WUNRN
Report by the UN Special
Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, focused on the Situation of Women
Human Rights Defenders
Delivered at UN Human Rights
Council, 19 March 2011.
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Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
Oral Statement of the Women
Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
on the Women Human Rights Defenders' Report of the
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders
Mr. President,
Front Line, on behalf of the Women Human Rights International Coalition,
welcomes the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders on
women human rights defenders. Her report raises the seriousness of the
violations against defenders of women’s human rights and gender equality
particularly LGBTI defenders and advocates of sexual and reproductive
rights. These defenders are particularly at risk, but often are not
considered as human rights defenders entitled to support and protection.
Women human rights defenders have been persecuted because of their identities
as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people or as women such as in the
cases of femicide in Mexico and other Latin American countries. They are
also targeted to challenge, often through violent means, the universality of
the rights they advocate for as in the murder of David Kato in Uganda last 27
January. In light of these heightened risks, what measures are the member-states
undertaking to adopt the Rapporteur’s recommendations and provide
gender-responsive security and support to women human rights defenders?
Sex discrimination and gender inequality are at the heart of systemic
violations against women human rights defenders. Assessment of best
practices must include addressing systemic violations. As a follow up to
this report and pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolution 7/8 of 2008, how
does the current Rapporteur plan “to integrate a gender perspective throughout
the work of his/her mandate”? For example, the manipulative use of religion,
culture or tradition to justify violations of women’s human rights has resulted
in attacks against women human rights defenders. Would the Rapporteur consider
a joint mission or other possible collaborations with the Independent Expert on
Cultural Rights?
We commend the Rapporteur for bringing attention to non-state actors as
perpetrators. In many cases, these actors act in complicity with the
State, but they have also become all too powerful such as the paramilitaries,
organized crime gangs, drug cartels, religious fundamentalists and other
extremists that violently attack women human rights defenders. What
measures have member-states undertaken to strengthen national mechanisms to
protect women human rights defenders?
Reprisals against those cooperating with UN bodies continue, in some instances
sanctioned by government officials. Yet, little progress has been made in
developing an appropriate mechanism on reprisals. In spite of her efforts to
cooperate with member-states, the Rapporteur called attention to the low level
of responses to communications sent by her office. For her next term,
what steps does the Rapporteur propose to encourage more responses from member-states?
What initiatives have the Human Rights Council taken to address this and hasten
the process of putting in place a mechanism to address reprisals against
defenders engaging with the UN system?
Thank you, Mr. President.