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Women Human Rights Defenders

WHRDs are self-identified women and lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LBTQI) people and others who defend rights and are subject to gender-specific risks and threats due to their human rights work and/or as a direct consequence of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

WHRDs are subject to systematic violence and discrimination due to their identities and unyielding struggles for rights, equality and justice.

The WHRD Program collaborates with international and regional partners as well as the AWID membership to raise awareness about these risks and threats, advocate for feminist and holistic measures of protection and safety, and actively promote a culture of self-care and collective well being in our movements.

Risks and threats targeting WHRDs  

WHRDs are exposed to the same types of risks that all other defenders who defend human rights, communities, and the environment face. However, they are also exposed to gender-based violence and gender-specific risks because they challenge existing gender norms within their communities and societies.

By defending rights, WHRDs are at risk of:

  • Physical assault and death
  • Intimidation and harassment, including in online spaces
  • Judicial harassment and criminalization
  • Burnout

A collaborative, holistic approach to safety

We work collaboratively with international and regional networks and our membership

  • to raise awareness about human rights abuses and violations against WHRDs and the systemic violence and discrimination they experience
  • to strengthen protection mechanisms and ensure more effective and timely responses to WHRDs at risk

We work to promote a holistic approach to protection which includes:

  • emphasizing the importance of self-care and collective well being, and recognizing that what care and wellbeing mean may differ across cultures
  • documenting the violations targeting WHRDs using a feminist intersectional perspective;
  • promoting the social recognition and celebration of the work and resilience of WHRDs ; and
  • building civic spaces that are conducive to dismantling structural inequalities without restrictions or obstacles

Our Actions

We aim to contribute to a safer world for WHRDs, their families and communities. We believe that action for rights and justice should not put WHRDs at risk; it should be appreciated and celebrated.

  • Promoting collaboration and coordination among human rights and women’s rights organizations at the international level to  strengthen  responses concerning safety and wellbeing of WHRDs.

  • Supporting regional networks of WHRDs and their organizations, such as the Mesoamerican Initiative for WHRDs and the WHRD Middle East and North Africa  Coalition, in promoting and strengthening collective action for protection - emphasizing the establishment of solidarity and protection networks, the promotion of self-care, and advocacy and mobilization for the safety of WHRDs;

  • Increasing the visibility and recognition of  WHRDs and their struggles, as well as the risks that they encounter by documenting the attacks that they face, and researching, producing, and disseminating information on their struggles, strategies, and challenges:

  • Mobilizing urgent responses of international solidarity for WHRDs at risk through our international and regional networks, and our active membership.

Related Content

Type

Do you produce an annual report?

Yes, we do produce annual reports.

All our annual reports are accessible online.

See all annual reports from AWID

FRMag - Ghosts Of Girlhood

Les fantômes des jeunes filles

par Akua Antiwiwaa

J’ai une vieille photo, floue, devant les yeux. J’y suis vêtue tout de blanc, des perles nacrées attachées à mes cheveux, collés contre mes oreilles, à celles qui pendent de mes poignets. (...)

Lire

illustration : « Cultura Negra » (“Culture noire”), par Astrid Milena González Quintero >

Snippet - CSW69 On autonomous resourcing - ES

Sobre las alternativas de dotación de recursos autónomos

Snippet Forum Quoate Jac s m Kee, Malaysia (FR)

Il n'y a rien de tel que d'être dans un espace partagé, d'échanger des énergies corporelles, de regarder dans les yeux de quelqu'un et de tisser des liens, de voir le monde et de faire quelque chose ensemble. Des événements comme le Forum sont parmi les plus forts du mouvement féministe mondial...
- Jac s m Kee, Malaisie

Escribí un artículo sobre un asunto relacionado con los derechos de las mujeres y el desarrollo. ¿Cómo puedo compartirlo con la membresía de AWID?

Film club - Finding Sally

Finding Sally (2020) Amharic | English with English subtitles

A personal investigation into the mysterious life of the director's Aunt Sally, an Ethiopian aristocrat-turned-communist-rebel who disappeared after the revolution that lead to the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Live Conversation with Tamara Dawit, the filmmaker of “Finding Sally”

June 23 at 12:30pm EST on IG Live

Snippet - GenderJobs.org

Logo for website GenderJobs.org

GenderJobs.org: This is a platform with a comprehensive list of job opportunities to work on gender equality and LGBTQI+ rights, curated by gender professionals and intersectional feminists who intimately know the sector and are extremely passionate about supporting other gender professionals and anyone who is aspiring to become one! (source: https://genderjobs.org/about)

Why Bangkok?

Each Forum takes place in a different region, and it is time for the AWID Forum to come back to Asia! We visited many countries in the region, consulted feminist movements, and conducted detailed assessments of logistics, accessibility, safety, visas and more. Eventually, the AWID Board enthusiastically approved Bangkok, Thailand, as the best option. We are excited to come back to Bangkok, where we held the AWID Forum in 2005.

2003: le premier Dialogue de haut niveau a lieu

Premier Dialogue de haut niveau sur le financement du développement, 29-30 octobre 2003.

Les  dialogues de haut niveau  de l’Assemble générale des Nations Unies sur le financement du développement, tenus tous les deux ans, sont l’un des mécanismes de suivi de la Conférence de Monterrey. À la suite de ce premier dialogue, huit tables rondes ont été organisées  autour de différentes questions comprenant les subventions agricoles, le commerce, l’allègement de la dette et le financement des OMD. Toutes les discussions se concentraient sur les manières de faire face aux  obstacles structurels qui pesaient sur ces questions et défavorisaient  les nations « en développement ».

D'autres mécanismes de suivi de la Conférence de Monterrey :

  • Les réunions spéciales de haut niveau du Conseil économique et social des Nations Unies (ECOSOC)  tenues  chaque année sur le thème du suivi du Consensus de Monterrey et sous la direction  de la Banque mondiale, du Fonds monétaire international, de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce et de la CNUCED. En outre, au cours de chacune de ses sessions de fond, l’ECOSOC consacre jusqu’à deux jours à des  délibérations portant sur les priorités du FdD.
  • L’organe des Nations Unies consacré aux questions fiscales, le Comité d'experts de la coopération internationale en matière fiscale, traite des différentes questions relatives aux politiques fiscales qui ont été identifiées dans le Consensus de Monterrey. Il constitue un cadre de dialogue visant à améliorer et à encourager la coopération fiscale internationale entre les autorités fiscales nationales.

Snippet example from training video FRENCH

Big banner heading FRENCH

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Call to action

 

Snippet - WCFM Database blurb 2 - En

Know a Funder? Add them to the Database!

Are you a funder? Or do you know funders that support feminist and gender justice movements? Apply to be a part of the Who Can Fund Me? Database now!

Join the database

¿Cuánto cuesta la participación?

Por favor, calcula los costos de viaje a Bangkok, alojamiento y viáticos, visado, cualquier necesidad de accesibilidad y gastos incidentales, además de la tarifa de inscripción que se anunciará próximamente. Los hoteles en la zona de Sukhumvit en Bangkok tienen un rango de precios de USD$50 a $200 por noche en ocupación doble.

Lxs afiliadxs de AWID reciben un descuento al registrarse, por lo tanto, si aún no te has sumado a la membresía, te invitamos a considerar unirte y formar parte de nuestra comunidad feminista global.

2011: The fifth High-level dialogue kick starts Post-2015 discussions

The Fifth High- Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, 7 – 8 December 2011, marked the beginning of the Post 2015 development agenda discussions, and the link to financing for development. The conference gave a special focus to increasing aid to finance the MDG’s. In his closing remarks, the Secretary General called on members to begin to consider the post-2015 development framework. 

ours chapter 5

Chapter 5

Anti-Rights Tactics, Strategies, and Impacts

Anti-rights actors adopt a double strategy. As well as launching outright attacks on the multilateral system, anti-rights actors also undermine human rights from within. Anti-rights actors engage with the aim of co-opting processes, entrenching regressive norms, and undermining accountability.

Read more

Snippet - WITM Infographic annual budget - EN

In 2023, feminist and 
women's rights organizations 
had a median annual budget of $22,000

In contrast, over $1 billion went to three anti-rights groups 2021-2022, with funding for anti-gender networks still rising.1

1 Global Philanthropy Project, 2024

Et pour les visas ?

Nous avons parfaitement conscience des obstacles pratiques et de la détresse émotionnelle générés par les voyages internationaux, en particulier pour les personnes originaires des pays du Sud mondial. L'AWID collabore avec le TCEB (Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau) afin d'aider les participant·e·s au Forum à obtenir un visa. De plus amples informations concernant l'aide à l'obtention de visas seront disponibles au moment de l'inscription, y compris les coordonnées indiquant où et comment déposer votre demande.