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

Snippet FEA collaborator and allies Photo 1 (EN)

The photo shows Sopo Japaridze, one of the co-founders of the Solidarity Network Union. Sopo has long brown hair, with bangs, and brown eyes, and wears a red mask of the Solidarity Network Union. The picture is taken at night.

Posso aceder a e realizar o inquérito no meu telemóvel?

Sim, o inquérito pode ser acedido através de um smartphone.

Dora Nkem Akunyili

Née dans l'État de Benue, au Nigeria, Dora était une pharmacienne experte et érudite ainsi qu’une dirigeante communautaire de renommée mondiale.

Lorsqu'elle est devenue directrice générale de l'Agence nationale pour la gestion et le contrôle des aliments et drogues (NAFDAC) entre 2001 et 2008, son travail d’envergure révolutionnaire a initié un changement de paradigme au sein de la fonction publique nigériane. Au cours de son mandat, elle a mené des réformes dans l'application des politiques et des réglementations qui ont permis de réduire de manière radicale le nombre de faux médicaments qui ont affecté le secteur pharmaceutique nigérian.

Après avoir incarné la réalité d’une femme courageuse et compétente qui a défié les maux d’une société à dominante patriarcale et qui a conduit au changement, elle est devenue une icône de l’émancipation des femmes. Entre 2008 et 2010 elle a été nommée ministre de l'Information et de la Communication. 

Elle est décédée des suites d'un cancer et laisse dans le deuil son mari, ses six enfants et ses trois petits-enfants.


 

Dora Nkem Akunyili, Nigeria

Voici votre guide pratique et les infographies «Vers un écosystème de financement féministe»

Snippet FEA Workers demonstrations in Georgia 2 (ES)

La imagen muestra una protesta en la que una multitud sostiene una pancarta en georgiano que dice: "8 de marzo para las mujeres trabajadoras".

هل ستكون لي الفرصة بمشاركة افكاري بأمور لا تغطيها أسئلة الاستطلاع؟

نعم. ندعوكم/ن لمشاركتنا بالأمور التي تجدونها مهمة بالنسبة لكم/ن عن طريق الإجابة على الأسئلة المفتوحة في نهاية الاستطلاع.

Nadine Ramaroson

Nadine was a role model to many for her work supporting women and the most vulnerable in her community. She was committed to helping the poor and homeless in particular.

Though her death was reported as an accident, the Ramaroson family, led by her father, André Ramaroson led an investigation that pointed to evidence that she had been murdered. She is reported to have died in a fatal accident occurred between Soanierano - Ivongo and Ste Marie - a story that has been refuted by her family.

She received numerous death threats for her bold political positions. Her case remains in court in Antananarivo (the capital of Madagascar). 


 

Nadine Ramaroson, Madagascar

The AWID Forum Access Fund

We strive to make the AWID Forum a truly global gathering with participation from a diverse array of movements, regions and generations. To this end, AWID mobilizes resources for a limited Access Fund (AF) to assist some participants with the costs of attending the Forum. 

The 14th AWID International Forum will take place 11-14 January 2021, in Taipei, Taiwan. 


How will  the Access Fund be allocated?

For this AWID Forum, there will be no application process. 

Access Fund grants will be allocated by invitation only to:

  • Two  persons per activity selected for the Forum program (decided by those organizations, groups or individuals organizing the activity) 
  • Participants who identify as part of Priority Forum  Constituencies (PFCs) recommended by the organizations, networks and groups who are co-creating the Forum with AWID. 
  • PFCs are those which we consider would strengthen our collective power as movements, are not centered in mainstream feminist movements, and whose Feminist Realities we would like to honor, celebrate and visibilize: 
    - Black feminists 
    - Indigenous feminists
    - Trans, gender non-conforming and intersex feminists
    - Feminists with disabilities 
    - Feminist sex workers and informal workers, including migrant workers
    - Feminists affected by migration 
    - Women affected by drug policy
    - Feminists from the Forum regions (with a focus on the Pacific and mainland China) 

In addition, AWID will fund approximately 100 participants from the Forum’s location. Forum Committee Members (Content and Methodology, Access and Host) as well as those in the Artists Working Group [link] are also granted Access Fund support.

What does the Access Fund cover?

For selected participants, the Access Fund will cover the cost of their:

  • Flight
  • Accommodation
  • Visa
  • Local transportation in Taipei
  • Travel medical insurance

The Access Fund will NOT cover their: 

  • Forum registration fee
  • Transportation to and from the airport in their city of departure
  • Other incidental costs

Apart from the Access Fund, how can I fund my participation at the Forum?

We have listed other ideas on how to fund your participation at the AWID Forum on the Funding Ideas page. 

More Funding Ideas

Snippet FEA Workers Persecution S4 (FR)

Un agent des forces de l'ordre en tenue anti-émeute rose tenant un bâton

LA PERSÉCUTION DES TRAVAILLEUR·EUSES

Le magazine des Réalités féministes

Le magazine des Réalités féministes

Nous vous présentons une sélection motivante de puissantes histoires et d’images de transformations et de résistances créées par des activistes, des écrivain·e·s et des artistes du monde entier.

Explorez le magazine

Является ли мое участие конфиденциальным?

Да. Ваши ответы будут удалены по окончании обработки и анализа данных и будут использованы исключительно в исследовательских целях. Данные НИКОГДА не будут переданы за пределы AWID и будут обрабатываться только сотрудниками AWID и консультантками(-тами), работающими с нами над проектом «Где деньги?». Для нас ваша конфиденциальность и безопасность– приоритет. С нашей политикой конфиденциальности можно подробно ознакомиться здесь.

Sainimili Naivalu

“I’ve witnessed discrimination on the streets, being teased on the streets and verbally abused on the streets. I have also made numerous friends and have met a lot of people. There may be dangers out there but I am a survivor and this is where I will be for now.”
- Sainimili Naivalu

Sainimili Naivalu was a feminist and disability rights activist from the village of Dakuibeqa on Beqa Island, Fiji.

She demanded policy makers and stakeholders provide disability friendly policies and services such as the construction of ramps in towns and cities to increase accessibility. Physical barriers were not the only ones she strived to change. From her own experience, she knew that more difficult changes need to take place in social and economic spheres. Many of the challenges disabled people face are rooted in attitudes that carry discrimination and stigma. 

A survivor and a fighter, Sainimili contributed to co-creating feminist realities that foster inclusion and shift attitudes towards disabled people. As a member of the Spinal Injury Association of Fiji (SIA) and through Pacific Disability Forum’s Pacific Enable project she attended the International Labour Organisation “Start Your Business” training in Suva, enabling her to transform her ideas into her own business. She was an entrepreneur at the Suva Market Stall 7, offering manicure services, as well as running SIA’s women’s market stall selling handicrafts, sulus and artifacts. Sainimili’s plan was to expand her business and become a major employer of disabled people.

In addition to her activism, she was also a table tennis medalist and youth champion. 

A vivacious personality, Sainimili was one of a kind. You would always know that Sainimili is in a room because her laughter and her stories would be the first thing that you would notice.
- Michelle Reddy

Sainmili passed away in 2019. 

AWID Member Community Guidelines

Co-creating welcoming and safe spaces

The co-creation of our feminist realities starts with ourselves and how we treat each other. We are dedicated to creating and protecting safe and supportive spaces for our communities both online and in person. We also consider that safe and welcoming spaces are co-owned and co-created.

We  expect our members to act in a manner that is ethical, responsible and consistent with the values of AWID and assume collective responsibility to ensure an atmosphere of mutual respect and solidarity. 


All AWID members are encouraged to: 

  • Connect with others, help break isolation and further solidarity.  It’s easy to feel lost and alone, and a little friendliness and responsiveness goes a long way.

  • Interact and engage peacefully. Differences in opinion will naturally arise, so please think of these differences as useful for expanding your thinking and ways of seeing the world.

  • Help build a space that recognizes and validates multiple lived experiences and diversities of bodies and gender expressions. Recognize that we all carry intersectional identities.

  • Use inclusive language. Be respectful of how people want to be referred to in terms of gender identity or expression (like pronouns), and practice inclusive language. 

  • Listen and make adjustments in your behavior and ways of engaging if someone says they feel uncomfortable. Don’t ask others questions that you wouldn't want to be asked yourself.

  • Help challenge oppressive behavior, which includes harassment, verbal or physical violence, violation of consent, and any action that perpetuates classism, ageism, ableism, racism, misogyny, heterosexism, transphobia and other oppressions.  If needed, please reach out to AWID staff. 

  • Practice speaking and listening with an open mind and heart and without judgement.

  • Be honest, open and heartfelt. Speak and share authentically about your experiences, your challenges, your hopes and dreams, and your vision for your own life and your community.

  • Practice active listening and self-awareness. Be aware of how much time and space you are taking up- leave room for others, practice active listening and learning.

  • Be mindful and credit others for their work and activism. Remember that we are all working collectively to contribute to change-- Ensure that you recognize the contribution of others and credit them when appropriate e.g. in discussions, or in articles, pictures etc.

  • Stay safe! We encourage you to take measures to protect yourself online and in person, especially if you have reason to believe that speaking out will put you in danger. Members may use aliases or profile images that conceal their identity. For more information please refer to the Digital Security First Aid Kit for Human Rights Defenders produced by APC - Association for Progressive Communications. 

  •  Respect the privacy needs of others! Do not share or forward any information without explicit permission.


Our Values

Solidarity 

We take a position in solidarity with each other and diverse struggles for justice and freedoms. We strive to mobilize and strengthen collective action and practice meaningful ways of working with each other.

Human rights

We believe in a full application of the principle of rights including those enshrined in international laws and affirm the belief that all human rights are interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. We are committed to working towards the eradication of all discriminations based on gender, sexuality, religion, age, ability, ethnicity, race, nationality, class or other factors.

Responsibility, Accountability, and Integrity

We strive for transparency, responsible use of our resources, fairness in our collaborations and accountability and integrity with our members, partners, funders and the movements with(in) which we work. We are committed to reflecting on our experiences, sharing our learnings openly, and striving to change our practices accordingly.

Intersectionality

We believe that for feminist movements to be transformative and strong we must continue to work across our similarities and differences. We also must interrogate power and privilege both within and outside our movements.

Bodily autonomy, integrity and freedoms

We celebrate everyone's right to choose their identities, relationships, goals, work, dreams and pleasures, and what they do with their mind, body and spirit. We believe in working towards access to resources, information and safe and enabling environments that allow this to happen.

Justice and systemic change

We work towards a world based on social, environmental, and economic justice; and interdependence, solidarity, and respect. We work towards dismantling systems of oppressive power and against all its manifestations, including patriarchy, fundamentalisms, militarisms, fascisms and corporate power that threaten our lives and our world. We want a just world where resources and power are shared in ways that enable everyone to thrive.


Please note:  

AWID reserves the right to delete comments, suspend or revoke membership when our community guidelines have been violated. AWID members are not authorised to represent AWID in any official capacity unless stipulated in writing. Members cannot use AWID spaces to proselytize or recruit members to join a religious faith or organisation. Members cannot use AWID spaces to request funds for personal use although links to external fundraising efforts or activism campaigns are permissible.
 

Snippet FEA Sopo Japaridze (EN)

Meet Sopo Japaridze, fierce feminist, union leader and chair of the independent service trade union at the Solidarity Network.

She left the country when she was very young to go to the United States where she first became very politically active as a labor organizer. She kept Georgia in the back of her mind all that time, until one day, two decades later, she decided to return.

The existing Georgian union confederation back then was less than ideal. So, equipped with her skills, knowledge and labor organizing experience, Sopo went back to Georgia and built her own union.

Sopo is a passionate researcher and writer. She studies labor and social relations, writes for various publications and is the contributing editor of LeftEast, an Eastern European analytical platform. She also co-founded the political history initiative and podcast, Reimagining Soviet Georgia, where she explores the complexities and nuances of the country's experiences under the Soviet Union, to better understand its past in order to shed light on how to build a better future.