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.

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AWID in 2016: Co-Creating Feminist Futures

AWID is pleased to share our 2016 Annual Report.

2016 was an incredible year for AWID, we convened the 13th International AWID Forum in Bahia, Brazil, a space for strategizing and alliance building with feminists and other justice movements, which was attended by over 1800 participants from 120 countries and territories across the globe.

We know that women’s rights and feminist movements are key actors in creating sustainable transformative change. Within our movements, organizing, resisting and responding to the challenging context is sharpening, and in our increasingly connected world, the potential for collective action across diverse movements has dramatically grown.

This is the crucial work that AWID seeks to amplify and support every day.


What we achieved in 2016

We expanded solidarity and joint action across diverse movements

A highlight of 2016 was our ground-breaking 13th International Forum with the theme: “Feminist Futures: Building Collective Power for Rights and Justice”, where we harnessed the thinking and energy of nearly 500 partners, presenters, panelists, moderators, artivists, writers, facilitators, IT innovators, and performers, many of them leaders in their movements. We also supported the convening of the first and historical Black Feminisms Forum (BFF) organised by a working group of Black Feminists from across the world.

We strengthened knowledge of issues and strategies

We contributed to collective advocacy

AWID, in partnership with other feminist and women’s rights organisations, engaged in advocacy and dialogue to explore better solutions for women’s rights agendas including our work with the Count Me In! consortium .

We increased the visibility of movements

The experiences of women with disabilities, Black and Afro-descendant women, sex workers, Indigenous women, trans and intersex people, domestic workers and how their lives are impacted by multiple oppressions and violence were placed front and center of the Forum process.

We also launched the 2016 WHRD Tribute to commemorate defenders who are no longer with us, during the 16 Days of activism, and thanks to the contributions from our members,

We drove attention to groups and issues that do not usually receive adequate mainstream media coverage through our partnership with The Guardian and Mama Cash.


Our members

 

Snippet Kohl - Panel: Pleasure Across Borders | AR

Panel: Pleasure Across Borders

حلقة نقاش | التمتّع عبر الحدود 
مع لينديوي راسيكوالا وليزي كياما وجوفانا دروديفيتش ومَلَكة جران

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2021: Feminist Power in Action

In 2021, AWID, along with many other organizations, was coming to grips with the implications of the on-going global pandemic for how we work and our role in this particular time. The year taught us three critical lessons about navigating this moment as a global feminist movement-support organization.

Download the full 2021 Annual review


English language cover for the 2021 AWID Annual Report. It shows a collage of protests fists raised, along with flowers and a silhouette of a person with short hair in the back.

Through dialogue and exchanges critical to their work, AWID connected thousands to feminists from around the world.

Our experience in 2021 reaffirmed the importance of building and sustaining a global feminist community, and AWID’s core mission to support feminist movements as a whole. We believe that at this moment, a strong community bound by a shared vision and collective care is the foundation of all social change and transformation.

Download the full 2021 Annual review

#10 - Sexting like a feminist Tweets Snippet AR

أحبّ الاستمتاع بقليل من الشِعر من حين إلى آخر…

Roses are red, violets are blue, the revolution is coming and so are you

حمراء هي القلوب وزرقاء هي الهدوب هياج ستشهده الشعوب ونشوة ستُنسينا العيوب

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#MeToo en China

#MeToo en China

La exhibición «#MeToo in China» fue inaugurada en 2019 y recorrió cinco ciudades. Su objetivo es dar mayor prominencia a las experiencias personales de lxs víctimas y lxs activistas, para inspirar al público a unirse a la lucha a través del contacto con estas historias. La exposición misma se ha convertido en parte de la lucha #MeToo: ha debido enfrentar desafíos en su itinerario por toda China y, en más de una ocasión, fue amenazada con la clausura.

Visitar la exposición

Margarita Salas Guzmán

Biography

Margarita is a feminist and LGBTIQA activist from Latin America; her passion is social transformation and collective wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Communications and Public Administration, as well as certificates in Public Policy, Leadership, Management & Decision Making. In her professional capacity, Margarita has had extensive experience with grassroots organizations, national and regional NGOs, universities and the public sector, developing facilitation, capacity building, political advocacy, communications & policy assessment.

Position
Special Projects Manager
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Ika Vantiani Snippet FR

Ika Vantiani

Ika Vantiani est une artiste, conservatrice et créatrice indonésienne basée à Jakarta. Ses œuvres explorent l'idée d'être une femme dans la société d'aujourd'hui où médias et consommation sont inextricablement liés. Ika utilise le principe du collage et l'étend à des ateliers, des installations et au street art. Ika est membre de collectifs d'artistes dont Micro Galleries, The Collage Club et It's In Your Hands Collective.

Visiter l’exposition

Le processus de proposition d’activités en ligne est-il différent de celui des activités en présentiel ?

Le processus et la date limite de soumission sont exactement les mêmes. Merci d’utiliser le même formulaire, que l’activité proposée ait lieu en personne, en ligne ou un mélange des deux (format hybride).

Sara AbuGhazal

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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Our partners

This project is built in collaboration with:

Logo for African Women's Development and Communication Network
Logo for Rutgers Center for Women's Global Leadership

CFA 2023 - Intro FAQ - thai

การประชุมนานาชาติ AWID ครั้งที่ 15

เวทีการประชุมนานาชาติ AWID เป็นทั้งกิจกรรมชุมชนระดับโลกและพื้นที่ของการเปลี่ยนแปลงของปัจเจก บุคคลอย่างสิ้นเชิง เป็นการประชุมที่ไม่เหมือนใคร คือเป็นที่รวบรวมนักสตรีนิยม นักปกป้องสิทธิสตรี ความยุติธรรมทางเพศ LBTQI+ และพันธมิตรในขบวนการเคลื่อนไหวเพื่อมนุษยชาติอันหลากหลาย เพื่อเชื่อมต่อ เยียวยาและเติบโต     เวทีนานาชาตินี้เป็นพื้นที่ที่นักสตรีนิยมจากทั่วทุกมุมโลก รวมถึงจากประเทศในกลุ่มโลกใต้ และชุมชนชายขอบที่ไม่ได้รับการเหลียวแลมาอย่างยาวนาน เป็นศูนย์กลางในการวาง ยุทธศาสตร์ร่วมกัน และเคลื่อนไหวเพื่อความยุติธรรมทางสังคม เพื่อเปลี่ยนอำนาจ สร้างพันธมิตร และ สร้างโลกที่แตกต่างและดีขึ้น

เมื่อผู้คนทั่วโลกมารวมตัวกันทั้งในฐานะปัจเจกบุคคลและองค์กรเคลื่อนไหว เราสามารถสร้างพลังอันยิ่งใหญ่ จึงขอเชิญท่านร่วมกิจกรรมกับเราที่กรุงเทพฯ ประเทศไทยในปี 2567  มาร้องเพลง เต้นรำ วาดฝัน และลุกขึ้นพร้อมกัน

วันที่:        2–5 ธันวาคม 2567
สถานที่:     กรุงเทพฯ ประเทศไทย; และทางออนไลน์
ผู้เข้าร่วม: นักสตรีนิยมจากทั่วโลกเข้าร่วมด้วยตนเอง ณ สถานที่จัดงานประมาณ  2,500 คน และเข้าร่วม
ทางออนไลน์ 3,000 คน

Salome Chagelishvili

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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