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Women Human Rights Defenders
Days of Activism Against Violence |
Joining the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
Campaign, members of the International Coalition on
Women Human Rights Defenders honor 16 women human
rights defenders who have endured all risks and dangers
to pursue their activism.
Who are women human rights defenders?
Women active in human rights defense who are targeted
for who they are as well as those active in the defense of
women’s rights who are targeted for what they do. Simply,
it pertains to human rights activists who are women, as well
as other activists who also defend women’s rights.
In every region of the world, many women human rights defenders - whether they are women, men, lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender or any other sex - often find their rights
violated, enduring different forms and degrees of violence.
Perpetrators of the violence are not just those from the State.
Many incidents of violence against women human rights defenders have been documented as committed by people
from the community and family members who view the work
of these women human rights defenders as contradicting
social norms.
Aside from the general forms of violence they face together
with other defenders such as threats, restriction of freedom
of opinion and expression, restriction of association and
assembly, arbitrary arrest, abduction, torture or murder,
women human rights defenders especially experience sexual
assault, rape, or other forms of sexual violence. They face
attacks, which specifically target their sexuality as a form
of punishment for their advocacy.
Each of these 16 women human rights defenders
marks a day of activism against gender violence -
from November 25, the International Day against
Violence against Women until December 10, the
International Human Rights Day.
They represent the many other women human
rights defenders we honor each November 29, the
International Women Human Rights Defenders
Day.
On these days and every day, we pay tribute to the
courage of all women human rights defenders who
risk their lives in defense of their rights, and the
rights of others.
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