Our Right To Safety: Women Human Rights Defenders’ Holistic Approach to Protection reflects on the complex situations of women who face threats and violations as a result of their work defending human rights. It was created by the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) as part of its work with the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD-IC).

The investigation asserts that both the violence experienced by women human rights defenders, as well as the impact that such aggressions have on their lives and activism, makes it necessary to adopt protection mechanisms that address the different needs and realities of WHRDs. Similarly, it moves away from the concept of protection that focuses solely on the physical aspect, towards one that also addresses the need to create an enabling environment for WHRDs to carry out their work safely. It is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

A related resource, Recommendations to Enhance the Protection and Security of WHRDs, was produced by AWID as part of its work as Chair of the Urgent Responses Working Group (URWG) for WHRDs at Risk of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition. It was edited by Inmaculada Barcia and is the result of a participatory consultation based on the convictions, proposals and demands of a group of Women Human Rights Defenders from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East who defend a range of human rights, including women’s rights. These recommendations are intended to support WHRDs’ advocacy efforts to lobby States, regional and international human rights protection mechanisms, international cooperation agencies and donors, and national and transnational corporations, to contribute to the development of an enabling environment free from violence to ensure that WHRDs can carry out their work defending human rights (English only).