Aziza Siddiqui
Aziza Siddiqui (Pashto: عزيزه صديقي; born c. 1983) was an Afghan activist.[1][2] She was the Women's Rights Coordinator with the Afghan NGO Action Aid, where she conducted research on the situation of rural Afghan women and educated them about their rights, as well as organizing training on decision-making, despite being personally threatened for her work.[2][3][4]
Born in Afghanistan, Siddiqui left for Pakistan when she was eight years old because of war, but returned to Afghanistan in 2003 to work for women's rights.[1] In 2007 she received an International Women of Courage Award.[1] However, due to her fame she was unable to safely return to Afghanistan after that, and so she obtained asylum in the United States.[1]
In 2008, she began working as a case worker for BIAS, Bi-lingual International Assistant Services, which assists elderly and disabled immigrants, asylees, and refugees.[1] In 2009 Siddiqui received the "Extraordinary Ordinary Person of the Year" Award from Gitana Productions, which promotes diversity through the arts and arts education.[1]
References
- Next generation: Afghan-born woman helps other immigrants cross cultural, legal bridges in St. Louis Archived August 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, STLBeacon, Retrieved 12 July 2016
- Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (7 March 2007). "Honorees". 2001-2009.state.gov. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- "IIP Publications -". IIP Publications. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- AWIU » 2007 WOC – Aziza Siddiqui Archived December 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine