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APC’s submission for Ecuador to the UPR process, with support from CIESPAL and Radialistas Apasionadas y Apasionados, focuses on issues of access to the internet and highlights the critical importance of the internet for human rights, as well as social and economic development. Although the first UPR of Ecuador did not include reference to internet-related human rights issues, the events of 2011…

In this submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, Association for Progressive Communication (APC) acknowledges the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association to be together with the right to freedom of expression at the core of a democratic and open society and makes recommendations for how these rights can be promoted and…

Like any tool, ICTs can be tremendously useful, but dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. This is doubly true for activists and women's rights defenders. Jennifer Radloff and Erika Smith speak to participants from one of our secure online communications for women human rights defenders workshops who share their own experiences with ICTs and what they've learned from the training.

When did you first realise how your freedom of expression or association could be violated online? When did you first "make the connection" between human rights and internet rights as a women human rights defender? The "Connect Your Rights campaign" campaign and GenderIT.org is calling for submissions of blogs, poems, digital stories, artwork and other visuals to help others make the connection.

“Strategising Online Activism: A Toolkit” was designed for and by women activists but can be used by everyone. Key chapters include: strategising and planning your online activism; creating your campaign’s identity; social networking and security on the internet. vioThe guide provides practical and accessible step-by-step advice, while keeping a political and feminist eye. It was developed by APC…

This edition of GenderIT.org is dedicated to women human rights defenders. Those working on women's and sexual rights often face challenges not only in the public space, but in their personal space, from their family and partners, as well. In this edition, we examine what new dimension brings ICTs into this struggle, how they are used to mobilize around women's and sexual rights, and the risks…

The Commentary to the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders maps the rights protected in the Declaration and explains in what parts of the document are they protected, unpacks what each right entails and which are the common restrictions and violations of those rights, and lastly highlights good practices and recommendations regarding those rights. It pays particular attention to the specifics of…

This self-help manual written by Marina Bernal and others with the collaboration of Artemisa, Elige and CREA, proposes to feminist activists to undertake a journey of self-exploration in order to learn to build their own self-defense strategies. It aims to help activists understand their limitations and strengths, as well as reasons why they are victims of certain types of violence and why they…

This report prepared by Inmaculada Barcia in 2011 for the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is a resource specifically designed for women human rights defenders. It maps the diverse responses and specific measures currently being offered to protect women defenders from governments, as well as from non-governmental sectors. The Report also recognizes and evaluates the effects…

Flavia Fascendini looks at the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders -- which, for the first time in history, focuses on the situation of women's human rights defenders. Drawing on the report's findings, she talks to South-East Asian women's activists about the unique security risks they face online.