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

Read in: English French Spanish

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

Type

Abby Lippman

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Droits civils et politiques
Region
Amérique du Nord

Abby était une féministe pionnière, militante des droits humains.

Ancienne épidémiologiste de l'Université McGill, Abby était réputée pour défendre les causes sociales et pour ses critiques perspicaces concernant les technologies de procréation humaine assistée et d'autres sujets médicaux. Plus précisément, elle a fait campagne contre ce qu'elle a appelé la « généticisation » des technologies de procréation, contre l'hormonothérapie substitutive et pour des recherches plus qualitatives et plus longues avant l'approbation de nouveaux vaccins comme celui contre le  papillomavirus humain.

À la nouvelle de son décès, ses ami-e-s et collègues l'ont décrite avec affection comme une « ardente défenseure » de la santé des femmes.

 

 

Abby Lipman, Canada

Je suis un bailleur de fonds ou un donateur individuel. Comment puis-je soutenir le Forum de l'AWID ?

Nous vous invitons à prendre contact avec nous pour trouver des moyens d’apporter un soutien significatif au Forum.

Snippet Kohl - Panel: Pleasure Across Borders

Panel Pleasure Across Borders

with Lindiwe Rasekoala, Lizzie Kiama, Jovana Drodevic, and Malaka Grant.

YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD

Merci

Merci de votre visite sur le site d'AWID. Pour plus d'informations sur AWID rendez-vous sur https://www.awid.org/fr

My language is not one of the official survey languages and I am struggling to complete it, what can I do?

AWID is committed to language justice and we regret that, at this point, having the WITM survey available in more languages is not feasible. However, if you need support with translations or want to fill the survey in any other language, please reach out to us at witm@awid.org.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Region
Africa
Sub Sahara Africa
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Disease

Winnie has been described as a “militant firebrand activist” who fought the apartheid regime in South Africa.

She was imprisoned multiple times, and on many occasions placed in solitary confinement.

Ma’Winnie, as she is affectionately remembered, was known for being outspoken about the challenges Black women faced during and after apartheid, having been on the receiving end of these brutalities herself as a mother, wife and activist during the struggle. She transcended the misconception that leadership is gender, class or race-based. Despite being a controversial figure, she is remembered by many by her Xhosa name, “ Nomzamo”, which means "She who endures trials".  

Ma’Winnie continues to be an inspiration to many, particularly young South African women for whom her death has spurred a burgeoning movement, with the mantra: "She didn't die, she multiplied."

 

 

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, South Africa

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!

Crear | Résister | Transform:  un recorrido por el Festival - smaller snippet

Ghiwa-Sayegh - un recorrido por el festival

Crear | Résister | Transform: 
un recorrido por el Festival

Mientras el capitalismo heteropatriarcal continúa forzándonos al consumismo y el acatamiento, observamos que nuestras luchas están siendo compartimentadas y separadas por fronteras tanto físicas como virtuales.

Leer más

Building Feminist Economies

Read in: English French Spanish

Building Feminist Economies is about creating a world with clean air to breath and water to drink, with meaningful labour and care for ourselves and our communities, where we can all enjoy our economic, sexual and political autonomy.

In the world we live in today, the economy continues to rely on women’s unpaid and undervalued care work for the profit of others. The pursuit of “growth” only expands extractivism - a model of development based on massive extraction and exploitation of natural resources that keeps destroying people and planet while concentrating wealth in the hands of global elites. Meanwhile, access to healthcare, education, a decent wage and social security is becoming a privilege to few. This economic model sits upon white supremacy, colonialism and patriarchy.

Adopting solely a “women’s economic empowerment approach” is merely to integrate women deeper into this system. It may be a temporary means of survival. We need to plant the seeds to make another world possible while we tear down the walls of the existing one.

We believe in the ability of feminist movements to work for change with broad alliances across social movements. By amplifying feminist proposals and visions, we aim to build new paradigms of just economies.

Our approach must be interconnected and intersectional, because sexual and bodily autonomy will not be possible until each and every one of us enjoys economic rights and independence. We aim to work with those who resist and counter the global rise of the conservative right and religious fundamentalisms as no just economy is possible until we shake the foundations of the current system.

Our Actions

Our work challenges the system from within and exposes its fundamental injustices:

  • Advance feminist agendas: We counter corporate power and impunity for human rights abuses by working with allies to ensure that we put forward feminist, women’s rights and gender justice perspectives in policy spaces. For example, learn more about our work on the future international legally binding instrument on “transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights” at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

  • Mobilize solidarity actions: We work to strengthen the links between feminist and tax justice movements, including reclaiming the public resources lost through illicit financial flows (IFFs) to ensure social and gender justice.

  • Build knowledge: We provide women human rights defenders (WHRDs) with strategic information vital to challenge corporate power and extractivism. We will contribute to build the knowledge about local and global financing and investment mechanisms fuelling extractivism.

  • Create and amplify alternatives: We engage and mobilize our members and movements in visioning feminist economies and sharing feminist knowledges, practices and agendas for economic justice.

“The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling – their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing”.

Arundhati Roy, War Talk

Related Content

Type

Nuestra agrupación no ha recibido financiamiento externo entre 2021 y 2023, ¿a pesar de ello, deberíamos responder la encuesta?

Sí, aún así deseamos saber de ustedes aunque no hayan recibido financiamiento en los tres, dos o cualquiera de los años comprendidos entre 2021 y 2023.

Barin Kobane

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Derechos civiles y políticos
Region
Asia Occidental

Barin integraba la unidad de batalla formada íntegramente por mujeres de la Unidad de Protección del Pueblo Kurdo (YPG).

La mataron cuando estaba en servicio activo.

La periodista libanesa Hifaa Zuaiter escribió: «Barin representa todo lo que hemos oído acerca del coraje de las combatientes kurdas, y su muerte es mucho más que el matar a un rival o el resultado de una lucha política o étnica. El horror de exhibir su cuerpo sólo porque es una mujer surge del hecho de que ella se atrevió a amenazar la hegemonía masculina al convertirse en una combatiente en un campo de batalla que se suponía era solo para hombres».

 

Barin Kobane, Kurdistan

CFA 2023 - Call for Activities is live- ES

¡Comienza la Convocatoria para Actividades!

La fecha límite para proponer actividades se extiende hasta el 1ero de Febrero de 2024.

 

En el espíritu del tema del Foro, invitamos a proponer una diversidad de tópicos y formatos para actividades que: 

  • Faciliten la conexión e interacción genuina entre lxs participantes;
  • Promuevan la sanación y regeneración de distintas formas, como personas individuales, comunidades y movimientos;
  • Nos inspiren y desafíen para florecer juntxs como comunidades y movimientos.

#1 - Sexting like a feminist Tweets Snippet ES

Y mi número 1: porque sabes que la cosa va en serio cuando se invoca a los poderes superiores

Image of a tweet with a woman fainted on a set of stairs. Text says: I want to cum so hard my ancestors awaken and rejoin the struggle.

‘Quiero acabar/venirme/correrme tan fuerte que despierte a mis ancestrxs y haga que vuelvan a sumarse a la lucha’

Vous demandez le nom du groupe, de l’organisation et/ou du mouvement qui répond aux questions de l’enquête, et ses coordonnées – pour quelle raison?

Nous demandons ces données pour faciliter l’examen des réponses, éviter les doublons et pouvoir vous contacter si votre groupe n’a pas pu terminer le questionnaire et/ou vous répondre si vous avez des doutes ou des questions. Des informations sur la manière dont nous utilisons les informations personnelles collectées lors de notre travail sont disponibles ici.

Jacqueline Coulibaly Ki-Zerbo

Read in: English French Spanish
Category
Droits civils et politiques
Region
Afrique
Afrique subsaharienne
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Naturelle

Jacqueline était une éducatrice malienne pionnière de la cause féministe et nationaliste.

Elle a d’abord enseigné l'anglais au Sénégal avant d'être recrutée en 1961 par le Lycée Philippe Zinda Kaboré à Ouagadougou, au Burkina Faso. Etant donné son engagement militant, elle a pris part au soulèvement populaire du 3 janvier 1966. Entre 1961 et 1966, Jacqueline était par ailleurs responsable de la presse syndicale, La voix des enseignants. Elle a été nommée directrice du Cours normal des jeunes filles (aujourd’hui connu sous le nom de lycée Nelson Mandela) jusqu'en 1974 et s'est consacrée à l'éducation des filles et à la promotion des droits des femmes.

En 1984, elle a reçu le prix Paul G. Hoffmann pour sa contribution remarquable en matière de développement national et international.

 

Jacqueline Coulibaly Ki-Zerbo, Mali/ Burkina Faso

CFA 2023 - Submit Button - ES

Intro to tweets snippet FR

Comme ces tweets le montrent, sextoter comme une féministe est à la fois sexy, drôle – et chaud. Mais sans jamais perdre de vue son engagement en faveur de l’équité et de la justice.