Women Human Rights Defenders and those working on women’s rights and gender issues, April 2013
In accordance with the Resolution ACHPR/Res.230 (LII) 2012 on the need for a study on the situation of women human rights defenders in Africa adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights(the Commission) during its 52nd Ordinary Session held from 9 to 22 October 2012 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, Commissioner Reine Alapini-Gansou is preparing a report focusing on the situation of women human rights defenders in Africa and their protection needs. The report will be presented to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in April 2013.
The Special Rapporteur recognises that women defenders face particular risks in carrying out their work, and that understanding the gender dimension of their experience is fundamental to addressing their protection needs.
The Special Rapporteur understands women human rights defenders to be any woman activist who is involved, individually or in association with others, in the promotion and protection of human rights; and anyone who works on women’s rights and gender issues irrespective of their sexual orientation. This includes activists working in human rights organizations, and activists working at grassroots level independently or in a group.
The Special Rapporteur will be using several approaches to get input from States, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and women human rights defenders into her upcoming report. These will include disseminating this questionnaire, holding focus group discussions, and carrying out desktop research.
ABOUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE
We would appreciate it if you would complete this questionnaire as fully as possible. Please feel free to make reference to your own personal experience, information about defenders other than yourself, as well as research materials that you may have produced on the situation of women human rights defenders.
For NGOs and individual human rights defenders: where you so wish, your identity will remain confidential, with only the country where you operate disclosed.
Please complete the questionnaire in either Arabic, English, French, or Portuguese.
The deadline for replies is 31 December 2012.
