Parveena Ahangar (born in

Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

) is the Founder and Chairperson of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in Jammu and Kashmir. She won the

Rafto Prize The Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize (''Raftoprisen'') is a human rights award established in the memory of the Norwegian human rights activist, Thorolf Rafto. Organization The prize is awarded annually by the Rafto Foundation for Human Righ ...

for Human Rights in 2017 for her “protests against enforced disappearances” and for demanding justice for victims of violence in Jammu and Kashmir. She was named as one of the

BBC 100 Women ''100 Women'' is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The annual series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London and Mexico. Announcement of the list is the start of an international "BBC's women ...

, a list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2019. Parveena is referred to as the 'Iron lady of Kashmir'. She was nominated by the Indian media Channel

CNN IBN CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internationa ...

for an award which she rejected on account of the deceitful approach by Indian media over the pain and tragedies of Kashmiris.

Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons

Parveena started the "Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons" in 1994 to provide support and mobilize family members of missing persons due to enforced disappearances and to put pressure on India's government to investigate the estimated 8-10,000 cases of involuntary disappearances in Kashmir. The organization is part of the

Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) is an international human rights organization which focuses on the issue of forced disappearance in Asia. AFAD was founded on 4 June 1998 in Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fi ...

. Parveena Ahanger, co-founder and chairman of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, has represented APDP’s cause in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

(2000),

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

(2003),

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

(2005),

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

(2006),

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

(2008),

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

(2009) and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(2014).

Lecture at the University of Westminster

Ahanger spoke at London's

University of Westminster , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

in 2014. A quote from her speech:

References

External links

A Provisional Biography of a Journey Towards Justice for the Enforced DisappearedPhotography of APDP by National Media

Story of Parveena Ahanger

A blog by Mumbai based human rights activists

Interview with Ahanger

A Documentary based on Parveena Ahanger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahanger, Parveena Living people 20th-century Indian Muslims 21st-century Indian Muslims Activists from Jammu and Kashmir Indian women activists Kashmiri people Year of birth missing (living people) BBC 100 Women People from Srinagar