THE SITUATION OF WOMEN ENVIRONMENTAL & HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ACROSS AFRICA

The report details the disproportionate risks faced by women environmental and human rights defenders (WEHRDs) in Africa, including gender-based violence, criminalization, and digital surveillance. It highlights a significant gap between the actual violence experienced and official data, which often underreports attacks against women. Through country spotlights on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria, the document illustrates how patriarchal norms and corporate-state collusion exacerbate the vulnerability of WEHRDs. It concludes with recommendations for African states and international donors to implement gender-responsive protection frameworks, end the criminalization of activism, and provide flexible, long-term funding for women-led grassroots initiatives.

• There is a severe underreporting of attacks against women environmental and human rights defenders (WEHRDs) in official datasets. Between 2012 and the report's data cutoff, only five women were among the 126 reported killings of defenders in Africa, and only 18 women were among 261 reported attacks since 2022.
• Violence against WEHRDs is highly gendered, often involving sexual violence, harassment, and threats against family members, which are frequently omitted from standard data metrics.
• In Kenya, civic space has deteriorated, characterized by a 'Repressed' status from Civicus and a rise in state surveillance, including the abduction of over 80 online activists in 2025.
• Uganda has seen a sharp increase in the criminalization of environmental activists, particularly those opposing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), with 175 arrests documented by Natural Justice between June 2024 and September 2025.
• In Tanzania, the state uses 'legislative authoritarianism' to suppress dissent, and women land defenders in Loliondo and Ngorongoro have faced beatings, shootings, and sexual violence during government-led evictions since June 2022.
• South African EHRDs face systemic harassment and the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to drain resources and silence critique, particularly in the mining sector.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is identified as the deadliest place for environmental defenders, with 78 killings since 2012, where WEHRDs face extreme risks from armed groups and state security forces.
• In Nigeria, WEHRDs in Ogoniland and the Niger Delta face brute force from the military and police, including sexual violence and torture, while those in the North are isolated by conflict and lack of funding.
• Patriarchal norms act as a barrier to activism and protection, as women are often excluded from land ownership and decision-making, and their activism is viewed as a violation of traditional domestic roles.
• Digital threats are an escalating first-stage tactic of repression, involving surveillance, hacking, and the spread of fake pornographic images to humiliate women defenders.

APA

Natural Justice (2025). THE SITUATION OF WOMEN ENVIRONMENTAL & HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ACROSS AFRICA. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Situation-of-Women-Environmental-Human-Rights-Defenders-in-Africa_FullReport_Natural-Justice.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. THE SITUATION OF WOMEN ENVIRONMENTAL & HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ACROSS AFRICA. 2025. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Situation-of-Women-Environmental-Human-Rights-Defenders-in-Africa_FullReport_Natural-Justice.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=THE SITUATION OF WOMEN ENVIRONMENTAL & HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ACROSS AFRICA |date=1 December 2025 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Situation-of-Women-Environmental-Human-Rights-Defenders-in-Africa_FullReport_Natural-Justice.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2025situation, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{THE SITUATION OF WOMEN ENVIRONMENTAL \& HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ACROSS AFRICA}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Situation-of-Women-Environmental-Human-Rights-Defenders-in-Africa_FullReport_Natural-Justice.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }