Mary Rivera
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.
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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.
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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;
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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:
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Mobilizing urgent responses of international solidarity for WHRDs at risk through our international and regional networks, and our active membership.
Related Content
Nana Abuelsoud
Biography
Nana is a feminist organizer and a reproductive rights and population policy researcher based in Egypt. She is a member of Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ), a member of the Advisory Board of the A Project in Lebanon, and a member of the Community Committee of Mama Cash. Nana holds an MSc in Public Health from KIT Institute and Vrije University in Amsterdam. In her work, she follows and contextualizes national population policies while building evidence that addresses modern eugenics, regressive international aid, and authoritarianism. Previously, she was part of the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and Ikhtyar Feminist Collective in Cairo.
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Snippet Elimination of Discrimination_Fest (ES)
La eliminación de la discriminación contra lxs trabajadorxs sexuales
Kay Thi Win, Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW)
Thin Pa Pa Htun, Aye Myanmar Association
Xiao Shuang, Northeast Transgender Support Network
Cathy Ketepa, Friends Frangipani Inc. PNG
Rajeshwari Prajapati, Society for Women Awareness Nepal (SWAN)
How did AWID get started?
AWID began in 1982 and has grown and transformed since then into a truly global organization.
Find out more:
Read From WID to GAD to Women's Rights: The First 20 Years of AWID
ฟอรัมจะถูกจัดขึ้นเมื่อไร และที่ไหน
2-5 ธันวาคม 2567 กรุงเทพ ประเทศไทย! เราจะรวมตัวกันที่ศูนย์การประชุมแห่งชาติสิริกิติ์และจัดให้มีการประชุมแบบเสมือนจริงออนไลน์ไปพร้อมกันด้วย
Snippet Feminist Art Walk_fest (FR)
Promenade Artistique Féministe
Dans le cadre de notre engagement à nouer des liens plus profonds avec des artistes via nos pratiques de co-création de Réalités Féministes, AWID a collaboré avec un Groupe de Travail Artistique visant à faire progresser et à renforcer les programmes et réalités féministes, dans les communautés et mouvements via l’expression créative. Notre intention ici est de rassembler des féministes créatifs·ves dans un espace puissant et audacieux pour grandir et vivre librement, et briser les récits toxiques en les remplaçant par des alternatives transformatrices.
Juventina Villa Mojica
¿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
มีคนจำนวนมากกว่าหนึ่งคนในองค์กรของฉันวางแผนว่าจะเข้าร่วมฟอรัมนี้ มีส่วนลงสำหรับการลงทะเบียนแบบกลุ่มหรือไม่
AWID ไม่มีส่วนลดสำหรับการลงทะเบียนแบบกลุ่ม แต่เรามีส่วนลดสำหรับสมาชิก (คลิกที่นี่เพื่อดูวิธีการเข้าเป็นสมาชิก)
Snippet Feminist Art_Fest (EN)
Art féministe
Fakhra Yunus
Produisez-vous un rapport annuel ?
Oui. Nous produisons un rapport annuels.
Tous nos rapports annuels sont accessibles sur notre site web.
อะไรคือเกณฑ์ในการคัดเลือกกิจกรรม
สำหรับข้อมูลด้านนี้สามารถอ่านรายละเอียดได้ที่ เปิดรับสมัครกิจกรรม รวมถึงข้อมูลในหัวข้อ “สิ่งที่คุณต้องรู้”
Snippet Love Letters Intro (EN)
Love Letters to Feminist Movements
As you may or may not know, AWID is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2022 - around the themes of “Gather, Seed, and Disrupt.” To honor this occasion we have invited AWID members, partners and staff to write their own “Love Letter to Feminist Movements”. Together, we have sparked a constellation of feminist movements. Stay close as we forge on the journey ahead and continue to Gather, Seed, and Disrupt.
A note about Our Collection Of Love Letters:
All of these letters are written by activists who are sharing their diverse experiences in feminist movements. Some of them may include difficult or challenging content about abuse, sexual violence, conflict, exclusion and other potential triggering or upsetting pieces. While these letters are filled with love, please take care of yourself when reading the letters.
Giulia Tamayo
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.
CFA FAQ - Travelling to Bangkok - Thai
การเดินทางไปยังกรุงเทพมหานคร
Snippet FEA A Caring Economy (ES)
Economías de
CUIDADOS
Feministas Centrando
el Cuidado en la Economía
¿Qué pasaría si volviéramos a imaginar formas de cuidar a nuestras comunidades?
¿Y si la economía no estaría enfocada en la ganancia de una pequeña élite sino en el cuidado de nuestro bienestar individual y colectivo, y de la Naturaleza?
Estas historias tratan de la construcción de comunidades de cuidado con y para las personas que históricamente y actualmente están excluidas, privadas de sus derechos y deshumanizadas tanto por el Estado como por la sociedad.
Estas son las historias de las feministas que centran el cuidado en la economía.
Jeanne d´Arc Mihigo
2005: se celebra el segundo Diálogo de Alto Nivel
Segundo Diálogo de Alto Nivel sobre la Financiación para el Desarrollo
- El tema general del Segundo Diálogo de Alto Nivel sobre la Financiación para el Desarrollo, que tuvo lugar el 27 y 28 de junio de 2005, fue El Consenso de Monterrey: estado de aplicación y labor futura.
- Además de las seis mesas redondas tradicionales, cada una centrada en uno de los capítulos del Consenso de Monterrey, se produjo un diálogo interactivo informal en el que participaron muchos actores, incluyendo a grupos por los derechos de las mujeres.
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.