Shahla Farid

Ms. Farid was one of the first women appointed to the High Peace Council in Afghanistan, and represented civil society represent when negotiating the peace process between the Taliban and the Afghan citizens. She was a lecturer of law and political science at Kabul University for 20 years until she came to the United States in 2021. She continues to engage with the international media on the situation in Afghanistan and has been profiled by the BBC, Voice of America, and Al Jazeera. Ms. Farid has been recognized as a woman human rights defender by Frontline Defenders.

Ms. Farid is a feminist human rights activist with over 17 years of academic, legal, and advocacy experience.  She has written extensively, and her published work includes the following: Women’s Human Rights, Gender and Law, Violence Against Women and Its Solutions, A Comparative Study of Women’s Rights in Islam: The Customs, Laws and International Instruments, Judgmental Procedures, and Honor Killings. 

Ms.Farid has presented her research nationally and internationally in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia on issues about Islam, feminism, human rights, peace, journalism, and gender. She has conducted workshops and trainings in Afghanistan, the South Asian sub-continent, the Middle East, and Europe.  Ms. Farid facilitated the “Human Rights, Peace, and Gender” workshop held by Blink Academy of Netherlands for Journalists, Youth Advocates, and Social Workers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She was a member of the National Action Plan Committee of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Afghanistan. Ms. Farid participated in the UN-SCR1325 Resolution Workshop in Norway and provided training on National Action Plans in Afghanistan and Nepal. Until June 2021, Ms. Farid advised the US Embassy in Afghanistan on gender, political analysis of Afghanistan’s peace and security, and women’s political participation. Previously, Ms. Farid was the head of the legal department of the Afghan Women Network. Ms. Farid has a master’s degree in criminal law and an undergraduate degree in political science from Kabul University.