
Elisabeth Blanche Olofio

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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
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!
Registration will start early 2024. We will announce the exact registration date and registration fee soon. Registration will include participation in the Forum, plus lunch and snacks (breakfast to be provided at the hotels), and one onsite dinner.
A complex and evolving network of anti-rights actors is exerting increasing influence in international spaces as well as domestic politics. Often backed by obscure funding, these actors build tactic alliances across issues, regions, and faiths to increase their impact.
How does a movement start?
we get expelled by ghosts from a house, a family, and a nation
we arrive fatigued to a space (sometimes an actual address) but mainly to a state of being
preceded by a fallen star
perhaps our arrival isn’t accompanied by fatigue,
maybe accompanied by fear
perhaps our arrival isn’t accompanied by fear
maybe accompanied by anger
from issues that keep on repeating themselves:
a stab in the heart (read heartache)
a bullet in the back (read betrayal)
forced disappearances
bodies sentenced by marriage, disfiguration, and chronic fatigue
yet when we arrive, we gather, whisper, speak and weep.
This is how our movements begin when we arrive at each other
We become seeds,
This is how our movements start when we plant each other
Becoming flowers, sometimes just thorns, sometimes fruits,
we are each other’s oasis
to sing for the battles
to make remedies
to place the faces of our lovers, the shape of their smiles, the sound of their laughter
the secret of turning silences into language
the detailed instructions of witches
our movement is: for all of us
when we arrive as seeds with the purpose of flowering.
Sara AbuGhazal
www.badiya.blog
Nuestro Fondo de Acceso ofrecerá un número limitado de becas para financiar la participación de activistas que de otra manera no podrían asistir y que no tienen relaciones con donantes que puedan cubrir su participación. Por lo tanto, si tienes otras posibilidades, te animamos a explorarlas. Haremos todo lo posible para ofrecer la mayor cantidad de becas y compartiremos más información sobre este proceso y cómo postular a principios de 2024.
El informe más reciente del Observatorio sobre la Universalidad de los Derechos desarma discursos como los de la «ideología de género», el «genocidio prenatal» y el «imperialismo cultural». También investiga los flujos de fondos para CitizenGo, la Alliance Defending Freedom/ADF Internacional y otros grupos anti-derechos. En este informe también se puede encontrar un análisis de los sistemas regionales de derechos humanos así como de las estrategias exitosas y los logros feministas.
Lorsque des milliers de féministes se réunissent, nous créons une grande force de solidarité qui a le pouvoir de changer le monde. Le Forum de l’AWID sera pour nous un moment de repos et de guérison ensemble, de connexion au-delà des frontières et de découverte de nouvelles orientations stratégiques courageuses.
La date et le lieu seront annoncés l'année prochaine, dès que possible. Nous sommes ravi.es et nous savons que vous le serez aussi. Restez à l'écoute!
Assurez-vous de nous suivre sur les médias sociaux et de vous inscrire à notre liste de diffusion pour rester informé!
Nous pensons que oui ! Le processus de planification n'en est qu'à ses débuts, alors restez à l'écoute car les plans sont en pleine préparation.
Suivez notre super-héroïne alors qu'elle se lance dans une quête pour récupérer le récit des acteurs anti-droits à travers le monde.
Imagine opening a door which takes you into a conversation with feminist activists in other continents. This portal will transcend the barriers of UN CSW by pushing beyond language barriers, unaffordable travel, unequal protection from COVID19, and racist visa regimes.
This week, we’re putting a virtual spin on CSW by connecting and amplifying feminist activists' voices, to challenge the discriminatory barriers that limit participation and influence. By setting up connecting “portals” in New York City, Nairobi & Bangalore, we'll host a physical-virtual hybrid space for feminists to connect their struggles and build collective power.
Day 1: March 6 - Accessibility
Day 2: March 7- Challenging Anti-Rights Actors And Corporations
Day 3: March 8 - Challenging Anti-Rights Actors And Corporations
Day 4: March 9- Reclaiming Multilateralism
Download full program here (PDF)
Bangalore Schedule (PNG) Nairobi Schedule (PNG) New York City Schedule (PNG)
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For additional questions, please use our contact form. We will keep updating this document based on the queries we receive from you!
Avec Lindiwe Rasekoala, Lizzie Kiama, Jovana Drodevic et Malaka Grant.
Esta historia es sobre la manera en que un grupo cada vez más diverso de feministas del Pacífico se organizaron a lo largo de los años para asistir a los Foros de AWID, y el modo en que ese proceso lxs transformó en forma personal, como organizaciones y como movimiento a través de lo que aprendieron, descubrieron y experimentaron. Ilustra la importancia de los Foros como espacio que permitió que una región que tiende a ser marginada o ignorada a nivel global pueda construir una presencia sólida en el movimiento feminista, que luego es replicada en otros espacios internacionales de derechos de las mujeres.