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Special Focus

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

Women Human Rights Defenders

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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

¿Se mantiene el Foro AWID en Taipei dada la situación relacionada con COVID-19?

Read in: English French Spanish

AWID está monitoreando de cerca la situación global del COVID-19 y, por ahora, prevé seguir adelante con el Foro según lo planificado.

Si en algún momento la situación exige que hagamos algo diferente, se los comunicaremos inmediatamente.

El 14° Foro Internacional de AWID está programado para realizarse del 20 al 23 de septiembre de 2021 en Taipéi.

Más información

Defensoras que demostraron su valentía en los medios

Estas 20 Defensoras de derechos humanos (WHRDs, por las siglas en inglés) trabajaron como periodistas, y de manera más amplia, en los medios comunicación de México, Colombia, Fiji, Libia, Nepal, Estados Unidos de Norteamérica, Nicaragua, Filipinas, Rusia, Alemania, Francia, Afganistán, y el Reino Unido. De ellas, 16 han sido asesinadas, y la causa de muerte en uno de los casos sigue sin ser esclarecida. Por esto, en este Día Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa, por favor únete a nosotrxs para conmemorar la vida y el trabajo de estas mujeres, compartiendo las memes aquí incluidas con tus colegas, amistades y redes, utilizando los hashtags #LibertadDePrensa y #WHRDs.

Los aportes del trabajo realizado por estas mujeres fueron celebrados y honrados en nuestro Tributo virtual para defensoras que ya no están con nosotrxs.

Por favor, haz click en cada imagen de abajo para ver una versión más grande y para descargar como un archivo. 

 

 

Notre groupe, organisation et/ou mouvement n’a pas accepté ou demandé de fonds de financeurs extérieurs, pouvons-nous quand même participer à l’enquête?

Oui, tout à fait! Nous reconnaissons et comprenons les différentes raisons pour lesquelles les féministes de tous contextes ne recourent pas au financement extérieur, pouvant aller de ne pas être éligibles à demander des subventions et/ou recevoir de l’argent de l’étranger, à compter sur des ressources générées de manière autonome (ressource en anglais) en tant que stratégie politique à part entière. Nous vous invitons à participer, peu importe votre expérience du financement extérieur.

Snippet FEA NSS has a vision of an Africa (FR)

“Nous Sommes la Solution a une vision d'une Afrique où, solidairement, les femmes rurales impliquées dans la prise de décision peuvent cultiver, transformer, vendre et consommer les produits de l'agriculture familiale tout en préservant l'environnement, pour un développement harmonieux et durable”

¿Por qué decidió AWID cambiar la ubicación del Foro, de Bali a Taipéi?

Read in: English French Spanish

A fines de 2019, la situación en Indonesia (en particular, los signos de militarización intensificada y de reacción contra los derechos LGBTQ) nos llevó a cuestionar la capacidad de AWID para sostener un ambiente razonablemente seguro y acogedor para la diversidad de participantes que esperamos reunir en el Foro.

Después de un análisis cuidadoso, en noviembre de 2019 la Junta Directiva de AWID decidió cambiar la sede del 14° Foro Internacional de AWID, de Bali a Taipéi.

Taipéi ofrece un alto nivel de capacidad logística, y resulta accesible para muchxs viajerxs (con la facilitación de un trámite de visa electrónico  para conferencias internacionales).

Para más detalles:

Les défenseuses mexicaines

Les données que nous avons recueillies pour élaborer notre hommage montrent à quel point le Mexique est un pays dangereux pour les défenseuses. Sur les 12 femmes mexicaines défenseuses des droits humains que nous commémorons cette année, 11 ont été assassinées. Elles étaient des journalistes ou des activistes, des défenseuses des droits des femmes ou de ceux des personnes trans*. Nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous pour rendre hommage à ces défenseuses, à leur travail et à l’héritage qu’elles nous ont laissé. Faites circuler ces mèmes auprès de vos collègues et amis ainsi que dans vos réseaux et twittez en utilisant les hashtags #WHRDTribute et #16Jours.

 

S'il vous plaît cliquez sur chaque image ci-dessous pour voir une version plus grande et pour télécharger comme un fichier 

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My language is not one of the official survey languages and I am struggling to complete it, what can I do?

AWID is committed to language justice and we regret that, at this point, having the WITM survey available in more languages is not feasible. However, if you need support with translations or want to fill the survey in any other language, please reach out to us at witm@awid.org.

Snippet FEA Objectives NSS Family Farming (EN)

FAMILY FARMING, AGROECOLOGY AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY

Circle in mustard yellow with the illustration of a rural woman with brown skin and a blue dress, with a hoe tool on her left shoulder.
To promote family farming through peasant agroecology.

Events

Series of conversations: The Feminist Realities journey continues

AWID Forum Social Media Kit

Help spread word about the 2016 AWID Forum!

This kit includes sample messages fit for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, plus images that can be used to accompany these messages.

Using this kit is simple. Just follow these steps:

  1. Choose your favourite messages:
    Twitter
    Facebook 
    LinkedIn

  2. Download your favourite images:
    Twitter
    Facebook
    Instagram

  3. Match up your favourite messages and images any way you like.

  4. Share them on your personal and/or professional social media accounts.

And that’s it – now you can get started! 

Twitter

Match up your favourite tweets below with these images for Twitter

Tweets for your personal handle

I'm going to the #AWIDForum. It's THE place to connect with women's rights & social justice movements. Join me!: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Can't wait to re-imagine #FeministFutures connect with other women's rights & social justice activists @ the #AWIDForum Join me!: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

I’m so excited to attend the #AWIDForum next September, and now we can register! Join me! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Tweets for your institutional handle

Registration is now open for the #AWIDForum! Costa do Sauípe, Brazil, 8-11 Sept. 2016: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Join #AWIDForum, a historic global gathering of women's rights & social justice activists: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Join #AWIDForum to celebrate the gains of our movements & analyze lessons to move forward: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

#AWIDForum – not just an event, a chance to disrupt oppression & advance justice: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Join the #AWIDForum to celebrate, strategize and renew ourselves and our movements: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Feminist Futures

Let's build #FeministFutures together. Register for 2016 #AWIDForum. Costa do Sauípe, Brazil http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Join us to re-imagine & co-create #FeministFutures at the 2016 #AWIDForum. Register: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

#FeministFutures: seize the moment @ #AWIDForum to advance shared visions for a just world: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

We’ll be 2,000 social movement activists @ the #AWIDForum, strategizing our #FeministFutures http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Cross-movement building

We’re more than a one-issue struggle. Join us at the #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Join #AWIDForum, a space to strategize across movements & leverage our collective power: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Mobilize solidarity & collective power across social movements at the #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Break the silos b/w our movements. Re-imagine & co-create our futures. All at the #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Solidarity is a verb. Let’s put it into action at the #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Special messages

Donors engaging with women’s rights and social movements at the #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Media and movements: amplifying #FeministFutures at the #AWIDForum: http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Back to top

Facebook 

Match up your favourite messages below with these images for Facebook.
These messages may also be used on Twitter via private Direct Messages, which don’t have character limits. 

Facebook messages for your personal profile

The wait is over! We can all register for the 2016 AWID Forum. So excited to reconnect with fellow activists and re-imagine our feminist futures. See you there, in Brazil! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

I’m so excited to attend the AWID Forum next September, and now we can register! Join me! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Loving the thought of re-imagining feminist futures with 2,000 people from lots of amazing women's rights and social justice movements at the AWID Forum. Register and meet me in Brazil! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Facebook messages for your organization’s page

Registration is now open for the 2016 AWID Forum in Costa do Sauípe, Brazil! This is not just any event - it’s a key space for women’s rights and social justice activists to come together and re-imagine our feminist futures. You won’t want to miss it! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Join us at the 2016 AWID Forum in Brazil! Activists and movements from all over the world will come together to celebrate, strategize, inspire and renew ourselves and our collective struggles. Register now! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

The 2016 AWID Forum will be a historic global gathering of women’s rights and social justice activists and movements. Join us there to break the silos, strengthen solidarity and leverage our collective power. Register now! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Back to top 

LinkedIn

The 2016 AWID Forum will be a historic global gathering of women’s rights and social justice activists and movements. Join us to celebrate, strategize, inspire and renew ourselves and leverage our collective power. Registration is now open! http://forum.awid.org/forum16/

Back to top 

Nuestra agrupación no ha recibido financiamiento externo entre 2021 y 2023, ¿a pesar de ello, deberíamos responder la encuesta?

Sí, aún así deseamos saber de ustedes aunque no hayan recibido financiamiento en los tres, dos o cualquiera de los años comprendidos entre 2021 y 2023.

Snippet FEA Get Involved Story 2 (ES)

¡INVOLÚCRATE!

Sigue a Nous Sommes la Solution en
Facebook y apoya su trabajo haciendo una donación aquí.

Eventos

¡Bienvenidxs a Crear | Résister | Transform: un festival para movimientos feministas!