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Honouring Women Human Rights Defenders
As the world marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action that reaffirmed the fundamental human rights of all women, OHCHR pays tribute to all the human rights defenders who helped to define this agenda, and who work tirelessly to defend women’s human rights and promote gender equality.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK: #reflect2protect - Women in Power and Decision-Making - Guatemala
About this campaign
2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, which laid out a vision for ensuring women’s human rights and achieving gender equality around the world. The Beijing Declaration committed States to protecting and promoting the human rights of women and girls and acknowledged the importance of “the voices of all women everywhere”, taking note of the diversity of women, their roles and circumstances, and honouring the women who inspired hope and paved the way ahead for the world’s youth.
On this occasion, OHCHR wishes to honour such individuals by showcasing their stories, struggles, and dreams for the future, and by giving them a platform to express the support they seek in order to safely continue their work.
Starting on Human Rights Day, 10 December 2014, OHCHR is releasing a series of 12 short video profiles of women's human rights defenders via social media and this web page.
Each video will highlight one of the 12 areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action, which includes themes such as poverty, education, health, violence against women, armed conflict, economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, human rights, media, the environment, and girls.
How to participate
In addition to these short videos, OHCHR is coordinating a social media component of the campaign under the hashtag #reflect2protect. To participate, all people who defend and support the human rights of women and fight against inequality based on gender are invited to send or tweet a picture of themselves reflected in a mirror and sharing their own reflection on their role as a defender of the human rights of women and gender equality.
Who are women’s rights defenders?
Women’s human rights defenders (WHRDs) are both female and any other human rights defenders who promote and protect women’s rights and gender equality, including women working on any issue related to human rights and fundamental freedoms, individually and in association with others in any region of the world.
