Policy brief
‘Where men and women have equal rights, societies prosper. Equality for women is progress for all,’ said former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Support ISHR's June fundraising appeal to help women human rights defenders pursue their work across the globe.
Women human rights defenders in all regions of the world do vital work to press for progress. They protect the vulnerable. They combat violence. They confront prejudice. They address inequalities. And they build social cohesion and resilience.
Yet, women defenders face significant violations and abuses because of who they are and what they do. Several factors may combine to expose them even more to threats and attacks: the nature of their work, ethnic and religious origin, class status, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Achieving gender equality is something we should encourage and support, not deter and delegitimise.
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At ISHR, we’ve been protecting and promoting women rights activists for over 30 years. We are a founder and convener of the International Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders. A key aspect of our work is to disseminate knowledge and build capacities on women’s rights: just last week, we bade farewell to 14 inspiring defenders who participated in our 2018 Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP) – among them, 10 women with 3 specifically focused on women’s rights activism, who are now even better equipped to realise change on the ground.
Big or small, your contribution will help us support even more women rights defenders. Here is how:
In a recent statement, a group of UN human rights experts powerfully observed that,
‘in the face of rising populism and fundamentalisms, and deplorable setbacks on the women’s human rights agenda, we need more than ever to unite our forces to preserve the democratic space in which women human rights defenders represent an essential counter-power and a colossal force of action.’
I invite you to be a part of this colossal force. Now, more than ever, your donation is needed to support, strengthen and protect women human rights defenders and, through them, contribute to a fairer, safer, more equal and more just world.
Phil Lynch
ISHR Director
email: [email protected]
tel: + 41 76 708 47 38
Top banner photos:Unsplash.com
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