Countering the Anti-Rights Movement Globally
For decades, a powerful and well-funded coalition of anti-rights actors has been working to undermine girls’ and women’s bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Between 2008 and 2017, “anti-gender” groups in the United States alone saw their total revenue rise to $6.2 billion, with at least $1 billion of this funding being used to support anti-gender movements worldwide. Their growing influence is evident in regressive policies in countries like the United States, El Salvador, Poland, and Uganda. These groups have also strategically infiltrated global forums to manipulate and weaponize human rights language and suppress pro-SRHR voices within civil society.
At the United Nations, anti-rights organizations are pushing resolutions on “protecting the family” to undermine access to SRHR. They promote a conservative interpretation of human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to deny and roll back hard-won gains in SRHR, such as access to safe abortion and comprehensive sexuality education.
Global progress has stalled and is increasingly at risk
Gender equality champions have long identified anti-rights actors as a significant barrier to a just, gender-equal world. However, the collective power we possess to counteract this threat hasn’t always been effectively utilized. Currently, progress on comprehensive SRHR is stagnating and increasingly at risk of regression. Without decisive action to counter these groups and their deceptive narratives, girls and women risk losing the protections that human rights frameworks provide, which could legitimize discrimination and deepen inequality.
Human rights are universal, indivisible, and inalienable. Women Deliver advocates for bodily autonomy and the full suite of SRHR for everyone, without discrimination, stigmatization, or barriers to access. Securing SRHR and bodily autonomy for all depends on our collective ability to counter anti-rights actors in both local and global spaces where hard-won gains are under attack. By building a network of advocates and partners, we can effectively counter the misinformation and disinformation spread by anti-rights groups, ensuring a future where everyone’s bodily autonomy is respected and their rights upheld.
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