The following declaration is the outcome of a workshop on the gendered impacts of mining, held in Mania, Philippines from 30 July to 1 August, 2015, as part of the the International People's Conference on Mining.

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) made a statement on behalf of AWID, FORUM-ASIA, Just Associates, Nazra for Feminist Studies and the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights – members of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition – to the 29th Session of the Human Rights Council.

No mother ever wants to see her child in prison but Rawia Sadek is not letting her daughter Yara Sallam’s incarceration bring her down.

Stress, burn out, uncontrollable emotional outbursts, depression, anxiety, migraines and cancer, are some of the effects that human rights defense work has on WHRDs around the world, and the ones that often make them quit their important work. AWID spoke with Jessica Horn, Senior Advisor for the African Institute for Integrated Responses to Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS (AIR) about the politics of self-care and well being for women human rights defenders (WHRDs). 

Four years after the popular uprising that led to the removal of the dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, Tunisia held its first free and democratic presidential election in the country's history in December 2014. AWID spoke to Khadija Cherif, one-time contender for the position of Minister of Women, Family and Children to learn about some of the challenges to women’s political participation in the country.

FRIDAY FILE: AWID spoke with Lucinda O’Hanlon, Adviser on Women's Rights from the Women's Rights and Gender Section of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the office’s current Campaign “Beijing + 20: Women Human Rights Defenders Campaign”.

Paving the Road for Freedom and Equality is a publication of the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Inititative that reflects the main achievements, lessons and experiences of the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Initiative (IMD) and how it has contributed to the protection of women defenders in Mesoamerica—a region comprised of Mexico and Central America.

Women human rights defenders organizations presented a shadow report to the CEDAW Committee of Experts, highlighting the Mexican Government’s lack of compliance and demanded a special investigation on violence against women human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico. The Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Initiative contributed to the report and was part of the delegation to New York, along with Consorcio Oaxaca, Red Mesa de Mujeres de Ciudad Juárez, and Just Associates (JASS).

The WHRD International Coalition was represented on the panel by Sunila Abeysekera and the Meso-American Initiative of WHRDs was represented through a video statement by Marusia López Cruz. AWID is proud to be a member of both collaboratives and congratulates the speakers on relaying the experiences and concerns of WHRDs from around the world.

The position of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition on the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti

Human rights are often set aside as an ‘extra’ in emergency response, i.e.,there is no time to assess the specific issues, we go with what we know’. -Jane Barry