Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
Support for Defenders
The Online Directory of Urgent Responses for Women Human Rights Defenders at Risk helps Women Human Rights Defenders to locate the best resources available for their protection, support, and wellness, and is available in English, Français and Español.
Around the world, women human rights defenders (WHRDs) face a variety of threats as a direct result of their human rights-related work and changes in the context of their work. WHRDs face the same types of risks faced by all human rights defenders but because of their gender they are also the target of, gender-based violence and gender-specific risks.
The pressures on and threats to WHRDs are widely recognized and many rights groups have therefore developed strategies and plans of action to provide them with support and solidarity. However, the lack of systemized knowledge about the array of urgent responses used to support WHRDs may have a significant impact on the effectiveness and viability of response efforts.
This Online Directory of Resources for WHRDs is based on an initial mapping of “Urgent Responses for Women Human Rights Defenders at Risk”, produced by AWID and the WHRD International Coalition in 2011. In the Online Directory, we outline the diverse responses that exist and, where available, those that are specific to WHRDs. We hope to provide a simple tool for WHRDs to locate the best resources available for their protection, support, and wellness. You can explore the range of responses by clicking on the list on the left of the screen. You can also learn more about the responses available from particular organizations by clicking on the names of the organizations where they appear listed.
The information included in this Directory was initially provided by participating organizations in 2011 for the Urgent Responses publication. It is not a comprehensive presentation of all of the work of the organizations. We are making efforts to update the information to ensure it is as accurate as possible, and we welcome contributions and suggestions for updates.