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
Snippet - WITM Provide members - EN
Provide AWID members, movement partners and funders with an updated, powerful, evidence-based, and action-oriented analysis of the resourcing realities of feminist movements and current state of the feminist funding ecosystem.
Identify and demonstrate opportunities to shift more and better funding for feminist organizing, expose false solutions and disrupt trends that make funding miss and/or move against gender justice and intersectional feminist agendas.
Articulate feminist visions, proposals and agendas for resourcing justice.
What languages will be included in the Forum?
English, French, Spanish and Mandarin.
Struggling for Human Rights, Facing Injustice across LAC
This year we are honoring 19 Women Human Rights Defenders from the Latin America and the Caribbean region. 16 defenders were murdered, including 6 journalists and 4 LGBTQI rights defenders. Please join us in commemorating the life and work of these women by sharing the memes below with your colleagues, friends and networks and by tweeting using the hashtags #WHRDTribute and #16Days.
Please click on each image below to see a larger version and download as a file


















Noxolo Nogwaza
Snippet FEA NSS has a vision of an Africa (ES)
“Nous Sommes la Solution tiene una visión de una África donde, en solidaridad, las mujeres rurales involucradas en la toma de decisiones puedan cultivar, procesar, vender y consumir productos de la agricultura familiar preservando el medio ambiente, para un desarrollo sostenible, armonioso y duradero”.
Who should participate in the survey?
Groups, organizations and/or movements working specifically or primarily for women, girls, gender justice, LBTQI+ and allied people’s rights in all regions and at all levels, both newly formed and long-standing.
What happens to the activity proposals submitted through the CfA?
- Activity proposals will initially be screened by AWID staff.
- Organizers of shortlisted proposals will then be invited to participate in a voting process, to choose among the shortlisted activities. Those with the most votes will be included in the Forum program. AWID may make a few adjustments to the final selection to ensure our program has an adequate balance across regions, constituencies, issues and methodologies.
- Our Forum Content and Methodology Committee will reach out to the organizers of selected proposals to support them in further developing their activities.
We will update the outcomes of this process in the website in due time.
Les défenseuses du Pacifique
Les trois défenseuses des droits humains de la région Pacifique auxquelles nous rendons hommage cette année ont travaillé dans les médias, fait campagne pour les droits des personnes handicapées ou plaidé en faveur des droits des femmes. Leur contribution restera irremplaçable et nous leur rendons honneur. Nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous pour commémorer la vie de ces femmes, leur travail et l’héritage qu’elles nous ont laissé. Faites circuler ces mèmes auprès de vos collègues et amis ainsi que dans vos réseaux et twittez en utilisant les hashtags #WHRDTribute et #16Jours.
S'il vous plaît cliquez sur chaque image ci-dessous pour voir une version plus grande et pour télécharger comme un fichier


Leticia Eulalia Mary Mukasa- Kikonyogo
Leticia était une avocate et juge ougandaise.
Avant de prendre sa retraite, elle a occupé de nombreux postes de haut niveau, notamment celui de membre de la cour d’appel et juge en chef adjointe de l’Ouganda. Elle a été la première femme ougandaise à occuper le poste de magistrat en chef entre 1973 et 1986 et la première femme à être nommée juge à la Haute Cour de justice en 1986.
Elle fut l'une des premières femmes à recevoir le titre de chevalier pontifical de l'histoire de l'Église catholique en Afrique. Elle est morte d'une crise cardiaque.
Rohini Ghadiok
Snippet FEA Objectives NSS - Traditional Knowledge (FR)
LES SAVOIRS TRADITIONNELS

Nuestra agrupación, organización o movimiento no ha tomado ni movilizado financiamiento de donantes externos, ¿deberíamos responder la encuesta?
¡Sí! Reconocemos y valoramos las distintas razones por las que los feminismos en sus contextos respectivos no cuentan con financiamiento externo, ya sea por no reunir los requisitos para solicitar donaciones o para recibir dinero del exterior, o bien porque se financian con recursos generados de manera autónoma como estrategia política en sí misma. Deseamos saber de ustedes con independencia de su experiencia de financiamiento externo.
Do I need a visa to attend the Forum in Taipei?
You DO NOT need a visa to attend the Forum in Taipei if you hold a passport from one of the following countries (the allowed length of your stay varies from one country to another):
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan*, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Island, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom, the United States of America,and Vatican City State, Belize, Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Nauru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore.
People with any other passport WILL NEED A VISA to come to Taipei.
Please note:
It is likely that, once you have registered to attend the Forum, you will get an event-related code that will allow you to apply for your visa electronically regardless of your citizenship.
We will let you know more about this when the Registration opens.
Kit nas redes sociais sobre o Fórum AWID

Ajude a divulgar o Fórum AWID 2016!
Este kit inclui mensagens modelo apropriadas para Twitter, Facebook e LinkedIn, além de imagens que podem ser usadas para acompanhar essas mensagens.
Este kit é muito simples de usar. Basta seguir estes passos para:
Pronto – agora você já pode começar!
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Tweets para seu uso pessoal
Eu vou para o #AWIDForum. O lugar para conectar com movimentos de direitos das mulheres & justiça social. Vamos!: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Contando os dias para re-imaginar #FuturosFeministas com outr@s ativistas por direitos das mulheres & justiça social @ #AWIDForum! Participe: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Estou muito animada/o para participar do #AWIDForum em Maio, e agora já podemos nosinscrever! Vamos! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Tweets para seu uso institucional
As inscrições já estão abertas para o #AWIDForum! Costa do Sauípe, Brasil, 8 de 11 set. de 2016 http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Participe do #AWIDForum, um encontro histórico entre ativistas de todo o mundo em defesa dos direitos das mulheres & justiça social http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Participe do #AWIDForum para comemorar as conquistas dos movimentos sociais & analisar aprendizados para seguir em frente http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
#AWIDForum – mais que um evento, uma chance de romper com a opressão & avançar a justiça http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Participe do #AWIDForum para comemorar, traçar estratégias, revigorar os movimentos sociais e a nós mesm@s http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Futuros Feministas
Vamos construir #FuturosFeministas junt@s. Inscreva-se no #AWIDForum 2016. Costa do Sauípe, Brasil http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Una-se a nós para re-imaginar & co-criar #FuturosFeministas no #AWIDForum 2016. Inscreva-se http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
#FuturosFeministas: aproveite o momento @ #AWIDForum para avançar visões compartilhadas por um mundo mais justo http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Seremos 2.000 ativistas de movimentos sociais @ #AWIDForum, traçando estratégias para nossos #FuturosFeministas http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Construção de movimentos transversais
Nós somos mais do que uma luta por uma só bandeira. Una-se a nós no #AWIDForum http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Participe do #AWIDForum, um espaço para criar estratégias entre movimentos sociais & alavancar o nosso poder coletivo http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Mobilize solidariedade & poder coletivo entre movimentos sociais no #AWIDForum http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Romperas barreiras entre os movimentos sociais. Re-imaginar & co-criar nossos futuros. Tudo isso no #AWIDForum http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Solidariedade é um verbo. Vamos colocá-lo em ação no #AWIDForum http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Mensagens especiais
Doadores engajados com os direitos das mulheres e movimentos sociais no #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Mídia e movimentos sociais: amplificando #FuturosFeministas no #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
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Mensagens para seu perfil pessoal
A espera acabou! já podemos nos inscrever no Fórum AWID 2016. Será maravilhoso reconectar com companheiras/os ativistas e re-imaginar nossos futuros feministas. Vejo vocês lá em Sauípe! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Estou muito animada/o para participar do Fórum AWID em Maio, e agora já podemos nosinscrever! Vamos! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Estou curtindo a ideia de re-imaginar futuros feministas com 2.000 pessoas de inúmeros movimentos incríveis de direitos das mulheres e justiça social no Fórum AWID. Inscreva-se e a gente se vê por lá! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Mensagens para a página da sua organização
As inscrições já estão abertas para o Fórum AWID 2016 na Costa do Sauípe, Bahia! Este não é apenas qualquer evento – é um espaço único para ativistas em defesa dos direitos das mulheres e justiça social de todo o mundo se encontrarem e re-imaginarem nossos futuros feministas. Você não vai querer perder! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
Una-se a nós no Fórum AWID 2016 na Bahia! Ativistas e movimentos de todo o mundo irão se encontrar para comemorar, criar estratégias, inspirar e renovar nossas lutas coletivas e a nós mesm@s. Inscreva-se agora! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
O Fórum AWID 2016 será um encontro histórico entre ativistas de todo o mundo por direitos das mulheres & justiça social. Una-se a nós lá para romper as barreiras, fortalecer a solidariedade e alavancar nosso poder coletivo. Inscreva-se agora! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
O Fórum AWID 2016 será um encontro histórico entre ativistas de todo o mundo em defesa direitos das mulheres & justiça social. Una-se a nós lá para romper as barreiras, fortalecer a solidariedade e alavancar nosso poder coletivo. Inscreva-se agora! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/pt-br
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Asma Jahangir
Asma was a leading Pakistani rights activist, fearless critic of the military’s interference in politics and a staunch defender of the rule of law.
She was the founding chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent group, and was a trustee of the International Crisis Group. She won international awards and served as the United Nations rapporteur on human rights and extrajudicial killings.
She is remembered fondly by colleagues and friends at AWID
“With her life, Asma rewrote the history that many of us were told as women. Asma changed the world. She changed it in Pakistan, and she changed it in our imaginations."
Yelena Bonner
Quelles sont les langues officielles de l’enquête WITM?
À l’heure actuelle, l’enquête est disponible sur KOBO en français, anglais, arabe, espagnol, portugais et russe. Vous pouvez choisir votre langue au début du questionnaire.