Major political and social shifts are resulting in new forces and alliances that are visibly pushing back, stifling the possibilities of equal women’s rights and gender justice.

Gender justice
is under attack.

How can we counter
backlash together?

What is needed for women’s rights organisations and gender justice defenders to counter backlash and the subtle erosion of gender transformative discourse, policy, and practice?

A five year global research programme to
Share diverse experience and knowledge
Build new knowledge of these complex phenomena
Identify strategies to counter backlash
Engaged research and capacity building across networks and strategic partnerships.
Partner countries
Brazil.Bangladesh.
India.Kenya.
Lebanon.Uganda.
Short-term research countries
India.Pakistan.
Serbia.Turkey.

What's Happening?


Gender justice is increasingly contested the world over. Yet, equity across the genders is a critical foundation of human rights and sustainable development.

Backlash wages against the possibilities of transformative gender justice. To counter it, we must understand its diverse manifestations - from the subtle to the spectacular, the hidden to the explicit.

Solidarity, collaboration, and co-creation are the greatest tools in the box to mutually resist and counter coordinated and global attacks on gender and social justice.
update
Event: Backlash against gender justice globally: What does it mean for development?

Countering Backlash is hosting a panel debate where a panel of international experts will discuss and debate questions for development arising from a swell of anti-gender backlash across the world such as ‘What is it?’, ‘How should development adapt?’. The […]

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Research
blog
5 ways Serbia can #EmbraceEquity
Marijana Stojčić, Nađa Bobičić

Continuous normalisation of gender-based violence in the media in Serbia has led to women from all over the country coming together to fight for gender equality. Additionally, EuroPride, held in Belgrade in September 2022, received severe backlash from right-wing groups […]

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Patriarchy, Voice, Serbia
blog
Who wins when human rights are set against each other?
Raisa Philip

Activists and development practitioners have historically used human rights to advocate for changes in law and policy to protect the rights of vulnerable communities or groups. More recently, academic research on human rights, and development practitioners have noted how ‘gender-restrictive […]

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Patriarchy, Policy, India

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