Confronting Extractivism & Corporate Power
Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) worldwide defend their lands, livelihoods and communities from extractive industries and corporate power. They stand against powerful economic and political interests driving land theft, displacement of communities, loss of livelihoods, and environmental degradation.
Why resist extractive industries?
Extractivism is an economic and political model of development that commodifies nature and prioritizes profit over human rights and the environment. Rooted in colonial history, it reinforces social and economic inequalities locally and globally. Often, Black, rural and Indigenous women are the most affected by extractivism, and are largely excluded from decision-making. Defying these patriarchal and neo-colonial forces, women rise in defense of rights, lands, people and nature.
Critical risks and gender-specific violence
WHRDs confronting extractive industries experience a range of risks, threats and violations, including criminalization, stigmatization, violence and intimidation. Their stories reveal a strong aspect of gendered and sexualized violence. Perpetrators include state and local authorities, corporations, police, military, paramilitary and private security forces, and at times their own communities.
Acting together
AWID and the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD-IC) are pleased to announce “Women Human Rights Defenders Confronting Extractivism and Corporate Power”; a cross-regional research project documenting the lived experiences of WHRDs from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
We encourage activists, members of social movements, organized civil society, donors and policy makers to read and use these products for advocacy, education and inspiration.
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"Women Human Rights Defenders confronting extractive industries: an overview of critical risks and Human Rights obligations" is a policy report with a gender perspective. It analyses forms of violations and types of perpetrators, quotes relevant human rights obligations and includes policy recommendations to states, corporations, civil society and donors.
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"Weaving resistance through action: Strategies of Women Human Rights Defenders confronting extractive industries" is a practical guide outlining creative and deliberate forms of action, successful tactics and inspiring stories of resistance.
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The video “Defending people and planet: Women confronting extractive industries” puts courageous WHRDs from Africa, Asia, and Latin America in the spotlight. They share their struggles for land and life, and speak to the risks and challenges they face in their activism.
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Challenging corporate power: Struggles for women’s rights, economic and gender justice is a research paper outlining the impacts of corporate power and offering insights into strategies of resistance.
Share your experience and questions!
◾️ How can these resources support your activism and advocacy?
◾️ What additional information or knowledge do you need to make the best use of these resources?
Thank you!
AWID acknowledges with gratitude the invaluable input of every Woman Human Rights Defender who participated in this project. This project was made possible thanks to your willingness to generously and openly share your experiences and learnings. Your courage, creativity and resilience is an inspiration for us all. Thank you!
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Snippet - WITM To make - AR

لجعل الواقع المركّب لتمويل الأشكال المختلفة من التنظيم النسوي، مرئي
Lara Kruger
Lara fue una muy conocida y querida DJ de radio en la FM Motsweding, en Sudáfrica.
Fue una de las primeras conductoras abiertamente transgénero en una estación de radio comercial. Trabajó mucho para echar luz sobre los temas LGTBI.
El activismo de Lara comenzó a temprana edad, cuando defendía vivamente su derecho a vestirse y comportarse de una forma que le resultara cómoda y lo hacía frente a integrantes de su comunidad que todavía no entendían qué significaba ser transgénero.
Snippet FEA Housing is a right (ES)

La vivienda es un derecho | El cuidado sostiene la vida
Piera Oria
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.
María Cecilia Alfaro Quesada
Maria a consacré la majeure partie de sa vie à l’intégration d’une perspective féministe et de la parité hommes-femmes dans les activités institutionnelles et organisationnelles, ainsi qu’au renforcement des capacités.
Enfant, Maria s'intéressait beaucoup à l'art, à la communication, à la nature, à la littérature et à la justice, en particulier pour les femmes et les groupes marginalisés.
Elle a milité en faveur droits sexuels et reproductifs et était membre du Conseil national pour une éducation intégrale à la sexualité. Celleux qui l’aimaient se souviennent d’elle comme d’une « combattante passionnée et infatigable », résolument engagée en faveur des droits des femmes et des enfants
Snippet FEA Clemencia (FR)
Nous sommes ravis de vous présenter Clemencia Carabalí Rodallega, une extraordinaire féministe afro-colombienne.
Elle a travaillé sans relâche pendant trois décennies pour sauvegarder les droits humains, les droits des femmes et la consolidation de la paix dans les zones de conflit sur la côte pacifique de la Colombie.
Clemencia a apporté une contribution significative à la lutte pour la vérité, la réparation et la justice pour les victimes de la guerre civile en Colombie.
Elle a reçu le Prix national pour la défense des droits humains en 2019 et a également participé à la campagne de la nouvelle élue afro-colombienne et amie de longue date, la vice-présidente Francia Márquez.
Bien que Clemencia ait rencontré et continue de rencontrer de nombreuses difficultés, notamment des menaces et des tentatives d'assassinat, elle continue de se battre pour les droits des femmes et communautés afro-colombiennes à travers le pays.
Albertina Sisulu
Snippet - WITM FAQ - AR
الأسئلة الأكثر شيوعاً
So'oalo Roger
So'oalo was a fervent human rights advocate, especially pertaining to the rights of the LGBTQI community in the Pacific.
She was a member of the Samoa Fa’afafine Association (SFA) and a passionate advocate for the acknowledgement of a third gender in the island country. Under her leadership, the SFA pushed for the recognition of the validity and rights of the fa’afafine community.
She was also a pioneer in articulating the links between human rights, exploitation of fa’afafines in Samoa and the Pacific, and the health, wellbeing and security of the LGBTQI community.
She was an inspiration, a visionary and her dedication to the pursuit of rights for her community is admirable and will be remembered.
Snippet FEA Aura Roig (EN)
Meet Aura Roig, the visionary feminist activist, anthropologist, director and founder of the Metzineres cooperative.
She spent the last two decades researching, designing and implementing drug policies from the perspective of harm reduction, human rights and intersectional feminism.
Having experienced and learned from communities who use drugs around the world, she returned to Barcelona and created Xarxa de Dones que Usen Drogues (the Network of Women Who Use Drugs, XADUD). XADUD was a space of mutual support and solidarity with the struggle to secure rights for marginalized groups, which later became the Metzineres cooperative.
Aura is currently working on expanding the Metzineres model to provide support to bigger constituencies, while also extensively documenting their prolific journey and learnings.
Ahmal Mahmoud
أنا ناشط/ة فردي/ة ولا أعمل مع أي مجموعة، منظمة و\ أو حركة في الوقت الحالي. هل عليّ تعبئة الاستطلاع؟
كلا. نقدّر عملك لكننا لا نطلب من الأفراد تعبئة الاستطلاع في الوقت الحالي.
Samira Khalil
Samira fue una activista siria bajo el régimen de Bashar al-Asad.
Desde muy joven, se opuso a todas las formas de despotismo, especialmente en relación al régimen autoritario en el que vivía. En 2013, Samira fue secuestrada junto a otrxs tres destacadxs activistas. Se cree que se la llevaron del Centro para la Documentación de Violaciones de Duma, en el área rural de Damasco.
El principal sospechoso de su desaparición es el Ejército del Islam (el cual niega estar involucrado). No ha habido una investigación formal de la desaparición de Samira y desde entonces no se ha sabido nada de ella. Samira estaba comprometida con su país y se negaba a abandonar Siria hasta tanto no sintiera que su trabajo por el empoderamiento de las mujeres y en la documentación de los crímenes ya no fuera necesario.
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Mientras estés en São Paulo, Brasil, puedes visitar la Ocupação 9 de Julho y pedir una comida colaborativa. También puedes comprar sus productos en su tienda online desde el extranjero.
Visita la tienda en línea de la Asociación de Mujeres Afrodescendientes del Norte del Cauca (ASOM) donde puedes encontrar hermosos productos hechos a mano.
Hay varias formas de apoyar a Metzineres: puedes hacer una donación económica, donar materiales y servicios, o proponer una formación, un taller o una actividad (para más información, ¡ver aquí!)
Fidan Dogan
Могу ли я заполнить опрос не на платформе KOBO, а поделиться с вами ответами по электронной почте?
Если у вас нет проблем с доступом к платформе, и/или вы не заполняете анкету на других языках, мы настоятельно рекомендуем вам использовать KOBO для стандартизированного сбора и анализа данных.
Women’s Rights & Gender Equality in focus on TheGuardian.com
The in-focus section features the pressing issues affecting women, girls and transgender people around the world, and shines a spotlight on the critical work being carried out by women's rights movements.
AWID and Mama Cash are advisory partners who offer ideas to the Guardian editorial team and help link the Guardian team with diverse women’s rights advocates, organizations and movements around the world.
With the Guardian’s global reach of over 82 million unique browsers a month and its position of influence with policy makers, AWID and Mama Cash see this partnership as an important opportunity to:
- bring a rights based analysis to a broad and powerful audience
- increase the visibility of diverse women’s rights organizing and make the case for the key role they play in advancing women’s rights
- raise the visibility of women human rights defenders at risk
- influence key global development policy processes and debates and support more diverse voices to frame debates and set priorities about women’s, girls and transgender people’s rights and the changes that are needed at global, regional and national levels.

If you would like to share suggestions for women’s rights issues, strategies, process or events that you would like to see covered by the in-focus section, you can pitch your ideas here. All suggestions collected through this online form will be shared directly with the Guardian editorial team.The Guardian is solely responsible for all journalistic output and all editorial content is strictly independent.
If you have questions about this project, email: contact@awid.org and/or hello@mamacash.org.




