Public Statement
2 December 2005
Historic Gathering of Women Human Rights Defenders Closes in Sri Lanka
"Every day activists across the world suffer serious abuses in the course of their work as women human rights defenders. Many women have already paid with their lives for their courage and commitment to the defence of human rights," says Sunila Abeysekera, Director of INFORM (Sri Lanka), and a member of the international coordinating committee behind the first-ever global gathering of women human rights defenders in Colombo this week.
"Women activists working in all parts of the world face particular risks in their political organizing. Our advocacy often results in gender-related abuses including rape, psychiatric incarceration, and restrictions on access to rights of expression and association. Yet these violations are frequently not recognized or validated. This meeting has challenged that invisibility and celebrated the efforts of women human rights defenders around the world."
The conference closed today in Colombo, Sri Lanka after four days of historic coalition building between women's rights and human rights activists. It brought together an international group of 200 women human rights defenders, including women who defend a range of human rights, and men who defend women's human rights. Delegates shared experiences and developed a range of strategies to combat the violence, discrimination and other abuses they experience specifically because of their gender and because of their work in defence of human rights.
The meeting focused on four separate sources of abuses commonly experienced by women human rights defenders. These included state-based violence and issues of accountability and justice; the growing rise in fundamentalist movements seeking and gaining political power; the use of sexuality-based attacks to intimidate women and harm their bodies and reputations; and the need to address abuse perpetrated by communities and families.
Mary Jane Real from the Secretariat of the consultation's coordinating committee comments: "Over the past four days women human rights defenders have shared a wide range of experiences, and worked to seek responses to the abuses we face. From policies and practices that regulate women's sexuality, to restrictions on our work because of misuse of counter-terrorism efforts, we have outlined the nature and depth of these violations as they apply to all of us. And we have identified and discussed campaigning strategies that are available to help us put an end to the abuse of women human rights defenders worldwide in the course of our activism."
Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International and a speaker at today's closing public event, says: "All of us - women and men - must demand the protection of those who defend women's rights and women who defend all human rights, insist on justice when they're attacked, and fight for them to be given the recognition they are due."
The consultation has defined key priorities, as well as a range of action points:
Other speakers at the press conference included:
Charlotte Bunch, Center for Women's Global Leadership, USA
Lydia Cacho, CIAM, Crisis Center for Women, Mexico.
Tilder Kumichii, Ndichia, Global Education and Environment Development Foundation, Cameroon
Radhia Nasroui, Association for the Fight Against Torture in Tunisia, Tunisia.
Zenaida Soriano, Amihan, Philippines
Leyla Yunus, Institute for Peace and Democracy, Azerbaijan.
For more information, contact:
Sunila Abeysekera, International Coordinating Committee of "Defending Women Defending Rights: the International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders" (ICWHRD). Mobile (94) (0) 7730 46277
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About the campaign in: French | Arabic | Spanish | |||||||||||||||||
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LIVE WEBCAST from The International Consultation on Women Human Rights Defenders The ICC-WHRD and FIRE are webcasting the international consultation on WHRDs online. Link to the online source http://www.fire.or.cr/nov05/whrd/whrd.htm Press Release – Day 1 International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders Opens Global Consultation Meeting in Sri Lanka November 30, 2005: Nearly 200 women’s
rights and human rights activists from approximately 70 countries
worldwide gathered yesterday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to begin an historic
global gathering on women human rights defenders. The consultation was
attended by the First Lady of Sri Lanka, Shiranthi Rajapakse, and
opened with a welcome address by Nimalka Fernando, from the Women’s
Alliance for Peace and Democracy in Sri Lanka. Contextualising the International Campaign on Women Human
Rights Defenders
Adopted from Amnesty International, this is an A-Z guide of all practical information you may need for the International Consultation on Women Human Rights Defenders. The items are arranged alphabetically. (Text in Spanish, French and Arabic to follow, once translation is completed.) A-Z Guide for Travel This guide you should read before traveling to Colombo Sri Lanka for the consultation. read more  A-Z Guide upon Arrival This guide gives you information about logistics and other practical arrangements upon arrival at the venue of the consultation. read more WORKSHOP ON SECURITY at the International
Consultation on Women Human Rights Defenders
  Introduction In her 2002 report before the UN Commission on Human Rights, Ms. Hina Jilani, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders (UN SRSG HRD) addressed the critical situation of women human rights defenders (WHRDs). The UN SRSG HRD indicated that out of the 161 urgent appeals she had sent to Governments during that year, 70 concerned women defenders or women’s organizations. The world over, against all odds, WHRDs work tirelessly for the protection and promotion of human rights. Yet, WHRDs have got little attention in the human rights arena and face gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities in addition to those faced by all human rights defenders. They are confronted by difficult challenges when they work in male dominated environments, are often stigmatized and sometimes become victims of gender specific violations that need to be addressed. WHRDs face risks in addition to the shared risks/ vulnerabilities that they experience with their male colleagues. The risks and vulnerabilities faced by WHRDs are as follows: A). Shared risks and vulnerabilities: These are risks and vulnerabilities that they face at par with their male colleagues which are of a general character, i.e. those experienced by all HRDs— men and women. B). Gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities: These are vulnerabilities faced by WHRDs due to their being a woman or that impact disproportionately on them because they are women, for instance, sexual abuse, harassment, violations from husbands/partners and male colleagues in addition to violations by the state. C) Risks and vulnerabilities due to their work on women-specific rights/issues: WHRD also face heightened risks and vulnerabilities because of their work on women-specific rights/issues that frequently challenge cultural stereotypes and religion. Such challenging of cultural and religious norms can raise high levels of hostility, more so because women are considered markers of culture and religion. All of these problems require strategies to be gender specific rather than gender neutral. The Campaign Concerned by the situation of women defenders and keen to respond to the call made by the UNSRSG HRD, a coalition of NGOs have decided to launch a Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders and an International Consultation on WHRDs to be held in July 2005. An International Coordinating Committee has been formed comprising of Amnesty International (AI), Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), World Organisation against Torture (OMCT), Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights (CLADEM), Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), Forum Asia, Inform, Frontline, International League for Human Rights, Amanitare and ISIS-WICCE. The Campaign is envisioned as a global mobilization on WHRDs to bring international attention to their concerns and their need for protection. It will involve women and human rights activists in different fields and sectors, grassroots groups, NGOs, social movements and other members of the civil society. The Campaign will culminate in an International Consultation which will consolidate the Campaign and develop specific recommendations and remedies for the adequate protection of WHRDs. Approximately 200 persons are expected to participate in the Consultation but many more are expected to participate in the campaign. The Campaign will emphasize that women fighting for human rights are in fact human rights defenders and that those working in human rights movement also have gender-specific protection concerns that need to be addressed. Additionally the Campaign will focus on the situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) activists, who are also targeted because of their gender identity and the rights they are fighting to uphold. Your participation and contribution In the face of serious atrocities committed by State and non-State actors, giving visibility and international recognition to WHRDs is one fundamental form of protection for them. It is also important to elaborate gender specific protection strategies and provide a space for women defenders and LGBT activists to exchange experiences and identify their specific needs. We invite you to participate in the International Campaign on WHRDs in which women from across the globe will claim their right to defend human rights, by organizing events, debates or introducing this theme in your activities. For more information on the International Campaign on WHRD please contact its Secretariat at Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development at: APWLD
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