Statement of un the UNHR Office of the High Commissioner for International Women Human Rights Defenders Day – 29 November 2016

Women who step up to defend human rights are facing worsening obstacles amid a global trend of fundamentalism and populism, a group of United Nations rights experts has warned.

In a statement to mark International Women Human Rights Defenders Day on 29 November, the experts said women working for rights and equality faced unique and growing challenges driven by deep-rooted discrimination. Some were being killed for their courageous stand; others faced violence, harassment, social stigma and sometimes imprisonment.