et la santé, le bien-être et la sécurité de la communauté LGBTQI.

Inspirante et visionnaire, on se souviendra de son dévouement admirable au service des droits de sa communauté.

 

So'oalo Roger, Samoa

هل استطيع تعبئة الاستطلاع خارج KOBO ومشاركتكم/ن الأجوبة عن طريق البريد الالكتروني؟

ما لم تكن هناك مشكلات في إمكانية الوصول و/أو إذا كنت تملأ/ئي الاستبيان بلغات أخرى، فإننا نشجعك بشدة على استخدام KOBO لجمع وتحليل البيانات الموحدة للاستطلاع.

Sara AbuGhazal

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Biography

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

 

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Snippet FEA different lines of work S4 (FR)

Lignes de travail :

CONTRE

Mariam Uy Acob

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Civil & Political Rights
Region
Pacific
Cause of death / disappearance

Killed

Mariam was a paralegal at the Kawagib Moro Human Rights Alliance. 

Mariam was a staunch critic of militarization in Moro communities, and consistently denounced aerial bombardment and encampment. She had to seek sanctuary after exposing and calling out the injustices committed against Muslim communities in the Philippines.

She is believed to have been killed by suspected military agents because of her work as a WHRD. The assailants who killed Mariam waited for her, caught up with the vehicle she was using and shot her seven times. 

 

Mariam Uy Acob, Philippines

Будет ли у меня возможность поделиться мыслями по вопросам, которые не учтены в опросе?

Да, в конце опроса мы попросим вас поделиться более подробной информацией по важным для вас аспектам, ответив на открытые вопросы.

Salome Chagelishvili

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Biography

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.

 

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Snippet FEA Wage Parity (EN)

Illustration of two a pair of white-skinned people in glasses, to the left in the background is a mand and to the right at the forefront is a woman. The background is turquoise.

WAGE PARITY

Reason to join 2

Find and create connections. There are over 9,000 AWID members, all working to address complementary, interconnected issues. This diversity supports the sustainability of feminist movements and actors.

Florence Adong-Ewoo

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Category
Derechos económicos, sociales y culturales
Region
África
África Subsahariana
Cause of death / disappearance

Accidente

Florence fue una activista por los derechos de las personas con discapacidad que trabajó con varias organizaciones de mujeres con discapacidad en Uganda.

También ocupó la Dirección del Distrito de Lira de la Asociación de Mujeres con Discapacidad, así como del foro de Consejeras Mujeres del Distrito de Lira. Formada como consejera para personas con discapacidad y para madres y padres de niñxs con discapacidad, apoyó muchos proyectos que reclamaban mayor representación de las personas con discapacidad.

Murió en un accidente de motocicleta.

 

Florence Adong-Ewoo, Uganda

Como é que os dados recolhidos através do questionário serão divulgados e processados?

Os dados serão processados para fins estatísticos para esclarecer o estado de financiamento dos movimentos feministas globalmente e serão divulgados apenas em forma agregada. A AWID não divulgará informações sobre uma organização específica ou informações que permitam identificar uma organização através da respetiva localização ou características sem o respetivo consentimento comprovado.

Patience Chabururuka

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Biography

Patience is a global human resources professional with over a decade of experience in human resources (HR) management in the not-for-profit sector. Patience previously worked at Mercy Corps as the Global HR Officer for Africa supporting the full employee life cycle for expatriates in the Eastern and Southern African region and provided HR technical guidance to Human Resources leaders in country offices within the African region. Before joining the global people team, she was the Country Human Resources and Safeguarding Focal Point, she was part of the senior management team leading on all human resources and safeguarding matters. Prior to Mercy Corps she led the HR and Operations department at SNV Netherlands Development Organization and was a member of the country management team. She also has HR Consultancy experience which she gained while she was still studying for her BSc Honors degree in Human Resource Management. She has a passion for HR, loves working with people and she takes wellbeing and safeguarding as her core values and in her professional work. As someone who loves sports, you can also find Patience at the basketball court, the tennis court or on the soccer field.

Position
Human Resources Coordinator
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Snippet FEA Map of Spain Union Otras (ES)

Fondo mostaza con mapa de España en rosa y pin amarillo de la ubicación del Sindicato Otras;

Solidarity: membership why page

Solidaridad

Nos solidarizamos unxs con otrxs, y con las distintas luchas por la justicia y las libertades. Procuramos movilizar y fortalecer la acción colectiva, y practicamos formas significativas de trabajar en conjunto.

Nadine Ramaroson

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Category
Droits économiques, sociaux et culturels
Region
Afrique
Afrique subsaharienne
Cause of death / disappearance

Accident

Son soutien aux femmes et aux personnes les plus vulnérables de sa communauté a fait que Nadine était un modèle pour beaucoup. Elle était déterminée à aider les pauvres et les sans-abri en particulier.

Bien que sa mort ait été déclarée comme étant accidentelle, la famille Ramaroson, sur l’initiative de son père André Ramaroson, a mené une enquête qui a mis en évidence des preuves de son assassinat. Elle serait décédée dans un accident mortel survenu entre Soanierano - Ivongo et Ste Marie - une histoire qui a été réfutée par sa famille. Elle avait reçu de nombreuses menaces de mort pour ses positions politiques résolues. L’affaire est toujours en cours auprès des tribunaux à Antananarivo (la capitale de Madagascar).

 

Nadine Ramaroson, Madagascar

حالة التمويل للحركات النسوية ووقائعها تتغير بسرعة. هل هذا الاستطلاع لمرة واحدة؟

كلا. يبني هذا الاستطلاع على المعلومات التي حشدتها جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية حول كيفية الحصول على تمويل أكبر وأفضل للحركات النسوية وحركات التغيير الاجتماعي وهذه الدورة الثالثة لاستطلاع "أين التمويل للتنظيمات النسوية". نهدف للقيام بالاستطلاع مرة كل ثلاثة أعوام.