Juvy Magsino
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
April 2015: Interactive hearings with the business sector and civil society take place
Informal interactive hearings with the business sector and civil society took place on 8 and 9 April 2015 respectively at UN headquarters in New York.
- Women’s rights organizations and other CSOs raised concern about the limited participation of Member States during the CSO hearings and thus the Addis Ababa CSO Coordinating Group (ACG) issued a letter to the Co-facilitators
- The second drafting session of the Addis Ababa outcome document was held from 13 – 17 April 2015 at the UN Headquarters. The basis of discussion was the Zero Draft.
- The WWG on FfD presented recommendations on the FfD themes to Member States in different official sessions and side events. Among the key areas of concern for women was the fact that the zero draft did not give sufficient emphasis to the enormous, negative impacts of financial crises caused by instability in international financial systems on development, equality and human rights, particularly women’s human rights.
Snippet - CSW68 - Feminist Community Evening - EN
🎤AWID's Feminist Community Evening
a gathering for feminist activists attending CSW68
(with special guests!)
📅Tuesday, March 12
🕒6-9.30pm EST
🏢 Blue Gallery, 222 E 46th St, New York
RSVP required
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ASOM’s activists in encounters, parades and events
Cristina Bautista
“If we stay quiet they kill us and if we talk [they kill us] too. So, let’s talk.” - Cristina Bautista, 2019
Cristina Bautista was a member of the Nasa Indigenous people’s community whose home is situated in the region of Northern Cauca, Colombia. She was part of their resistance as a leader, land rights defender, social worker, and governor of the Nasa Tacueyó Indigenous reserve.
A tireless defender of the rights of Nasa people, Cristina spoke strongly and loudly against the violence directed at her community. In a speech before the United Nations, she called for the protection of Indigenous women’s lives and their involvement in different spheres of life. In 2017, Cristina was a UN Human Rights Office Indigenous fellow and she was awarded a grant from the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples in 2019.
“I would like to bring to light the current situation of the Indigenous people in Colombia, the killing of Indigenous leaders, the repression of social protest. Instead of helping, the peace deal has increased war and the exploitation of sacred territories in Colombia… In the current situation, in almost all Indigenous nations as women we have been working to find a better future for our families. I don’t want more women from the countryside to continue living under these circumstances. We need opportunities for Indigenous women to participate in politics, in the economy, in society and in culture. Today gives me true strength, to see all these women here and that I am not alone.” - Cristina Bautista, 2019
On 29 October 2019, Cristina was murdered along with four unarmed Indigenous guards in an attack which was allegedly carried out by armed members of “Dagoberto Ramos”, a FARC dissident group.
According to Global Witness, “the murder of community and social leaders has risen dramatically in Colombia in recent years.”
“The Nasa community has repeatedly raised the alarm with the authorities about threats to their safety. Despite efforts by successive Colombian Governments, indigenous peoples continue to face great risks, especially religious or community leaders like Cristina Bautista.” - UN press briefing, 1 November 2019
Watch a speech by Cristina Bautista in August 2019 in which she denounced previous murders of Indigenous guards (Spanish only)
¿Qué está en juego en este proceso para los derechos de las mujeres?
La financiación para el desarrollo encierra amenazas y oportunidades concretas para los derechos de las mujeres y los derechos humanos de todas las personas. Una financiación y políticas para el desarrollo que sean transformadoras pueden constituir un aporte importante para los cambios sistémicos que se necesitan a fin de garantizar el respeto, la protección y la realización de los derechos humanos de las mujeres.
El año 2015 es importante en el proceso de la FpD. La tercera Conferencia Internacional sobre la FpD tuvo lugar del 13 al 16 de julio de 2015 en Adís Abeba, Etiopía, y los gobiernos están finalizando la Agenda de Desarrollo Post-2015 que incluye acuerdos acerca de cómo se van a financiar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible.
En su actual etapa, el proceso de la FpD ofrece una oportunidad importante para fijar un marco de financiación que garantice un apoyo financiero efectivo para la implementación de la Agenda Post-2015 y de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). También constituye una oportunidad para abordar las condiciones estructurales y los cambios sistémicos necesarios para la plena implementación de otras agendas y compromisos como los tratados internacionales de derechos humanos y la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing.
En estos últimos trece años, organizaciones por los derechos de las mujeres y feministas han participado activamente en el proceso de la FpD.
Gloria Casarez
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¿Quién debería responder la encuesta?*
La encuesta está orientada a agrupaciones, organizaciones y movimientos que trabajan específica o primordialmente por los derechos de las mujeres, las personas LBTQI+ y la justicia de género, en todos los contextos, en todos los ámbitos y en todas las regiones. Si alguno de estos es el pilar fundamental de tu agrupación, colectivo, red o cualquier otro tipo de organización —ya sea que esté registrada, sea de reciente creación o de larga data—, te invitamos a responder la encuesta.
*En esta oportunidad, no estamos solicitando respuestas de individuos ni de fondos feministas o de mujeres.
Obtén más información sobre la encuesta:
Consultar las preguntas frecuentes
Snippet FEA Aura Roig (ES)
Ven a conocer a Aura Roig, activista feminista visionaria, antropologa y directora-fundadora de la cooperativa Metzineres.
Dedicó las últimas dos décadas a la investigación, el diseño y la implementación de políticas con perspectivas de reducción de daños, derechos humanos y feminismo interseccional.
Después de experimentar y aprender de comunidades que usan drogas a través del mundo, volvió a Barcelona y creó la Xarxa de Dones que Usen Drogues (la Red de Mujeres que Usan Drogas, XADUD). XADUD era un espacio de apoyo mutuo y de solidaridad con la lucha por los derechos de los grupos marginalizados que, más tarde, se convirtió en la cooperativa Metzineres.
Actualmente, Aura está trabajando para expandir el modelo Metzineres y brindar apoyo a grupos más grandes, al mismo tiempo que documenta ampliamente su prolífico viaje y aprendizaje.
Paulina Cruz Ruiz
Paulina Cruz Ruiz, de la región de Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, en Guatemala, fue una autoridad ancestral Maya Achí (Indígena) y una defensora de los derechos humanos. Paulina se involucró activamente en la organización comunitaria y la resistencia, lo cual incluyó la adopción de medidas legales contra los proyectos mineros en territorios Indígenas, proyectos que afectarían y perjudicarían severamente el tejido socio ambiental.
"El modelo de industria extractiva promovido por el gobierno guatemalteco y la construcción de proyectos de desarrollo a gran escala en tierras indígenas, sin el consentimiento de la comunidad afectada, ha sido una fuente de disputas permanentes con los movimientos de resistencia". - Minority Rights Group International
Paulina también formó parte de la Marcha por la Dignidad, la Vida y la Justicia, del 1º de mayo de 2019, en la cual miles de guatemaltecxs iniciaron una marcha de ocho días contra la corrupción y la impunidad en la persecución y el asesinato de dirigentes de derechos humanos, líderes campesinxs e indígenas y defensorxs de la tierra.
Paulina fue asesinada el 14 de septiembre de 2019 cerca de su casa en la aldea de Xococ.
Según el Grupo Internacional de Derechos de las Minorías: "actualmente, uno de los principales problemas que afectan a las comunidades mayas es la creciente actividad de la industria minera".
Para leer más sobre la comunidad Maya en Guatemala
Para leer más sobre la Marcha por la Dignidad, la Vida y la Justicia
I’m trying to submit a proposal but the online form is not working?
For any questions related to the Call for Forum Activities please contact us, selecting Forum Call for Activities as the subject of your email.
Mai Ghoussoub
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To claim your power as an expert on the state of resourcing for feminist movements
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Si vous êtes de passage à Sao Paulo, au Brésil, visitez l'Occupation 9 de Julho et prenez un repas collaboratif. Vous pouvez aussi acheter leurs produits dans leur boutique en ligne depuis l'étranger.
Visitez la boutique en ligne de l'Association des Femmes Afro-Descendantes du Cauca du Nord où vous pouvez trouver de superbes produits faits à la main.
Il existe plusieurs façons de soutenir Metzineres : vous pouvez faire un don financier, offrir du matériel et des services, proposer une formation, un atelier ou une activité (pour plus d'informations, cliquez ici).
How much does registration cost?
This information will only be available when registration opens.
Vina Mazumdar
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Resourcing feminist movements is fundamental to securing a more just and peaceful present and liberated future.
While funders committed significantly more money to gender equality over the last decade, still only 1% of philanthropic and development funding has actually been moved to directly resource feminist-led social change.
In solidarity with movements that continue to be invisibilized, marginalized and without access to core, long-term, flexible and trust-based funding, the WITM survey highlights the actual state of resourcing, challenges false solutions, and points to how funding models must change for movements to thrive and meet the complex challenges of our times.
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Le lierre
Communauté et quartier
What languages will be included in the Forum?
English, French, Spanish and Mandarin.
Maria Auxiliadora Escalante Diaz
