During the past years we have observed a rising of the anti-rights movements and the dynamics of backlash against human rights around the world. In the context of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is essential to take action to face this phenomenon through the strengthening of alliances and collective action between civil society organisations (CSOs), activists, UN agencies and governments.
Anti-rights movements and the backlash against sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
The phenomenon of backlash against women’s rights refers to the reactions of conservatives, or anti-rights movements, against advances in women’s rights, and more broadly in human rights. It also describes the strategy deployed by these conservative movements and the tools they mobilise to threaten, attack and flout these rights.
Historically, the main objective of these anti-rights movements has been the control of bodies and sexualities. In addition to attacks against the right to abortion, these movements deny the rights of anyone who doesn’t fit a heteronormative, cisgender model. Their attacks take a variety of forms, in a continuum of sexual and institutional violence: systematic relegation of women’s bodies to their reproductive function, denial of the identity of trans people, criminalisation of homosexuality. From this anti-SRHR crusade, anti-rights movements have expanded their agenda to attack other fundamental human rights. Thus, there is a convergence of anti-gender, anti-rights, anti-democratic and climate-sceptic agendas.
We can observe that the communities most affected by anti-rights movements are also the most affected by climate change, despite their lesser contribution to the crisis. This is particularly the case in the Sahel region, where backlash is coupled with a security and climate crisis affecting particularly women and gender minorities. UNFPA highlights that 75% of displaced populations are girls and women.
Organising and defending human rights consistently to counter anti-rights movements
It is therefore necessary to strengthen international mobilisation and create alliances to protect these rights and the activists working to defend them. States, civil society organisations and international organisations need to build strategies and take action together. Feminist activists and movements have to be involved in inter-governmental processes in the earliest stages, as true strategic partners.
One of the levers to be mobilised in this fight is the states claiming a feminist foreign policy. This is the case for numerous European countries like France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Rights cannot be fulfilled through segmented approaches: SRHR, economic and social rights are interconnected. The feminist foreign policy must be infused at all levels, in all diplomatic missions and in all multilateral agencies. There is a need for a coherent approach: a state can consider itself a champion of SRHR and still be regularly criticised for failing to uphold rights related to economic justice, freedom from racism, freedom of movement and the right to development.
Strengthening alliances and increasing funding for feminist movements
Tackling the backlash requires building strong collaborations across borders between actors from different sectors. The strategies of anti-rights movements aim to break down feminist solidarities, in a context where struggles are already fragmented by a competitive funding model and siloed political and budgetary approaches.
The question of funding is crucial. The anti-rights movements are receiving substantial financial incomes, enabling them to exert influence in multilateral forums. A report written by the European Parliamentary Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights highlights that funding for anti-gender movements in Europe had quadrupled between 2009 and 2018.
This increasing trend is even more significant in comparison with the situation of feminist associations and movements, which suffer from a chronic lack of funding, which is even more glaring for black feminist organisations. According to a report by the Black Feminist Fund, 59% of these organisations have never received core funding. There is an urgent need to trust feminist associations with more flexible ways of granting funding, both public and private to move forward to SRHR.
Written by Equipop
Illustration: Anina Takeff
