Announcement of the Recipient of the 2021 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award

The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) announced today (11/30) that the 2021Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award will be awarded to Afghanistan lawyer Humaira Rasuli.

Humaira Rasuli is an Afghan human rights lawyer and the co-founder and executive director of the Women for Justice Organization (WJO). She started participating in social activism when she was 16 years old and a refugee in Pakistan. After returning to Afghanistan, she led lawyers, gender experts and activists in WJO to increase women’s access to justice, uphold the rule of law in Afghanistan, and investigate some of the most emblematic sex crime cases in the country. She also formerly led Medica Afghanistan which is another women’s rights organization that provides psychosocial counseling and legal support to female survivors of sexual violence.

To ensure the protection of female rights within the Afghanistan judicial system, Humaira Rasuli was instrumental in pushing for major law reform, including the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law and the criminal procedural reform. Afghan women have gradually been able to receive justice from judicial procedures due to the work of Humaira Rasuli and the organizations she leads, and she was named Best Female Leader by the Afghanistan Ministry of Women’s Affairs in 2010.

TFD Chairman You Si-Kun said this year’s Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award is awarded to Humaira Rasuli in recognition of her contributions and endeavors to promote Afghan women’s rights. Chairman You hopes that this year’s award will further inspire the world to pay closer attention to human rights in Afghanistan, especially women’s rights. He also hopes it will encourage human rights defenders and those who have been deprived of human rights, and demonstrate that there are still many people around the world that support them and to not lose hope.

Due to COVID-19, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy will not be hosting a physical award ceremony this year. Pre-recorded videos instead will be published on the TFD official website and social media platforms on Dec. 10, the International Human Rights Day.

For more details, please see press release (English version)

1.Chairperson You announced this year’s award laureate (left); TFD President Huang Yu-lin

連結檔案:

English Press release