To mark the 2015 International Women Human Rights Defender Day (29 November) and International Human Rights Day (10 December), the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD-IC) published this new publication, “Gendering Documentation: A Manual For and About Women Human Rights Defenders” – a product of the ever-deepening analysis by members of the WHRD International Coalition.
Women human rights defenders’ activism takes place in social, cultural and legal contexts that shape our experiences as defenders as well as the risks we face; for many, demanding rights for women — or simply being a woman activist — can be life-threatening because of discriminatory societal gender norms.
This resource frames and encourages documentation as a politically-motivated telling of women human rights defenders’ stories. Documentation of WHRDs’ experiences is a thread between our acts of resistance and the abuses we face. It goes beyond existing human rights documentation manuals to provide a unique tool for capturing the specific nature of violations against WHRDs.
The manual explores discussions that are grounded in a gender analysis that both challenges the social systems that restrict women’s rights, and also supports those who fight for those rights all over the world. The conclusion highlights contemporary risks for WHRDs in using the Internet and new media, and offers some specific ideas about protecting ourselves and our documentation in the 21st Century.
Summary adapted from source.