Flickr/Leonardo Veras (CC BY 2.0)

Protection of the Family

The Issue

Over the past few years, a troubling new trend at the international human rights level is being observed, where discourses on ‘protecting the family’ are being employed to defend violations committed against family members, to bolster and justify impunity, and to restrict equal rights within and to family life.

The campaign to "Protect the Family" is driven by ultra-conservative efforts to impose "traditional" and patriarchal interpretations of the family, and to move rights out of the hands of family members and into the institution of ‘the family’.

“Protection of the Family” efforts stem from:

  • rising traditionalism,
  • rising cultural, social and religious conservatism and
  • sentiment hostile to women’s human rights, sexual rights, child rights and the rights of persons with non-normative gender identities and sexual orientations.

Since 2014, a group of states have been operating as a bloc in human rights spaces under the name “Group of Friends of the Family”, and resolutions on “Protection of the Family” have been successfully passed every year since 2014.

This agenda has spread beyond the Human Rights Council. We have seen regressive language on “the family” being introduced at the Commission on the Status of Women, and attempts made to introduce it in negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Our Approach

AWID works with partners and allies to jointly resist “Protection of the Family” and other regressive agendas, and to uphold the universality of human rights.

In response to the increased influence of regressive actors in human rights spaces, AWID joined allies to form the Observatory on the Universality of Rights (OURs).  OURs is a collaborative project that monitors, analyzes, and shares information on anti-rights initiatives like  “Protection of the Family”.

Rights at Risk, the first OURs report, charts a map of the actors making up the global anti-rights lobby, identifies their key discourses and strategies, and the effect they are having on our human rights.   

The report outlines “Protection of the Family” as an agenda that has fostered collaboration across a broad range of regressive actors at the UN.  It describes it as: “a strategic framework that houses “multiple patriarchal and anti-rights positions, where the framework, in turn, aims to justify and institutionalize these positions.”

 

Related Content

Type

Stephanie Bracken

Biography

Stephanie Bracken is a feminist who is dedicated to building and supporting strong systems that meet the needs of the moment and the people who interact with them, and serve principles of justice. She holds a Master of Human Rights from the University of Sydney and a BA in Gender Studies, History, and Philosophy from McGill University, and has experience working with feminist and social justice organizations on monitoring, evaluation & learning, strategic work planning, governance, project management, and building operational systems and processes. Stephanie is based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal, where she enjoys singing with others, camping, fiber arts, and spending time with her kids and community.

Position
Operations Manager
Add to stories
Off

Stella Mukasa

Category
Droits civils et politiques
Region
Afrique
Afrique subsaharienne
Date of death / disappearance
Cause of death / disappearance

Naturelle

Stella a commencé sa carrière au ministère du Genre et du Développement communautaire en Ouganda. Elle œuvrait auprès des décideurs-euses politiques, pour encourager des réformes législatives, dont celle de la Constitution ougandaise en 1995 qui a entériné certaines des réformes les plus progressives pour les femmes dans la région.

Elle était adorée dans la région tout entière pour ses incessants efforts pour la création et l’application de lois et politiques sensibles au genre. Elle a joué un rôle clé dans l’ébauche de la loi sur les violences domestiques en Ouganda. Elle a aussi contribué à une mobilisation importante en faveur de Constitutions sensibles au genre à la fois en Ouganda et au Rwanda.

Par son travail au Centre international de recherches sur les femmes (International Center for Research on Women, ICRW), elle a abordé les thématiques de la violence à l’égard des enfants. Stella s’est attachée à renforcer les organisations locales qui luttent contre les violences basées sur le genre. Conférencière en Droits genrés et loi à l’université Makerere, elle a également siégé aux conseils d’administration d’Akina Mama wa Afrika, ActionAid International Uganda et l’Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa.

 

Stella Mukasa, Uganda

Snippet FEA collaborator and allies Photo 5 (EN)

This photo represents a group of 15 workers sitting together in a living room with white walls. Some are sleeping, others are standing, talking with each other, or watching their phones.

Snippet - WITM About the survey - RU

Об опросе

  • Глобальный и разнообразный: Размышления о ресурсных реалиях феминистских организаций в глобальном и региональном масштабе.
  • Контекстуализированный: Объединение голосов, точек зрения и опыта феминистских движений во всем их богатстве, смелости и разнообразии.
  • Совместно созданный: Разработка и апробация опроса в тесном сотрудничестве с членами AWID и партнерками(-рами) по движению.
  • Дополняющий: С помощью активисток(-тов), феминистских грантодательниц(-телей) и союзниц(-ков), дополняет и усиливает имеющуюся информацию о состоянии ресурсов организаций, занимающихся вопросами феминизма, прав женщин и гендерной справедливости.
  • Многоязычный: Доступен на арабском, английском, французском, португальском, русском и испанском языках.
  • Конфиденциальность и безопасность прежде всего: Мы обязуемся обеспечить конфиденциальность и неприкосновенность ваших данных. Ознакомьтесь с нашей политикой конфиденциальности, чтобы понять, какие меры мы принимаем, чтобы защитить полученные от вас сведения.
  • Доступный: Доступен для людей с различными нарушениями слуха, зрения, движений и когнитивных способностей. Прохождение опроса занимает около 30 минут.
  • Воспроизводимый: Может быть воспроизведен различными организациями в специфических контекстах; инструменты для проведения опроса будут доступны для широкой аудитории для проведения дополнительных исследований и адвокации.

Margarita Salas Guzmán

Biography

Margarita es una feminista y activista por los derechos de las personas LGBTIQA de América Latina. Sus pasiones son la transformación social y el bienestar colectivo. Posee títulos en Psicología, Comunicaciones y Administración Pública, y varias certificaciones en Política Pública, Liderazgo, Gestión y Toma de Decisiones. Como profesional, ha tenido una dilatada experiencia con organizaciones de base, ONG nacionales y regionales, universidades y el sector público, en los que se ha abocado a la facilitación, la capacitación, la incidencia política, las comunicaciones y la evaluación de políticas.

Position
Gerente de Proyectos Especiales
Add to stories
Off

Practical Tools

Brief “Gender Ideology” Narratives: A Threat To Human Rights

Selena “Rocky” Malone

Category
LGBTQI Rights
Region
Pacific

Rocky showed inspirational leadership and direction in working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Brotherboy and Sistergirl (LGBTIQBBSG) youth at risk.

Rocky started her career with the Queensland Police Service as a Police Liaison Officer. Making a difference was important to her. She led an impressive career working with young LGBTIQBBSG people as the Manager of Open Doors Youth Service.

Rocky worked through complex situations with clients relating specifically to gender and sexual identity. She was a natural in this line of work - a strong community leader, a quiet achiever, a loyal friend, a compassionate nurturer, and a change maker. Rocky was a founding member of IndigiLez Leadership and Support Group.

In 2016 at the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby mentioned Rocky by name when praising the work of the LGBTI Legal Service over the years. Rocky fought extremely hard for the human rights of the LGBTIQBBSG community, pushed boundaries and created change in a respectful, loving way.  

 

Rocky Malone, Australia

Snippet FEA different lines of work S4 (ES)

Líneas de trabajo:

EN CONTRA DE

Snippet - WITM Acknowledgements - PT

Agradecimentos

A AWID agradece sinceramente às várias pessoas cujas ideias, análises e contribuições moldaram a pesquisa e a defesa do “Onde está o dinheiro” ao longo dos anos.

Em primeiro lugar, os nossos mais sinceros agradecimentos aos membres da AWID e às ativistas que participaram nas colaborações com o WITM e testaram este questionário connosco, ao partilhar tão generosamente o seu tempo, análise e espírito.

Agradecemos aos movimentos feministas, aos aliados e aos fundos feministas, incluindo, mas não se limitando ao Black Feminist Fund, Pacific Feminist Fund, ASTREA, FRIDA Young Feminist Fund, Purposeful, Kosovo Women's Network, Human Rights Funders Network, CEECCNA Feminist Fund e PROSPERA, pelas suas investigações rigorosas sobre o estado de financiamento, pela análise perspicaz e pela defesa contínua de mais recursos de melhor qualidade e poder para a organização feminista e de justiça de género em todos os contextos.

Junte-se à comunidade global de feministas que se manifestam sobre o estado de financiamento, e exigem mais recursos de melhor qualidade e poder para feministas globalmente.

Margo Okazawa-Rey

Biography

Dre. Margo Okazawa-Rey est titulaire de la Chaire Barbara Lee pour le leadership des femmes et professeure invitée en études sur les femmes, le genre et la sexualité et en politique publique au Mills College à Oakland, en Californie. Elle est également professeure émérite à la San Francisco State University.

Ses principaux domaines de recherche et d’activisme au cours des 25 dernières années sont le militarisme, les conflits armés et la violence à l’égard des femmes, analysés de manière intersectionelle. Professeure Okazawa-Rey siège au conseil consultatif international de Du Re Bang à Uijongbu en Corée du Sud, au Conseil international de PeaceWomen Across the Globe à Berne, en Suisse, et est co-présidente du conseil du Highlander Research and Education Centre à New Market, Tennessee aux États-Unis.

Ses publications récentes incluent « Nation-izing » Coalition and Solidarity Politics for US Anti-militarist Feminists (en presse) ; « No Freedom without Connections: Envisioning Sustainable Feminist Solidarities » (2018) dans Feminist Freedom Warriors : Genealogies, Justice, Politics, and Hope, Chandra Talpade Mohanty et Linda Carty (ed.) ; Between a Rock and Hard Place: Southeast Asian Women Confront Extractivism, Militarism, and Religious Fundamentalisms (2018) ; à « Liberal Arts Colleges Partnering with Highlander Research and Education Center : Intergenerational Learning for Student Campus Activism and Personal Transformation, » numéro spéciale de Feminist Formations (Feminist Social Justice Pedagogy, (2018).

Position
Présidente
Add to stories
Off

Ana M. Tallada Iglesia

Category
Derechos económicos, sociales y culturales
Region
América Latina
Cause of death / disappearance

Enfermeda

Ana fue una firme defensora de los derechos de las mujeres y trabajó con una amplia diversidad de mujeres, desde aquellas que están redes de base hasta las que son parte del sector privado.

Creía que había que tender puentes entre sectores. Ana fue integrante de la Red Nacional de Promoción de la Mujer (RNPM), y tuvo participación activa en el desarrollo de muchos programas sociales que abordan temas como la salud y los derechos sexuales y reproductivos.

 

Ana M. Tallada Iglesia, Peru

Snippet FEA Decent Pay (FR)

Illustration d'une main à la peau blanche tenant de l'argent rose sur un fond turquoise.

DES SALAIRES DÉCENTS

مجموعتنا، منظمتنا و\أو حركتنا غير مسجلة. هل علينا تعبئة الاستطلاع؟

نعم! نريد أن نسمع منكم/ن عن تجربتكم/ن بالتمويل.

Salome Chagelishvili

Biography

Salome is a feminist activist from Tbilisi, Georgia, devoted to social and gender justice. She holds a Master's degree in gender studies, and has been engaged in feminist, queer and green movements for over twelve years, working amongst others on issues of gender based violence, domestic violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, LGBTIQ rights, [women’s] Labor Rights, Healing Justice and holistic and digital security and rights.

Since 2014 she has been actively working on safety and security issues of activists and Women Human Rights Defenders, providing integrated security and digital security workshops specifically for activists from under-privileged groups (queer persons, ethnic and religious minorities, rural women and girls, etc) as well as bigger feminist organisations. Salome is a member of the Independent Group of Feminists - a non-formal, non-hierarchical and non-registered initiative that unites feminists with diverse backgrounds in Georgia. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Women's Fund in Georgia, fully engaged in women's/feminist movement building, providing feminist funding, and encouraging local feminist philanthropy.

Add to stories
Off

Reason to join 1

Faites partie d’une organisation et d’une communauté internationales, associatives et féministes. Nos membres sont établi·e·s dans toutes les régions du monde; iels apprennent les un·e·s des autres et se soutiennent mutuellement dans un réseau mondial fondé sur la solidarité.

Marceline Loridan-Ivens

Category
Droits économiques, sociaux et culturels
Region
Europe

Née en 1928, Marceline était actrice, scénariste et réalisatrice.

En 2003, elle avait réalisé « La petite prairie aux bouleaux », mettant en vedette Anouk Aimée, ainsi que plusieurs autres documentaires. Survivante de l'holocauste, elle n'avait que quinze ans lorsque son père et elle furent arrêtés et envoyés dans des camps de concentration nazis. Les trois kilomètres qui la séparaient de son père à Auschwitz alors qu’elle-même était à Birkenau furent une distance insurmontable, décrite dans l’un de ses romans majeurs « Et tu n’es pas revenu ».

En parlant de son travail, elle a un jour déclaré: « Tout ce que je peux dire c’est que tout ce que je peux écrire, tout ce que je peux dévoiler, c’est à moi de le faire. »

 

Marceline Loridan-Ivens, France

Snippet FEA Map of Spain Union Otras (EN)

Mustard background with a pink map of Spain and a yellow pin of the location of Sindicato Otras;