27.11.2025

International Conference on Human Rights - 10.12.2025

Courage Against Power – Defending Women’s Rights Worldwide

Wednesday, 10th December 2025, 16:00 – 19:30, followed by a reception

In one out of every four countries worldwide, the rights of women and girls are under serious threat. Women human rights defenders, female journalists, lawyers, and activists are deliberately persecuted, intimidated, or even killed—particularly in autocratic and illiberal countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Belarus, and in certain countries across Latin America. They face systematic defamation, surveillance, and violence from both state and non-state actors. Such persecution not only violates their fundamental human rights but also excludes them from economic, cultural, and political participation, with repercussions for society as a whole.

On the occasion of Human Rights Day, and marking 50 years since the International Women’s Year, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Institute of Political Science  (IfP) at the University of Tübingen, the Weltethos-Institut, and the College of Fellows (CoF) at the University of Tübingen convene an expert discussion on pressing issues and commemorate the vital role of women’s rights movements in strengthening civic engagement and overall prosperity worldwide. Against this backdrop, the protection of women’s rights and women human rights defenders—both at the individual and institutional level—will be at the heart of this international Human Rights Conference.