Laila Taher Bugaighis ( ar, ليلى بوقعيقيص) is a Libyan

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

. She is the CEO and former deputy director general of the

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

Medical Centre, one of only two

tertiary care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profess ...

hospitals in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

. She is the founder and chair of the National Protection Against Violence Committee, a part of the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council of Libya ( ar, المجلس الوطني الإنتقالي '), sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, was the ''de facto'' government of Libya for a period during and after the Libyan Civil War ...

's Health Ministry. Bugaighis is also a member of the Scientific Committee for Reproductive Health of Libya, and co-founder of the political

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

Al Tawafuk Al Watani Democratic Organization.

Biography

Bugaighis studied medicine at

Benghazi University University of Benghazi ( ar, جامعة بنغازي), Formally known as Garyounis University, it is a public university in Benghazi, Libya, the country's second-largest city as well as one of the most prestigious.institutes of higher education i ...

. She is a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist, and a member of the

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...

. Also a

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and 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 centuries. In some countries, ...

, Bugaighis advocated against implementing a quota on the participation of women in Libyan politics, believing it would "reduce the chances of the right qualified women getting seats in parliament". She has called for greater legal protection of victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, access to abortion in cases of rape, and reform of the country's

family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

. She is the sister of Wafa Bugaighis, the Libyan ambassador to the United States. Her cousin was

Salwa Bughaighis Salwa Bugaighis (24 April 1963 – 25 June 2014) was a Libyan human rights and political activist. She was assassinated in Benghazi, Libya on 25 June 2014. Life and career Bugaighis was from a prominent Benghazi family and trained as a lawyer ...

, a Libyan human rights activist who was assassinated in 2014.

Honours

She is a distinguished visitor at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at

Georgetown Law The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

. She regularly gives speeches at universities in the United States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugaighis, Laila Libyan obstetricians Libyan women activists Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Libyan businesspeople Libyan feminists Gynaecologists Women gynaecologists