CALL FOR INPUT ON CHALLENGES & NEEDS FACED BY WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN AFRICA

The Special Rapporteur onHuman Rights Defenders in Africa is seeking input for a report on thechallenges faced by women defenders in Africa and their protection needs.

If you are a womanactivist working alone or in association with others to promote and protecthuman rights, and/or you’re someone who works on women’s rights or sexualrights, including issues related to sexual orientation or gender identity, thenplease do complete this questionnaire(English). It is also available in French,Arabicand Portuguese.It is open to those working at the national, regional or international levels.

Thedeadline for submitting Questionnaire responses is 31 December 2012.

Contacts: Sylvestre PAKABOMBA : spakmuk@yahoo.fr ; ClaudeNDEMEYE : claudende5@yahoo.fr ; Anita BAGONA : bagonaa@yahoo.fr .

E-mail: au-banjul@africa-union.org; Web www.achpr.org

The report comes at a time of growingattention by the international and regional human rights systems to thechallenges and protection needs of women human rights defenders. In 2010, theUN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders produced a report on womendefenders, which was followed earlier this year by the first ever Human RightsCouncil panel discussion on the same issue, held on the UN’s Annual Day ofDiscussion on Women’s Rights.

The study on women human rights defenders inAfrica was initiated by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights(the African Commission) in a resolution passed just last month at theCommission’s 52nd Ordinary Session (also available in French). The Special Rapporteur on HumanRights Defenders in Africa is spearheading this process, and is preparing areport that she will present to the African Commission at its next session, inApril 2013.

The report is anticipated to providerecommendations for several stakeholders, including States, regarding theprotection of women defenders and the promotion of their work. Theserecommendations will help to bring domestic standards and practice in line withregional and international human rights standards, including the UN Declarationon Human Rights Defenders. This will be the first time that the AfricanCommission provides such a focus on the situation of women defenders.

Take action!

Civil society engagement is crucial to ensurethe report reflects and analyses the situation of women defenders working indifferent areas of human rights across the continent.

Please take the time to complete and returnthe questionnaire above if it is relevant to you, and also forward it ontocolleagues and partners. Given that not everyone has email or responds toquestionnaires, any way you can actively encourage women defenders to provideinformation would greatly assist the process. The deadline for submittingyour responses is 31 December 2012.

Currently all the sub-regional human rightsdefenders’ networks and several other national, regional and internationalorganisations that regularly engage at the African Commission are activelyencouraging women defenders to provide information about their experience.

For more on the challenges faced by womenhuman rights defenders and their specific protection needs, see Claiming Rights,Claiming Justice, a handbook developed by the Women Human RightsDefenders International Coalition.