Dr. Sima Samar is the Chairwoman of the Independent Afghanistan Human Rights Commission. In this position, Dr. Samar oversees the conduct of human rights education programs across the country, implementation of a nationwide women’s rights education program, and monitoring and investigation of human rights abuses across the country. Dr. Samar convened the Commission, which was required by the Bonn Agreement and is the first Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan’s history.
From December 22, 2001 until June 22, 2002, Dr. Sima Samar served as the Deputy Chair and Minister of Women’s Affairs for the Interim Administration of Afghanistan. Dr. Samar was one of the only two women cabinet ministers in the Interim Administration of Afghanistan’s government. In June 2002, Dr. Samar was elected as the vice-chair of the Loya Jirga Assembly.
During the Interim Administration, Dr. Samar established the first-ever Afghanistan Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Under her leadership, buildings for the Ministry were secured and rehabilitated and the Ministry began advocacy, training, and service programs to help restore the rights of women and to improve their economic, political, legal, and social status. Among other accomplishments, the Ministry won the right of women government employees to return to their jobs and to keep their seniority, secured the representation of women as 11% of the Loya Jirga delegates, oversaw the re-entry of girls to schools, launched a women’s rights legal department, and opened a school for married girls, tailoring, literacy, and embroidery courses at the Ministry’s headquarters. Dr. Samar also won support for and began construction of multi-service women’s centers throughout Afghanistan.
Dr. Samar returned to Afghanistan to assume this cabinet post after 17 years in exile in Pakistan, where she founded and directs the Shuhada Organization in Quetta. The Shuhada Organization runs health, education, and income generation projects for women and girls in Afghanistan and those living as refugees in Pakistan. The Shuhada Organization is the oldest Afghan NGO working in the region, and the largest Afghan woman-led organization.
A leading authority on health care for Afghan women, Dr. Samar graduated from Kabul University Medical College in 1982. She practiced medicine at a government hospital in Kabul, but after a few months, was forced to flee for her safety to her native Jaghori, Ghazni, where she provided medical treatment to patients throughout the remote areas of Central Afghanistan. In 1984, she fled to Pakistan.
After working as a doctor at the refugee branch of the Mission Hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, and distressed by the total lack of health care facilities for Afghan refugee women, she started a hospital for Afghan refugee women and children in Quetta.
In 1989, she established the Shuhada Organization and Shuhada Clinic. The Shuhada Organization operates 4 clinics and 3 hospitals in Afghanistan, all dedicated to the provision of health care to Afghan women and girls. These health facilities provide services in Bamyan, Ghazni, Ghor and Wardak provinces. In addition, the Shuhada Organization runs nurse, community health worker and traditional birth attendant training programs and reproductive health education projects. The organization opened a Science Institute in Pakistan in 2001 to train young women and men as physician assistants, science teachers, and emergency medical technicians and later on the students have been transferred to the higher Institutions in Kabul.
Dr. Samar also has been a leader for education for Afghan women and girls. The Shuhada Organization operates 55 schools for girls and boys in Afghanistan and 3 schools for Afghan refugees in Quetta, Pakistan. During the Taliban regime, Shuhada’s schools in Central Afghanistan were among the few academic girls’ primary schools; the organization’s girls’ high schools were the only high schools that girls were able to attend in the country. The Shuhada Organization also ran underground home school classes for girls in Kabul. Following the collapse of the Taliban, these home school classes became the basis for two above ground schools for girls that now teach 800 students and handed over to the government. In addition, the Shuhada Organization runs English and computer courses, income generation, and adult literacy programs for women in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Shuhada Organization also has established shelters for vulnerable women in Afghanistan. The shelters provide a safe living and learning environment for women who have no guardians, are at risk for violence, are poor, and are not able to earn a living. The goal is to provide these women and their children not only with shelter and food, but also with opportunities for education and training so that they can have better lives and eventually be able to support themselves.
Numerous international human rights and women’s rights organizations have recognized Dr. Samar for her leadership for women. Her awards and honors include;
The 1994 Community Leadership Award from Roman Magsaysay Award Foundation, the Philippines; 1995 Global Leader for Tomorrow, World Economic Forum in Switzerland, 1998 100 Heroines Award New York, U.S.A; Paul Gruniger Human Rights Award, Paul Gruniger Foundation, Switzerland March 2001; Voices of Courage Award, Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, New York, June 2001; John Humphrey Freedom Award, Rights and Democracy, Canada December 2001; Ms. Magazine, Women of the Year on behalf of Afghan Women, USA December 2001; Women of the Month, Toronto, Canada, December 2001; Best Social Worker Award, Mailo Trust Foundation, Quetta, Pakistan March 2001; International Human Rights Award, International Human Rights Law Group Washington, DC April 2002; Freedom Award, Women’s Association for Freedom and Democracy, Barcelona July 2002; Lawyers Committee for Human Rights Award, New York October 2002; Silver Banner Award, Tuscany Italy November 2002, Women for Peace Award, By: Together for Peace foundation, Rome Italy November 2002, Predita Houston Award, Washington DC June 2003; Women of the Year Washington DC, December 2003; John F Kennedy’s Profile in Courage award May 2004, Boston USA; Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights June 2004 Washington USA, Paul Schiller Stiftung Award October 2004, Doctor of Laws (hon.) University of Alberta, Canada November 2004, Doctor of Human Letters (hon.) Brown University, Rhode Island USA May 2005. In August 10th 2005, due to her courageous and un-tiring work for the cause of Human Rights in the national and international arena, she has been appointed as the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on Situation of Human Rights for Sudan by the commission of human rights of the United Nation and has traveled there and submitted her report on the situation, progress and challenges of human rights to the United Nation’s General assembly last October. Best Civilian Officer Award, Decree signed by President of France, July 14th 2006, Embassy of France, Kabul Afghanistan. Global Women's Rights Award, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, USA May 2007.
Dr. Samar was born in Jaghori, Ghazni, Afghanistan on 3rd February 1957.
