Amina Azimi is an advocate for

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

in Afghanistan. In 2012 she won the N-Peace Award.

Biography

Born in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

in the 1980s, Azimi lost her right leg at age 11 as a result of her home being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the Afghan Civil War. Her injury put her in the large group of disabled Afghans in a country that has one of the highest percentages, by population, of disabled people in the world. As a disabled person, Azimi encountered problems returning to school and subsequently faced discrimination when she sought employment. Azimi became an advocate for the rights of disabled women from Afghanistan. In 2007 she founded the ''Women with Disabilities Advocacy Committee'' (WAAC). She created the ''Empowering Women with Disabilities'' organization (EWD) in 2011. In 2012 Azimi was awarded the N-Peace Award as an '' Emerging Peace Champion''. Azimi advocated for elimination of discrimination against

landmine A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, whi ...

survivors as a presenter and journalist for a radio program called ''Qahir-e-Qahraman''. The program was first supported by

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

’s National Programme for Action on Disability, then the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan and

Internews Internews Network, now Internews, is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in California, formed in 1982. It was founded by David M. Hoffman, Kim Spencer, and Evelyn Messinger. The president and CEO is Jeanne Bourgault. Internews Europe is a ...

. She works for ''Afghan Landmine Survivors' Organisation'' (ALSO).

References

External links

Amina Azimi wins the N-Peace Awards 2012: Afghanistan
YouTube video {{DEFAULTSORT:Azimi, Amina Living people Date of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Afghan women 21st-century Afghan people Afghan women activists Year of birth missing (living people) Afghan disability rights activists