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.

Women Deliver’s Impact on ANTI-RIGHTS

Matthew (Blaise) Nwozaku

With the End Homophobia in Nigeria campaign, Women Deliver Small Grantee and Young Leader Alum Matthew (Blaise) Nwozaku, along with their team, set out to identify and strategically tackle the pillars of homophobia in Nigeria with a multilateral-policy-focused approach.

This included the use of digital media activism, hosting five safe space events, and liaising with policy influencers to push the needle towards a more equitable society for LGBTQIA+ people in Nigeria. They also collected and distributed menstrual and sexual health kits and emergency support to LGBTQIA+ people in need, particularly gender-affirming resources.

Matthew (Blaise) Nwozaku

Women Deliver is bringing together a steering group of national, regional, and global experts on countering anti-rights actors and narratives.

The steering group is working through formal consultations with affected stakeholders to identify gaps, needs, and best practices in responding to the growing threat of the anti-rights movement. The group aims to provide the pro-rights movement for SRHR with the knowledge and resources needed to defend and advance comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice.

Women Deliver is undertaking an evidence-based analysis of UN Member State positions on SRHR issues within and across multilateral fora,

including but not limited to the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Population and Development, Human Rights Council, Universal Periodic Review, and UNGA Third Committee. The purpose of this analysis is to identify and influence “middle ground” Member States who are able to strengthen a larger and more diverse group of State advocates for comprehensive SRHR norms, language, and implementation of global and regional standards.

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.