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

Clone of Clone of CFA 2023 - Hybrid like never before: in person - ES

Híbrido como nunca antes

Por primera vez, el Foro de AWID ofrece tres modos de participación:

Participación presencial

Lxs participantes se reunirán en Bangkok, Tailandia. ¡No podemos esperar!

#6 - Sexting like a feminist Tweets Snippet FR

Toujours être volontaire à explorer de nouvelles expériences!

Image of a tweet with the photo of American tv Host Steve Harvey. Text says - Me: Sir, have you tried pegging? Him: No, I haven't. Me: Think about it, cuz I would love to screw you the way the workplaces screw employees out of a livable wage.

Moi : Monsieur, avez-vous essayé le pegging?
Lui : Non, madame.
Moi : Pensez-y, parce que j’aimerais bien vous baiser comme ces entreprises qui baisent leur personnel pour un salaire à peine minimum.

Snippet - COP30 Join thousands CTAs - FR

Rejoignez des milliers des personnes qui exigent une véritable justice climatique :

Suivez la campagne: 

Instagram| BlueSky

Rejoignez-nous

Devenir membre| Rejoignez notre communauté

Ne ratez rien des actualités

Abonnez-vous pour les actualités

Des questions ?
Contactez : communications @ awid.org

CFA 2023 - Submit application card - thai

เรายินดีรับข้อเสนอกิจกรรมจากหลากหลายสาขาที่เชื่อมโยงกับแนวคิดสตรีนิยมและความยุติธรรมทางเพศ ในแบบฟอร์มใบสมัครนั้น ท่านจะสามารถทำเครื่องหมายเลือกประเด็นหลักที่เหมาะกับกิจกรรมของท่านได้ มากกว่าหนึ่งหัวข้อ

ส่งใบสมัคร

Zuhour Mahmoud | Snippet EN

Portrait of Zuhour Mahmoud

Zuhour Mahmoud is the Communication Strategist at Kohl. She is a writer and an editor, and an occasional DJ based in Berlin. Her work focuses on critical approaches to music, technology and politics and their life cycles within the digital sphere.

Snippet 3 - What's happening at HRC61 Intro

Expected Resolutions Relevant to Gender and Sexuality

  • The rights of the child (EU & GRULAC)

  • Birth registration and the right of all to recognition as a person before the law (Mexico, Turkiye)

  • Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to non-discrimination in this context (Germany, Finland)

  • Negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights (Non-Aligned Movement)

  • Effects of foreign debt and other international  financial obligations on the enjoyment of human rights (mandate renewal) (Cuba)

  • Rights of persons with disabilities, digital technologies, and inclusive disability infrastructure (Mexico, New Zealand)

  • Rights of the child (focus: Children in armed conflict) (Uruguay on behalf of a group of States from Latin America and the Caribbean and European Union)

  • Right to work (Egypt, Greece)

  • Right to food (Cuba)

  • Promotion of the enjoyment of cultural rights of all and respect for cultural diversity (Cuba)

  • Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)

  • Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)

  •  Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in the occupied Syrian Golan (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)

Forum 2024 - FAQ - General Information ES

Información general

La comunicación del deseo | Small Snippet ES

La comunicación del deseo

y otras praxis políticas del cuerpo

Tendemos a pensar en la comunicación del deseo como algo circunscrito a la intimidad de la alcoba y nuestras relaciones personales. Sin embargo, ¿podemos también pensar este tipo de comunicación como una estructura, una práctica que nutre nuestro trabajo, y cómo somos, y cómo actuamos en el mundo?

Leer más

Forum 2024 - FAQ - Accessibility and Health ES

Accesibilidad y Salud

Transnational Embodiments | Small Snippet AR

التجسيدات العابرة للحدود

نصدر النسخة هذه من المجلة بالشراكة مع «كحل: مجلة لأبحاث الجسد والجندر»، وسنستكشف عبرها الحلول والاقتراحات وأنواع الواقع النسوية لتغيير عالمنا الحالي وكذلك أجسادنا وجنسانياتنا.

استكشف المجلة

Body

Snippet - WD2026 - Fiji_Georgia Link - FR

Pendant Women Deliver, des Movement Hubs aux Fidji et en Géorgie conçoivent leurs propres programmes, ancrés dans leurs communautés, afin de se connecter virtuellement à la Conférence Women Deliver. En savoir plus sur leur programme !

Cela vous intéresse d’accueillir des Movement Hubs pour d’autres événements mondiaux de mouvements et des espaces de dialogue politique ? Contactez l’équipe Adhésions de l’AWID : membership @ awid.org

Y a-t-il un format privilégié pour les sessions d’activités ?

L’Appel à activités énumère plusieurs formats et méthodologies pour le déroulé des activités. Faites preuve de créativité et assurez-vous d’avoir lu la section « Ce qu’il faut savoir » avant de commencer.