Mary Akrami (Afghanistan)

Mary Akrami is a civil and women’s right activist who leads the fight for the rights of the women who have faced violence within society. She is the founder of the Afghan Women Skills Development Center (AWSDC), an organisation that established the first shelter for women at risk in 2003. She is a strong advocate for promotion and protection of Women’s Human Rights and approval and implementation of EVAW Law is one the results of her untiring efforts in this regard.

Mary Akrami is the Head of Afghan Women’s Network. Ms. Akrami’s organization was engaged in peace building and conflict resolution programs and provided them with training and mentoring on mechanisms on women’s engagement in political and community-based peace building. Ms. Akrami initiated peace shuras (councils) in different provinces of Afghanistan. These peace councils became the only platform where women were able to find an opportunity to engage in conflict resolution mechanisms at the local levels and that was the start of women’s inclusion in community-based peace building.

Ms. Akrami has participated in numerous international conferences and regional platforms for a woman inclusive peace process, including the Afghan dialogue with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar in 2019. She is also founder of the first known safe house for Human Rights Defenders at risk. Ms. Akrami also attended the Human Rights Advocates Program in 2009 at Columbia University. She also won the first international women of courage award in 2007. Ms. Akrami was included in the BBC 100 women as one of the most inspirational and influential women. She is also a member of the Asian for Human Rights (SAHR) since 2013, Frontline Defenders, Human Rights Defenders committee in Afghanistan, and High Council for national reconciliation (HCNR). She also won the N-Peace award in 2018 in Afghanistan.

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