The Yara WHRD Center is a space for WHRDs from the MENA and Asia regions, to come together and learn about the importance of self-care, wellness and holistic security. It’s a space where WHRDs can share their own experiences and strategies for ensuring resilience and sustained activism despite pressures and challenges. We strive to provide WHRDs with critical and up to date information from the region and other contexts, from a feminist perspective, about the need for a culture of care, the importance of practicing self-care, and ensuring wellness and security at the personal, organizational and movement levels.
The name Yara, is derived from the Persian word Yar, meaning companion, friend, supporter. We hope the Yara Center will be a support to WHRDs at critical times in their activism.
This year’s report is based on the survey responses of 458 women’s and queer rights activists, and 25 interviews with activists. Comparing this year’s results to the results of previous studies, we note that matters are deteriorating for women’s rights activists and democracy in general….
So much has been said about rest, we understand that rest is political. That it is a resource that replenishes us, supports us to transition from surviving to thriving, and enables us to honour our movements and ourselves. But why is it so hard to rest?
Rest is an act of centring one’s wellbeing.
In addition to weaponizing their gender to silence critical journalists like Oueiss, the rulers of the UAE and Saudi Arabia appear to have conspired to use their advanced surveillance capabilities against women’s rights defenders in both monarchies. Loujain Alhathloul claims…
