Protecting women human rights defenders in Europe
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 25 June 2024 (18th sitting) (see Doc. 15993, report of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination,
rapporteur: Ms Petra Bayr). Text adopted
by the Assembly on 25 June 2024 (18th sitting).
1. Women human rights defenders, in
all their diversity, play a crucial role in promoting and protecting human
rights, including women’s rights and the rights of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, and in furthering
gender equality. They are individuals or groups who act, in a peaceful
and legal way, to promote and protect human rights. They are activists,
members of non-governmental organisations, health workers, private-sector
actors, researchers, lawyers, students, teachers, artists, trade unionists,
bloggers, civil servants or journalists. They inspire societal change.
2. In a context of shrinking civic space, women human rights
defenders often lack recognition and their contribution is minimised,
a situation which is not helped by the extreme diversity of their
status and areas of work. The Parliamentary Assembly recognises
their important work, including that of young women human rights
defenders, and calls for them to be given more support.
3. Women human rights defenders face multiple challenges and
risks: they are often threatened and attacked for what they do,
for the ideas they promote and for who they are or who they are
perceived to be. In particular, they receive specific threats made
against their person, both online and offline, aimed at silencing them.
In particular, targeted online hate campaigns have been organised
against activists who denounce patriarchal systems and cultures.
Women human rights defenders are often victims of intersecting forms
of discrimination. Transgender women human rights defenders and
those with a disability or with a minority background are particularly
at risk. The Assembly strongly condemns the attacks perpetrated
against women human rights defenders, in all their diversity, and
calls for an end to impunity for their perpetrators.
4. The rise in populism and misogyny has had a negative impact
on the work of women human rights defenders in Europe. Anti-gender
movements see them as a threat because they challenge the so-called “traditional
vision” of women in society. Considering these challenges and obstacles,
it is essential to combat misinformation about women’s rights and
women human rights defenders, and to ensure their safety online and
offline. The Assembly recalls the responsibility of States to provide
an enabling environment for women human rights defenders and to
ensure their protection, in line with States’ undertakings under
international treaties.
5. The Assembly recalls the 1999 United Nations Declaration on
Human Rights Defenders and the 2008 European Union Guidelines on
Human Rights Defenders and stresses the importance of their implementation. It
also recalls the Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of 6
February 2008 on Council of Europe action to improve the protection
of human rights defenders and promote their activities, and its
Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)11 to member States on the need to strengthen
the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe.
6. The Assembly reaffirms its support for all human rights defenders
and recalls its
Resolution
2095 (2016) and
Recommendation
2085 (2016) “Strengthening the protection and role of
human rights defenders in Council of Europe member States”, its
Resolution 2225 (2018) “Protecting
human rights defenders in Council of Europe member States” and its
Resolution 2439 (2022) “Access
to abortion in Europe: stopping anti-choice harassment”. It reaffirms
its support for the mandate of the Assembly’s General Rapporteur
on the situation of human rights defenders and whistleblowers. The
Assembly provides an international platform for human rights defenders:
its newly created Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, launched
in May 2023, will provide a further opportunity to raise awareness
about the work of women human rights defenders to empower women in
their countries and fields of activity.
7. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on
Council of Europe member States to:
7.1 sign, ratify and implement the Council of Europe Convention
on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic
Violence (CETS No. 210, Istanbul Convention);
7.2 implement the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders;
7.3 ensure the implementation of the judgments of the European
Court of Human Rights related to the situation of all human rights
defenders;
7.4 repeal laws, policies and practices that affect women
human rights defenders, in all their diversity, and unduly restrict
their activities;
7.5 revise criminal codes in order to include discrimination
on the ground of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression,
and sex characteristics, taking into account the intersectional
dimension, if this is not yet the case;
7.6 investigate and prosecute perpetrators – including members
of police forces – of attacks and threats against women human rights
defenders, online and offline, including the publication of private information
with malicious intent (“doxing”) and specifically gendered attacks;
and collect gender-disaggregated data on these attacks;
7.7 ensure that criminal proceedings related to gender-specific
crimes are victim-friendly and respect victims’ rights;
7.8 protect women human rights defenders from acts of intimidation
and legal and administrative harassment;
7.9 foster the trust of civil society in public institutions,
condemn smear campaigns against women human rights defenders and
counter distortion of and misinformation about their work;
7.10 publicly recognise the role and contribution of women
human rights defenders, in all their diversity, and guarantee their
protection, ensuring a secure and enabling environment in which
to carry out their activities;
7.11 provide predictable funding for the work of women human
rights defenders, ensure transparency in the allocation of funding
and allow them to access funds from international or private sources;
7.12 support the participation of women human rights defenders
in legislative processes, in policy and decision making on matters
concerning them at an early stage in the planning process, and when
it comes to the evaluation and possible adaptations of policies
and programmes;
7.13 introduce, if this is not yet the case, assessment of
the impact of draft laws on gender equality and anti-discrimination;
7.14 ensure that national human rights action plans include
specific provisions on women human rights defenders;
7.15 support programmes to ensure the safety of women human
rights defenders at risk, including early warning mechanisms, foresee
flexible funding for their activities and facilitate the granting
of visas for women human rights defenders at risk;
7.16 raise awareness among diplomatic and consular staff and
provide training to them on the protection of human rights defenders;
7.17 recognise the impact that attacks and threats can have
on the mental health of human rights defenders and support recovery
programmes;
7.18 provide training for police officers, prosecutors and
judges on gender equality and on the role, work and legitimacy of
women human rights defenders;
7.19 launch awareness-raising campaigns on the roles and contributions
of women human rights defenders.
8. The Assembly calls on Council of Europe member States to strengthen
equality bodies as important allies of women human rights defenders
by securing high standards and sufficient funding.
9. The Assembly calls on Council of Europe member States that
are Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
to consider proposing an amendment to the statute in order to include
the crime of “gender apartheid”, which is the institutionalisation
of gender-based discrimination and exclusion of women and girls
from all spheres of society.
10. The Assembly calls on Council of Europe member States which
are member States of the European Union to support the inclusion
of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Charter of Fundamental Rights
of the European Union.
11. Noting that women human rights defenders working on the protection
of sexual and reproductive health and rights have faced numerous
challenges and threats in recent years, the Assembly calls on Council
of Europe member States to respect and ensure women’s autonomy and
decision-making capacity when it comes to reproductive health and
rights and, if necessary, to provide clear guidelines to doctors,
pharmacists and patients in this regard, and to provide age-appropriate,
comprehensive and inclusive sex education.
12. Considering that women human rights defenders often struggle
to protect human rights and environmental rights that are infringed
by private enterprises, the Assembly invites Council of Europe member States
to support the preparation of a binding United Nations treaty on
business and human rights in order to hold actors in the private
sector accountable.
13. Inclusive feminist foreign, development and peace policies
can provide an enabling framework for supporting women human rights
defenders. The Assembly therefore invites Council of Europe member
States to consider adopting such policies.
14. Considering that culture can be an instrument of change, the
Assembly invites its member States to earmark funding dedicated
to women artists, in all their diversity, working on the promotion
of human rights, women’s rights and the rights of LGBTI persons.
15. The Assembly encourages national parliaments to demonstrate
their support for women human rights defenders through practical
action such as introducing new policies, including on equal treatment,
anti-discrimination, sexual and reproductive health and rights,
sexual orientation, gender expression and identity and sex characteristics,
empowerment of women and gender-based violence, and by organising
parliamentary events with their participation in order to establish
and maintain dialogue.
