This report also analyses these findings within the broader political and social context
currently affecting the MENA region as ongoing armed conflicts, authoritarian governance,
shrinking civic space, and entrenched gender inequalities continue to shape the conditions
under which WHRDs operate.
These structural realities significantly intensify the psychological burden faced by activists,
particularly those who confront both state repression and societal backlash as a result of their
advocacy.
By situating individual testimonies within these wider regional dynamics, this report seeks to
highlight not only the personal costs of human rights work for WHRDs, but also the systemic
conditions that contribute to the deterioration of their mental health and wellbeing.
Regional Context: Activism, Gender Inequality and
Mental Health
In general, the MENA countries report a high mental health burden of unmet needs that is
often underreported. In a survey of 25000 people throughout most of this region, 35% stated
that they frequently feel stress, 29% reported suffering from depression. Many studies
documented that women in general in MENA countries reported higher levels of depression.
This is due to several poorly addressed factors within the context of the region. Domestic
violence, rooted in gender-inequality, is prevalent among women and with no adequate
support or response systems.
There are also limited means for economic and educational empowerment. In certain
countries and social classes, women are not in full control of their sexual and reproductive
rights, where higher than desired birth rates affect women’s mental health, even if they are
working, due to unequal share of household burden. There are also poor or limited resources
for mental health and women report high prevalence of unmanaged postpartum depression
in certain countries. In addition, women in general remain at a historical disadvantage of
socioeconomic empowerment.
The GCHR 2025 survey’s key findings showed nearly all surveyed WHRDs reported symptoms
of anxiety or stress. Many reported depression and trust issues. Most did not receive
professional mental health support. Several experienced detention, threats, or digital
harassment.
WHRDs experience many of the same structural inequalities affecting women across the
region and beyond, while also facing additional risks due to their activism. They operate and
live in high stakes environments, where patriarchal norms, political repression, conflicts or
crisis exist, often with limited support or resources. Such environments elevate risks of mental
health stress that is exacerbated by discrimination, inequality and humanitarian emergencies.
WHRDs are constantly exposed to such general stressors in addition to specific state-led and
societal-led stressors because of the activism.
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