harassment campaigns. These campaigns, laced with misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic rhetoric, aim to degrade, discredit, and ultimately silence these activists, driving many to self-censor or withdraw from their work.74 In this climate of repression, women human rights defenders are particularly vulnerable, facing a convergence of legal, physical, and digital threats that severely limit their ability to do their work. THE CRIMINALIZATION OF ACTIVISM IS PERVASIVE, WITH NEARLY ONE IN FOUR ACTIVISTS HAVING RECEIVED DEATH THREATS AND THIRTY-SEVEN SURVIVING ACTUAL MURDER ATTEMPTS. In Southeast Asia, the criminalization of activism is pervasive, with nearly one in four activists having received death threats and thirtyseven surviving actual murder attempts. In South Asia, the situation is even more dire, with 30 percent of activists facing murder attempts. Additionally, activism has put families at risk, with one in three respondents across the region reporting threats or harassment against their families.75 In Afghanistan, the harsh restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls has been extensively documented, highlighting that those who resist these constraints or advocate for their rights face severe repercussions, including harassment, violence, imprisonment, and even death.76 Despite their initial promises to uphold women’s and girls’ rights, or at least to rule ‘moderately’, the Taliban have severely restricted their education, work and movements. Feminists have sounded the alarm over the Taliban’s decision to bar female students from Afghanistan’s university entrance exam. Activist Shaharzad Akbar and others have 74 Amnesty International. Thailand: State-Backed Digital Violence Used to Silence Women and LGBTI Activists. Amnesty International, 23 May 2024, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/05/thailand-state-backed-digital-violence-silence-women-lgbti-activists/ 75 The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation. The State of Women Human Rights Defenders 2023. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, November 2023, https://kvinnatillkvinna.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Kvinna-till-Kvinna-FoundationThe-state-of-women-human-rights-defenders-2023.pdf 76 Abrar, S. (2024). Don’t look away: The Taliban’s mistreatment of women has global ramifications. Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/inside-the-talibans-gender-apartheid/dont-look-away-the-talibans-mistreatment-of-women-has-global-ramifications/ 30