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.”

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Posso realizar o inquérito fora do KOBO e partilhar as minhas respostas convosco por e-mail?
Somente no caso de problemas de acessibilidade e/ou se realizar o inquérito noutro idioma; caso contrário, encorajamo-lo a utilizar o KOBO para a recolha e análise padronizadas de dados do WITM.
Amal Bayou
Amal fue una destacada política y parlamentaria de Libia.
Fue docente de la Universidad de Benghazi desde 1995 hasta su muerte, en 2017. Amal fue activista de la sociedad civil e integrante de varias iniciativas sociales y políticas. Asistió a las familias de lxs mártires y de lxs desaparecidxs y fue una de lxs fundadorxs de una iniciativa juvenil llamada «Juventud de Benghazi Libia».
En las elecciones parlamentarias de 2014, Amal fue elegida para la Cámara de Representantes con más de 14.000 votos (el mayor número de votos recibido por unx candidatx en las elecciones de 2014). Permanecerá en la memoria de muchxs como una mujer que actuó en política para garantizar un futuro mejor en uno de los contextos de la región más difíciles y afectados por los conflictos.
Veena Singh
Veena Singh is a Fiji Islander, feminist, and woman of colour. Born and raised in a small rural town in Fiji, she draws strength from her rich mixed heritage (her mother is an Indigenous Fijian woman and her father is Fijian of Indian descent). Veena’s identity and lived experiences deeply inform her commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion. With over two decades of experience in human rights, gender equality, community development, and social inclusion, Veena is a passionate advocate for shifting power to create transformative change and for building an “economy of kindness”. Her work spans diverse areas including community development; women, peace and security; social policy; human rights; and policy advocacy.
Veena is deeply committed to advancing inclusion, peace and justice, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), climate justice, transitional justice, and human rights. She brings a wealth of experience working across grassroots networks, international organizations, and government institutions, always centering community and locally led approaches and feminist principles.
Outside of her ‘office life’, Veena is an environmental advocate, mental health champion, and writer. She is a mum to 11 cats, a saree wearer, and a lover of snail-mails and postcards. A thoughtful observer of feminist movements in Fiji and the Pacific, Veena is on a personal journey to “decolonise the mind and the self through radical self-reflection.” Above all, she is driven by a desire and dream to produce relatable, resonant writing that connects with the Pacific diaspora and amplifies voices from the margins.
Pourquoi avoir choisi Bangkok ?
Chaque Forum de l’AWID se déroule dans une région différente, et il était temps de retourner en Asie ! Nous avons visité de nombreux pays de la région, consulté des mouvements féministes et procédé à des évaluations détaillées de la logistique, de l'accessibilité, de la sécurité, des visas et bien d’autres choses encore. Finalement, le conseil d'administration de l'AWID a approuvé à l’unanimité Bangkok, en Thaïlande, comme étant la meilleure option. Nous sommes ravi·e·s de retrouver Bangkok, où le Forum de l’AWID avait déjà eu lieu en 2005.
Informe OURS 2021 Resumen
Derechos en riesgo: Hora de Actuar
Actualmente, una compleja red de actores anti-derechos, en constante evolución, está ejerciendo cada vez más influencia tanto en los espacios internacionales y regionales, como en las políticas nacionales. Los actores anti-derechos están ingresando en los espacios multilaterales (donde múltiples países se reúnen para la colaboración internacional), con el fin de transformarlos y socavarlos desde adentro. Emplean una variedad de discursos persuasivos para ganar legitimidad, a menudo cooptando el lenguaje de los derechos y la justicia para ocultar sus verdaderas agendas.
Este informe es el segundo de una serie de reportes sobre las tendencias en derechos humanos, producido por el Observatorio de la Universalidad de los Derechos (OURs, por sus siglas en inglés). Además del análisis sobre actores anti-derechos clave y sus discursos, estrategias e impactos, el informe presenta breves narrativas inspiradoras de acción feminista y ejercicios de construcción de conocimiento para ayudar a fortalecer nuestra resistencia colectiva.
El efecto sobre nuestros derechos ya ha sido grave, pero esto no ha terminado todavía. Todxs podemos hacer nuestra parte para resistir las agendas anti-derechos y reclamar nuestros derechos.
¡Únete hoy mismo al llamado a la acción colectiva!
Betu Singh
كم سؤال في الاستطلاع؟
هنالك 47 سؤال في الاستطلاع، منها 27 سؤال اجباري* والعشرين الباقين هي أسئلة اختيارية. أغلب الأسئلة هي أسئلة متعددة الخيارات. ندعوكم/ن للإجابة على جميع الأسئلة.
Selena “Rocky” Malone
Engagée auprès de jeunes lesbiennes, gays, bisexuels, transgenres, intersexuels, queers, et transgenres (appelés Brotherboys-BB et Sistergirls-SS dans la communauté aborigène en Australie), Rocky faisait preuve de vision et d'un leadership inspirants.
Rocky avait commencé sa carrière auprès de la police du Queensland en tant qu'agent de liaison. Faire une différence était très important pour elle. Elle a mené un travail de soutien impressionnant auprès de jeunes de cette communauté en tant que responsable du service jeunesse « Open Doors » (portes ouvertes). Rocky a œuvré dans des situations complexes liées spécifiquement aux questions de genre et d'identité sexuelle.Elle avait un don naturel dans ce domaine: c’était une leader communautaire solide, une femme sereine, une amie fidèle, une personne aimante et attentionnée ainsi qu’une actrice du changement. Rocky était membre fondatrice d’IndigiLez Leadership and Support Group.
En 2016, à la Cour suprême de Brisbane, l'ancien juge de la Haute Cour, Michael Kirby, a cité le nom de Rocky lorsqu'il a loué le travail du service juridique de la communauté LGBTI au fil des années. Rocky s'est engagée très fermement en faveur des droits humains de la communauté « LGBTIQBBSG », elle a repoussé les limites et induits des changements de manière respectueuse et aimante.
Christine Hayhurst
Con más de 30 años de experiencia en finanzas, Christine ha dedicado su carrera a fomentar misiones sin fines de lucro en todo el mundo. Sus contribuciones incluyen desempeñarse como tesorera en la junta de una ONG . Se sumó a AWID en 2007 como Fiscalizadora y, en 2023, asumió el rol de Directora de Finanzas. En su tiempo libre, disfruta de viajar, la jardinería y el senderismo.
A few different people from my organization are planning to attend the Forum. Is there a group discount for the Forum?
AWID does not provide group discounts, but we do provide registration discounts to members. (Click here to learn more about becoming a member)
ours chapter 5 fr
Chapitre 5
Tactiques, stratégies et impacts des antidroits
Les antidroits ont adopté une double stratégie : outre leurs attaques ouvertes sur le système multilatéral, ils et elles sapent les droits humains depuis l’intérieur. Leur implication vise à prendre le contrôle des processus, instaurer des normes régressives et fragiliser la redevabilité.
Hanifa Safi
Как вы будете представлять и обрабатывать данные, собранные в ходе опроса?
Данные будут обработаны в статистических целях, чтобы осветить состояние ресурсного обеспечения феминистских движений во всем мире, и представлены будут только в обобщенном виде. AWID не будет публиковать информацию о конкретных организациях или отображать информацию, которая позволила бы идентифицировать организации по их местоположению или характеристикам, без их согласия.
Zita Kavungirwa Kayange
Zita was a women’s rights activist who defended the rights of rural women in Greater Kivu.
She was the first Executive Director of UWAKI - a well known women’s organisation. Through her work with Women's Network for Rights and Peace (RFDP), and the Women's Caucus of South Kivu for Peace, she committed her life to helping to restore peace in the Eastern DRC. She spoke out strongly against the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
In 2006, she put herself forward as a candidate in the first democratic elections in the DRC. Although she did not win, she continued to advocate for women’s rights and the South Kivu community remembers her fondly.
Ekaete Judith Umoh
Ekaete Judith Umoh is an international disability rights advocate and inclusive development expert with astute analysis of issues regarding gender, disability and inclusive development. Her dream is to see increased visibility of women and girls with disabilities in the global feminist movement, as well as in all development efforts around the world.
Ekaete enjoys activism and politics, and went on to become the first elected female President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Nigeria, where she led Organizations of Persons with disabilities in the struggle to sign the Nigerian Disability Bill into Law in 2019, after over 17 years of consistent advocacy. Thereafter, she joined CBM Global as a pioneer Country Director and led her team for about 3 years, contributing towards ending the circle of poverty and disability in Nigeria. Aside from disability activism, Ekaete has served as consultant to several development agencies, providing technical assistance on disability inclusion in program and project design.
Nunca he viajado antes. ¿Qué debería saber?
Reconocemos que el viaje involucra muchos desafíos y por eso brindaremos más información y detalles sobre cómo llegar a Bangkok cuando abramos el proceso de inscripción a principios del próximo año.
Time for Action: Stop the anti-rights infiltration of the UN!
Call to action
Sign the Call to Action!
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Margarita Santizo Martínez
As realidades de financiamento para movimentos feministas mudam rapidamente. Este questionário é um ocorrência única?
Não. Tem por base a história de 20 anos da AWID de mobilizar mais financiamento de maior qualidade para mudanças sociais lideradas por feministas e é a terceira edição do nosso inquérito “Onde está o dinheiro para organização feminista?”. O nosso objetivo é repetir o inquérito WITM a cada 3 anos.