#Manisha Mashaal

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Today we honor the Women fighting to end sex based violence 

Today, the United States commemorates the work of women human rights defenders: women and girls, in all their diversity, who champion human rights for all. As President Biden said, “The world is more peaceful, safe, and prosperous when the human rights of women are respected, and they can fully participate in economic, social, and political life.” Women, in all their diversity, offer unique contributions, including to making and keeping peace in countries around the world. Those contributions lead to better outcomes not just for women, but for society as a whole.

Women human rights defenders are often on the receiving end of multiple and intersecting forms of gender-based discrimination and violence, compounded by other attributes, such as race, religion, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, sex characteristics, or socioeconomic status. Acts of gender-based harassment, threats, and abuse create barriers to women’s full and equal participation in democracy and civic life. These acts can also have a chilling effect, leading to self-censorship and disengagement of women and girls from public life and discouraging them from pursuing their political and civic ambitions.

Despite these challenges, women human rights defenders are leading the charge globally on issues that affect everyone, including combating authoritarianism, championing democracy and equal political participation, seeking accountability and justice for human rights abuses and violations, defending free and independent media, pushing for climate crisis solutions, and working to build a more sustainable future for all.

On this International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, the United States commits to continuing to work with partners and allies to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and strengthen the representation of women around the world, including addressing systemic barriers to women’s participation in politics and public life. We remain resolute in our commitment to champion and support women human rights defenders, in all their diversity, and continue to promote the critical role they play in advocating for and securing the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.

Azza Soliman – Egypt

Leading human rights defender Azza Soliman, co-founder of the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance (CEWLA),  continues to be oppressed by the government of Egypt. Azza along with other human rights defenders, including Mozn Hassan, the director of Nazra for Feminist Studies, have been for the past five years banned from leaving the country and their assets have been confiscated. Their only ‘crime’ is their progressive work on women’s human rights and calling for the elimination of all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls in Egypt. 

Follow the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance on Facebook.

Dina Smailova – Kazakhstan

In January 2020, Dina Smailova, head of a leading women’s rights organization NeMolchi (meaning, Do Not Be Silent in Russian) in Kazakhstan faced criminal charges for defamation. She had been litigating the “Talgo” rape case in Kazakhstan, which has received much public attention. The defamation charge related to a comment she made about a prominent Kazakh blogger, related to his coverage of the “Talgo” case which revealed the survivor’s personal information and suggested she was “lying” about the incident. Thankfully, in March Dina won the case, and is no longer facing criminal charges for defamation. 

The charges Dina faced are part of a worrying global trend of defamation laws being used in an attempt to silence those who speak up about their own sexual harassment or assault or speak out in defense of others. 

Read more about the “Talgo” rape case and the charges Dina faced.

Joanna Mamombe (a member of Parliament), Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova – Zimbabwe 

On 13 May 2020, Joanna Mamombe (a member of Parliament), Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova attended a peaceful demonstration to protest the Government of Zimbabwe’s failure to address hunger facing vulnerable communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The three women were arrested at a police checkpoint as they were leaving. 

Following their arrest, they were taken from police custody by five unidentified men, not in uniform, who are believed to be state security agents. They were held incommunicado for 36 hours during which time they reported to have undergone torture, rape, and physical assault. They were rearrested on charges of making false statements prejudicial to the state after their ordeal became public and are currently remanded without bail pending trial for several days, during which time, due to COVID-19 restrictions, they were denied visits from their family or friends. They were eventually released on bail, but the violence against them has yet to be properly investigated, they still need proper medical attention for their injuries, and they still face charges.

Take action to call on the African Union to hold Zimbabwe accountable.  

Loujain AlHathloul, Nouf Abdelaziz, Samar Badawi, Nassima Al-Sadah, Mohammed Al-Bajadi, and Miyaa Al-Zahrani – Saudi Arabia 

On 15 May 2018, Saudi Arabia began a campaign of arrests of Saudi Women Human Rights Defenders. In the past year, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia has further deteriorated. Whilst five of the women human rights defenders detained in 2018 have been provisionally released, Loujain AlHathloul, Nouf Abdelaziz, Samar Badawi, Nassima Al-Sadah, Mohammed Al-Bajadi, and Miyaa Al-Zahrani remain in detention.

On Monday 26 October,  Loujain AlHathloul, a 31-year-old Saudi women’s rights activist who has been arbitrarily detained since May of 2018 started a hunger strike to protest the conditions of her imprisonment in Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday 25 November, her case was referred to the Specialized Criminal Court where she will face charges related to terrorism and national security. 

As part of the Free Saudi Activists Coalition, we continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Saudi activists. Join us. 

Manjula Pradeep and Manisha Mashaal –  India 

On 14 September 2020, a young Dalit woman was gang-raped in Hathras, India, and died of her injuries. This was one of a number of grave incidents of rape and caste-based sexual violence that lead to widespread public outrage in India, shedding a spotlight on an issue that has for too long been invisiblized by the intersecting caste- and gender-based discrimination faced by Dalit women. Manjula Pradeep and Manisha Mashaal are two lawyers at the forefront of the movement to end caste-based discrimination in India, having founded Wise Act of Youth Visioning and Engagement (WAYVE) Foundation and Swabhiman Society respectively. 

We recently collaborated with them on the release of Justice Denied: Sexual Violence and Intersectional Discrimination – Barriers to Accessing Justice for Dalit Women and Girls in Haryana, India. 

Take action to call on the Haryana government to address sexual violence and caste-based discrimination.

The migrant women who went public about forced sterilizations in immigration detention – United States 

Earlier this year, a number of migrant women claimed they had been forced to undergo hysterectomies and other procedures whilst in immigration detention in the United States leaving them unable to conceive. A whistleblower complaint, filed on behalf of Dawn Wooten, a nurse and former employee of the detention center in question, includes claims of an alarmingly high rate of hysterectomies performed on Spanish speaking women at the center. 

Since going public with their claims, at least six women have already been deported, and several more face “imminent” deportation. 

Proyecto Matria – Puerto Rico, United States

Proyecto Matria, an NGO which works on economic development for poor and marginalized women, with a focus on gender equality, have faced many threats over the years, most recently from a local conservative politician, but they continue to push forward, following their philosophy of “service with activism”.

Grassroots activists and organizations around the world are on the front lines of the movement to end violence against women, providing safe spaces and services to survivors. Too often, like Proyecto Matria, these organizations face hostility from local and national governments, making their essential work even more difficult. 

Follow Proyecto Matria on Facebook and Twitter

International WHRDs day is part of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence, a time for global action to increase awareness and galvanize advocacy on behalf of women, girls, and marginalized genders.

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How India's "Untouchable" Women Are Fighting Back Against Sexual Violence Manisha Mashaal (second from right) protests with other Dalit people to end sexual violence in India. Dalit women struggle to raise awareness about caste-based sexual violence.