Izabela Jaruga Nowacka
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!
Tell us how you are using the resources on WHRDs Confronting extractivism and corporate power.
◾️ 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?
◾️ 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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這次論壇有什麼不同？
我們一直努力確保論壇是由合作夥伴、運動和我們的優先群體共同來開發。
對於即將舉行的論壇，我們旨在加深和增強共同創造與合作的精神和實踐。我們還認識到有必要在多樣的聲音和體驗之間取得平衡，讓參與者和工作人員有調整呼吸、休息和享受一些空閒時間的空間。
該論壇將在以下方面有所不同：
- 特別有組織條理的論壇活動大幅減少，因為我們希望人們有時間去參與、體驗、消化資訊和彼此交談等。這是溝通的關鍵：您可以參加論壇、積極活躍參與，不必協助推動特別有組織的活動（或「場次」）。
- 我們將擁有開放空間（至少會有一個下午沒有任何有組織的活動），而且整個論壇過程中都將有可供使用的物理空間鼓勵人們自己組織會議等。
- 我們有一個內容和方法委員會，由來自不同地區的女權主義者組成，他們在參與式方法上頗有建樹，以創新和吸引人的方式參與並支持我們的論壇活動。
Snippet - WITM why - EN
Why should I take this survey?
Snippet FEA ASOM Challenges Story 1 (FR)
DÉFIS
- Changement climatique
- Accès aux crédits
- Intermédiaires
Solange Habonimana
Karen Empeño & Sherlyn Cadapan
Snippet - WITM To Strengthen - FR
Pour renforcer notre voix et notre pouvoir collectifs en faveur de davantage de financement de meilleure qualité pour l’organisation des mouvements féministes, de défense des droits des femmes, des personnes LBTQI+ et des mouvements alliés dans le monde entier.
Snippet FEA Metizneres (EN)
Metzineres
When walking in the heart of the Raval district of Barcelona, you might come across Metzineres, a feminist cooperative by and for womxn2 who use drugs surviving multiple situations of vulnerability.
Imagine a place free of stigma, where womxn can be safe. A safe place that provides shelter, support and accompaniment for womxn whose rights are systematically violated by the war on drugs and those who experience violence, discrimination and repression as a result.
Right outside the entrance, passers by and visitors are greeted with a massive chalkboard that outlines tips, tricks, wishes and drawings by drug users. There is also a calendar that boasts a range of activities self-organized by the Metzineres community. Whether it’s hairdressing and cosmetics workshops, radio shows, theater, communal meals offered to the community, or self-defense classes - there is always something going on.
The cooperative provides safe consumption sites as well as utilities that cover people’s basic needs. There are beds, storage spaces, showers, toilets, washing machines and a small outdoor terrace where people can chill or have a goat gardening.
Metzineres operates within a harm reduction framework, which attempts to reduce the negative consequences of using drugs. But harm reduction is so much more than a set of practices: it is a politics anchored in social justice, dignity and rights for people who use drugs.
2 Womxn is a term used by the collective to describe cis and trans women as well as non-binary peopleMarren Akatsa-Bukachi
Our Companion Sites
The Young Feminist Wire
An online community for and by young feminists working on women’s human rights, gender equality and social justice around the world.
The Observatory on the Universality of Rights (OURs)
The platform is the go-to place for information and resources on safeguarding the universality of rights in international and regional human rights spaces.
The Young Feminist Fund-FRIDA
Provides funding for young feminist-led initiatives. It aims to strengthen the capacity of young feminist organizations to leverage resources for their work and to increase donors’ and allies’ commitments to resourcing young feminist activism.
Online Directory of Urgent Responses for WHRDs
A go-to site to learn about the urgent responses undertaken to protect women human rights defenders and to find tools and resources to support the work and wellness of WHRDs.
IM-Defensoras (Mesoamerican Initiative for Women Human Rights Defenders)
A regional initiative created to prevent, respond, document and make public all cases of violence against women human rights defenders in the Mesoamerican region.
The WHRD International Coalition
The WHRD IC is a resource and advocacy network for the protection and support of women human rights defenders worldwide.
Post-2015 Women´s Coalition
A Coalition of feminist, women´s rights, women´s development, grassroots and social justice organisations working to challenge and reframe teh global development agenda.
Women´s Major Group on Development
The role of the Women’s Major Group is to assure effective public participation of women’s non-governmental groups in the UN policy processes on Sustainable Development, Post2015 and Environmental matters.
Women Working Group on Financing for Development
An alliance of women’s organizations and networks to advocate for the advancement of gender equality, women’s empowerment and human rights in the Financing for Development (FfD) related UN processes.
Maria Luisa Posa Dominado
這次論壇會召開會前會嗎？
全球和區域的合作夥伴已就論壇會前會的一些想法與我們聯繫，我們將很快分享有關這些想法的更多信息。
如果您打算在論壇之前組織會前會，請告訴我們！
由諮詢小組組織，AWID資助的2016年黑人女權主義論壇（BFF）湧現出許多美好的事物。BFF產生了一些獨立組織包括巴西的黑人女權組織。儘管今年我們不會再舉辦BFF，但我們仍致力於與有興趣繼續圍繞黑人女權主義組織開展工作的任何人分享一些重要的經驗。
Snippet - WITM about research - EN
About Where is the Money? research
The global survey is a key pillar of the third iteration of our action-oriented research: “Where is the Money for Feminist Organizing?” (in short, Where is the Money or WITM). The results of the survey will be further elaborated and explored through in-depth conversations with activists and funders and cross-referenced with other existing analysis and research on the state of funding for feminists and gender equality globally.
The full “Where is the Money for Feminist Organizing” report will be published in 2026.
To learn more how AWID has been shining a light on money for and against feminist movements check out the work of our Resourcing Feminist Movements Initiative here.
Snippet FEA Care as the foundation (ES)
El cuidado como base de las economías
La pandemia de COVID-19 puso de relieve la crisis mundial de los cuidados y demostró los fracasos del modelo económico dominante que está destruyendo servicios públicos esenciales, infraestructuras sociales y sistemas de atención en todo el mundo.
Cozinha Ocupação 9 Julho, Asociación de Mujeres Afrodescendientes del Norte del Cauca (ASOM) y Metzineres son solo algunos ejemplos de economías de cuidado que centran las necesidades de las personas marginalizadas y la Naturaleza, así como el trabajo de cuidados, el trabajo reproductivo, invisibilizado y no remunerado necesario para garantizar la sostenibilidad de nuestras vidas, nuestras sociedades y nuestros ecosistemas.
Jennifer López
English article
English article created from Spanish site
Mai Ghoussoub
下一屆AWID國際論壇於何時何地舉辦？
第十四屆AWID國際論壇將於西元2021年9月20日至23日在台北举行。