The Coalition for Sexual & Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR) is an award winning international solidarity network that supports the integration of a holistic approach to sexual and bodily rights as human rights across Muslim societies–through feminist knowledge building, strategic convenings, and strengthening activists’ capacities and resources.
With over 20 members organizations across 15 countries in MENA and SSEA, we act as a resource hub to strengthen capacity and increase solidarity across regions, themes and constituencies, so that our movements succeed in accessing and transforming power structures and decision-making processes to ensure sexual & reproductive autonomy, bodily integrity, and gender-justice for all.
Beyond our membership, CSBR’s has supported & worked with activists from over 300 organizations across 40 countries to strengthen their human rights organizing, campaigning, networking and advocacy, from the grassroots level to international policy forums (e.g. CSW, UN Human Rights Council, UN Treaty Bodies, ICPD).
To date, CSBR remains the only global south-led network connecting activists working holistically on sexuality & the body in Muslim contexts across MENA & SSEA.
Makeup
We have a multi-disciplinary character and are composed of a wide array of non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, collectives, and individuals, engaged in national, regional and international advocacy work towards:
- empowerment of women and girls at all levels of society
- sexual and reproductive health and rights for all
- rights and non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics
- ending all forms of gender-based violence, including early and forced marriage
- comprehensive rights-based sexuality education
- freedom of expression and freedom of assembly
- freedom of religion and belief, including the rights of religious and ethnic minorities
- women’s political leadership, women’s economic rights
- de-militarization, peace and security
See our Member Organizations here: http://www.csbronline.org/?page_id=26
Vision
CSBR was founded on the fundamental principle that all people, regardless of their gender, citizenship, class, age, mental and physical ability, religion, marital status, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, and sex characteristics, have the right to bodily and sexual integrity and autonomy, and the right to freely decide on all matters concerning their sexuality and fertility.
We want to see the recognition, protection and respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms related to sexual and bodily rights in the political, economic, social, cultural, and civil–or any other field, for all peoples.
Mission
We are committed to advancing a holistic and affirmative approach to sexual and bodily rights as human rights across Muslim societies.
We aim to act as a resource hub, strengthen capacity, and increase solidarity across regions, themes and constituencies, so that our movements succeed in accessing and transforming power structures and decision-making processes to ensure sexual & reproductive autonomy, bodily integrity, and gender-justice.
Strategies
With member organizations from Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Turkey, CSBR aims to advance a holistic approach to sexual and bodily rights in member countries through advocacy, publications, training, research and campaigns.
As an international solidarity network, CSBR Members’ realities and experiences inform our collective programming, and ensure we remain flexible and responsive to developments impacting sexual and bodily rights across contexts. Together we create change and address challenges by:
- Sharing resources and generating new knowledge from a holistic perspective on sexuality and gender-justice
- Organizing and creating progressive spaces for human rights advocates to strategize the realization of sexual and bodily rights across Muslim societies, from the grassroots to the national and international levels
- Coordinating international trainings and workshops on sexual and bodily rights in Muslim societies, including methods for advocacy, campaigning, and action-research
- Advocating for law reform towards the safeguarding of sexual, bodily and reproductive health rights, including an end to gender-based violence in all forms
- Participating in and collaborating with women’s human rights networks and allies to monitor and inform policies impacting sexual and bodily rights at the international level
- Taking action on behalf of individuals or groups of individuals whose sexual and bodily rights have been violated, or to prevent such violations from taking place for those at risk, through our action alerts and statements
Our strategies are informed by our Core Values: http://www.csbronline.org/?page_id=37
Coordinating Office
From its founding until 2011, the coordination office of CSBR was located within Women for Women’s Human Rights-New Ways, a leading organization in Turkey. In May 2011, after a highly successful decade of coordination, the General Assembly decided it was time for a shift to bring about new opportunities for the coalition’s work.
In 2011, Nasawiya, a feminist collective based in Beirut, Lebanon, was voted in as the new coordination office with a three-year term. The transfer of leadership to a younger generation of feminist leaders in the MENA region helped develop CSBR’s outreach and support for youth-led advocacy in international spaces, building an essential bridge across generations to support and sustain our movement building.
In 2015, the coordinating office moved for its new three-year term to GAYa Nusantara, in Surabaya, Indonesia. GAYa Nusantara is one of the oldest LGBT organizations in Indonesia, and is excited to continue CSBR’s work of creating & deepening progressive discourses/spaces to advance sexual, bodily and reproductive health rights.
The Coordinating Office runs on three-year terms. The CO is agreed upon by consensus of the Membership.
The work of the Coordinating Office is supported by CSBR’s Steering Committee, made up of 8 representatives from CSBR Member Organizations.
Operating Support
Over the years, the work of CSBR has been generously supported by foundations, private philanthropy and individuals committed to advancing sexual & bodily rights as human rights. We are grateful to all of our previous donors, including the Global Fund for Women, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Wellspring, COC Nederland, Hivos, Lush Cosmetics, GiveOut, the Gruber Foundation & Ford Foundation; all of the individuals who have donated out of pocket; and the *innumerable* volunteer hours that have gone into supporting our collective work from advocates around the world.
If you’d like to support our work, please email us at: coordinator@csbronline.org.