Joint Statement on the 27th session of the Human Rights Council: Annual Discussion, Integration of a Gender Perspective
Statement from the following organizations:
Amnesty International, Asian Forum for Human Rights andDevelopment, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, Association forProgressive Communications, Association for Women's Rights in Development,Center for Reproductive Rights, Coalition of African Lesbians, InternationalService for Human Rights, Just Associates, MADRE, Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights, Women'sRehabilitation Center- Nepal, World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)*
Distinguished delegates and panelists,
ISHR makes this statement on behalf of members of the Women HumanRights Defender International Coalition, an international network of women'srights, human rights and sexual rights organizations. We address this simplefact: in the global North and Southalike, women human rights defenders are targeted for murder, kidnapping,torture, rape, and harassment because of who we are and because of the work wedo. As the Council strengthens its work on women generally, we note thecritical need to integrate analysis and reporting on women human rightsdefenders who demand protection, respect and fulfillment of all human rights.
This integration called for in Resolution 6/30 requires commitmentand rigor alongside sharp and sensitive gender analysis, deep political will,and meaningful resource allocation. The best work requires listening to women'svoices, a feminist consciousness, naming and confronting patriarchy and acommitment to address intersectional factors that place defenders at, orprotect them from risk. It is unacceptable that women human rights defendersare either not addressed at all or often among the first to fall off the radarof those within governments and within UN mechanisms and activities.
We recommend that those doing country work within the Human RightsCouncil:
1. Proactively ask new and different questions, and seek relevantinput to build a richer analysis in enhancing a gender perspective in any andall agenda items of the Council.
2. Proactively seek information from and meet with women humanrights defenders, especially those who may be hidden, such as defenders inwomen's groups, unions, environmental, minority and Indigenous groups, and inthose groups that work on sexuality and gender including on abortion, on rightsrelated to HIV/ AIDS, sex work, and on sexual orientation and gender identityand expression.
3. Commit to documenting women human rights defenders’ situationswith sensitivity and nuance.
4. Take into account which women human rights defenders are notrepresented in the analysis and what political pressures might account forthis.
5. Ensure the experiences of women human rights defenders areintegrated throughout all stages of research and reporting, not as a lastminute isolated add on.
6. Address the contexts that affect gender in country specificwork, including increased militarization, increased fundamentalisms of allkinds, including in religious and economic areas, negative ramifications ofglobalization, crises of democracy and also the restrictive effects of theheteronormativity and patriarchy that confine women's choices.
7. Look at the law and look beyond the law. Look at reality: evenwhere legal safeguards exist, women human rights defenders experienceviolations because of de facto discrimination and actions based on misogynistharmful stereotypes.
8. Recognize that there may be reprisals against those whocontribute to this work. Take adequatemeasures to protect from reprisals those who engage with the Council's work.Should reprisals occur, ensure that the allegations are promptly investigated.
9. Learn from what has worked well in past efforts to integrate agender perspective and commit to doingbetter work every time you have the opportunity.
10. Stand by your gender sensitive research, and documentation.Resist efforts, wherever they come from, to dilute or erase this information.
These commitments will help the Human Rights Council’s mechanismsto do justice to the courage and strength of women human rights defendersaround the world. The risks we take todemand justice and rights warrant no less.
Thank you.