Module 9: Intersectionality & How it Impacts the Work & Security of HRDs

When planning and facilitating this session, it is important to consistently apply an intersectional lens to each participant's identity and experiences, and their protection needs. Overlapping systems of discrimination and privilege, such as gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, racial and/or ethnic origin, economic status/class, marital status, citizenship, age and physical appearance, can have a profound impact on human rights defenders' and their communities' perception of and experience with risks and protection.

Introduction (5 mins):

We all have inherent, social, or belief-based characteristics that form part of our greater identity. Some of these characteristics or identities are affected by disadvantages or discriminations, meaning that we may receive unfair treatment in society purely on the basis of these identities. (Intersectionality key definitions)

As human rights defenders, many of us are

• defending the right not to be discriminated against based on one or more of these identities.
• and / or we find ourselves at greater risk because of our identity, whether or not that is the focus of our work

Previously, identities were taken as separate concepts, that were taken into consideration more or less in isolation of each other, eg UN Declaration on Human Rights:

“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”

Intersectionality theory looks at:

• Situations of multiple discriminations in an individual, a group of people, or a social problem.
• “Identity markers” eg indigenous, female, LGBTIQ+, recognising they do not exist independently of each other. Each informs the other, often interweaving complex layers of oppression, leading to discrimination.
• The point of intersection of these discriminations. Multiple discriminations can change the nature or severity of prejudice.

Crenshaw’s theory (10 mins)

Kimberlé Crenshaw, who developed intersectionality theory initially in relation to race in the United States, gave an example of a black woman who filed an employment discrimination lawsuit in the 1970s against a factory where she was refused a job.

She argued that she was discriminated against because she was a black woman. The judge however struck down her claim, by accepting the factory’s argument that it was neither racist nor sexist, as both women and black men were already employed by the plant. At the time, the court did not accept the idea that, as a black woman, she faced intersectional forms of discrimination different to that of white women and black men.

Write answers on flipchart and add to this as time goes on

Understand intersectionality within our own human rights movements

Sources of discrimination within the human rights community:

• We can be put at risk by other human rights defenders
• We can ourselves inadvertently put other human rights defenders / social movements at risk

Not understanding intersectionality can:

• Jeopardise the legitimacy and integrity of our human rights movements as a whole

How to respect intersectionality:

• Avoid language which minimises the experiences of others.
• Try not to use only our own or the majority’s experiences as a baseline or yardstick.
• Explore the narratives of those with different interwoven identities.

Group work: (40 minutes including feedback and discussion)

Security: Understanding intersectionality as a tool to analyse human rights violations

The Case Studies may be useful for understanding better the ways in which intersectionality manifests itself:

• We must analyse actual threats or previous human rights violations committed against our community and identify whether intersectional elements played a part.
• This can increase our capabilities for dealing with risk
• The path to social justice will be affected by the identities present in our social movements and the remaining prejudices in the societies in which we work.

Individual work: Addressing intersectionality in the work of HRDs to advance protection (10 mins)

Based on what we’ve hear today, what can we do to address intersectionality in our work in defence of human rights to advance protection?

Closing remarks (5 mins)

You may wish to touch on:

• Fear of offending: You are not expected to become familiar with everyone’s different experiences. The important thing is to be open to the idea of different intersectionalities and listening and learning from those who choose to share it.
• Fragmentation or Unity: Intersectionality emphasizes differences in order to ultimately eradicate their perceived difference. By exposing hidden discriminations, we increase societies capabilities to overcome them. This is not about boosting some at the cost of others, it’s about creating equality from disadvantage.
• Risk: As human rights defenders, understanding our own intersectionality and that of others is a form of risk reduction. Being able to identify how multiple identities can bring new risks, which can be severe and violent, helps us gain capabilities for mitigating that risk.

Additional resources for trainer:

• Crenshaw, Kimberlé: Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.
• Truscan, Ivona and Bourke-Martignoni, Joanna: International Human Rights Law and Intersectional Discrimination.

Created by:

Fiachra Bourke
Sheila Keetharuth

Case Study Handout