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

Y aura-t-il des mesures d’accessibilité au Forum ?

En un mot : oui ! L’AWID collabore actuellement avec un Comité d’accessibilité pour veiller à ce que le Forum soit aussi accessible que possible. Nous évaluons actuellement également l’accessibilité du lieu où se tiendra le Forum, des hôtels alentours et des transports. Des informations détaillées sur l’accessibilité lors du Forum de l’AWID seront disponibles dans cette section avant l’ouverture des inscriptions. Si vous avez des questions d’ici là, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter.

Snippet Day 14_Fest (EN)

The Crear, Résister, Transform Story

Coumba Toure

watch video


Closing Remarks: Where do we go to from here?

Cindy Clark, AWID

watch video


Fem Joy: Closing Party

DJ Miss Ray
DJ Luana Flores
Phoenix Inana

¿En qué temas trabaja AWID?

AWID trabaja para lograr la justicia de género y la realización de los derechos de las mujeres de todo el mundo.

Trabajamos para fortalecer las voces y el impacto de lxs activistas, organizaciones y movimientos por los derechos de las mujeres.

Las áreas prioritarias de AWID se relacionan con temas estrechamente vinculados con tendencias globales dominantes. Estos temas reflejan los crecientes desafíos que afectan negativamente a los derechos de las mujeres en todo el mundo.

  • Justicia Económica
  • Recursos para los Derechos de las Mujeres
  • Desafiando los Fundamentalismos Religiosos
  • Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos
  • Activismo Joven Feminista

Más información sobre las áreas prioritarias de AWID

أنا ممول/ة أو مانح/ة فردي/ة. كيف يمكنني دعم منتدى جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية؟

ندعوك للتواصل معنا بشأن طرق المشاركة الهادفة في المنتدى.

Snippet intro text_Festival (EN)

¡Nuestro festival tuvo 130 presentadorxs, facilitadorxs y artistas, de 43 países, a lo largo de más de 40 sesiones!

Produisez-vous un rapport annuel ?

Oui. Nous produisons un rapport annuels.

Tous nos rapports annuels sont accessibles sur notre site web.

Voir les rapport annuels de l'AWID

هل تقدم جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية منح لحضور المنتدى؟

سيقدم صندوق الوصول الخاص بنا عددًا محدودًا من المنح الدراسية لتمويل مشاركة النشطاء/ الناشطات الذين/ اللواتي لا يستطيعون القيام بذلك، وليس لديهم/ن علاقات مع الممولين/ات الذين/ اللواتي يمكنهم/ن تغطية مشاركتهم/ن. لذلك إذا كان لديك احتمالات أخرى، يرجى استكشافها. سنبذل قصارى جهدنا لتقديم أكبر عدد ممكن من المنح الدراسية، وسنشارك المزيد من المعلومات حول هذه العملية وكيفية التقديم لاحقًا في أوائل العام 2024.

Snippet SM CTA_Fest (ES)

Síguenos en las redes sociales y comparte sus momentos favoritos de nuestro festival:

Facebook: @AWIDWomensRights
Instagram: @awidwomensrights
Twitter ES: @awid_es
LinkedIn: Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

I am writing a research paper. Can AWID help me?

AWID provides a wealth of resources to help your research.

We invite you to explore the Priority Areas and Stay Informed sections of our website, or use the search function to find information about the specific topics you are researching.

We particularly recommend that you explore our toolkit “Where is the Money for Women’s Rights” (WITM Toolkit). This is a Do-it-Yourself Research methodology to support individuals and organizations who want to conduct their own research on funding trends for a particular region, issue or population by adapting AWID’s research methodology.

Explore the WITM Toolkit

لقد تقدمت بطلب للمشاركة في المنتدى السابق، هل أحتاج إلى إعادة التقديم؟

نعم من فضلك. لقد تغير العالم منذ عام 2021 ونحن ندعوك لتقديم مقترح يعكس واقعك وأولوياتك الحالية.

Snippet Video C&H (FR)

2005: se celebra el segundo Diálogo de Alto Nivel

Segundo Diálogo de Alto Nivel sobre la Financiación para el Desarrollo

Las naciones ‘en desarrollo’ exhortaron a que se tuvieran en cuenta los desafíos globales así como las necesidades y posibilidades locales en la interacción con diferentes grupos (mujeres, jóvenes, personas con discapacidad, etc.) para abordar las temáticas identificadas en el Consenso de Monterrey.

มีมาตราการอย่างไรในการปกป้องด้านสาธารณสุขและควบคุมการระบาดของโรคโควิด19

เราจับตาดูเรื่องนี้และความเสี่ยงอื่นๆอย่างระมัดระวัง และจะนำเสนอข้อมูลด้านสุขภาพและความปลอดภัยที่คลอบคลุมเมื่อมีการเปิดให้ลงทะเบียน เพื่อให้คุณสามารถตัดสินใจได้อย่างมีข้อมูล มากกว่านั้นการจัดประชุมแบบสองรูปแบบ(ออนไลน์และกายภาพ)ถูกออกแบบให้ให้เกิดการมีส่วนร่วมอย่างมีความหมายสำหรับผู้เข้าร่วมที่เลือกจะไม่เดินทาง หรือผู้เข้าร่วมที่ไม่สามารถเดินทางได้

Snippet FEA Tanta Gente sem casa (EN)

A graphic with green feather patterns on a beige background, text on it in Portuguese says “Tanta Gente sem casa. tanta casa sem gente” which means "So many people without a home,  so many homes without people"

So many people without a home, so many homes without people.