"Challenging power, fighting discrimination: A call to action to recognise and protect women human rights defenders", 29 Nov 2019

It has been over 20 years since states at the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and six years since they committed to enhance the protection of women human rights defenders (WHRDs)... Despite these..., states continue to fail in their duty to recognise all WHRDs without discrimination and protect them...Today, the feminist human rights movement is stronger than ever... But in recent years, [it] has faced increased resistance... WHRDs...dealing with the extractive industries...are often excluded or ignored from consultations... In Colombia a mining company...ignored the elected community representative — an Indigenous woman — and initiated talks only with men... In Peru, Máxima Acuña Atalaya...endure[d] almost five years of judicial proceedings [on] unfounded criminal charges of land invasion... by...Yanacocha...company... Amnesty International urges businesses to: [i]mplement adequate human rights due diligence processes,... [a]dopt a policy of zero-tolerance towards...violence, threats, or intimidation against WHRDs,... [c]onduct meaningful consultations and meetings with WHRDs... Information and communication technology companies... should publicly share...information about...violence and abuse against women...on their platforms... [F]inancial institutions [should]: adopt policy commitments on human rights, and adequate...due diligence processes,... adopt ...gender-based...protocols for responding to threats and attacks against WHRDs,....reiterate the importance of an enabling environment for WHRDs,...allocate funding to support...WHRDs...