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AWID is an international, feminist, membership organisation committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women’s human rights

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.

Share your experience and questions!

Tell us how you are using the resources on WHRDs Confronting extractivism and corporate power.

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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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Think big! With our international reach, we combine analytical work with political and practical tools for advocacy and transformation to advance the cause of feminist movements at all levels.

Snippet - WITM About the survey - EN

ABOUT THE SURVEY

  • GLOBAL & DIVERSE: Reflecting on resourcing realities of feminist organizing at a global scale and disaggregated by region
  • CONTEXTUALIZED: Centering voices, perspectives and lived experiences of feminist movements in all their richness, boldness and diversity in their respective contexts
  • CO-CREATED: Developed and piloted in close consultations with AWID members and movement partners
  • COMPLEMENTARY: Contributing to and amplifying existing evidence on the state of resourcing for feminist, women’s rights and gender justice organizing by activists, feminist funders and allies
  • MULTI-LINGUAL: Accessible in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
  • PRIORITIZING PRIVACY & SECURITY: We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of your data. Read our Privacy Policy to learn more about the measures we take to ensure the protection of your information
  • ACCESSIBLE: Accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive abilities, taking approximately 30 minutes to complete
  • REPLICABLE: Replicable by movements in their respective contexts; WITM survey tools and datasets will be publicly available to support more feminist research and collective advocacy.

Umyra Ahmad

Biography

Umyra Ahmad est une féministe malaisienne expérimentée en plaidoyer international et régional et en éducation aux droits humains. Au sein de l'AWID, elle travaille à la promotion des droits liés au genre et à la sexualité à l'ONU. Avant de nous rejoindre, elle était chargée de programme à IWRAW Asie-Pacifique, où elle a aidé des organisations de terrain régionales, nationales et locales à utiliser les mécanismes des organes conventionnels de l'ONU comme outils de redevabilité des États et d'accès à la justice. En Malaisie, elle travaille avec des collectifs queer et de réfugié·e·s, et soutient la coordination de diverses initiatives d'entraide.

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Responsable de Plaidoyer pour l’initiative de Promotion des Droits Universels et de la Justice
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Snippet FEA Criminalization of sex workers (ES)

La mayoría de los Estados miembros de la Unión Europea tienen leyes y prácticas que penalizan o controlan a las trabajadoras sexuales de formas inaceptables para ellas. La criminalización de las trabajadoras sexuales y/o sus clientes solo contribuye a aumentar la vulnerabilidad de las trabajadoras sexuales, que ya enfrentan el estigma, la discriminación y la exclusión por parte del Estado y de la sociedad a diario, especialmente las mujeres trabajadoras, lxs trabajadorxs trans, migrantes y/o racializadxs. En España por ejemplo, el gobierno esta actualmente intentando pasar una Ley Orgánica para la Abolición de la Prostitución, que resultara en mas clandestinidad y violencia. Ven a conocer las historias de trabajadoras sexuales y organizadores sindicales que luchan para decriminilizar el trabajo sexual y promover derechos laborales y condiciones de trabajo digno para lxs trabajadxs sexuales.

Our values - Human Rights

Derechos humanos

Sostenemos la completa aplicación del principio de derechos, incluidos aquellos consagrados en leyes internacionales, y afirmamos la convicción de que todos los derechos humanos están interrelacionados y son interdependientes e indivisibles. Estamos comprometidxs a trabajar por la erradicación de todas las discriminaciones basadas en el género, la sexualidad, la religión, la edad, la capacidad, la etnia, la raza, la nacionalidad, la clase, u otros factores.

Snippet - WITM Acknowledgements - EN

Acknowledgements

AWID gratefully acknowledges the many people whose ideas, analysis and contributions have shaped the “Where is the Money for Feminist Organizing?” research and advocacy over the years.

First and foremost, our deepest thanks goes to the AWID members and activists who engaged in WITM consultations and piloted this survey with us, sharing so generously of their time, analysis and hearts.

Our appreciation to feminist movements, allies and feminist funds, including but not limited to: Black Feminist Fund, Pacific Feminist Fund, ASTRAEA Lesbian Foundation for Justice, FRIDA Young Feminist Fund, Purposeful, Kosovo Women’s Network, Human Rights Funders Network, Dalan Fund and PROSPERA International Network of Women's Funds - for your rigorous research on the state of resourcing, sharp analysis and continued advocacy for more and better funding and power for feminist and gender justice organizing in all contexts.

Join the global community of feminists speaking up about the state of resourcing, demanding more and better funding and power for feminists everywhere

Sanyu Awori

Biography

Sanyu is a Pan-African feminist based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has spent the last decade supporting labour, feminist and human rights movements advocating for corporate accountability, economic justice and gender justice. She has worked with the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, IWRAW Asia Pacific and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. She has a Master’s of Laws in Human Rights Law and a Bachelor’s of Laws from the University of Nottingham. Her writing has been published in the Business and Human Rights Journal, Human Rights Law Review, Open Global Rights, Open Democracy and more. In her free time, she loves walking in the forest and chasing butterflies.

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Manager, Building Feminist Economies
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Photo de Sabrina Sanchez parlant à côté d'un écran de la réunion d'Ilga World.

Membership why page - Kirthi Jayakumar quote

En participant à une activité exclusive pour les membres, j'ai été particulièrement touchée de voir que chacun·e y avait sa place et qu’il n’y avait pas le moindre jugement. Toute la session a été dynamique et vivante.- Kirthi Jayakumar, Fondatrice, The Gender Security Project, Inde

Our group, organization and/or movement is not registered, should we take the survey anyway?

Absolutely, we want to hear about your experience with resourcing.

Veena Singh

Biography

Veena Singh es una isleña de Fiyi, feminista y mujer de color Nacida y criada en un pequeño pueblo rural de Fiyi, su fuerza proviene de su rica herencia mixta (su madre es una mujer fiyiana indígena y su padre es fiyiano de ascendencia India).  La identidad y las experiencias vividas de Veena han influido profundamente en su compromiso con la justicia, la equidad y la inclusión.   Con más de dos décadas de experiencia en derechos humanos, igualdad de género, desarrollo comunitario e inclusión social, Veena es una activista apasionada por la reconfiguración del poder para crear un cambio transformativo y construir una «economía de la amabilidad» Su trabajo se expande por diversas áreas que incluyen: desarrollo comunitario, mujeres, paz y seguridad, políticas sociales, derechos humanos y defensa de políticas. 

Veena está profundamente comprometida en hacer avanzar la inclusión, la paz y la justicia, los derechos sexuales y por la justicia reproductiva (SRHR, por sus siglas en inglés), la justicia climática y los derechos humanos.  Aporta un gran acervo de experiencia trabajando con redes de base, organizaciones internacionales e instituciones gubernamentales, siempre con foco en los abordajes locales y liderados por la comunidad y los principios feministas. 

Fuera de su ‘vida de oficina’, Veena es activista por el medio ambiente, defensora de la salud mental y escritora.  Es la mamá de 11 gatos, se viste con sari y es amante del correo postal y las postales.  Como observadora atenta de los movimientos feministas en Fiyi y el Pacífico, Veena está en un recorrido personal para «decolonizar la mente y el yo a través de la autoreflexión radical» Sobre todo, la impulsa el deseo y el sueño de producir una escritura convocante y resonante que conecte con la diáspora del Pacífico y difunda las voces de los márgenes.

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Copresidenta
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Snippet FEA Principles of Work (EN)

Principles

OF WORK

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