Widad Akrawi, is a Kurdish

Kurdish people

The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...

 author, lecturer, senior lobbyist, human rights defender and currently the President

President

A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 of Defend International

Defend International

Defend International is an international non-governmental organisation whose mission is "to respond to grave violations of human rights and of International Humanitarian Law and to monitor the implementation of preventive measures that are designed to end impunity for the perpetrators of these...

.

Early years

Akrawi was born in Akre

Åkre

Åkre may refer to the following locations:*Åkre, Hedmark in Rendalen municipality, Hedmark, Norway*Åkre, Telemark in Drangedal municipality, Telemark, Norway*Åkrehamn in Karmøy municipality, Rogaland, Norway-See also:*Åker...

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 and has been residing in Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 since 1992. Violations of human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 that occurred during the Iraqi government offensive against the Kurds in 1974, as well as during the Al-Anfal Campaign

Al-Anfal Campaign

The al-Anfal Campaign , also known as Operation Anfal or simply Anfal, was a genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people in Northern Iraq, led by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and headed by Ali Hassan al-Majid in the final stages of Iran-Iraq War...

 helped shape her future career goals. She earned a Civil Engineering degree from Salahaddin University

Salahaddin University

Salahaddin University is an educational institution in in Arbil , capital of Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. One of the oldest and largest institutions of higher learning in Kurdistan Region, Salahaddin University was established in 1968 and was originally based in Sulaimaniya. It was...

 in 1990. In Denmark she started studying again at the Technical University of Denmark

Technical University of Denmark

The Technical University of Denmark , often simply referred to as DTU, is a university just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and is today ranked among Europe's leading engineering institutions, and the...

 and worked as a geneticist

Geneticist

A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...

 at the Royal Hospital in Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

.

Dedication To Human Rights

Akrawi helped to establish a secret working group against torture in Iraq, dedicated to collecting evidence of torture and other human rights abuses.
In Denmark she first got involved with Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

 in 1994, when she started to do volunteer work. In February 2006, she was appointed as "Stop Torture” ambassador for Amnesty’s Danish section. She was elected in the executive committee

Executive Committee

Executive Committee may refer to:* The Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland, a government body in the United Kingdom 1921–1972* The Northern Ireland Executive, a government body in the United Kingdom...

 of Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

 Denmark in April 2006. She quit Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

 in June 2007. Now she is collaborating with the International Action Network on Small Arms  and other organisations around the globe. She has over 15 years of experiences in the areas of human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

, international security

International security

International security consists of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national security...

, peace

Peace

Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...

 and international conventions.

Status & Membership

• President, Defend International (2007-Now).
• Defend International representative to the UN Fourth Biennial Meeting of States, held in New York to review the implementation of the Programme of Action to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects (14–18 June 2010).
• Defend International representative to the General Assembly Interactive Hearings with Non-governmental organizations, Civil society organizations and the Private sector. (UN Headquarters in NY, 14–15 June 2010).
• Defend International representative to the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee) of the United Nations General Assembly (October 2009).
• Defend International representative to the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee) of the United Nations General Assembly (October 2008).
• Defend International representative to the UN Third Biennial Meeting of States, held in New York to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects (July 2008).
• Defend International representative to the 52nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women held at United Nations Headquarters in New York (February to March 2008).
• Defend International representative to the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee) of the UN General Assembly (October 2007).
• Amnesty International lobbyist to the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee) of the UN General Assembly (October 2006).
• Member of the board, Women of Europe Award, Denmark (2003-Now).
• Member of the board, International Women Steering Committee.
• Member of the IANSA Women's Network Working Group.
• Member of the board, Amnesty International Denmark (30 April 2006- 18 June 2007).
• Ambassador for Amnesty International's Stop Torture campaign, Denmark (9 February 2006- 18 June 2007).
• Member of jury board, Amnesty International's Arabic Short Novel Competition (April 2006-June 2007).
• Establishment of a special blog for Amnesty's Control Arms Campaign (June 2006)

Books

1. Taras bog: En beretning fra Kurdistan, novel in Danish, 265 pp., Forlaget Forum, København, 2003, ISBN 87-553-3420-2
2. Taras bok, the Norwegian version of the Danish novel : Taras bog, Oslo, Zagros, 2005, ISBN 82-92628-00-2

Other humanitarian initiatives

• In 2005 joined a Danish campaign to require a prohibition against torture in the Danish Criminal Code.
• In 2008 joined the project "Stop Trafficking Worldwide", a campaign to stop human trafficking worldwide.
• In 2008 joined an international campaign against Eid aerial firing.
• In March 2008 joined an international campaign calling for the end of gender-based violence at gunpoint.
• On 16 June 2010 addressed the UN Fourth Biennial Meeting of States, in New York to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects.

External links

• Defend International - official web site
• Widad Akrawi