Jamila Saadat

Jamila Saadat
جمیله سعادت
Born
Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
Alma materWomen's rights activist

Jamila Saadat (Dari: جمیله سعادت) is an Afghan human rights activist. She is known for her advocacy for the rights of women and girls living in Nangarhar Province.

Activism

In 2006, after graduating with a degree in disaster management, Saadat began working for the newly established Independent Election Commission's office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province and the fifth-largest city in Afghanistan. She was a member of the commission's female voter registration team; by the time elections were held in 2010, Saadat and her team had successfully registered hundreds of women in Jalalabad to vote.[1][2]

Also in 2006, Saadat established the Handicraft and Carpet Weaving Institute, in which she taught women various crafts and skills linked to the textiles industry, one of the employment opportunities more readily available and acceptable for women due to the ability to segregate workers by genders. Saadat stated her intent to use textiles and textile art to "rebel" against gender oppression and to support women's access to education and work, as well as their participation in civil society. Through the institute, Saadat also completed outreach work, including challenging cultural beliefs that prohibited women from studying or working by meeting with families.[3][4] Saadat went on to establish other humanitarian organisations, including the Vocational Training and Carpet Weaving Company and the Nangarhar Women Business Association, which offered support and training to homeless and displaced women in Bagh-e-Zanana.[3][4][5]

In 2012, Saadat was named as one of two female members of the Provincial Peace Council for Nangarhar Province, alongside Zarghuna Zewar, which contributed to the Afghan peace process. In 2015, she was among the signatories of a six-point proposal to ensure the participation of women in the peace process, signed by the female members of the country's 34 Provincial Peace Councils.[6]

As of 2024, Saadat was living in exile following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Parliamentary poll voter registration in full swing in Afghanistan's east". ReliefWeb. 30 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b Espinoza Garrido, Felipe (2024). ""It's my habit not to have fear": an interview with Bibi Jamila Sadat". In Espinoza Garrido, Lea; Gebauer, Carolin; Wewior, Julia (eds.). Mobility, Agency, Kinship: Representations of Migration Beyond Victimhood. London: Springer Nature. pp. 255–264. ISBN 978-3-031-60753-0. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Meet 16 brave women human rights defenders from Afghanistan". Amnesty International. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b Weisinger, Maya (2021). Tools of Resistance: Women and Art in Afghanistan. Uxbridge: Brunel University of London. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  5. ^ "List of All National Organizations". Afghan Tenders. Archived from the original on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  6. ^ A proposal developed by the women members of the Provincial Peace Councils (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
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