Strong women: who protects them?

‘Strong women: who
protects them?’
Learning conference on civil society protection for Women Human Rights
Defenders in situations of conflict
La Haya, 20-23 de mayo 2014
Brigadas Internacionales de Paz
www.peacebrigades.org
Organizaciones que participan:
Peace Brigades International
Vrouwen voor Vrede
WILPF Colombia
Kvinna till Kvinna
Care Nederland
Stichting Nahid
Stichting Vond
Cordaid
Oxfam Novib
Strong women: Who protects them?
We who have participated in the Strong Women: Who protects them?
conference on 20 - 22 May 2014, believe that as women human rights
defenders (WHRDs), we are targeted for who we are as well as all for the work
we do in the defence of human rights and the promotion of peace, justice, and
democracy. We are often targeted in gendered ways, including through the use
of sexual violence. Measures to provide security for us, and for all WHRDs, must
therefore be holistic, responding to both of these elements as well as to the
specific contexts in which we live and work.
Because the States in which many WHRDs live do not fulfil their obligation to
guarantee our security, WHRDs have found it necessary to implement our own
security measures, both individually and within our organisations and
networks, while continuing to demand that States comply with their obligation.
There are many ways that international organisations and governments can
support WHRDs in increasing our security.
To this end, we make the following recommendations to the Dutch
government:
 Use a broad definition of “Women Human Rights Defender” that includes
not only those working for traditional non-governmental organisations,
but also WHRDs individually or collectively defending rights, such as
labour rights, land rights, cultural rights, indigenous rights, right to selfdetermination, sexual and reproductive rights, as well as WHRDs from
grassroots and community-based organisations and collectives, and
those who do this work on a voluntary basis.
 Continue to give priority to the protection of human rights defenders and
ensure a gender-sensitive perspective during implementation of existing
policies and development of new policies.
 Continue collaborating with civil society in the implementation of UNSCR
1325 and EU and UN guidelines and agreements regarding human rights
defenders, and in efforts to provide or facilitate protection mechanisms
for women acting as change agents in conflict and post-conflict areas.
22 May 2014
 Include WHRDs as a specific target group when consulting civil society,
and assure that diplomatic missions, including trade missions, visit and
work with human rights organisations and collectives not just in capital
cities but also in rural areas.
 Respond to the protection needs of WHRDs, whether individual or
collective, e.g. via Embassies, EU delegations, international attention and
diplomatic pressure. This should include specific measures to address the
problems of sexual violence and femicide.
 Allocate funds to support WHRDs. This should include funds to provide
protection based on their specific needs; training opportunities for
WHRDs to carry out their own risk assessments and develop strategies
and tools for their protection; including digital security tools; psychosocial support; and protection and accompaniment programmes
provided by (I)NGOs.
 Issue public statements recognising and supporting the diverse and
important work carried out by WHRDs.
 Eliminate the discrepancies between international and national human
rights laws and policies, and assure the full implementation of those
policies on the local level.
Strong Women: Who protects them? is an international learning conference
on gender-sensitive protection of human rights defenders participated by
women from Afghanistan, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Mexico, Palestine and
Sudan on 20 - 22 May 2014, organized by Peace Brigades International – the
Netherlands. www.peacebrigades.nl / www.peacebrigades.org
22 May 2014
Programme Learning Conference ‘Strong women: Who protects them?’
Learning conference on civil society protection for Women Human Rights
Defenders in conflict situations
Day 1: Tuesday May 20
09:30 coffee / tea
Part I - Opening of the conference and introductory speeches
Start: 10:00
Joke Oranje, President of the board of PBI Netherlands, welcomes the participants.
Introductory speeches:
1. Mirjam Krijnen, Coordinator Women Peace and Security at Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Netherlands, The challenges of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on
women human rights defenders in conflict situations
2. Kerstin Reemtsma, Representative of PBI Guatemala at the European Union, How
can international agreements on the Responsibility to Protect help women human
rights defenders?
3. Alice Bouman, Honorary Founding President Women for Water Partnership and
former executive officer of the Netherlands Women’s Council, What do we gain by
listening first to the way women in action describe their needs?
11:00 - 11:30: Break
1. Guus van Zwoll, Programme Officer Shelter City at Justitia et Pax, Speak truth to
power
2. Moira Birss, Representative of PBI Colombia in North America: The mission of PBI
and its experience with civil society protection mechanisms and the specifics for
women human rights defenders
Part II - The purpose and programme of the learning conference
Start: 12:00
Christa Hijkoop, Officer of PBI Netherlands, explains the purpose of the conference and the
basic programme
Introductions:
° The (wo)men from Guatemala and Mexico and the representatives of PBI
° The women from Egypt and Vrouwen voor Vrede
° The women from Sudan and VOND
° The women from Afghanistan and CARE and NAHID
° The woman from Colombia and the representative of WILPF
° The women from Palestine and Christian Peace Teams
Summary of the main issues to be dealt with during the learning conference.
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
Part III – First exploration of security issues in country / region groups
Start: 14:00
Moderators: Christa Hijkoop, Joke Oranje and Moira Birss
Christa Hijkoop introduces the security review tool.
14:15: Each country / region group applies the tool to describe their own security situation.
16:15: Plenary to report on the security situation in the different countries; and how it affects
women human rights defenders specifically.
18:00: Closing day 1 by Joke Oranje, summarizing the main security issues to be discussed
during the next days.
18:30: Dinner
Day 2: Wednesday May 21
09:00 coffee / tea
Part IV: Sessions on security aspects for Women Human Rights Defenders
Start: 09.30
Opening by Emma Jansen, Officer of PBI Netherlands, welcomes the guest speakers
summarizes the conclusions of day 1 (to be distributed on paper), and explains the purpose
and plans for day 2.
9:45 Three parallel sessions in groups
SESSION 1: The role and mandate of justice and police in protecting Women Human Rights
Defenders.
Introduction and moderator: Pascal Bodemeijer, Field team coordinator of PBI Honduras
The group will analyse the rule of law and the system of protection of police and justice in
different countries and how they relate to civil society. The participants elaborate on a few
concrete examples and propose realistic recommendations to bring about necessary
improvements for the protection of women human rights defenders.
SESSION 2: How can religion and religious organisations protect Women Human Rights
Defenders?
Introduction: Esther Mombo, Lecturer Theology at St. Paul’sUniversity in Limuru, Kenya
Moderator: Anne-Marie Zaat, Member of the Dutch Platform for Women and Sustainable
Peace
The group will analyse how religion, religious communities and religious organisations act in
different countries and how civil society can influence them. The group will elaborate on a
few concrete examples and propose realistic recommendations to bring about necessary
improvements for the protection of women human rights defenders.
SESSION 3: The role of men in protecting Women Human Rights Defenders
Introduction and moderator: Joni van de Sand, Policy officer WO=MEN Dutch Gender
Platform
The group will analyse the role of men as allies. The participants elaborate on a few concrete
examples and propose realistic recommendations to bring about necessary improvements for
the protection of women human rights defenders.
10:45: Plenary Session: sharing of experiences with civil protection mechanisms and
international agreements. Moderator: Joke van Oranje
Introductions: Kerstin Reemtsma, representative of PBI Guatemala at the European Union.
Alba Cruz and Lorena Cabnal, two women human rights defenders who receive protective
accompaniment by PBI.
The group will analyse how international agreements work in practice and how civil society
can act upon it. It will elaborate a few concrete examples and propose realistic
recommendations to bring about necessary improvements. Furthermore the group will share
their experiences and knowledge about civil protection mechanisms.
12:45 - 13:45: Lunch
Part V: Drafting of individual security plans and a security plan per country
Start: 13:45
Moderator: Joke Oranje
13:45 Practical exercise in country / region groups
Each participant reports in her own working group on the recommendations from the
workshops. The country group then takes conclusions on the applicability in the specific
country. What is applicable and what is missing?
14.30: Drafting security plans
Each country group develops a security plan.
16:00: Report in the plenary of the different security plans. Questions and critical review by
all participants of the security plans. Do they match with the recommendations? Are they
clear? Are they realistic? Are things missing?
Decisions to be taken:
Presentations of the plans at the public event: by whom and how?
Common points to be noted down in a manifest; who will draft and hand over the
manifest?
17:00: Finalisation of the security plans in the country / region groups
18:00: Closing day 2 by Emma Jansen
18:30: Dinner
Day 3: Thursday May 22
09:00 coffee / tea
Part VI Preparations for the Manifestation
Start: 09:30
9:30 Opening day 3 by Joke Oranje
09:45 Plenary presentation of the final security plans
10:45 Work in parallel commissions:
Commission 1: Drafting of the Manifest
Commission 2: Presentation of the Security Plans
Commission 3: Preparation for the panel discussion
Commission 4: Evaluation and recommendations for PBI
12:00: Plenary presentations from commissions
12:45: Closing ceremony
13:00 – 14:00: Lunch
14:00: Change location to public event
PART VII Public event Strong women: Who protects them?
15:00: Opening by Joke Oranje
15:15: Presentation of concrete security plans in two or three different countries
16:00: Expert panel discussion
Moderator: Maja Haanskorf, Editor-in-chief of La Chispa magazine on Latin America
The (women) human rights defenders engage in a discussion on their recommendations with:
°
°
°
°
°
°
Georg Frerks, Professor of Disaster Studies at Wageningen University and Professor
of Conflict Studies and Human Rights at Utrecht University
Irma van Dueren, Head of Taskforce Women's Rights and Gender Equality at
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Alexandra Valkenburg, Head of Human Rights and Political and Legal Affairs
Division, Multilateral Organisations and Human Rights Department at Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
Carmen Reinoso Becerra, Program Manager Advancing Gender Justice at Oxfam
Novib
Sebastiaan van der Zwaan, Director at Justitia et Pax
Moira Birss, Representative of PBI Colombia
17:00: Presentation Manifest to Lionel Veer, Human Rights Ambassador of the Netherlands
17:15: Closing remarks by Joke Oranje
17:30 – 18:00 Drinks with performance of the Raging Grannies
18:00: Change location to restaurant
19:00: Closing dinner
Day 4: Friday May 23
Amsterdam
12:00 – 14:00: Lunch and press conference NRC Restaurant Café Amsterdam
14:00 – 16:00: Social activity
FOTOGRAFÍAS DEL ENCUENTRO
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de los Paises Bajos. Entrega del Manifiesto
Entrega del Manifiesto
Joke Oranje. Presidenta de Brigadas Internacionales de Paz. Países Bajos
Moira Birss. PBI-North América y Alba Cruz, defensora DH México
Rueda de prensa en Amsterdam