Flor Alba Nunez Vargas
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.
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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.
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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;
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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:
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Mobilizing urgent responses of international solidarity for WHRDs at risk through our international and regional networks, and our active membership.
Related Content
Stories of Change AWID Forums
What does an AWID Forum mean to those who have been there? What is this magic that happens when feminists from around the world gather to celebrate, strategize, learn and share joy?
AWID spoke to over forty Forum participants to hear their stories of the transformations that happened to them as activists, to their organizations and to the movements they are part of. We also learned about what we should keep and build on that makes an AWID Forum different and how we can improve.
This report holds lessons and advice invaluable to anyone planning in-person regional and thematic convenings and for us as we plan for the 15th AWID International Forum.
Scroll down to dive in!
FRMag - Looking at me Looking at Safe Spaces
Recherche sur les espaces sécurisés : une prise de perspective
par Judyannet Muchiri
Je suis partie pour le Kenya en octobre de l'année dernière, pour entamer ce que j'en suis venue à considérer comme mon travail le plus important à ce jour. (...)
illustration : « Guérir ensemble », par Upasana Agarwal >
¿Puedo presentar una propuesta de sesión?
La convocatoria para la propuesta de sesión ahora está cerrada.
Lanzamos el Llamado a Proponer Actividades el 19 de noviembre de 2019 y la última fecha para recibir propuestas fue el 14 de febrero de 2020.
Snippet2 - WCFM type of funder - EN
Type of funder:
Filter your search by funders from different sectors i.e., philanthropic foundations, multilateral funders, women’s and feminist funds
Cristina Bautista
« Si nous nous taisons, ils nous tuent, et si nous parlons [ils nous tuent] aussi. Alors parlons. » - Cristina Bautista, 2019
Cristina Bautista était membre de la communauté autochtone du peuple Nasa, qui vit dans la région nord du Cauca en Colombie. Elle participait à la résistance en tant que leader, défenseuse des droits fonciers, travailleuse sociale et gouverneure de la réserve autochtone Nasa de Tacueyó.
Défenseuse infatigable des droits du peuple Nasa, Cristina s’est exprimée haut et fort contre la violence à l’égard de sa communauté. Dans un discours devant les Nations Unies, elle appelait à protéger les vies des femmes autochtones et à les impliquer dans différents domaines de la vie. En 2017, Cristina était membre du Bureau des Nations Unies pour les droits humains des personnes autochtones. Le Fonds de contributions volontaires des Nations Unies pour les populations autochtones lui a octroyé une subvention en 2019.
« J’aimerais mettre en lumière la situation actuelle du peuple autochtone en Colombie, le meurtre de leaders autochtones, la répression de la contestation sociale. Au lieu d’aider, l’accord de paix a renforcé la guerre et l’exploitation de territoires sacrés en Colombie… Actuellement, nous travaillons en tant que femmes, dans presque toutes les nations autochtones, à un avenir meilleur pour nos familles. Je ne veux pas voir plus de femmes vivre dans ces conditions en milieu rural. Il nous faut des opportunités qui permettent aux femmes autochtones de participer à la vie politique, à l’économie, à la société et à la culture. J’acquiers une réelle force aujourd’hui, en voyant toutes ces femmes ici, et en voyant que je ne suis pas seule. » - Cristina Bautista, 2019
Cristina a été assassinée le 29 octobre 2019, ainsi que quatre autres membres de la garde autochtone désarmée, dans une attaque potentiellement menée par des membres de « Dagoberto Ramos », un groupe dissident FARC.
D’après Global Witness, « le nombre d’assassinats de leaders communautaires et sociaux·les a terriblement augmenté en Colombie au cours de ces dernières années ».
« La communauté nasa a prévenu à maintes reprises les autorités au sujet des menaces qui pèsent sur leur sécurité. Malgré les efforts déployés par les gouvernements colombiens successifs, les peuples autochtones continuent de faire face à d'importants risques, surtout les dirigeants communautaires ou religieux comme Cristina Bautista.» - Point presse des Nations Unies, 1er novembre 2019
Nominate bold feminists to join AWID's Board of Directors
Every year, AWID seeks to renew and enrich the perspectives and experience reflected in our Board of Directors by bringing in new members.
Currently, we are looking for individuals to serve 3-year terms on AWID’s Board, starting in early 2023. This is an opportunity to contribute to our organisation’s governance and to be part of an amazing group of feminists from around the world.
Please help us to identify thoughtful and bold feminists to nominate for election by July 29, 2022.
Please also share this invitation to nominate with your networks!
Who are we looking for?
First and foremost, we are looking for candidates who are committed to AWID’s mission, who can make connections between local and global struggles, and who can help us to be thoughtful about how to best leverage AWID's positioning and strengths in a constantly evolving context. Candidates must be willing to uphold the legal duties and responsibilities of the AWID Board in the best interests of the organization.
This is a voluntary role that requires commitment and engagement throughout the year. Board members are expected to commit a minimum of 10-15 days per year to attend in-person and virtual meetings, and contribute to other communications.
We aspire for our Board to reflect diversity in all its forms, particularly in terms of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, geography and background. Additionally, we seek Board members with experience relevant to AWID’s priority areas of work.
While we will consider all candidates, in light of the current composition of the board, priority consideration will be given to:
Candidates with experience working at the intersections of women’s rights/gender justice and :
- Finance
- Climate justice
- Disability justice, and/or
- Technology
Candidates from the following regions:
- Africa
- South America
What Board members bring to AWID
The Board of Directors is key to inform AWID’s strategic direction and support our organisation to fulfill its mission in coherence with the world we live in and the needs of our movements.
Board members contribute to the organization in many ways: bringing governance experience from other spaces, perspectives from diverse sectors of feminist movements, and substantive expertise in areas relevant to AWID’s strategy.
The candidates who are ultimately elected will be joining the AWID Board in 2023, accompanying us for the launch of our new strategic plan led by AWID’s new Co-Executive Directors, and the planning of our next international Forum.
Do you know someone with this profile?
(You can nominate yourself or someone you know - with their consent)
Please also share this invitation to nominate with your networks!
While anyone can nominate a person for the AWID Board, only AWID members can vote in our Board Elections - Become an AWID member today!
Thank you, in advance, for helping us find our next wonderful Board members to support AWID in its journey ahead!
Snippet Watch Stories (EN)
En savoir plus sur l'impact du forum à travers ces histoires.
Film club - Tenderness is the sharpest resistance
Our first Feminist Film Club program is now available to view: “Tenderness is the Sharpest Resistance” is a film series on Asian/Pacific Feminist Realities curated by Jess X Snow
WATCH
Priyadarshini Thangarajah
¿Cuándo puedo inscribirme al Foro?
Pronto brindaremos esta información. ¡Mantente sintonizadx!
Clone of Snippet - Intro WITM - EN
Where is the Money for Feminist Organizing? Survey Results
Thanks to our global feminist community! From May to August 2024, nearly 1,200 organizations working for Women's rights, gender justice, and LBTQI+ equality shared their experiences in the WITM survey. The results offer a unique picture of how feminist movements are resourced and where gaps remain.
Stay tuned for the upcoming report for more analysis!
Ayanda Denge
“I am a wonder… Therefore I have been born by a mother! As I begin to stutter, my life has been like no other…” - Ayanda Denge (read the whole poem below)
Ayanda Denge was a transwomxn, sex worker, activist, poet. She was Xhosa, from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. After travelling through different cities of the country, she moved to Cape Town.
As a committed and fervent social justice activist, she fought for the rights of sex workers, trans persons, and for those of people living with HIV and AIDS. She was also a motivational speaker on cancer awareness, and campaigned for affordable and social housing, especially for poor and working-class people. Ayanda stood tall as a mountain against different and often abusive faces of discrimination.
“Being transgender is not a double dose, but it’s a triple dose of stigmatisation and discrimination. You are discriminated against for your sexual identity, you are discriminated against for your work, and you are discriminated against for your HIV status.” - Ayanda Denge, 2016
She was acting chairperson at the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) and also worked as an Outreach Coordinator at Sisonke, a national sex workers’ movement in South Africa.
“From us, from our regional head office, to SWEAT where I sit on the board, to Sisonke, a movement of sex workers in Cape Town. We all amalgamate, we have one cry and it’s a cry that is recognised internationally by international sex workers. We want decriminalisation of sex work.” - Ayanda Denge, 2016
She lived in the Ahmed Kathrada House, which was being occupied by the Reclaim the City campaign for social housing. In 2018, Ayanda was elected house leader. On 24 March 2019, she was stabbed to death in her room. The year prior, another resident was killed.
Reclaim the City draws a connection between the safety of the house residents and the Provincial Government withholding electricity and the human right to water:
“We cannot separate the safety of women and LGBTQI people living in the occupation from the refusal by the Western Cape Provincial Government to turn the electricity and water back on at Ahmed Kathrada House.
The house is pitch black at night. We need lights to keep each other safe. It is as if the Province wishes to punish poor and working class people, whose only crime is that we needed a home. While they may disagree with our reasons for occupying, they should be ashamed of themselves for putting politics before the safety and dignity of residents of this city.
Rest in Peace comrade Ayanda Denge, we shall remember you as we carry the torch forward in the struggle for decent well-located housing.”
Poem by Ayanda:
I am a wonder…
Therefore I have been born by a mother!
As I begin to stutter,
My life has been like no other.
Born in pain
Nourished by rain
For me to gain
Was living in a drain.
As I shed a tear
I stand up and hold my spear.
Voices echo, do not fear
Challenges within a year,
Challenges of hurt are on my case;
Community applauds as they assume I have won my race;
But in reality my work strides at a tortoise pace;
On bended knee I bow and ask for grace.
For the Lord
Is my Sword;
To remind humanity
That he provides sanity.
Why Lord am I this wonder?
The Lord answers me with the rain and thunder,
For questioning my father
Who has in the book of lambs
A name called Ayanda.
From the streets my life was never sweet
The people I had to meet;
At times I would never greet;
Even though I had to eat;
I’d opt to take a bow
Rather than a seat
Listen to the poem in Ayanda’s voice
“For my life represents that of a lotus flower, that out of murky and troubled waters I bloomed to be beautiful and strong...” - Ayanda Denge, watch and listen
Tributes:
“Ayanda, I want to say to you that you are still a survivor, in our hearts and minds. You are gone but you are everywhere, because you are love. How beautiful it is to be loved, and to give love. And Ayanda, that is the gift that you have given us. Thank you for all of the love, we truly did need you. Going forward, I promise to you that we will all commit to continue with the struggle that you have dedicated so much energy and your time to. And we will commit ourselves to pursuing justice in this awful ending to your life.” - Transcript of a message, in a farewell Tribute to Ayanda
“Ayanda was an activist by nature. She knew her rights and would not mind fighting for the rights of others. For me, it was no shock that she was involved with many organizations and it was known that she was a people’s person. It did not need to be the rights of LGBTI but just the rights of everyone that she stood for.” - Ayanda’s sister
Las Triple Cripples: ¡hablemos de sexo, nena!
por Nandini Tanya Lallmon, República de Mauricio (@nandini_tanya)
Olajumoke «Jay» Abdullahi y Kym Oliver son feministas revolucionarias en más de un sentido.
Las dos amigas se llaman a sí mismas las «Triple Cripples» [«Triples Inválidas»] porque, como mujeres discapacitadas negras, se ven sometidas a tres niveles de discriminación. Jay, actualmente de 31 años, contrajo polio cuando era bebé y utiliza una férula y unas muletas como sostén, mientras que Kym, de 25 años, tiene esclerosis múltiple y se moviliza en silla de ruedas. El nombre del dúo surge de un esfuerzo por redefinir la palabra «inválida» que, según ellas, «ha sido un término habitualmente usado contra las personas discapacitadas como injuria, como una forma infalible de recordarnos que estábamos “falladas” y que siempre íbamos a ser “menos que”.»
Como mujeres negras, Kym y Jay han sido víctimas del estereotipo racial globalizado que hipersexualiza la piel oscura. En su libro Heart of the Race: Black Women’s Lives in Britain [Corazón de la raza: las vidas de las mujeres negras en Gran Bretaña], Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie y Suzanne Scafe describen cómo las mujeres negras han sido históricamente definidas como un «riesgo de alta promiscuidad» por los doctores, debido a su libido y su fertilidad. Jay explica que «la gente piensa que estoy siempre dispuesta a hacer de todo y cualquier cosa todo el tiempo porque soy una mujer negra». Aunque ambas mujeres han sido sometidas a una intensa fetichización debido a su color de piel, sus discapacidades han confundido a muchas personas. Kym describe así su experiencia como mujer con curvas: «Tengo el tipo de cuerpo que la gente quiere manosear, y les parece que yo debería poder aceptarlo, pero, al mismo tiempo, existe esta idea de que yo no debería tener pretensiones, por mi discapacidad.»
En las plataformas de citas en línea, a Jay le han preguntado si puede realizar ciertas posiciones sexuales, dado que ciertas potenciales parejas «han decidido que quieren estar contigo de este modo y quieren saber si tu corporalidad puede facilitarlo.» Durante una consulta de control, Kym hizo disculparse a unx profesional médicx que, mientras completaba un formulario de admisión, le preguntó cuántas parejas sexuales ha tenido con un tono que implicaba «yo sé que estas preguntas no son aplicables en tu caso, pero tenemos que seguir el proceso estándar del cuestionario.»
El error de pensar que la falta de autonomía física equivale a una falta de deseo sexual es generalizado.
En la escuela, Jay era excluida de las clases de educación sexual, porque se presuponía que estaba incapacitada para tener sexo. Ella explica que incluso las organizaciones bien intencionadas que promueven el acceso a los servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva a menudo no tienen en cuenta las necesidades específicas de las mujeres discapacitadas. Por ejemplo, las píldoras son consideradas con frecuencia un método anticonceptivo efectivo, sin ninguna mención de que pueden agravar los riesgos de coágulos de las mujeres que usan sillas de ruedas.
Con sede en Londres, las Triple Cripples esperaban ansiosamente participar, junto con el equipo Decolonising Contraception [descolonizar la contracepción], en el SexFest2020, un festival de un día organizado para personas de color y dedicado a la salud y el bienestar sexuales. Desafortunadamente, el evento fue cancelado debido a la pandemia del COVID-19. A pesar de ello, sin desanimarse, Jay y Kim se volcaron a sus plataformas de activismo en línea, para oponerse a la forma en que la sexualidad es vista desde una perspectiva estrictamente heteronormativa y para desafiar la idea de que la femineidad está definida por la capacidad de procrear. El dúo inauguró un canal de YouTube y un podcast (también llamado «The Triple Cripples») para promover la representación de las personas discriminadas de múltiples formas como seres humanos holísticos. Sus planes a futuro incluyen un documental creativo y una muestra fotográfica dedicada a luchar contra la discriminación y a difundir las voces de personas de color discapacitadas.
La experiencia de discriminación basada en la raza, el género y la discapacidad es más que acumulativa.
Si bien las mujeres discapacitadas de color comparten experiencias de discriminación por motivos de discapacidad con otras personas discapacitadas, experiencias de sexismo con otras mujeres, y experiencias de racismo con otras personas de color, estas experiencias interactúan y no pueden ser separadas: las mujeres discapacitadas de color experimentan una discriminación singular como mujeres discapacitadas de color.
Si bien las Triple Cripples reconocen que las ideas anticuadas y superficiales sobre la diversidad no se transformarán, como por arte de magia, en espacios inclusivos de un día para otro, siguen confiando en que sus pequeños hachazos finalmente lograrán derribar los grandes robles que las prácticas discriminatorias representan para ellas.
«Bloomed» [En flor]
de Titash Sen, Kolkata, India (@unzeroed)
La alegría de aceptarse y crecer al calor de esa luz.
“Asignado Nderentendei Al Nacer”
de Bastión Moral, Asunción, Paraguay (@basti0nmoral)
La mujeridad obligatoria es un dispositivo colonial heterocispatriarcal de violencia hacia cuerpos asignados femeninos al nacer. Los cuerpos trans seguimos resistiendo a pesar de la invisibilización y apagamiento histórico. No soy mujer, me asignaron un género a partir de mis genitales.
![“Asignado Nderentendei Al Nacer” [Assigned Nderentendei at Birth] by Bastión Moral](https://web.archive.org/web/20210928161447/https://www.awid.org/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/web_bastion-nderentendei.png "“Asignado Nderentendei Al Nacer” [Assigned Nderentendei at Birth] by Bastión Moral")
Featured
How feminist art can rock CSW
Snippet Discover Forum Stories (EN)
Feminist movements have changed and adapted tremendously since we last convened in this way - so to remember why AWID Forums matter, we asked activists from around the world to reflect on and share their stories, impressions and memories. This is what we learned.
Film club - The Turtle's rage
The Turtle’s Rage (2012) Alemán | Árabe con subtítulos en inglés
Esta película cuenta la historia de un hombre misterioso cuya vida ha sido moldeada por la huida, la expulsión, el exilio y el fracasado retorno a Palestina. El film está compuesto por la búsqueda de respuestas que lleva a cabo su hija.
Conversación en vivo con Pary El-Qalqili, directora de “The Turtle’s Rage”
Olena Tsukerman
Para participar en el Foro, ¿tengo que ser afiliadx de AWID?
No, no es necesario que seas afiliadx de AWID para participar en el Foro, pero lxs afiliadxs de AWID tienen un descuento en el costo de inscripción, y varios otros beneficios.
WITM - Refreshed DATA SNAPSHOTS - ES
Instantáneas de datos
Nuestro poder colectivo, nuestra sabiduría y nuestro compromiso no tienen límites. Pero nuestras cuentas bancarias sí.
Las instantáneas de datos están basadas en las respuestas de 1.174 organizaciones feministas, por los derechos de las mujeres, LGBTQI+ y aliadas (en adelante «organizaciones feministas y por los derechos de las mujeres») de 128 países a ¿Dónde está el dinero para las organizaciones feministas?la encuestade AWID. Estas instantáneas reflejan experiencias de 2021 a 2023, analizadas en el contexto de las tendencias de desfinanciamiento que se han verificado en 2024 y 2025.
Aquí encontrarás lo que necesitas saber sobre el estado actual de la movilización de recursos para las organizaciones feministas.
Love letter to feminist movements: A Letter from Inna and Faye
Dear feminist movements,
Love is what keeps our feminist fire burning. Along with care for our communities, anger and rage in the face of injustice, and the courage to take action.
In September 2022, we stepped with great excitement into our leadership roles at AWID, as Co-Executive Directors. We felt the warmth and embrace of the feminist sisterhood as you welcomed us.
Reflecting on our most precious memories as feminists, we recall powerful moments of togetherness at street protests, sharp analysis, and brave voices shaking the status quo at gatherings. We held those intimate conversations into the night, laughed for hours, and danced at parties together.
Feminist fires need to be fed, especially in difficult times when there is no lack of external challenges, from the climate crisis and the rise of right-wing forces to exploitative economies and persisting patterns of oppression within our own social movements. It's these fires, burning ablaze everywhere, that light our ways and keep us warm, but we can’t disregard the exhausting effects of political violence and repression directed against many of our struggles, movements, and communities.
We understand the desire to change the world as an essential ingredient of feminist organizing. We can never forget that we are the ones we have been waiting for, in building alternatives and shaping our future. Yet, vibrant feminist energy cannot be taken for granted and must be safeguarded in many ways. In this, we will continue to be vigilant. Greater and equal access to care and wellbeing, to healing and pleasure, are not only instruments to prevent burnout and sustain our movements, though that is an important function; first and foremost, they are the way in which we hope to live our lives.
We are thrilled to roll up our sleeves and work with you. AWID’s new strategic plan “Fierce Feminisms: Together We Rise” reflects our conviction that now is the time for us to be fierce and unapologetic in our agendas while making an effort to connect across movements and truly get to know each other’s realities, so that we may rise together - because, for us, this is the only way.
Our plans include the long-awaited AWID Forum! We look forward to meeting you all in person and online in 2024. We are hearing from you the need to connect and recharge, to rest and heal, to be challenged and inspired, to share good food, and to laugh and dance together. Few things in this world are as powerful and transformative, as feminists from all parts of the world coming together, and we truly hold our breath for this moment, because we know the magic that we can create together.
Our membership engagement has taken on a life of its own through the AWID Community (our online platform for members), and our focus on building connection and solidarity resonates with many of you. Please join and connect with us and others in feminist movements around the world. We know the importance of connection in a time and space where the rules are not made for us, and we hold close our community, where each of us matters.
Together with our fantastic AWID colleagues, we promise to do our best to support feminist movements, as is the mission and purpose of AWID. Please hold us to account.
For the past 40 years, you - feminist movements - have shaped AWID’s history, and pushed us to be braver, creative, and radical. 40 is a fabulous age, and we look forward to another 40 years with you all. We are looking forward to the partnerships, calls to justice, collaboration, policy influencing, and badass feminist power that you all bring in navigating the ever-increasing backlash on gender, racial and environmental justice. We have so much to learn from you and from each other, as we collectively build the worlds we believe in.
Cindy Clark and Hakima Abbas, thank you for paving the way for us and preparing us to fill your enormous shoes. We always appreciate all those on whose shoulders we stood and continue to stand. We understand ourselves to be part of a broader movement landscape, feminist histories, presents, and daring futures.
AWID’s Board of Directors, we are grateful to you for the support and feminist love you show us, and for your commitment to Global South leadership and the co-leadership model. We send our love and respect to each and every AWID colleague, we feel honoured to be working with such an exceptional feminist team of dedicated professionals.
This is our first time writing a love letter together, how could we conclude it without expressing love, care, and respect for each other? It’s a pretty intense relationship we’ve stepped into! We both bring our different and diverse perspectives and skills to our work, and as individuals, we also bring our lived experiences and authentic selves.
Together with you all, we are a story in the making, a part of a beautiful woven - and often beautifully challenging - tapestry that continues into the future. We had fun starting this journey together with each other and with you, and we very much hope to keep the romance alive.
In solidarity, with love and care
Inna and Faye
Save the date!
21 February 2023, Member Mixer 5 on Feminist Politics with Faye and Inna.
Not a member yet? Find out more about AWID Membership.
