Safe World for Women

Katerva Awards

Rights Defenders Around the World

The Girl Who Couldn’t Herd Goats Now Saves Lives

When she was nine years old, Jane Meriwas, a Samburu from the Kipsing Plains in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, was considered of no use by her father. After all,…

Mama Commy: 'I Refused to Die; I Lived to Tell'

“I want my story to be heard in the most remote of areas.... I want people to know that when you are HIV, you are just like any other human being.”

Voices in Danger: In Honduras, they come after your family too

Dina Meza got into investigative journalism when her brother was "disappeared"; now her own children face the same threat from the targets of her work

The new suffragettes: Lydia Cacho - justice for women means the right to live in safety

Soon after Lydia Cacho, a Mexican investigative journalist, began reporting and publishing articles highlighting violence against women, she was raped at a…

Former political prisoner, Sarah Shourd, defends Bradley Manning

Sarah Shourd, who spent more than a year in solitary confinement in Iran, has called for Bradley Manning's release. Bradley Manning, the American soldier…

The new suffragettes: The Kurdish woman fighting against female genital mutilation

As a nine-year-old growing up in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, Awezan Nuri narrowly escaped female genital mutilation. “My mother was 12 when she was mutilated.…

'Peaceful Pekokeh' - Award-Winning Cameroonian Mama is Role Model for Grassroots

"Imagine, a village old woman like me having lived all my life in the village, and can neither read nor write is now a symbol of hope to many grassroots women…

Ethiopian Activist Recognized for Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

An Ethiopian activist who has worked to support women’s rights and battle female genital mutilation has been awarded an international prize.

Pussy Riot member begins hunger strike

A jailed member of the anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot has begun a hunger strike to protest at a court decision to refuse her permission to attend her own…

Teresa Forcades, a nun on a mission

Spanish Benedictine nun, Teresa Forcades, is emerging as one of the most outspoken – and atypical – leaders of southern Europe's far left

Iran must free the Bahá'í leaders who have been jailed for five years too many

A global campaign is under way to remind Iran that it has legal and moral obligations to treat its religious minorities with justice

USA: 83-year-old Catholic Nun Faces 20 Years in Prison for Break-in Protest at Nuclear Facility

Sister Megan said her only regret was waiting so long to stage her protest. She stood and smiled as the verdict was read out at a court.. Supporters in the…

Mother Sentenced to Prison for Conscientious Objection to Iraq War

“Because she spoke out against the Iraq War, Kim’s sentence is harsher than the punishment given to 94 percent of deserters.." - said the defense attorney.…

Sri Lanka – “When sleeping women wake, mountains move"

Last June, while visiting a north-western province in Sri Lanka, I had the chance of observing a community development initiative that focused on women’s…

Nasrin Sotoudeh

Nasrin Sotoudeh is an imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer, widely respected for her efforts on behalf of juveniles facing the death penalty and for her defense of prisoners of conscience.

On Sunday January 11th 2011, Nasrin, a mother of two, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. (Reduced to 6 years on appeal)

The sentence included five years for 'violating the Islamic dress code (Hejab)' and five years for 'acting against the national security of the country' and 1 year for 'propaganda against the regime'.

She has also been banned from practising law and leaving the country for 20 years.

Nasrin took on her first case in the area of women’s rights a year after the start of her legal career.

Following the launch of the One Million Signatures Campaign and the widespread growth of the women’s rights movement, she represented many women’s rights activists and especially Campaign activists fully pro-bono and without the smallest monetary expectation.

She is a member of the board of directors of the Society for Defense of Children’s Rights where she defended victims of child abuse.

Following her attempt to save the life of Arash Ramanipour, who was hung in January 2010 for crimes he had allegedly committed under the age of 18, she went on record to reveal the illegal process of conducting his execution.

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Statement of NGOs

Statement on the Safety of Women Human Rights Defenders

Women human rights defenders are especially vulnerable and can be in extreme danger due to gender-related targeting.
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