#DefendHer

Meet the DefendHers—women activists working tirelessly to defend our freedoms and rights. They stand up under threat of violence from those who wish not only to deny those rights, but also to deny their very right to speak out. Their courage is extraordinary and inspiring. Their work is crucial for advancing human rights. And yet many of us have never heard their stories.

Explore #DefendHer, presented by Global Fund for Women, JASS (Just Associates), and MADRE. In this campaign, we highlight 14 incredible women human rights defenders and groups around the world who are working to end violence against women; advance LGBTQI rights; protect the planet and the rights of indigenous communities; and more.

The risks they face come in many forms, including harassment, smear campaigns, and physical violence—not only to them, but often their families too. Yet they refuse to stop their struggle because they believe that our human rights must be protected and respected.

Join us in supporting the DefendHers. Sign our #DearDefendHer solidarity statement to let these bold women know that you stand with them. Read about other ways you can take action to support the DefendHers. Explore and share their stories. Spread the word and spark conversation about their critical work.

Campaign in Depth

Impact Stories
Telling HER-story: A Q&A with #DefendHer artist María María Acha-Kutscher

A feminist visual artist, María María Acha-Kutscher’s work tells women’s stories. Through her various projects, including her illustrations for the #DefendHer campaign, María María’s artwork shows the lives of real women who have shaped our world by advocating for a more just and equal society. María María—like Global Fund for Women, JASS, and MADRE—believes art…

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WHRD Campaign Stories
Alia Almirchaoui

When Alia was 13 years old, her parents died, leaving her in charge of her two brothers. With no way to provide for her family or pay rent, her neighbor pressured her into marrying him so that she and her brothers could continue to live in their home. Her husband soon became abusive. When Alia…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Ana Sandoval

Ana Sandoval hadn’t yet finished high school when she began asking the questions that would lead her to co-found Communities in Peaceful Resistance “La Puya” to oppose a gold mining megaproject in her community. She soon became a leader of an unprecedented movement to defend land and resources, based on non-violent direct action and led…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Azra Causevic

As an activist, trans, and queer person, Azra has experienced discrimination, hate speech, and violence. Her identity as an activist is rooted in a deep sense of justice and responsibility. “I really believe that as someone who has survived and lived through injustice it’s my duty to react and to do right against the injustice,”…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay

Peace has been an elusive goal in Bai Bibyaon Bigkay’s lifetime, but she has never stopped working for it. For the Manobo leader, there can be no peace without the right to live and work in her ancestral lands in western Mindanao. Bai Bibyaon was born during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Honorate Nizigiyimana

As a girl growing up in Burundi, Honorate Nizigiyimana experienced firsthand the disregard toward women’s and girls’ human rights. But instead of accepting this injustice, Honorate was inspired by it to pursue her work as a woman human rights defender. “Even though I am the eldest of my family, I am still considered to be…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Irina Maslova

“At one point in my life I found myself in a challenging economic environment in Russia, and I had a really difficult period of time,” says Irina Maslova, a women human rights defender in Russia. “I know what sex work is from the inside, and I know its different aspects very well.” Irina began her…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Khadra Al Sanah

In the south of Israel lies the Negev desert. Officially, part of the land is “unoccupied.” But in reality, half of the Negev’s 160,000 inhabitations of Palestinian Bedouin indigenous communities live in informal, unrecognized villages. Khadra Al Sanah has lived in the Negev all her life. Until recently, there was no electricity or running water…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Leduvina Guill Zamora

When a little girl was sold to traffickers for $2,000; when a seven-year-old girl was raped by her stepfather; and when a woman was burned and abused by her husband over the course of 30 years, Leduvina Guill Zamora listened solemnly to their stories—then got to work immediately. She stepped in to advocate for girls…
WHRD Campaign Stories
Magdalena Kafiar

The hardest thing about challenging civil rights violations in Papua is proving they exist. The Indonesian government has thrown a cloak of silence over past and current injustices, which makes speaking out and fighting back much more difficult—and dangerous. Magdalena (Magda) Kafiar, an indigenous Papuan and a church minister, has taken on the task of…