Norwegian Association for Women’s Rights

The Norwegian Association for Women’s Rights (Norsk Kvinnesaksforening; NKF) was founded by Gina Krog and Hagbart Berner in 1884 and works for the human rights of all girls and women and for a gender equal society. NKF is the Norwegian section of the International Alliance of Women (IAW), that was historically the main international non-governmental organization that campaigned for women’s suffrage. NKF is non-partisan, inclusive and open to everyone regardless of gender, and aims to represent the interests of all girls and women.

NKF works to promote gender equality and the human rights of all girls and women through constructive political and legal reforms grounded in liberal democracy. NKF has the fundamental principle that everyone, regardless of gender, should have the same rights and opportunities in society. NKF President Margarete Bonnevie understood women’s rights as equality in rights, freedoms, and opportunities. NKF works to eliminate attitudes, laws and regulations that are discriminatory towards girls and women in all their diversity and which hinder gender equality. Among NKF’s core issues are women’s political rights, legal equality, women’s representation in political and other decision-making processes, and gender equality in education, employment, and economic justice. NKF also works against violence against girls and women and for the strengthening of the gender perspective in foreign, security, and development policies..

NKF’s approach emphasizes constructive dialogue with the government regarding law and policy formulation, awareness-raising, and work through international forums, particularly within the UN system. NKF’s logo is a stylized sunflower, which became the symbol of the liberal women’s rights movement in the United States and Norway in the 19th century.