QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INPUT INTO THE REPORT OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN AFRICA
Women Human Rights Defenders and those working on women’s rights and gender issues

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 the 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

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Personal information (optional)
Name, Field of work, Organisation (if any)
Partie I
Please list and indicate the types of violations, risks and challenges that women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights and gender issues experience in carrying out their work in your country and context.     *
These include violations by both state and non-state actors.
Please indicate where you consider these violations, risks and challenges to be gender-specific. *
(i.e., particular to being a woman, or working on women’s rights or sexual rights)
Please indicate the factors in your external environment which obstruct the work of women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights and gender issues *
You may consider the following factors:  laws and regulations incompatible with human rights standards, state institutions, including the judiciary, and policies, social, cultural or religious norms, attitudes and values in your community or family related to the role of women and the defence of rights.
Please indicate what the consequences are of the violations against women human rights defenders and those who work on women’s rights and gender issues. *
These may include personal consequences for these defenders, or adverse consequences on organisations and their work, as well as consequences for the advancement of human rights. Where you consider these consequences to be gender specific, please indicate so.
Part II
Please indicate any specific State measures adopted and/or implemented to respond to the protection needs of women HRDs and those working on women’s rights and gender issues. Please comment on their effectiveness. *
These may be legislative measures, policy or specific strategies or programmes or national institutions, including early warning mechanisms
Where these measures exist, how have the specific needs of women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights and gender issues been taken into account in the designing and implementation of these measures? *
What short term and what long term actions do you think the State must take in order to protect women human rights defenders and those who work on women’s rights and gender issues? *
You may want to include your thoughts on what the State should do to create and sustain an environment where women HRDs can work without fear or hindrance; You may also want to discuss  emergency measures should the state put in place that would be appropriate to the needs of women human rights defenders and those who work on women’s rights and gender issues.
What recommendations would you make to each the following stakeholders to ensure the promotion of the work of women HRDs and those working on women’s rights and gender issues, and of their protection: states; national human rights institutions; Local, regional and  international NGOs; other civil society organisations and movements; the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights; the African Court on Human and People's Rights;  and / or the African Union?   *
Are there any other issues related to the situation of women human rights defenders that you would like to bring to our attention? If so please do so briefly in 1 or 2 paragraphs.
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