Laleh Osmany
لیلے عثمانی
Born1992 (age 31–32)
Afghanistan
NationalityAfghan
CitizenshipAfghanistan, Germany
Alma materHerat University
Occupation(s)Women's rights activist; lawyer
Known for"#WhereIsMyName" social media campaign

Laleh Osmany (Pashto: لیلے عثمانی; born 1992) is a women's rights activist from Afghanistan, who founded the social media #WhereIsMyName campaign which opposes the tradition that women's names were not used publicly in Afghanistan. For her work she was recognised on the BBC's 100 Women Awards in 2020.

Biography

Osmany was born in 1992 in Afghanistan; she later studied Islamic Law at Herat University.[1] In 2017 she co-founded the #WhereIsMyName social media campaign with Tahmineh Rashiq.[2] The campaign was set up in protest about the fact in Afghanistan, women traditionally had no right for their names be used in public.[3] This custom meant that women's names did not appear on official documents such as birth or death certificates, and not even on her tombstone.[4][5]

Mary Akrami, the chair of the Afghanistan's Women Network, described the news of the change in the law as a “positive step toward establishing women’s identity".[1] Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan former MP and women's rights activist, said that the change was "not a matter of women's rights – it's a legal right, a human right".[6] Other supporters of Osmany's work include Farhad Darya, the singer-songwriter Aryana Sayeed, and the MP Maryam Sama.[6]

However the change in law was not welcomed by some, who see it as disrespectful to Afghan values or an action taken to appease the USA.[1] The Taliban, who is 2020 were in talks with the Afghan government about power-sharing, oppose the inclusion of women's names on identity cards.[3] In addition, Osmany has received threats of violence because of her role in the campaign.[1]

Osmany's contributions to women's rights in Afghanistan were acknowledged when she featured on the BBC's 100 Women list published in 2020.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "In a rare victory for Afghan women, Kabul to include mothers' name on IDs". Arab News. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Where Is My Name? Afghan Women Campaign To Reclaim Their Identities". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  3. 1 2 Karimi, Orooj Hakimi, Storay (27 September 2020). "In the name of the mother: Afghan woman wins recognition, sparks Taliban opposition". Reuters. Retrieved 20 December 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "Laleh Osmany". RUMI AWARDS. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  5. ↑ Mashal, Mujib (30 July 2017). "Their Identities Denied, Afghan Women Ask, 'Where Is My Name?' (Published 2017)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  6. 1 2 "WhereIsMyName: Afghan women campaign for the right to reveal their names". BBC News. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2020: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.