Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders
This submission is based on the Girls Human Rights Hub (GHRH) Young Experts’ experience as Girls Human Rights Defenders. The Young Expert group[1] is composed of young activists from 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, South America, and North America. This submission focuses on their experience as human rights defenders, amidst the intersectionality of age and gender. It does not provide an exhaustive account on the challenges faced by girls human rights defenders; rather, it focuses on the issues that our young experts have faced in their advocacy work.
Introduction
In the realm of rights advocacy, human rights defenders experience some degree of threat or violence as a result of the nature of their work. With climate change, digital violence, and the infringement to the right to education, to mention a few, young people and children have become relentless in speaking up.[2] Beyond the familiar challenges for human rights defenders, the challenges of children and young are yet unexplored. Beyond this, the particular challenges linked exclusively to the girl human right defender, have yet to be the focus of any discussion.
Girls are included both in the Women human rights defenders (WHRDs), as OHCHR defines to be “all women and girls working on any human rights issue ("women defenders" and "girl defenders")"[3], and in the child and young human rights defenders.
In 2018, the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child dedicated its Day of General Discussion to Children as Human Rights Defenders.[4] The final report highlighted the special needs of girls as human rights defenders for the first time.[5] Similarly in 2019, the UN Human Rights Council recognised children as human rights defenders by stating that states must guarantee minors a safe environment when standing up for their rights.[6] These resolutions came over 5 years after the girls human rights defender Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize for advocating for girls’ access to education. Although children and young defenders are increasingly recognised at an international scale, the recognition and the scope of activity of girls human rights defenders are still facing many challenges, hindering the work of GHRDs but also challenging the implementation of protection laws for girls activists and human rights defenders.
GHRDs face gender-specific risks, like limited recognition and support, gender-based violence, discrimination, lack of protection and safety concerns, social stigma or backlash in their community and restricted access to decision-making spaces, that are frequently the result of deeply embedded social institutions that restrict their freedom and perpetuate traditional gender roles.[7] Acknowledging these gender-specific obstacles is essential to guaranteeing comprehensive and efficient assistance for child human rights advocates.
Indeed, although the UN has enshrined the protection of children's human rights defenders in its Declaration of Human Rights Defenders[8], girls human rights defenders remain isolated from conventional international law as they face many barriers and challenges inherent to their position as girls and human rights defenders.
Challenges specific to Girls Human Rights Defender
The growing violence against women and girls human rights defenders demonstrates a backlash to their equal participation and leadership within the political and public sphere, and is perpetuated by several overlapping factors, including: increased vulnerability of girls to gender-based violence, stigmatisation and marginalisation due to challenging societal norms, lack of recognition and biases, and lack of protection and safety concerns in advocating for the protection of human rights. Risk is also heightened by intersectional factors such as race, age, and sexual orientation, among others.
Increased vulnerability of girls to gender-based violence
According to Plan International, 17% of girl activists have expressed safety concerns, one in ten have faced threats of physical violence, and 15% have experienced online harassment.[9] This research reflects a harrowing reality: the female fight against others’ rights violations often comes at the grave personal cost of their own rights being violated. These violations are employed as a calculated strategy to stifle activism; girls grappling with physical and emotional trauma are forced to resort to silence. Violence against girl activists is not only under-reported and unpunished, but it’s also becoming increasingly normalized. The hostility is pervasive, perpetrated by a range of actors, within almost all spaces:[10]
Slander, smear campaigns, and attacks on reputation severely undermine girl activists integrity and credibility. Women have been branded ‘witches,’ ‘snakes, and ‘whores’, labelled as sexually promiscuous deviants or anti-religious blasphemers, and accused of promoting alien cultures, breaking up families, and harming social stability.[11]
Digital harassment is relentless, given the impunity offered by anonymity.
Girl human rights defenders and their loved ones are frequently threatened. In the latter case, perpetrators realize that even women prepared to face challenges will be less willing to watch loved ones suffer as a consequence of their work. But sometimes, family members themselves can be the source of harm, for instance, threatening women with divorce, psychological abuse, etc. Blackmail or threatening to reveal private, usually socially damaging information is also common.
Allegations of mental illness may be weaponized to confine women activists to psychiatric institutions as a form of punishment, sometimes with the collusion of police, medical authorities, and family members, where they’re subjected to forced medical treatment, like psychotropic drugs.
Enforced disappearances, carried out by state agents circumventing legal processes and by non-state actors, are also common; women are abducted, with their whereabouts undisclosed and their fate unknown.
Killings and attempted killings by state and non-state actors have been recorded worldwide, violating the fundamental right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sexual harassment experienced by women activists’ ranges from mild transgressions to rape and is used to control women and penalize them for their activism. Male family members can also perpetrate domestic abuse when they feel the woman’s work threatens family honour.
Girl human rights defenders are even more at risk during conflicts, especially when they demand accountability for human rights abuses, whether by the government or opposing armed groups. For instance, women opposing child soldier recruitment or advocating for gun control may be labelled and treated as traitors or terrorists. Post-conflict also breeds escalated violence, especially when amnesty agreements imply violence will go unpunished.
Women whose work challenges cultural or religious norms are subject to even more backlash.[12]
Risks are intersectional; the overlap of age, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, and, of course, gender results in compounded vulnerability. For instance, Indigenous women, women working in rural areas, poor women, young women, and displaced women all face additional barriers in their activism.[13]
Stigmatisation and marginalisation due to challenging societal norms
Stigmatisation and marginalisation often occur within private spheres, encompassing communities and social groups such as family, friends, organisations, and social movements.[14] Girls engaged in social activism may encounter various forms of violence, threats, discrimination, and pressure due to their legitimate exercise of rights outlined in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.[15]
In countries where democratisation levels do not meet the UN/EU standards, girls challenging societal norms face stigmatisation, silencing, and marginalisation, sometimes reaching dangerous extremes like physical harm or even death.[16]
Notably concerning is that this stigmatisation doesn't solely originate from state authorities but also from the media, social movements, and the girls' own communities.[17] Girls human rights defenders face heightened risks of gender-based violence, harassment, verbal abuse and online attacks due to their activism as girls, even if their activism is related to multiple areas (for example, Greta Thunberg, Malala, Ahed Tamimi; among others).
The repercussions of marginalisation within a community can lead to situations where girls and women are unable to claim their rights. It has been reported by Amnesty International on its report of 2022/23, for instance, in Kosovo, a government commission stablished in 2018 had granted the status of survivor of wartime sexual violence to more than 1000 applicants granting them a small pension, but many did not apply, fearing stigmatization or family disapproval.[18]
We must pay attention to the internet, as it is a hostile place which can be dangerous promoting stigmatisation with an impact on their personal life. As it has already been pointed out by the Human Rights Council previously, there have been intimidating campaigns creating situations in which women and girls no longer feel safe online and consequently, offline.[19]
Oftentimes, the efforts to defend girls human rights is met with relativist responses such as “all human rights matter”. This is based on a failure to understand that structural inequalities warrant specific action for minority groups. The lack of a gendered lens in humanitarianism perpetuates stigma attached to the problems faced primarily by girls.
Lack of recognition and biases
Due to girls being of lower age, they are oftentimes expressly or subconsciously regarded as being immature and having a lack of understanding of serious issues, compared to older women or males. A young expert notes that “Sometimes, as a girl or a woman you just get taken less seriously. I was laughed at multiple times about my work on the representation of women and spending a year volunteering for human rights instead of doing something more “productive””. One other young expert shares that “I have felt like taking part in a certain political or activism activity could damage my image and therefore I would have difficulties finding a job”. Conversely, the perception around young males involved in advocacy tends to be more positive, often receiving praise and encouragement for their participation. This type of bias towards them could even affect their advocacy journey, as one Young Expert shares that “I was gravely affected at the early stages of my activism work that I even began to question my work as a defender”.
Oftentime, being both a young person and a woman means that people would question the ability of the girls human rights defenders to advocate.
The young experts who were surveyed noted that in their countries, there isn’t a focus on human rights education and encouragement of activism specifically dedicated to support and empower GHRDs. And many of them lacked information on the support mechanisms, platforms, and protection methods of advocating as a young person and a girl. One of our Young Experts shares that “there are no formal and hardly any informal support systems, resources, opportunities, or platforms available. It's difficult to execute projects in many places because of the very real threat of harassment/violence. Due to conservative cultural norms, sometimes advocacy doesn't seem to have any impact”.
Lack of protection and safety concerns
Growing up as a feminist in closed societies within closed societies, where entrenched values sharply contrast with principles of equality, presents a profound dilemma for girls human rights defenders.[20] Challenging the status quo for GHRDs often means placing them at odds with their communities or families, leaving them vulnerable to various forms of adversity.[21]
Recommendations
Girl Human Rights Defenders face specific challenges and vulnerabilities, as outlined above. This means that in order for GHRDs to continue to be able to successfully, and most importantly, safely, advocate for human rights, specialised protection and support mechanisms should be put in place.
Establishment of specialised protection and support mechanisms
Specialised protection should be granted to all human rights defenders, with a consideration for the marginalisation they face due to their intersecting identities. GHRDs’ age and gender place them in a vulnerable, and thus unsafe position. It is the role of governments, international organisations and NGOs to implement adapted protection mechanisms. These should firstly include the same existing protection mechanisms as for adult human rights defenders, adapted to the age of GHRDs. Their role should be amply recognised, and their treatment should be equal to that of their older counterparts.[22] Any physical or verbal violence perpetrated against GHRDs should be prevented, as much as possible, and punished adequately. [23] Moreover, it is particularly important that GHRDs are included within a group or network with other GHRDs, so as for them to not act alone.
Support should be offered to the GHRDs in their advocacy and activism, by safeguarding their freedom of expression and providing them with spaces to do so. As stated by Annette Lyth, from the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children: “We have to give room to girls to organise themselves and to come together in a safe way. (...) We must also support those girls who (...) do not behave in accordance with our standards and ideas. In this way, we can unintentionally, as adults, contribute to the problem rather than to the solution”. Policy-makers and political representatives should strive to promote girls’ participation, by avoiding paternalistic or selective conditions for said participation. Another support mechanism could be found in networks connecting women human rights defenders, with GHRDs, as means of empowerment and learning. [24]
Formal training to address problems characterised with increased vulnerability
Girls and women in vulnerable communities face a multitude of complex issues that require the expertise and dedication of Girls Human Rights Defenders. To effectively address these challenges, GHRDs must engage in continuous formal training and skill development to equip themselves with relevant legal, policy, and advocacy strategies, enabling them to adapt to changing circumstances and effectively advocate for change. In addition to staying informed about the latest issues and strategies, formal training also provides GHRDs with the resilience needed to navigate the difficult and often dangerous environments in which they work. By developing coping mechanisms and self-care strategies, GHRDs can protect themselves while continuing to advocate for the rights and well-being of girls and women in their communities. Investing in the training and development of GHRDs is essential to achieving gender equality, equity, and justice. Only by empowering these crucial advocates, can girls and women be empowered to live free from violence, discrimination, and oppression.
Education in achieving objectives and defend human rights as a collective it is important, because in today's world there's a lot of promotion of independence and individualism and this can be damaging to share pain, loneliness and stigmatisation in a group and can bring people to feel left behind and not part of a collective.
There is the need for trainings and capacity building workshops on safety and protection for human right defenders. There is also the need for funding to support the work of defenders. Most at times, as girl defenders, we are left to do a lot of work without any form of funding to enhance effective work.
Conclusion
The unique challenges faced by girls’ human rights defenders necessitate the adoption and implementation of complex protection laws and policies, to be incorporated into national action plans on women, peace and security. It is also imperative that we close the research gap in order to create tailored responses to issues pertaining to young female activists, as separate from (but still in conjunction with) the experiences of women. We must recognise the legitimate work and participation of girls human rights defenders, to provide adequate protection and support in their fight to generate sustainable peace, become powerful agents of change and advocates for youth voices.
We would like to thank our Young Experts, and in particular Joséphine Münch, Lauren Bryant, Duaa Shah, Júlia Castro, Zainab Hassan, Aleksandra Lankamer, and Sana Fathima Moinuddin, for their contributions to this submission. We believe that their experiences and perspectives on the mentioned topics will demonstrate first-hand the experiences and obstacles that girls human rights defenders face all across the world.
[1] Girls Human Rights Hub, Young Experts (2023-2024 cohort) https://www.ghrh.org/young-experts.
[2] BBC, Gen Z: How young people are changing activism https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220803-gen-z-how-young-people-are-changing-activism.
[3] OHCHR, Women human rights defenders https://www.ohchr.org/en/women/women-human-rights-defenders#:~:text=Women%20human%20rights%20defenders%20(WHRDs,rights%20related%20to%20gender%20equality.
[4] https://defenceforchildren.org/empowering-girls-as-human-rights-defenders-with-the-girls-advocacy-alliance
[5] United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Day of General Discussion “Protecting and Empowering Children as Human Rights Defenders” (2018). Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/CRC/Discussions/2018/crc_dgd_2018_outcomereport_en.pdf.
[6] https://defenceforchildren.org/girl-human-rights-defenders/.
[7] A Young Expert notes that she has faced numerous challenges in her “from male counterparts and backlash from a specific set of people like traditional men and religious leaders who hold different beliefs when it comes to the rights of girls”.
[8] https://www.childrightsconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/final-implementation-guide-the-rights-of-child-human-rights-defenders-forweb.pdf.
[9] https://plan-international.org/news/2023/10/03/girl-activists-fear-for-safety/.
[10] https://defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/book3NeoWithCovereng.pdf.
[11] https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/whr_defenders.pdf.
[12] https://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/about/.
[13] https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/FAAE/Reports/RP10585326/faaerp29/faaerp29-e.pdf.
[14] A Young Expert notes that “In school, I would be called names for believing that women should have equal rights to men”. One other Young Expert noted that “The tag they put on women defenders is that they are frustrated women who lack the love and affection of men because of their hate for them (men) and the only way they could pay men back is to turn other women against them by empowering them.”
[15] UN Resolution adopted by the General Assembly A/RES/53/144; 8 of march 1999 Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
[16] https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/02/investigate-death-17-year-old-girl-iran.
[17] Statement by Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
AT Interactive Dialogue on the human rights situation in Sudan https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/03/high-commissioner-reiterates-sudanese-peoples-call-change-peace-democracy-and.
[18] Amnesty International Report 2022/23; page 223.
[19] https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2018/06/impact-online-violence-women-human-rights-defenders-and-womens-organisations.
[20] One of the Young Experts surveyed notes that “Growing up in space as a feminist, I had little love from my religious family. I had been seen as a 'wordly' person who was going against the directives of God by standing up for my rights and that of other girls (...)”.
[21] A Young Expert notes that “Societal norms have indeed influenced my work in challenging existing practices. The effort to challenge norms can sometimes result in feelings of isolation, lack of support, or alienation within the community, as it involves pushing against established beliefs. However, persevering through these challenges is crucial to fostering positive change and promoting a more inclusive society”.
[22] https://repository.gchumanrights.org/items/2e7e7087-a248-4404-aa00-631982cf22c0.