Shreen Abdul Saroor (born 1969) is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n peace and

women's rights 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, ...

activist. In 1990 as part of the Muslim minority in Sri Lanka, she was forcibly removed from her home in

Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places: India * Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala Sri Lanka * Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka ** Mannar Island, an island within the district **Mannar Bridge, a bridge connect ...

by the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

and placed in a refugee camp. After experiencing the tragedies of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Saroor was moved to work for peace and women's rights. In 1999, she founded the ''Mannar Women's Development Federation'' to help promote women's empowerment. In 2004 she was included in the documentary film ''Leading the Way to Peace, Women Peacemakers''. In 2008 Shreen was awarded the ''Voices of Courage'' award by the

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 19 ...

Women's Refugee Commission The Women's Refugee Commission is a 501(c)(3) Non-governmental organization, Non-Governmental Organization that aims to improve the lives and protect the rights of Women, Children, and Youth displaced by conflict or crisis. Established in 1989 ...

for her advocacy for internally displaced women. In 2011 she was recipient of the N-Peace Award. In 2017, Shreen received the ''Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law''. The same year she became an

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...

Fellow. Saroor works toward a united Sri Lankan women's movement under the umbrella organization, the ''Women's Action Network'' (WAN). Saroor's work as an author includes her contributions to the ''Colombo Telegraph''.

References

External links

The story of Shreen Saroor
YouTube video {{DEFAULTSORT:Saroor, Shreen Abdul Living people 1969 births 20th-century Sri Lankan women 21st-century Sri Lankan women Sri Lankan women activists Ashoka India Fellows