8 March, 2020
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2020.
Across the world, women human rights defenders continue to speak up against human rights violations, and to call for justice, peace, and equality – despite facing immense challenges, including sexual harassment and violence, smear campaigns, and defamation. Meet one of many brave women human rights defenders from Africa.
To celebrate the essential work carried out by women human rights defenders in Africa, AfricanDefenders will, in cooperation with Civil Rights Defenders and DefendDefenders, introduce a women human rights defender who stand up for human rights every day until 8 March 2020.
It is time to be #EachforEqual.
“We Need to Move Forward.”
Meet Mélanie Sonhaye Kombate.
Mélanie Sonhaye Kombate is the Executive Director of the West Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (WAHRDN), based in Lomé, Togo. As an outspoken woman human rights defender, she encourages other women human rights defenders to continue reading, training, and learning as much as they can in order to continue the fight for human rights.
We asked Mélanie about her work as a woman human rights defender in Togo. This is what she told us.
“I know that you are brave, but it is important that you continue to train yourselves. Do not sit back – read the books that have already been written, participate in trainings, strengthen your capacity, and continue your fight!”
Mélanie Sonhaye Kombate
“We Live in a Patriarchal Society.”
Meet Diane Bakuraira.
Diane Bakuraira works with Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) – an umbrella organisation that advocates for the fundamental rights of LGBT+ Ugandans. She wants to challenge the mindset that woman human rights defenders are not suited for human rights work, so that more people can join the fight.
We asked Diane about her work as a woman human rights defender in Uganda. This is what she told us.
Being a woman human rights defender in Uganda
“Being a human rights defender – and a woman – in Uganda, or in this society, is quite hard because we live in a very patriarchal society that demeans women who do any kind of work supporting and defending rights of others.
So, as a human rights defender, defending other people’s rights has been very difficult because there is an assumption that I do not have the energy, or that I do not have the skills to defend other human beings.
I have been attacked because I openly speak about the protection of LGBTQ rights in Uganda, especially since it is a crime to be homosexual in Uganda. I have also been excluded from some meetings because I am a LGBTQ woman and a human rights defender. I have been seen not fit to attend these gatherings.”
What would you like to say to other woman human rights defenders?
“I would like to encourage other human rights defenders, who are women, to get skilled up because there is an assumption that women are not educated enough to suit this kind of work.
So, I encourage them to get whatever skills they would like to get, so that they can be well-equipped to join the fight!”
“I would like to encourage other human rights defenders, who are women, to get skilled up because there is an assumption that women are not educated enough to suit this kind of work.”
“We Want Change.”
Meet Maximilienne Ngombe
Across the world, women human rights defenders continue to speak up against human rights violations, and to call for justice, peace, and equality – despite facing immense challenges, including sexual harassment and violence, smear campaigns, and defamation. Meet one of many brave women human rights defenders from Africa.
Maximilienne Ngombe is the Executive Director of the Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale – REDHAC), based in Douala, Cameroon. During her long experience with human rights work, she has faced violence, burglaries, and smear campaigns, but remains determined to continue her work for a better world.
We asked Maximilienne about her work as a woman human rights defender in Central Africa. This is what she told us.
Being a woman human rights defender in Central Africa
“I have been leading REDHAC since 2010 and the network covers eight countries in Central Africa. As a woman human rights defender during those ten years, I have faced significant challenges. What has affected me the most is the violence against my children. They have now lived in exile in France for the last seven years.
We have also faced attacks against the REDHAC offices. In one year, our office was burgled five times.
And since 2017, we also faced harassment in social media. This has happened to me personally. I have faced insults, such as accusations of being “bought by the westerners.”
What would you like to say to other women human rights defenders?
“To all women human rights defenders. Here, I speak with authority; we are the ones who can lead to change when it comes to human rights violations and violence. We are vulnerable, but we have to find the courage. Courage is the only way.
We know our challenges, we are aware of our skills, and we are conscious of our weaknesses. We need to highlight, and use, our skills. We have them, and we have to be united.
What I ask is for other woman human rights defenders to be brave, that they unite, and stand up to all the challenges they may face. We can make the challenges ours and do something about them. Because we want things to change, we want better countries, and we want a better world for all”.
“Put Your Differences Aside“
Meet Maysaa Osama
Across the world, women human rights defenders continue to speak up against human rights violations, and to call for justice, peace, and equality – despite facing immense challenges, including sexual harassment and violence, smear campaigns, and defamation. Meet one of many brave women human rights defenders from Africa.
Maysaa Osama is a21–year–old Sudanese women’s rights activist, and a student of architecture.At a young age, Maysaa is determined to promote women’s rights and to work for a more inclusive society, while trying to challenge existing power structures.
We asked Maysaa about her work as a woman human rights defender in Sudan. This is what she told us.
Being a woman human rights defender in Sudan
“I have been working with women’s rights since the start of 2019. During that period, I was verbally abused in many situations – by men and women.
I remember a day when we were protesting the laws that harm divorced mothers andwidows.We were demanding to create laws that protect these women and children. Many men and women came and said that we are communists – which is considered a curse in Sudan – and that we have no parents or fathers in our homes to keep us on hold.
Whenever we talk about women’s rights, whether it was during the revolution, or generally speaking in the period of the revolution, it was always neglected. People would say ‘don’t talk about women’s rights now,we have problems with the Omar al–Bashir regime‘ for example.
I think that women’s rights issues and any other rights come together. You cannot separate one right from another.”
What would you like to say to other women human rights defenders?
“I would like women human rights defenders to be more cooperative with each other, to work together, put their differences aside. At the end of the day, it can be slightly different agendas, but it is the main cause that we are all working with.
Try to create agendas that serve not just centralised women or non-centralised women, try to include women in the zones of conflict, the women who are affected by displacement.
I also want them to be more inclusive of young females; to claim women’s rights activism; to claim feminism. I also want them to, when they collaborate and put their differences aside, come up with an agenda that includes all women.”
“The Fight Goes On”
Bernadette Ntumba
Across the world, women human rights defenders continue to speak up against human rights violations, and to call for justice, peace, and equality – despite facing immense challenges, including sexual harassment and violence, smear campaigns, and defamation. Meet one of many brave women human rights defenders from Africa.
Bernadette Ntumba is from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but because of severe threats against herself and her family, she was forced to flee DRC and seek safety in Uganda. Bernadette has been in exile for four years. She believes that the world can change for the better, but it requires women human rights defenders to stand united and call for change.
We asked Bernadette about her work as a woman human rights defender living in exile. This is what she told us.
Being a woman human rights defender in exile
“My name is Bernadette Ntumba. I am Congolese, but I am currently living in exile in Uganda. So, I am a woman human rights defender in exile.
I have received many threats, but I will only give a couple of examples. I was visited by unknown persons carrying weapons and even military uniforms. They broke into my house and committed barbaric acts in there. This was during a night in 2017. They looted my house and we were saved only after some young people outside made some noise. The perpetrators ran off when they heard the yelling outside.
I was also visited several times by a warlord – and this was enough for me to leave Congo and move to Uganda in 2016, with the help of REDAC. I did however need to return to Congo at one point, but once in the country, me and my children were subjected to attempted rape.
Still, I gave it my all and I told myself that I cannot give up. I must not remain silent. I must continue. But seeing what I had lived through, I could not stay in Congo. I left with great sadness, because I felt I was abandoning thousands of women.”
What would you like to say to other woman human rights defenders?
“The message I would like to give to other women human rights defenders is that the fight goes on and we must not give up. Where I come from, it is common that women, Congolese women, are discriminated against. As women, we must stand up and fight against all practices that are discriminatory against us. We must always stand up and raise our voices, because it is together that we can change things.
Together we can call on others – women who started this fight before us and women who are with us now. We can fight for the respect of women’s rights and for governments to apply equal opportunity for women.”