Shabnam Salehi is a fellow and visiting researcher at the University of Ottawa (GSPIA & HRREC) and a prominent Afghan women’s rights scholar with an LLB and a Master’s in Public Policy & Administration from Kabul University, now pursuing a Ph.D. in International Law at Carleton University .
She began her academic career in 2012 as an assistant professor at Kabul University, teaching public policy, human rights, and gender equality. From 2019 to 2021, she served as Commissioner and Head of the Women’s Rights Promotion and Protection Unit at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, where she led legal reforms on marriage, divorce, virginity testing, transgender rights, and sexual harassment
Hanifa Girowal (Bluesky – LinkedIn) is the Co-founder of women’s rights first and CEO of Equitas Impact, a consultancy working at the intersection of human rights, governance, and ethical AI policy. Hanifa has also been one of the 2023 research fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, where her work focused on how social, cultural, and religious norms perpetuate gender persecution in Afghanistan and the need for international accountability. Her publication, “The Vicious Cycle of Women’s Rights Violations in Afghanistan and the Need for Accountability,” explores the structural drivers of gender-based repression under Taliban rule.
Girowal previously held several senior positions in the former Afghan government, including Deputy Governor of Kabul for Socioeconomic and Development Affairs. She also served in multiple roles at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, focusing on women’s rights, transitional justice, and the protection of civilians during armed conflict. She holds a master’s degree in public international law from Brunel University London.
Sanga Siddiqi is an Afghan legal
expert with a law degree from Kabul University and advanced studies in Financial Law and Economics from Fontys University in the Netherlands. She has served as a Legal Adviser at the Afghan Embassy in The Hague and currently works as a tax lawyer at the Dutch Ministry of Finance.
With over a decade of experience in national and international human rights work, Sanga is recognized for her strong advocacy for women’s rights in Afghanistan. As a specialist in international accountability, she contributes legal expertise to justice processes for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity. She has spoken at numerous international forums on legal mechanisms like the ICC. She has also authored several articles on women’s rights, rule of law, and political developments in Afghanistan.
